How to schedule two days in Lucerne

  • Removed user
    Participant
    72625 posts
    11 April 2016 at 19:28:34 #808886

    Hi,

    I am travelling to Lucerne for 2 days with my family in beginning May (wife, toddler and parents)

    I would need advice from you how to schedule these two days

    Furthermore, Im also planning a trip to Interlaken to see the scenic train route. Can i make my base in Lucerne and make a day trip to Interlaken and come back or is it recommended to stay in IL for a night?

    In addition to the above 3 days, Ive another day. What is recommended for the 4th day? One day in Zurich or something else?

    Regards,

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    bouboucadeau
    Participant
    20 posts
    12 April 2016 at 0:32:52 #850644

    hi

    i came back from 9 day switzerland trip back in february.

    i did lucerne for a day trip.. small town with little sights to see, Lake Lucerne, old town Wall, old town, .. if you wish to see Mt. Rigi , maybe you can do 2 days in lucerne..

    if not.. you can do a day trip to Zurich or Interlaken.

    i would do daytrip to Zurich as its expensive to stay and eat and do….

    not much to see in zurich.. so 1 daytrip to zurich is more affordable and enough.

    i stayed in interlaken for 2 days as well,… its a bustling resort town… lots of food restaurants and shops.

    good if you want to go to Thun or Bern from interlaken

    for Alps experience, go to Lauterbrunnen, Murren or Grindelwald as your base town.. i chose Lauterbrunnen 3 nights for breathtaking views of the valley, and daytrips to Jungfrau and Schillthorn

    enjoy

    Removed user
    Participant
    72625 posts
    12 April 2016 at 17:35:42 #850645

    Hi,

    these pics are awesome, I’m afraid all these names are Greek to me. What I can figure out is I can skip Zurich for Lucerne or Interlaken.

    So now I’ve four days. I’d seek your assistance in planning these 4 days. Where to stay? 2 in Lucerne and 2 in Interlaken or 3+1. Furthermore, I’ve a 1.5 years toddler with me

    so need your advice in scheduling these 4 days like day 1, day 2,3 and 4 activities

    TIA

    Arno
    Moderator
    15471 posts
    12 April 2016 at 17:57:07 #850646

    I would say you can either stay 4 nights in one place or 2 in each. One night is not very efficient: it leaves little time for sightseeing and you won’t be able to adapt your plans to the weather if necessary.

    For what to do, please see:

    Removed user
    Participant
    72625 posts
    15 April 2016 at 20:22:29 #850647

    Hi,

    so now it’s decided that I’ll be making a 4 days trip, 2 each in Lucerne and interlaken

    lucerne day1: sightseeing the city with lion monument and lake Lucerne ( since I’ll be reaching around 2-3pm)

    lucerne day2: day trip to Pilatus

    shifting the base to interlaken

    interlaken day 1 : assistance required in suggesting some day trip ( top of Europe possible with a 1.5 years kid?)

    interlaken day 2: suggestions welcome( how about schynige plate? )

    the next day I’ve to go back from Interlaken to Zurich airport for return flight

    Removed user
    Participant
    72625 posts
    15 April 2016 at 22:07:41 #850648

    Hello

    For information on when various railways etc open In the Interlaken area. Jungfraujoch is open all year round.

    Harderbahn to Harderkulm opens from 23rd April, First (from Grindelwald) opens from 30th April, Schynige Platte not open till 28th May. Railway from Lauterbrunnen to Murren closed 2nd to 4th May for maintenance. Access to Murren via cablecar from Stechelberg (bus from Lauterbrunnen to Stechelberg). Mannlichen usually opens mid-May.

    If you enter specific dates and routes into the online table it will give you the information you need.

    If the weather is too cloudy for trips to mountain tops there are the boats on Lake Brienz and Lake Thun as possibilities.

    Maggie

    Slowpoke
    Participant
    7567 posts
    16 April 2016 at 8:25:58 #850649

    Hi Avawda- I’ve looked through the thread, and find that a couple of useful links were not provided directly. They’ll help a lot with the place names, and also with the times that the public transport facilities in the Jungfrau region open for the summer season.

    By the way, the names are not in Greek, they are in German. 😉

    Με την ευκαιρία, δεν είναι στην ελληνική, είναι στα γερμανικά.

    http://www.myswissalps.com/ti metable

    map.search.ch/?x=-23208m&y=-25072m&z=16

    http://www.myswissalps.com/be sttimetovisit

    Unfortunately, as Maggie noted, many of the scenic options in the Jungfrau region are closed between the winter skiing season ( ending roughly at the end of March ) and the Summer season (opening some in very late May and early June and mostly open by June 15th.

    What is open depends a lot on altitude. Luzern will be enjoying Spring weather at around 400 meters. For a related example, the high mountain pass roads above 2000 meters do not open until early June, as a rule. They are covered with deep snow. Wengen, at 1300-1400 meters will be pretty much snow free.

    For details in a very powerful map, which I have shown without hiking trails turned on, I use the Federation’s official SwissTopo site. There, you can see the altitudes, and a lot more than you might want:

    map.geo.admin.ch/?topic=swisstopo&lang=e n&bgLayer=ch.swisstopo .pixelkarte-farbe&layers=ch.swisst opo.zeitreihen,ch.bfs. gebaeude_wohnungs_regi ster,ch.bafu.wrz-wildruhezonen_portal,c h.swisstopo.swisstlm3d -wanderwege&layers_visi bility=false,false,fal se,false&layers_timest amp=18641231,,,&X=1625 20.00&Y=636580.00&zoom =6

    I showed the map with the hiking trails turned off in that link..

    The Lauterbrunnen Valley is at 700-800 meters. May is fine, although the deep valley does not get a lot of sun, and there may still be traces of the last bits of snow. Männlichen ( about 2229 meters), Männlichen Gipfel (“summit” or “peak” )at 2343 meters and the excellent trail to Kleine Scheidegg (about 2000 meters) are not accessible for hiking until sometime in late May, more likely early to mid-June. There is one place on that trail which is snow covered late in the Spring, due to angle of the sun and shade. Although it could be done with an infant in a stroller or some form of wheeled device in the summer, I’d not recommend it, even after it is open. You’d enjoy the views but not the work.

    If you choose to visit Jungfraujoch, at around 3400 meters, you might check with your doctor about the appropriateness of those high altitudes for young children.

    I’ve attached a couple of pictures to show why you should come back in the Summer or early Fall. 😉

    http://www.myswissalps.com/be rneseoberland

    You can determine what transport is open by checking specific routes in the time table on a day that you choose.

    I do not agree with Bouboucadeau’s comments-

    <<” i came back from 9 day switzerland trip back in february. i did lucerne for a day trip.. small town with little sights to see, Lake Lucerne, old town Wall, old town, .. if you wish to see Mt. Rigi , maybe you can do 2 days in lucerne..”>>

    In my opinion, you could spend a week in the vicinity of Luzern (that is the German spelling, and what you will see on signs in the area) and have plenty left to see and do. His visit in February restricted some of his options.

    I took the attached picture at dawn on an unusually clear day in June, from the old town, in the Hotel Schiff (now closed, unfortunately)

    In the old town, a walk around is enjoyable.

    The Lion of Luzern is justly famous. The image shows my then 8 year old granddaughter on a page taken from a photobook that I prepared in 2009.

    My friends and family of all ages enjoyed the Bourbaki Panorama near the Lion.

    Your child is probably a bit young for the Transport Museum.

    A lake boat ride to Vitznau and a cograil train ride to Rigi Kulm , followed by a return via various routes is very scenic.

    The two or three pictures attached related to Hammetschwand are mainly to show the environment. There is a bit of a walk to get up to Hammetschwand, and the current public transport connections are difficult due to construction at the hotels up there. The trail to the base of the outdoor elevator is smooth enough for wheel chairs, but the reward for effort might not be something you’d like to try with an infant. If you would, i can provide more details.

    en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ Hammetschwand_Elevator

    http://www.myswitzerland.com/ en-us/buergenstock-hammetschwand-lift.html

    I also believe that Bouboucadeau did not take the time to dig into Zürich. It is my favorite town in Switzerland, but it does require a a few trips to really appreciate it. And, the attractions are more cultural than scenic. Some splendid museums, for example. However, for the first time tourist. Luzern is much more rewarding, with a variety of easily accessible attractions. Luzern is a 45 minute train ride from Zürich, twice per hour.

    Slowpoke

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