MySwissAlps.com features ads, commercial and non-commercial Zurich to Interlaken scenic route options
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I with my wife planned to reach 22 may at zürich Airport and then move to interlaken we are looking for best senamic route to choose with swiss travel pass. Thanks for suggestions.
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Hello Shukia and Welcome to MySwissAlps.
Train to Lucerne then join Golden Pass Line (http://www.myswissalps.com/go ldenpass) to Interlaken Ost via Meiringen.
If you have enough time go to Lucerne via Arth-Goldhau for nice views of the Zugersee rather than direct from Zurich Airport to Lucerne.
Use the Swiss Train Timetable (goo.gl/PXbqWw) to plan your travel. If you are not familiar with the timetable it will pay to first read the instructions at bit.ly/2IwxrEV.
Happy travels.
Hi Rockoyster-
That route has another benefit. The views from the train going from Arth-Goldau to Luzern along the lake shore by Merlischachen and Meggen are also nice. Sit on the left.
Slowpoke
Hi Slowpoke,
So right hand side of train from Zug to Arth-Goldhau and on to Küssnacht then swap to left hand side. Is that what you had in mind?
Yes.
Please excuse my ignorance but do you mean Zurich to Luzern via Arth-Goldhau? If so, thank you but you would have us leaving Zurich at 7.30 instead of 8 am to cover this. My hubby will be pleased…. Sounds like a great idea from the images I have now googled. Never heard this suggestion before so thank you once again.
Do you see this and the other places mentioned from the train? We are doing the Golden Pass on the same day… Oh, the wonders of Switzerland and this site.
Thank you once again for the great tip including which side to sit on on the train….
“…. do you mean Zurich to Luzern via Arth-Goldhau?”
Yes.
”Do you see this and the other places mentioned from the train?”
Not sure what you mean by “this”.
By this I mean Arth-Goldhau and the other two towns mentioned in these posts. I see it takes a bit longer than the straight trip from Zurich to Luzern, but it means I can still take the same train for the next leg of the Golden Pass from to Interlaken Ost, where we will walk to Interlaken West and see the beautiful city of Interlaken again. Great addition to our trip. Thank you both.
You’re welcome.
Enjoy your trip.
Thank you. I am sure we will.
Hi Carolyn –
<<“By this I mean Arth-Goldhau and the other two towns mentioned in these posts. I”>>
The scenery that I (and I suspect, Rockoyster) were referring to is the lakes and mountains. There are a few pretty towns along the way, but I never considered Arth-Goldau or the other towns to be particularly scenic. My opinion, at least.
Slowpoke
Thanks Slowpoke. No problem. I looked at the map and see it goes back the lake and figured that would be the most scenic. It adds another 30 minutes and one change of trains, but that is no problem. We will book our luggage in Zurich to pick up in Montreux on the morning of our trip or the night before. Worked a treat last time. Just wish other countries offered such great service. Makes doing the Golden Pass with the changing of trains so easy.
Hi Carolyn –
<<“. We will book our luggage in Zurich to pick up in Montreux on the
morning of our trip or the night before. Worked a treat last time. Just
wish other countries offered such great service. Makes doing the Golden
Pass with the changing of trains so easy.”>>
I use it all the time.
Like many other aspects of travel in Switzerland, you can get more convenience or fancier accomodations by paying more. The Swiss have calibrated nicely the process of taking money from tourists while making thme happy for the services that they pay for. But, you don’t have to use them. and you can avoid a lot of the “extra” costs if you wish.
This is a case where I think the fee is well worth it. Once we took a trip from Zürich to the Südtirol for a few days. We came back into the country via the Val Venosta and the bus to Zernez. Train to Samedan. Picked up our rental car, and then our luggage, which we had shipped ahead to Samedan 5 or 6 days before.
A real benefit, not having to haul much luggage around Bozen and Merano, although the bus to Zernez did have plenty of space under the passenger compartment for luggage if we would have needed it.
Slowpoke
We did the Zurich to Montreux trip in 2013 and were away from Australia 105 days, so lots of different climates and luggage. Hubby was not happy about having to change trains to do the Golden Pass at all, let alone get out at Interelaken Ost and walk to Interlaken West with our luggage… When we got to the station in Zurich they told us about booking our luggage through to Montreux. Said it may not be there until 6 pm. We arrived at 4.30 pm and of course there it was waiting for us. We just couldn’t believe our luck. Now he tells everyone to stop in Interlaken and do the 1.6 km flat walk to the next station, having lunch at one of the nice cafes along the way.
This trip is only 62 days and we are doing the places the loved from another trip of 68 days plus a few new places. We do most of our travel by train, as Europeans “Drive on the wrong side of the road”. This train journey was the first one was first on our list. I cannot declare just how good it is. The scenery is breath-taking.
>> Please excuse my ignorance but do you mean Zurich to Luzern via Arth-Goldhau? … Do you see this and the other places mentioned from the train?
Yes. The mention of going via Arth-Goldau was not because Arth-Goldau is a particularly pretty town, but because you need to put via Arth-Goldau into your timetable search to get the right route (which is not the default route that the Swiss Timetable will suggest between Zürich and Luzern).
By putting via Arth-Goldau into your timetable search, you will get the route that travels high along a hillside on the eastern side of the Zugersee, with scenic views down to to the lake, lakeside villages, and the mountains (including the Rigi) on the other side of the lake. I have attached a map showing the route, which does take longer than the standard route.
Alpenrose
Attachments:Thank you as always – so helpful.
I use the German Railway to do my searches and I looked at the map to see the difference between that and the direct route. Shows the lake, so I figured that would have a lot to do with it. I really appreciate your advice on this, as I have never read to do it that way.
The first time we went to Europe we had to book our trains through a travel agent in Australia. I used one who use to donate to our children’s high school for raffles and things – his boys went to the same school as ours. I had read the route to take from Luzern to do the Golden Pass and gave him times and train numbers… took him three attempts to get it right and we only got our tickets the day before we left for our 105 days away… He said to me that he had learnt so much from what we were doing and he would be able to advice his customers so much better in future.. I was dumb founded. I have never used a travel agent since. A lot of people I talk to don’t realise you need to change trains to cover the Golden Pass.. Most people are scared to do their own research and bookings… They need to join your forums.
Once again thank you. I thought I had nailed the best route but seems I was wrong…
Carolyn
If you are traveling in Switzerland, this is usually a bit more helpful than Deutsche Bahn:
http://www.myswissalps.com/ti metable
Please check out the instructions page.
Slowpoke
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