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8 day September itinerary – feedback required
Hi Folks
I am visiting Switzerland for 8 days in June this year and currently have the following planned
Day 1
– Flight to Geneva arrive 21.20 stay overnight at YHA Geneva
Day 2
– Early morning start to take in sights of Geneva – idea to catch yellow mouette taxis over to Geneva Plage visit the Jet D’Eau and walk back to the YHA to collect baggage on the following route – jet D’Eau, flower closk, St. Peters Cathedral (go up the towers) , reformation wall and then catch bus to Nations taking in the UN building and the unique broken chair sculpture. then back to YHA collect baggage and go to train station. (estimating approx. 2 hrs walk) starting no later that 9.30.
Two options train to Gruyeres – option one would include the MOB Belle Epoque – a classic train gets us to Gruyeres at 14.59 or option 2 MOB train Golden Panoramic Train gets in at 15.59 which is the better of the two trains.
Also reason for going to Gruyeres is the Mid Summer Festival is taking place over the weekend, would this be too late to see activities taking place.
Overnight accommodation in Gruyeres
Day 3
– Explore Gruyeres – Leave luggage at hotel or tourist office and do hike in the area. Gruyere to Charmey stopping at Broc to do chocolate factory . Really want to do the Gorges of Jogne and the Dam at Lake Montsalvens end at Charmey and catch bus back to Gruyere. Collect luggage and aim for the 17.59 train which gets in to Montreux at 19.13 open to ideas here not sure whether another night in Gruyeres would be better or to go onto Montreux – any ideas.
Day 4
– depending on whether stayed at Gruyeres or gone onto Montreux the night before. Explore Montreaux. Two options whether permitting Rochers de Naye is this entire trip now free with the Swiss Travel Pass and if free to top hike back down or otherwise hike from Caux to top and back down.
Alternatively do the promenade walk from Montreux to Chillion Castle and get boat across to Lausanne or Vevey Marche – would like to take in a walk through the vineyards any suggestions and would also like to see Charlie Chaplin statue and the Fork in the lake – but open to ideas
Stay overnight Montreux YHA
Day 5
Take the Golden Pass Line to Luzern – how long does this take and do I need to make reservations – have Swiss Travel Pass
Have provisionally booked two days here but are unsure what to see and do in the area – open to suggestions thinking lake cruise combined with a walk – Mt Rigi,
Day 6
– Stay around Luzern -open to ideas
Day 7
– would like to visit Rhine Falls and possibly take a cruise from Schauffsen to Stein am Rhein from their was thinking of Zurich for overnight stay but open to other ideas
DAy 8
– I need to arrive in Salzburg tonight as booked a week there
Many thanks in advance for reading my itinary and hoping that someone can add to it
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Hi twiggy321,
Good to see you’re finalizing your itinerary. Please find some thoughts below:
- day 2 is a bit full, but most of it will be doable. One morning to explore Geneva allows you to get a fairly good first impression. I’m not sure about your exact plans as you’ve listed the Jet d’Eau twice. One roundabout walk with some additional sightseeing, e.g. as described here, will be easier. Both trains towards Gruyères are fine, as they follow the same routes and take the same amount of traveling time. Seat reservations for the Golden Pass leg Montreux-Montbovon are recommended but not obligatory. If guaranteed seats are important to you you’d better choose in advance and arrange for your reservations. If not, you can alternatively just leave Geneva when you’re ready and pick the connection that best suits your travel pace that day;
- day 3 is very full in my opinion. Depending on how crowded the chocolate factory is, note that a visit may easily take a couple of hours. You may also want to explore Gruyères itself; it would be a bit of a shame to miss out on that as it’s such a charming small town. A shorter hike might be better for this day, or skipping the chocolate factory. Whether to stay in Gruyères or Montreux is up to you. However, looking at your ambitious plans for day 4 a hotel in Montreux might be better;
- day 4: I think you’ll have to make some choices here as well. The Swiss Travel Pass validity page and the Rochers-de-Naye tickets page allow you to see what’s covered. A vineyard hike could fit in if you combine it with either the castle or Rochers-de-Naye, but not both. The best hikes, e.g. this route, require you to travel west by train first so that adds some more time, and it will result in a full day;
- day 5-6: please consult the Golden Pass page and the timetable. Our personal tips for the Lake Lucerne region can be found here. You’d best decide for yourself and see what appeals to you most;
- day 7: a visit to the Rhine Falls is certainly possible. Please find relevant information at the page I linked to. If you’d like to slow down a bit, exploring Zurich and its lake would be a good alternative;
- day 8: your Swiss Travel Pass will get you free traveling to the border. Please check this page for additional tickets to Salzburg.
Please find Swiss Travel Pass retailers here. Please note that some websites may not work temporarily due to annual maintenance. This should all be fine within a couple of days.
Thankyou Annika for your response.
I have noticed that you have focussed on time a lot but are grateful for you feedback
Have decided that I will definitely travel down to Montreux on the evening of day 3 so that an early start can be made on Day 4 bit confused with your info for Day 4 . does my Swiss Travel Pass cover the entire route??
Do you know what the border is so that I know where to get a ticket from to Salzburg as have seen from Luzern to Salzburg for 34 euro. so don’t know whether to just do this.
Was hoping that somebody could mention a scenic route from either Luzern or Zurich to Salzburg
Thank you once again.
Hi twiggy321,
Please have a look at the validity page Annika mentioned, and download the map. Everything included in the pass, borders stations, etc. can all be found there.
All direct trains from Zurich to Salzburg follow the same scenic route across the Alps. You’ll find ticket details here. Buchs SG is the border station.
Hi Twiggy-
<<” Day 4
– depending on whether stayed at Gruyeres or gone onto Montreux the night before. Explore Montreaux. Two options whether permitting Rochers de Naye is this entire trip now free with the Swiss Travel Pass and if free to top hike back down or otherwise hike from Caux to top and back down.”>>
Those hikes involve substantial altitude changes. Are you a fit and experienced hiker? Are your knees ready for substantial down hill punishment? If so, go for it, but it will take longer than you have planned.
if not…take a careful look at the topo maps and think about the altitude changes.
<<“I have noticed that you have focused on time a lot but are grateful for you feedback”>>
The feedback from Annika should be taken to indicate that there is not enough time to do everything you have written, unless you are very fit, move very fast, and don’t stop to rest. Even so, not easy to accomplish.
Are you experienced and in training for hiking above 1500 meters?
Slowpoke
Hi Slowpoke
I take on board what you are saying and yes we are fit experiences walkers who do a daily walk or cycle. We are early risers in the morning and will be catching the first train up to Rochers de Naye most info we have looked at states 3-4 hrs and we tend to average 2-2.5km a hour so estimating appro 4-5 hrs with a stop. Once back down to Montreux the walk either direction is along the promenade and therefore flat . Also in June it will be later for longer and therefore it can be leisurely stroll as I estimate it wont get dark till 9pm onwards
We also live in a area where our local hill is based at a altitude of 1500m and are near to Snowdonia
Hi Twiigy –
Good to hear.
I’ve reached the stage where my knees are troublesome, which has slowed me down a bit and made me cautious about steep down hill walks.
Sorry if I was a bit pushy, but you can’t really tell about capabilities until you ask. We have visitors to the forum who have never looked at a map and want to do some extreme hikes. Better to err on the side of caution.
I assume you have seen the SwissTopo web site?
<<“We also live in a area where our local hill is based at a altitude of 1500m and are near to Snowdonia”>>
Beautiful country. We have a few Jones’ in the family, and constantly talk about spending time in Wales. The closest we have gotten is Conwy and Beumaris. The Irish kin always seem to win out.
I wish I were as fit as you are. Guess I’ll have to spend more time at altitude. 😉
I picked 1500 meters because it is close to “mile high” where I notice the reduced oxygen availability if I do anything strenuous for a period of time.. By 2000 meters, the height of Rochers de Naye and just below Männlichen at 2230 meters, I definitely have slow going on the uphill stretches.
I looked for Arno’s and Annika’s trip report on their recent trip up to Rocher’s de Naye. Could not find it, perhaps they will jump in, but I did find this one:
http://www.myswissalps.com/fo rum/topic/sunny-day-trip-around-lake-geneva-vevey
I recall some good photographs. Hope my memory is not going the way of my knees. 😉
Slowpoke
hi slowpoke
Sorry to hear about your knees yep we are about a hour away from Conwy, and you are right very often people think they can climb a mountain without any prior knowledge especially map reading.
Talking of maps what would be a good map for the area currently have 1:25000 of La Gruyere which sadely just cuts of Rochers de Naye.
Anyway no offensive taken I’m glad that people make you think on this forum and are aware of safety of the mountains.
To often we are blinded by beauty and throw caution to safety.
Keep up the good work
Hi Twiggy-
<<“Talking of maps what would be a good map for the area currently have 1:25000 of La Gruyere which sadely just cuts of Rochers de Naye.”>>
If you look on the back of the 1:25,000 you will find a chart of map quadrangles. Unfortunately, I do not have #1225 ( Gruyeres) . However , #1264 (Montreux) covers the territory where you will be hiking.
There also exists a large area “Assemblage” #2517 “Rochers de Naye Moleson” at 1:25,000 which covers Montreux and a much larger area..well north of Chatel St-Denis including Gruyeres, and as far east as Chateaux-d’Oex. I bought that istead of multiple small quadrangles. Notably more expensive than one or two regular 1:25,000 quadrangles, but it cover approximately 6 of them.
When I do hiking in easy country, I often only use the 1:50,000 Wanderkarten. That would be #262T. They show the Wanderwege; I like them for planning. I don’t have that one on my shelf.
In difficult country, I put a 1:25,000 for the whole hike in my pocket. Especially in the mountains.
Note that the SwissTopo Web site home page lists all of the kinds of maps that are available. There are now some Wanderwege at a more detailed scale than 1:50,000.
There is also free Smartphone app shown on their “products” page. Mobile Phone coverage in Switzerlend approaches 100% coverage. I found it useful on my last trip, wandering around in dense fog between Sumiswald and Affoltern i. E on the ridge from which the attached image was shot.
Slowpoke
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