[Removed user]

29 April 2018 at 12:28:52 #815600

Hi,

We are a group of 4 people & planning a trip to Switzerland in mid-October’18( between 1st – 20th oct). We all are from India. Our trip starts from Paris, where we plan to spend 2 nights & then travel around Switzerland for the next days. I am detailing out the planned itinerary below.

Day 1 – Take a train to Lucerne from Paris & reach around 1 p.m – Check in hotel

Local sight seeing & visit Zurich in evening. Stay at Lucerne

Day 2 – Lucerne – mt titlis, engelberg. Stay at Lucerne

Day 3 – Travel to Interlaken & cover Jungfrau & the circular route ( Grindelwald, wengen etc.) Stay at Interlaken/wengen/murren/grindelwald ( to be finalized)

Day 4 – Interlaken – murren – schilthorn – local sight seeing – night at interlaken/wengen/murren/grindelwald

Day 5 – Travel to Montreaux through Golden pass train – Local sight seeing/ Chillon Castle/ Geneva city tour. Stay at Montreaux

Day 6 – Take the chocolate train tour to Gruyers & Broc – Stay at Montreaux

Day 7 – Fly out from Geneva

Is it a good time to visit Switzerland in October considering my itinerary which includes mountain peaks? Will it be extremely cold/windy?

We plan to take a Swiss pass for travel across Switzerland. Does it also include the Golden Pass route as well?

I want to fit in a day trip to Zermatt somehow. Can you pls suggest how can it be done?

Anything that we can drop to accommodate Zermatt?

Other wise pls suggest your take on this itinerary. Anything that I am missing out ?

Thanks in advance!

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[Slowpoke]

29 April 2018 at 23:26:43 #883555

Hi viditgoyal24 –

Welcome to my Swiss Alps.

You have packed a lot of locations in to your schedule. That will keep you busy.

Others might choose fewer places and spend more time in each one. That is a personal choice.

<<“Anything that we can drop to accommodate Zermatt?”>>

What anyone person likes may be very different for another person. So, no one but you can make those choices. It can help if you search for Zermatt and Geneva here and read about them:

http://www.myswissalps.com/wh eretogo/towns

I’d skip Geneva. But, I’ve been there 40 times.

<<“Is it a good time to visit Switzerland in October considering my itinerary which includes mountain peaks? Will it be extremely cold/windy?”>>

Regarding weather:

Here is a start.

http://www.myswissalps.com/ab outswitzerland/nature

The internet can give you average temperatures on a daily basis for various locations.

However, if you are from Kerala, a mild day in Switzerland will be quite cold for you.

Will you be hiking in the mountains?

The temperatures in Switzerland do not vary so much by location in the country ( Kerala vs New Delhi) as by altitude. So, October is a wonderful time to visit Switzerland, especially at lower altitudes, although the weather in the Alps may be getting a bit wintry in late October.

You state :

<<“mid-October’18( between 1st – 20th oct).”>>

which is 19 days,

and:

<<“Is it a good time to visit Switzerland in October considering my itinerary which includes mountain peaks? Will it be extremely cold/windy?”>.

But, you only list 7 days. The earlier the better for the Alps.

Slowpoke

[Removed user]

30 April 2018 at 9:50:39 #883556

Hi,

Thanks for the help.

We are from Delhi so used to winters unlike the Indians from Kerela.

“Is it a good time to visit Switzerland in October considering my

itinerary which includes mountain peaks? Will it be extremely

cold/windy?”>.

But, you only list 7 days. The earlier the better for the Alps.

As suggested, we are also trying to plan our trip in the 1st or 2nd week of October so that we can complete our trip by 20th October at the most.

<<“Anything that we can drop to accommodate Zermatt?”>>

What anyone person likes may be very different for another person. So, no one but you can make those choices. It can help if you search for Zermatt and Geneva here and read about them:

http://www.myswissalps.com/wh eretogo/towns

I’d skip Geneva. But, I’ve been there 40 times.

I have planned an evening only in Geneva. Our outbound flight to Delhi will be from from Geneva so we will be travelling there on the last day of our trip again. Please suggest how to accommodate Zermatt in our itinerary as I am keen on visiting it.

You have packed a lot of locations in to your schedule. That will keep you busy.

Others might choose fewer places and spend more time in each one. That is a personal choice.

I have kept 2 days each at Lucerne, Interlaken & Montreaux. As per your comments above, I have included too many locations in my plan. Request your help in sorting it out. What all should I include in my itinerary ?

I am not planning hiking in the mountains. Plan is for local sight seeing, city tours, covering major tourist attractions & visiting the villages of Gruyers & Broc & Lavaux vineyards for the culinary part of the trip.

Thanks

Vidit

[Removed user]

30 April 2018 at 15:56:45 #883557

Hi Vidit,

As Slowpoke already mentioned, it’s a lot to do in 6 days. You could skip anything. That’s totally up to you. You’ve selected all nice places. And they’re all different.

One of the options might be to skip one night in Interlaken, travel to Zermatt and spend a night. From there to Montreux and do the chocolate train. Or you visit Broc and Gruyère (via Zweisimmen so you’re on the Golden Pass route) from Interlaken just by yourself and then head for Montreux. Stay one night in Montreux visit the castle and the Lavaux vineyards and then go to Zermatt.

I would suggest you play a bit with the Swiss railways timetable so you get a feel of how long you need to travel to get from A to B. In order to get to Broc you’ll have to select Broc-Fabrique.

[Slowpoke]

30 April 2018 at 16:44:12 #883558

Hi Vidit-

Chantal ha s given you some good options. Obviously, if you make time for one new place on your itinerary, you’ll have to give up somehting else. Or, since your time is somewhat flexible, add a day and visit Zermatt from either Montreux or Interlaken.

As suggested, the timetable is your friend. Check out the instructions page of thelink that Chantal gave you. It will make your usage more effective.

Along with the timetable, a map is helpful. Any map will do, and some are better for geographic details.

For route planning, I like one that (unfortunately does not happen to give altitudes. It is mapsearch.ch.

map.search.ch/?pos=576208,161760&z=32 &poi=zug

But, if you zoom in to zoom level 32, the rail lines become extremely clear. Since their routes are constrained by geography, that is a useful way to look at the travels suggested by the timetable. The time table also can give you a map of a selected route…..I think it has been re-activated in the new version of the timetable by now. In the menu, under Points of Interest/Traffic, I have turned on the icons for train stations. Mouse over them for the precise name to use in the timetable, if there is a doubt. Works for bus stops, too.

Since you ave experience in the North of India, you’ll recognize the value of wearing clothing in layers. Since you are not going hiking in the mountains, you will always be in or close to heated areas, except for a few minutes of outdoor time at your option. A waterproof hat and windbreaker, and a few layers underneath the windbreaker should suffice. You may need all the layers if you are at outdoor viewing points very long at Zermatt or in the Jungfrau region.

If you wan to check out altitudes…the higher the colder…there a couple of maps that I use:

map.geo.admin.ch/?topic=ech&lang=en&bgLa yer=ch.swisstopo.pixel karte-farbe&layers=ch.bav.ha ltestellen-oev,ch.swisstopo.swiss tlm3d-wanderwege&layers_visi bility=true,false&E=26 38045.63&N=1157457.58& zoom=5

or,

map.schweizmobil.ch/?lang=en&land=wanderlan d&route=all&bgLayer=pk &layers=Wanderland&sea son=summer&resolution= 5&E=2560221&N=1142892

Finally, I might emphasize once again-

October is a midpoint between Fall and Winter. Not so critical at low altitudes, where it can be very nice on a sunny day, it becomes more and more of an issue at high altitudes as the season turns throughout the month.

Slowpoke

Here is sample from the map:

[Removed user]

1 May 2018 at 13:48:57 #883559

Thanks Chantal & Slowpoke. I will re-work my itinerary & get back for your inputs.

[Removed user]

2 May 2018 at 7:37:19 #883560

Hi,

I have re-worked my itinerary based on your inputs. Please have a look & suggest if this looks fine or it needs modifications.

Day 1 – Lucerne

Travel – Take a train from Paris to Basel/Zurich & connecting train to Lucerne to reach around 3 p.m

To do – Local sight-seeing & exploring the city in evening

Stay – Lucerne

Day 2 – Lucerne

To do – Visit Mt. Titlis, Engelberg & if time permits – Zurich in evening

Stay – Lucerne

Day 3 – Interlaken

Travel – Take Golden pass train to Interlaken

To do – Cover Jungfrau ( ice palace, Sphinx) , explore Interlaken in evening

Stay – Interlaken or (wengen/murren/grindelwald ( to be evaluated)

Day 4 – Interlaken

To do – Option 1 – Do the circular route ( Grindelwald, Murren Lauterbrunnen etc.) & visit Schilthorn

To do – Option 2 – Travel to Zermatt – Matterhorn & be back to Interlaken ( preferably to experience the Interlaken – montreaux Golden pass route the next day)

Stay – Interlaken or (wengen/murren/grindelwald (to be evaluated)

Day 5 – Montreaux

Travel – Take Golden pass train to Montreaux from Interlaken

To do – Explore some popular towns enroute (Gstaad etc.) – Chillon Castle – Lavaux vineyards

Stay – Montreaux

Day 6 – Montreaux

To do – Take the chocolate train tour to Gruyers & Broc & explore Geneva city in evening

Stay – Geneva

Day 7 – Fly out from Geneva

• Travel through Swiss pass – 3 days pass X 2 to cover the entire 6 days – Is it possible to have 2 different passes for 6 days ?

• Will you suggest to stay in Wengen/Murren/Grindelwald etc. instead of Interlaken to get mountain village experience?

• What are the major attractions in Engelberg? How much time is required to cover it? Is it possible to cover it along with Mt Titlis on the same day?

Thanks!

[Slowpoke]

2 May 2018 at 9:19:28 #883561

Hi Vidit-

Arival-

<<“Day 1 – Lucerne

Travel – Take a train from Paris to Basel/Zurich & connecting train to Lucerne to reach around 3 p.m

To do – Local sight-seeing & exploring the city in evening “>>

There is excellent service from Basel to Luzern. See attached screen grab. Why would you detour through Zürich…unless you wish to get a quick look at the city? You could leave your baggage at the left-luggage office or in lockers. I am not recommemding it, only commenting. That is because, most people find Luzern more rewarding to visit for tourist attractions.

Day 2-

http://www.timeanddate.com/su n/switzerland/zurich?month=10&year=2018

There won’t be a lot of daylight time in the evening in early October.

Do you have specific things that you want to do in Zürich?

http://www.myswissalps.com/zu rich

If you want to go there and walk the Bahnhofstrase=see and parts of th eold tow, perhaps have a meal at Zeüghauskellr, that should be possible. Otherwise, it is normally not a city tha we recommend for first time visitors. You will possibly be too late for serious shopping

<<“Will you suggest to stay in Wengen/Murren/Grindelwald etc. instead of Interlaken to get mountain village experience?”>>

Absolutely. You will, of course be further from Interlaken and the train connection to Zermatt, but the trade off is a good one, in my opinion.

During October, the between-seasons break is beginning, so a few restaurants and hotels – far from all of them – will be taking a break. More toward the end of the month. Thee can be lovely clear days in the Alps. However, the weather is very changeable:

http://www.myswissalps.com/we ather

<<“What are the major attractions in Engelberg? How much time is required

to cover it? Is it possible to cover it along with Mt Titlis on the same

day?”>>

Not sure what “… to cover it… ” means.

Here is some information about Engelberg.

http://www.myswitzerland.com/ en-us/engelberg-titlis.html

http://www.thecrazytourist.co m/15-best-things-engelberg-switzerland/

Those are my first thoughts.

Slowpoke

Attachments:

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   e0ea3ece-3abb-4526-b92c-90fa8c74eb1d.jpg
   

[Removed user]

2 May 2018 at 10:03:07 #883562

Thanks Slowpoke. My comments :

Arival-

<<“Day 1 – Lucerne

Travel – Take a train from Paris to Basel/Zurich & connecting train to Lucerne to reach around 3 p.m

To do – Local sight-seeing & exploring the city in evening “>>

There is excellent service from Basel to Luzern. See attached screen grab. Why would you detour through Zürich…unless you wish to get a quick look at the city? You could leave your baggage at the left-luggage office or in lockers. I am not recommemding it, only commenting. That is because, most people find Luzern more rewarding to visit for tourist attractions.

We will choose coming from Basel to Lucerne & explore the city in evening.

Day 2-

There won’t be a lot of daylight time in the evening in early October.

Do you have specific things that you want to do in Zürich?

If you want to go there and walk the Bahnhofstrase=see and parts of th eold tow, perhaps have a meal at Zeüghauskellr, that should be possible. Otherwise, it is normally not a city tha we recommend for first time visitors. You will possibly be too late for serious shopping

Thought is to explore some part of the city as you mentioned above & may be have dinner there. It is an option in case time permits. Not keen on shopping.

<<“Will you suggest to stay in Wengen/Murren/Grindelwald etc. instead of Interlaken to get mountain village experience?”>>

Absolutely. You will, of course be further from Interlaken and the train connection to Zermatt, but the trade off is a good one, in my opinion.

During October, the between-seasons break is beginning, so a few restaurants and hotels – far from all of them – will be taking a break. More toward the end of the month. Thee can be lovely clear days in the Alps. However, the weather is very changeable:

Which one will suggest for staying out of these towns Wengen, Murren, Grindelwald, Lauterbrunnen etc.?

2 nights or 1 night in one of these towns & 1 night in Interlaken?

<<“What are the major attractions in Engelberg? How much time is required

to cover it? Is it possible to cover it along with Mt Titlis on the same

day?”>>

Not sure what “… to cover it… ” means.

How much time is required for a trip to explore Engelberg?

Can Engelberg be covered on the same day along with Mt. Titlis ?

For Travel through Swiss pass – 3 days pass X 2 to cover the entire 6 days – Is it possible to have 2 different passes for 6 days ?

Does the itinerary seem fine other wise? Do you still consider it to be hectic/busy?

Thanks!

[Slowpoke]

2 May 2018 at 10:10:38 #883563

<<“Does the itinerary seem fine other wise? Do you still consider it to be hectic/busy?”>>

Much better. You can adjust once you are there,because of the flexibility of the travel network.

I misspelled Zeughauskeller-

http://www.zeughauskeller.ch/ home

Regarding Engelberg- check those links that I gave you.

<<“Which one will suggest for staying out of these towns Wengen, Murren, Grindelwald, Lauterbrunnen etc.?

2 nights or 1 night in one of these towns & 1 night in Interlaken?”>>

two nights in one of the villages.

Search for them and Interlaken by name on this website to read about them .

Also-

http://www.myswissalps.com/wh eretogo/towns

and

http://www.myswissalps.com/fo rum/topic/tips-about-wengen-and-the-jungfrau-region-by-kim

Slowpoke

[Removed user]

2 May 2018 at 11:22:49 #883564

Hi viditgoyal24,

You can look around Engelberg on the way to Titlis – very easy as it is on the way. In general, I think most people spend an average of 2 hours on any given mountain top. But it is up to you.

The Swiss railways timetable will give you schedules to get anywhere in Switzerland, then add on 2-3 hours at a mountain top then back to wherever you are staying. Then you decide how much you want to cover in any single day.

Buying two, 3 day Swiss Travel Passes are allowed of course, but an 8 day Swiss Travel Pass would be cheaper. 🙂

[Removed user]

3 May 2018 at 9:13:23 #883565

Thanks Slowpoke & Lucas.

How can I visit Gruyers & Broc villages for the cheese & chocolate factory without taking Chocolate train? Since travelling through Swiss pass is free, is it better to take the regular trains to these villages?I will anyways cover the Golden Pass route from Interlaken to Montreaux so travelling again on Golden pass route is not a priority.

Does Swiss pass also discount the fares for travel between Swiss cities(Geneva/Basel )& Paris?

I might have to plan my travel between 10th – 19th October. Is commuting by boat between cities (Montreaux & Geneva) & the regular boat rides on Lucerne lake etc. possible, assuming the weather will be cold?

Thanks!

[Slowpoke]

3 May 2018 at 9:39:04 #883566

<<“How can I visit Gruyers & Broc villages for the cheese & chocolate factory without taking Chocolate train? Since travelling through Swiss pass is free, is it better to take the regular trains to these villages?”>>

Please use the timetable linked previousl to find “regular” or “special” trains.

Travel on those routes will be covered by the Swiss Travel Pass for any train. You may need a reservation or perhaps a special supplemental fee on most named “special” trains. Check by using the search function on this site for a “named” train. Often they provide some extra service on a “named” and charge extra for it

If you take a regular train on the same route, you do not need reservations..

Validity of the Swiss Travel pas is explained here:

http://www.myswissalps.com/sw isstravelpass/validity

Read the legend carefully, because dashed lines and doted lines are confusing.

<<“Does Swiss pass also discount the fares for travel between Swiss cities(Geneva/Basel )& Paris?”>>

Check the link just cited. With one or two rare exceptions, the STP only covers travel within Switzerland. The exceptions are a coiple of towns in France near Geneva and the siplon route north of Domodossola in Italy and the Val di Centovalli line to Locarno.

If you ggo to Paris,you need a French ticket as soon as you cross the borger.

Boats run in October, on a reduced frquency schedule. They have indoor sections so you can stay warm. There is some Winter service on many lakes but not all. No tourists.

Slowpoke

[Removed user]

4 May 2018 at 5:28:43 #883567

>> How can I visit Gruyers & Broc villages for the cheese & chocolate factory without taking Chocolate train?

The stop for the cheese factory is Gruyères gare, and the stop for the chocolate factory is Broc-Fabrique. They are both on the same train line.

Alpenrose

[Removed user]

4 May 2018 at 10:20:47 #883568

Thankyou Slowpoke & Aplenrose666. I will finalize my itinerary & get back to you if I have any more queries. Thanks a lot for your help.

[Removed user]

7 May 2018 at 13:21:11 #883569

Hi,

Do we need a Schengen visa for Switzerland? Since we will be travelling to Paris as well, do we need to take a separate visa for France or the Schengen visa will suffice for both the countries?

Thanks

Vidit

[Removed user]

8 May 2018 at 6:09:32 #883570

Hi Vidit,

You should be able to use the same visa.