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We are travelling to Switzerland in July 2018 and would appreciate assistance with planning our 8 day itinerary. We will be flying from UK and can either fly to Geneva or Zurich and would like to travel through Switzerland by rail. We will have 6- 7 nights and need to end up in Basel on 17 July as we will be joining a river cruise on 18 July. We would like to visit Interlaken, Lucerne and Zurich (and visit tourist attractions from those places). Is it worth spending a night in Geneva? We will also be back in Zurich for 1 night/1 full day in August prior to departing for Australia.
Any suggestions would be appreciated. Thank you
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G’Day Ann and Welcome to MySwissAlps,
I would suggest you fly into Zurich and go straight to Lucerne (http://www.myswissalps.com/lu cerne). For that short a visit you don’t want to have more than two bases so a few nights in Lucerne and a few nights in the Jungfrau Region (http://www.myswissalps.com/ju ngfrauregion) would be the go.
Interlaken is a handy transport hub but doesn’t get a big wrap as a tourist destination. Have a look at Wengen where you are actually in the mountains and the scenery is already magical.
I wouldn’t rate Geneva.
You will probably wan to look at some sort of rail pass. You should read “How to choose the best travel pass” (http://www.myswissalps.com/tr ain/ticketspasses/prac tical/chooserailpass).
A clearly mapped out itinerary is the basis for deciding which pass (if any) suits. Based on your itinerary you need to do the sums based on the cost of all your planned trips on trains, boats, cable cars etc. You can use the Swiss Train Timetable (http://www.myswissalps.com/ti metable) to work out the fares for any trip. When you go to buy a ticket the fare you see on the right hand side of the page will normally be the half-fare price. Double it to get full fare. With A Swiss Travel Pass it is free provided it is shown as free on the Area of Validity map ( PDF downloadable from http://www.myswissalps.com/sw isstravelpass/validity).
As well as the Swiss Travel Pass (http://www.myswissalps.com/sw isstravelpass) there are many regional passes (http://www.myswissalps.com/re gionalpasses) which can work depending on where you are based and how much travel you plan. Have a look at the Tell Pass for Lucerne and the Jungfrau Travel Pass for that area.
Basel is easily reached from Interlaken.
G’Day Ann-
It is a pleasure to see that Rockoyster can get a chance to use a few of his favorite phrases without being misunderstood. Although, his Tassie accent sometimes becomes a bit strong. 😉
Zürich is a very nice city, especially for cultural attractions, fine restaurants, and shopping. It has a a nice old town on both sides of the River. The area around Neumarkt and the streets Untere Zäune and Obere Zäune have a lower tourist density than the better known parts, such as the Niederdorf.
map.search.ch/?pos=683752,247413&z=10 24
http://www.myswissalps.com/zu rich
Zürich is not usually our first recommendation because of the lack of stunning scenery; Luzern ( which is the German spelling you will see on signs nearby) is much more scenic. If you have specific reasons for visiting Zürich, by all means do so, however. It is my favorite city in Switzerland, because I am a frequent visitor and appreciate the restaurants and museums.
Near Interlaken, everyone has his or her favorite village for a good alpine experience:
http://www.myswissalps.com/be rneseoberland
http://www.myswissalps.com/ju ngfrauregion
The mainpage of that Jungfrau Region link lists and describe the villages and Interlaken.
Mine favorite is Wengen.
http://www.myswissalps.com/fo rum/topic/tips-about-wengen-and-the-jungfrau-region-by-kim
This is a walk that is both easy and wonderfully scenic on a clear day:
http://www.myswissalps.com/hi king/maennlichen-kleinescheidegg
August is high season for tourists, so book ahead.
Slowpoke
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It is a pleasure to see that Rockoyster can get a chance to use a few of his favorite phrases without being misunderstood. Although, his Tassie accent sometimes becomes a bit strong. 😉
Thank you both so much for the great suggestions, which I’ve taken on board. It’s also great to see that you both have such a good sense of humour 🙂
So from what you both have suggested, we would be looking at 3 nights in Luzern and 3 night around Wengen and then train to Basel from Interlaken. Will 3 nights in each place be too long?
Just one thought, would it be easier or more logical to for the direction of train travel, to fly into Geneva travel straight to Wengen then through to Luzern and on to Basel? (from bottom to top)
Thanks again, Ann
Hi Ann,
Lucerne is 1 hour from Zurich.
Depends what time you arrive but if you lob into Geneva the the most scenic way to get to Wengen is via Montreux and Zweisimmen on the Golden Pass Line (http://www.myswissalps.com/go ldenpass). A much longer train ride.
You won’t have any problem finding stuff to do for 3 nights in and around Lucerne and Wengen. See the “What to Do” tabs on my earlier links.
Another alternative if you arrive at Geneva is to slipover to Zermatt and check out the Matterhorn. Have a night there and continue on to Wengen. Make sure you go to Wengen via Kandersteg. ou will then travel on the Regio-Express Lötschberger train over the traditional, more than 100 year old mountain route, giving you a wonderful view along the impressive peaks and down into the Rhone Valley.
Hi Ann-
<<“Lucerne is 1 hour from Zurich.”>>
Trains at xx47 go direct, with a stop in Zürich.
Trains at xx18 require a change at Zürich main station.
<<“Depends what time you arrive but if you lob into Geneva the the most scenic way to get to Wengen is via Montreux and Zweisimmen on the Golden Pass Line (http://www.myswissalps.com/go ldenpass). A much longer train ride. “>>
Between 5 1/2 and 6 houers.
Scenic trains are often slow. That route requires a few changes.
<“You won’t have any problem finding stuff to do for 3 nights in and around Lucerne and Wengen. See the “What to Do” tabs on my earlier links.”>
Do you like to walk, hike, or trek?
<<“Another alternative if you arrive at Geneva is to slipover to Zermatt and check out the Matterhorn. Have a night there and continue on to Wengen. Make sure you go to Wengen via Kandersteg. ou will then travel on the Regio-Express Lötschberger train over the traditional, more than 100 year old mountain route, giving you a wonderful view along the impressive peaks and down into the Rhone Valley.”>> Agree. It does add a 3rd overnight location, but it is a reasonable idea.
We have stayed in Luzern and at nice villages around the lake for as much as 1 week at a time and not exhausted all the possibilities. If you want to hike, you can spend a few weeks with no trouble.
The Jungfrau region gets short shrift at only three days, unless they happen to be cloudy ones. Then, day trips to Bern, for example, become appealing.
http://www.myswissalps.com/we ather
On ocasipn, when the weather in the Jungfau regipn is clouds and fog from top to bottom ( it comes in layers, by the way) we have doe this hike:
http://www.myswissalps.com/fo rum/topic/bls-sudrampe-trail
It goes along part of the “Lötschberger ” route that Rockoyster mentioned.
Slowpoke
Hi, I have done some further research and changed a few things and would like your opinions on the following itinerary:
Monday 09 July flight from UK to Geneva arriving 9.00 pm. Overnight at Geneva Airport
Tuesday 10 July Geneva Airport – Wengen via Montreux on GoldenPass line – should arrive in Wengen mid afternoon. We have booked 3 nights accommodation in Wengen
Wednesday 11 July – day drip to Jungraujoch from Wengen
Thursday 12 July – Still working on this one – any suggestions on what we could do??
Friday 13 July – GoldenPass line from Wengen-Interlaken-Luzern – arrive early afternoon. We have 3 nights in Luzern
Saturday 14 July – Day trip to either Mt Titlis or Mt Pilatus – any advice if one is better than the other?
Sunday 15 July – Luzern boat trip and general look around Luzern
Monday 16 July – Train from Luzern to Basel. overnight in Basel prior to joining a river cruise on Tuesday 17 July.
I’ve done some research on rail passes and based on the above itinerary I believe the 1/2 price swiss card will be the best option.
Your thoughts on the above would really be appreciated.
Thank you
Hi Ann,
That looks pretty good.
12 July suggestion – From Lauterbrunnen (short train ride fro Wengen) a very nice “circuit” to do is to Grütschalp (cable car), Mürren (cogwheel train), Gimmelwald (cable car), Stechelberg (cable car), Lauterbrunnen (bus). From Mürren you can easily visit Schiltorn. And there is a funicular up to Allmendhubel if you have time. In between Stechelberg and Lauterbrunnen the bus stops at the Trummelbach Falls. Well worth a look.
Also in the Jungfrau region you should take the railway to Schynigge Platte if you have time.
Titlis and Pilatus is a toss up. Never been to Titlis. Pilatus is nearer to Lucerne and the Golden Round Trip (Bus to Kriens, Cog-Wheel to Alpnachstad and boat back to Lucerne) is great.
If you want to glamp it up try http://www.smh.com.au/lifesty le/the-swiss-retreat-adored-by-sophia-loren-audrey-hepburn-and-21stcentury-tourists-20180212-h0vyqd.html
Thanks again for the suggestions rockoyster and we will definitely visit the areas on 12 july. So many places and things to see, unfortunately not enough time. I guess it means another longer trip to Switzerland next time 🙂
The glamping also looks fabulous, just a little out of the budget.
Hi Ann,
You don’t have to stay at Bürgenstock (I started a fund last year but don’t expect to have saved enough to stay there in my lifetime) but it could be worth a look and you can also check out the Hammetschwand Lift (http://www.myswitzerland.com/ en-au/buergenstock-hammetschwand-lift.html) from there. Bit of an icon.
Also there is a spiffo ferry. See attached.
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