Switzerland one week in August – itinerary help

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    24 April 2017 at 10:55:48 #811532

    Hello,

    I am planning to visit Swiss in the month of August for 6N/7N (depending on your feedback).

    Is August good month to visit Swiss and what would be the temperature like?

    My plan trip is as follows.

    I am planning to reach Zurich in the evening and stay in Hotel.

    Day 1: Trip starts – Zurich to Chur to travel with Bernina Express from Chur to St.Moritz.(Kindly recommended things to do at St. Moritz for 5 hours). Evening catch train from St. Moritz to Lucerne and stay night in Lucerne.

    Day 2: Lake Luzern, Chapel Bridge, Water Tower, Lion Monument and Mt. Pilatus. Evening stay at Lucerne

    Day 3: Mt. Rigi and Mt. Titlis . Evening transfer to Interlaken/ Grindelwald using Golden Express. night stay

    Day 4: Jungfrauch (I guess it will take 4-5 hours to come back from Jungfrauch). If their is anything I can do till evening kindly suggest. Night stay

    Day 5: Lake Thun, Jet boating, Paragliding. Evening catch train to Zermatt. Night stay at Zermatt

    Day 6: Matterhorn (any other places i can cover including Matterhorn kindly suggest). Evening – Train to Zurich. Night stay in Zurich

    Day 7: Rhine falls and Lake Zurich. Evening good bye Switzerland.

    Kindly give feedback/suggestion on my above plans. Also please recommend hotels in Zurich, Lucerne, Grindelwald, Zermatt.

    Regards

    Navneet

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    Removed user
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    24 April 2017 at 12:09:06 #862100

    Hi Navneet and welcome to MySwissAlps!

    Lets have a look at your plans:

    Day:

    1. Things to do in St. Moritiz
    2. Looks good
    3. Be prepared for a long day to do both Mt. Rigi and Mt. Pilatus but it is doable.
    4. I would only plan on doing Jungfraujoch in one day. If you have time or if the weather is poor and you don’t go you could look through our recommended activities in the Interlaken region.
    5. Looks good
    6. In Zermatt, you could visit Gornergrat and/or or Klein Matterhorn/Glacier Paradise.
    7. Looks good

    Please click these links for our hotel recommendations in each town: Zurich, Lucerne, Grindelwald, Zermatt.

    I hope that helps your plans!

    Lucas

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    24 April 2017 at 13:35:57 #862101

    Thank you for the reply Lucas.

    I am planning to get 8 days Swiss travel pass. Swiss pass includes travelling between cities/town, Bernina Express, Mt. Pilatus, Rigi, Matterhorn. With Swiss pass i will get 50% discount to Jungfraujoch and Mt. Titlis. Can you please confirm if I am right?

    Do you think its worth going from Lucerne to Gridelwald through Golden pass train or normal train is sufficient? (Basically what is the difference between golden pass train and normal train)?

    Do you recommend to get down at St.Moritz or Pontresina? which one would give me better sight seeing. I am travelling with my parents hence Hiking will not be an option for me. And if i get down at Pontresina, is their a train to Lucerne

    IDay 4 and Day 5 is interchangeable depending on weather. As you said Jungfraujoh will extend for a day.

    What will be the cost for paragliding and jet boating per person?

    Is Klein Matterhorn / Matterhorn / Glacier Paradise all same?

    Am i missing anything in this route which is worth covering? I dont mind staying extra day provided its worth.

    Thanks for your help. Much Appreciated!!

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    24 April 2017 at 16:15:36 #862102

    No, the Swiss Travel Pass gets you a 25% discount on Jungfraujoch but 50% for Mt. Titlis – see what is covered by the pass here.

    The Golden Pass runs from Luzern to Interlaken and then to Montreux. You will be on the Luzern-Interlaken Express when traveling that route and then a change to Grindelwald in Interlaken.

    I haven’t been to Pontresina before, I think St. Mortiz has more options for you to do and is an easier stop at the end of the Bernina Express. Please note that the Bernina Express runs to St. Moritz from Tirano only. From Chur you can take a standard train on the same route as the Bernina Express however for most of the trip.

    You can find prices of the activities on the link I provided earlier (point#4).

    Klein Matterhorn/Glacier Paradise is the same thing – check my link above for details. It gives you a viewing point of the Matterhorn itself which you can’t travel to.

    There isn’t anything specific that comes to mind to add to your trip – though there are a lot of options! Click here for a list.

    Lucas

    rockoyster
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    24 April 2017 at 22:22:13 #862103

    Hi navneetbagri,

    As you cannot do Bernina Express Chur to St Moritz you may consider going straight to Luzern on Day 1. Or even better perhaps go direct on arrival from Zurich Airport to Luzern for a full day in and around Luzern.

    Then return to Zurich at end of your trip via Glacier Express from Zermatt to Chur. This will give you less backtracking and still give you a Panorama train. Glacier Express continues to St Moritz it you particularly want to do that route.

    rockoyster
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    24 April 2017 at 22:26:00 #862104
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    25 April 2017 at 8:05:27 #862105

    @rockoyster. Thank you for suggestion.

    Is glacier express covered under swiss travel pass?

    If their is anything specific in St.Moritz to see?? If not I can go till chur and from their catch a train to Zurich.

    Also I would like to know if I had to choose between a trip to My. Rigi vs Mt. Titlis which one is better? I have got information from this website regarding activities offered in Mt. Titlis.

    Is journey to Mt. Pilatus, Matterhorn covered with swiss travel pass?

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    25 April 2017 at 8:07:57 #862106

    If glacier express is not covered under swiss pass, what will be the ticket cost per person?

    Same for golden express. If it’s not covered under swiss pass what will be traveling cost per person From Lucerne to Grindelwald.

    Regards

    Removed user
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    25 April 2017 at 8:14:03 #862107

    The Glacier Express ticket is covered by the Swiss Travel Pass (see here for what is covered by the Swiss Travel Pass).

    You must still buy a seat reservation however. I personally don’t think there is too much specifically to see in St. Moritz but that train section is nice if you have the time before going to Zurich.

    I think you might enjoy Mt. Titlis a bit more – personal preference :).

    Travel to Mt. Rigi and Pilatus is covered by the Swiss Travel Pass – Mt. Titlis, Gornergrat and Klein Matterhorn are 50% covered. Again you can see all places that are covered fully or partially by the Swiss Travel Pass on my first link above. 🙂

    Cheers,
    Lucas

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    25 April 2017 at 8:19:18 #862108

    Lucas thanks for info.

    You mean My. Titlis, Jungfrauch , Matterhorn and Gornegrat are 50% covered right ?

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    25 April 2017 at 12:03:07 #862109

    Ah sorry for the typo!

    Mt. Titlis, Gornergrat and Klein Matterhorn/Glacier Paradise are 50% covered (Rigi and Pilatus are fully covered).

    I didn’t mention Jungfraujoch but is is 25% covered (not 50%).
    I’ll edit my post.

    Lucas

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    25 April 2017 at 13:04:45 #862110

    Thanks for info. Cheers !

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    26 April 2017 at 7:58:58 #862111

    >> If their is anything specific in St.Moritz to see?? If not I can go till chur and from their catch a train to Zurich.

    If you are going through St Moritz, and have time to stay there for a while, I think it would be a terrible shame not to do so!

    For a start, it is in a pretty location in the mountains, and on a lake. Secondly, it is an iconic and famous town. Admittedly, St Moritz is more of a base for activities in the surrounding area than a town with lots of attractions or activities within the town itself, but in my opinion, you will be missing something if you are there and don’t even look around a bit!

    How long do you have?

    You could do a mountain-top visit to Piz Nair. That takes about 1 hour 15 minutes each way by funicular and cable car, plus whatever time you spend at the top. Last trip down is at 16:05 (but check this time yourself to make sure). I have attached some photos of this trip, taken at the beginning of October 2016.

    Or you could walk around the lake. That takes about an hour. Details here:

    http://www.myswissalps.com/hi king/lakestmoritz

    The upper town itself, St Moritz Dorf, is a nice place to stroll. Some of the sights are:

    – Elegant shops in Via Serlas and Via Maestra

    – Carlton Hotel at Via Johannes Badrutt 11, which was a château originally built in 1913 for Nicholas II, the last tsar of Russia.

    – Badrutt’s Palace Hotel at Via Serlas 27. This is a historic luxury hotel built in the late 19th century.

    – Leaning Tower, 12th century. This is opposite the Kulm Hotel at Via Veglia 18, and was once the bell tower of the now-demolished St Mauritius Church. It stands 33 m and leans 5½ degrees.

    – Old Engadin farmhouse 1658 (now a restaurant), at Via Veglia 2, behind the former Rathaus (town hall).

    To get to St Moritz Dorf from the railway station, you can walk or take a bus.

    By bus

    – Take Bus #3 from the railway station to the stop called Schulhausplatz (or Plazza da scoula in the local Romansch language). If you are going up to Piz Nair, the funicular for the first stage of the ascent is behind the grand old building with the clock tower (the Bibliothek, or library) near this bus stop.

    On foot

    – Exit the railway station to the left and walk to the huge Serletta parking garage

    – Inside the garage, take the escalator up to Via Serlas, where you will emerge next to Badrutt’s Palace Hotel

    – Just wander around from there

    You can get a free map from the railway station.

    Alpenrose

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    26 April 2017 at 8:46:16 #862112

    @alpenrose666

    Thank you for extensive information and images. I have following queries which I would request you to clarify.

    1. Can I go from Zermatt to St. Moritz using Bernina express ?

    2. Is their a train from St. Moritz to Zurich

    3. Is trip to top of Piz Nair via funicular covet d under swiss pass ?

    Regards

    Removed user
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    26 April 2017 at 9:21:41 #862113

    >> 1. Can I go from Zermatt to St. Moritz using Bernina express ?

    No, that’s the Glacier Express route. The Bernina Express travels between Chur and Tirano.

    >> 2. Is their a train from St. Moritz to Zurich

    You can travel by train from St Moritz to Zürich. It’s not a direct service: you have to change trains once, either in Chur or Landquart. You can use the SBB (Swiss Railways) timetable to find the details for your preferred date and time.

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

    >> 3. Is trip to top of Piz Nair via funicular covet d under swiss pass ?

    No, it’s not. It costs CHF 75 for the return trip.

    However, if you stay for more than one night in St Moritz, most hotels will give you a pass permitting free travel on the mountain transport in the area during the summer season (which is between May and October).

    Alpenrose

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    26 April 2017 at 11:39:50 #862114

    Ok. Thanks for info.

    Annika
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    26 April 2017 at 17:41:54 #862115

    A link to the hotels that offer free mountain transport, as mentioned by Alpenrose, can be found through myswissalps.com/stmori tz/hotels.

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    27 April 2017 at 9:02:42 #862116

    @ Alperose666:

    I checked the route map and train timing from Zermatt to St. Moritz. It seems the entire journey would take about 8 hours. By the time train reaches St. Moritz most of the things to do will be closed. I am not planning to stay overnight at St. Moritz.

    I want to travel from Zermatt from Zurich. But before reaching Zurich in the night, I prefer to visit some place and spend some time their.

    Regards

    rockoyster
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    27 April 2017 at 9:58:13 #862117

    Hi navneetbagri,

    I knew you had a limited timeframe. That’s why I suggested Zermatt to Chur and then to Zurich. St Moritz is out of the way for you. Give it a miss.

    Removed user
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    27 April 2017 at 10:23:19 #862118

    @rockoyster

    Thanks for reply. Yes I am going to give it a miss. Anything to do at Chur?

    Regards

    rockoyster
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    27 April 2017 at 10:29:25 #862119

    You won’t have much time but to catch the train to Zurich Airport.

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