Switzerland trip guidance – 4 days in Zurich

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    22 May 2017 at 12:28:46 #811928

    Hi All,

    i will be reaching Zurich on 1 June morning 10 am. I will be leaving Zurich on 9 June morning. Can u suggest me how to plan 3 1/2 days for sightseeing? We are 3 pax. Me, my Wife and 15 year old Daughter. She will complete 16 years on 8 June. Please guide me on Swiss pass and where to buy? Hotel stay is booked. It’s near Zurich HB. Regards Deepak

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    22 May 2017 at 12:37:49 #863667

    Sorry mistake in dates. Arrival Zurich at 10 am on 5 June and departure on 9 June morning. Total 4 nights

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    22 May 2017 at 16:38:52 #863668

    Hi Deepak,

    I can’t recommend a rail pass or sightseeing until you tell us what you want to see and where you want to go. Are you staying in Zurich the whole time? Do you want to go to some of the nearby mountain attractions?

    If you are interested in the Swiss Travel Pass, you can read more about it here, and you can buy it online here. Here is a page to help you choose the best rail pass as well.

    Lucas

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    22 May 2017 at 23:19:53 #863669

    Hi Lucas,

    I am planning to do Mt Titlis, Rhine falls, Bern, Lucerne and scenic train ride if time permit.

    regards Deepak

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    22 May 2017 at 23:22:10 #863670

    I will be staying in Zurich for all 4 nights. Mountain attractions will be good if nearby.

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    23 May 2017 at 8:51:34 #863671

    Ok, so those are all manageable from Zurich.

    The Swiss Travel Pass will cover all your trips fully with the exception of Mt. Titlis, where you can buy a ticket at 50% off from Engelberg to Mt. Titlis. You can buy the Swiss Travel Pass online here and have it emailed to you to print at home.

    The simplest scenic train trip you can take and return to Zurich on the same day would be the Golden Pass route from Luzern to Montreux. The Glacier Express (from Chur to Zermatt) is another possibility but it would be quite a long day.

    You can research all train trips with the online timetable here.

    Lucas

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    24 May 2017 at 4:50:07 #863672

    >> I am planning to do Mt Titlis, Rhine falls, Bern, Lucerne and scenic train ride if time permit.

    I will be staying in Zurich for all 4 nights. Mountain attractions will be good if nearby.

    If you don’t mind a long day on trains, you could include the Glacier Express sector between Andermatt and Chur, which travels over the magnificent Oberalppass.

    To get this route to come up in the timetable, the trip would be “From Zürich” “To Zürich” “via Flüelen” “via Andermatt” and “via Chur”. It would take all day, a bit over 7 hours.

    Scenic highlights of this route are:

    > The Zugersee (Lake Zug): The train travels high along a hillside on the eastern side of the Zugersee, and you have scenic views down to to the lake, lakeside villages, and the mountains (including the Rigi) on the other side of the lake. Sit on the right.

    > The Vierwaldstättersee (Lake Lucerne): Lovely views of the lower end of the lake and towering mountains on the other side. Sit on the right.

    > Wassen: The little white church of Wassen is passed three times, as the train zig-zags to and fro to climb the mountain.

    > Göschenen to Andermatt: A steep climb out of Göschenen and past the rugged Schöllenenschlucht (Schöllenen Gorge) and Teufelsbrücke (Devil’s Bridge). Sit on the left, ideally facing backwards, to get the best view of the gorge.

    > Andermatt to Chur: Glacier Express over the Oberalppass. Magnificent mountain scenery. Reservations are compulsory for this sector.

    > Chur to Zürich. Not as striking as the rest of the trip, but there are some lake views as you travel along the Walensee (Lake Walen, with the almost vertical Churfirsten mountain range on the other side of the lake), and the Zürichsee (Lake Zürich). Sit on the right.

    I have attached a map of the route, and a possible itinerary showing connections: the relevant one leaves Zürich at 10:09 and takes 7 hours 14 mins.

    Such a long day on trains isn’t for everyone, but the scenery on this route does keep you looking out of the window! If not having lunch on the Glacier Express, it would be a good idea to bring lunch with you.

    Alpenrose

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    24 May 2017 at 10:46:06 #863673

    Hi Lucas and Alpenrose,

    Thanks for your guidance.

    Regards,

    Deepak

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    27 May 2017 at 17:35:11 #863674

    Hi Lucas, Alpenrose,

    Do I need to book sightseeing tickets and Swiss pass from here in Singapore or I can buy from Zurich HB? How much time it takes to get travel vouchers after online payment ? I am flying on 31 May night from Singapore to Rome then on 5th June reaching Zurich.

    Regards,

    Deepak

    Annika
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    27 May 2017 at 18:19:25 #863675

    Hi Deepak,

    It is easier and quicker to purchase your Swiss Travel Pass (not SwissPass) online and print it yourself. Lucas gave you the link with all options in his second post. Buying it upon arrival can take quite some time, while on the other hand you can go straight to your train if you’ve printed it beforehand. Simply go to http://www.swissrailways.com/ en, click to the Swiss Travel Pass and fill out the number of passengers. After filling out your address, select “Online Ticket” from the bottom of the list of purchase options. In the Notes field you can request for immediate delivery. But even if you don’t you’d normally receive it the next business day, so next Monday.

    Sighseeing tickets can always be purchased on the spot and mostly online too. Just see our activity pages for all details.

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    28 May 2017 at 3:20:14 #863676

    Hi Annika,

    Thanks for guidance.

    I will buy Swiss Travel pass today online.

    On query: My daughter is completing 16 years on 8th June ( Her birthday). We will be in Zurich from 5th till 8th June. So she will enter Youth category on 8th June and first 3 days 5th till 7th June will be under children category. To get benefit of family card, How i should book swiss travel pass? how many days?

    Can i do sightseeing ticket booking only after i get Swiss Travel Pass ?

    Regards,

    Deepak

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    28 May 2017 at 3:27:26 #863677

    I will be coming to Zurich by train from Milan on 5th June and reaching Zurich HB station at 12:50 pm.

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    28 May 2017 at 11:05:58 #863678

    Hi Deepak,

    If your daughter is under 16 on the first day of your rail pass than she is covered by the Swiss Family Card for the whole trip if you have the Swiss Travel Pass. So you can get these passes for whatever you like: 3, 4 or 8 days (order the free Swiss Family Card at the same time you order the Swiss Travel Pass.

    Lucas

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    5 June 2017 at 19:17:31 #863679

    Hi All,

    i reached Zurich today afternoon.

    Thanks for your advice till now.

    Need one advice from you on which scenic train I should go for.

    Bernina or Golden pass?

    i can go for only one out of these two. I have one full day for this.

    what is difference between the sightseeing in these 2 trains?

    Regards,

    Deepak

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    6 June 2017 at 9:08:54 #863680

    Hi Deepak,

    You can read all about both trains here:

    From Zurich, both will be long day trips if you need to be back in Zurich the same night- especially the Bernina Express as you end the trip in Italy. You must make reservations on the Bernina Express (use link above to do this) whereas they aren’t mandatory on the Golden Pass (probably the easier choice for you).

    You can check train schedules here.

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    12 June 2017 at 15:46:14 #863681

    Hi Lucas, Alpenrose, Annika,

    Thanks a lot for your kind guidance for my Zurich trip. Today we are returning back to Singapore. We all enjoyed this trip. I had one day Bernina express sightseeing. It was really good. This forum is really helping all of us.

    You all are very quick on reply.

    Thanks again.

    regards,

    Deepak

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    12 June 2017 at 16:02:50 #863682

    Good to hear Deepak!

    All the best

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