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5 day itinerary in Geneva and Jungfrau region opinions

Posted by on

Hello all,

My wife and I will be visiting Switzerland and Italy this summer

Our first few days will be spent around Lake Geneva and then on to the Jungfrau.

How does this sound?

Day 1- Tues June 24, Geneva (Hotel Strasbourg)

We should land at about noon local time and were thinking we would first go to the Palace of Nations and Red Cross HQ. We're both history and political type people so we are interested in these site.

After that we would go back to the Old town and wander various sites (English Garden, St Peter’s Cathedral, Reformation Wall Jet d’eau-fountain).

And then maybe some (window)shopping along Rue du Rhone or at Globus

Day 2- Wed June 25- Travel to Montreaux

Our second night will be spent in Montreaux so we plan on taking a slow trip around the lake either by train and/or by boat.

We've heard you can check luggage and send it ahead of you to Montreaux. Does any one have experience with this?

First stop in Lausanne. How is the Olympic museum? worth the time? or would a walk around the old town and the water front at Ouchy be more enjoyable for an hour or two?

Next stop, in Vevey maybe. To see the Fork in water in front of Food Museum and antique window shopping

Our real goal for the afternoon would be Chateaux du Chillion which I think we can go directly to by boat, yes? I've read that we should allow about 2 hours and get the audio guide.

After that, go to our hotel in Montreaux (Villa Toscane)

Our third day, we have booked the Chocolate train to Gruyeres and Broc which should take up most of the day so we would only have the evening in Montreaux again. Any suggestions for dinner spots? or tips for the Chocolate train?

The next morning we will be taking the Golden Pass train to Interlaken and then up into the mountains for a few days

Is buying Jungfrau pass a good deal? for the region? we do plan on crisscrossing the valleys during our 2 days

Day 4- Fri June 27- Travel to Murren from Montreaux on Golden Pass train

We hope to arrive in Interlocken around noon and then on to Lauterbrunnen. We will be staying in Murren but we want to do the Mannlichen to Kliene Scheindegg hike that afternoon and will probably use lockers at the train station for our luggage. Do others have experience with this?

Take train to Wengen and buy picnic at co-op and take lift to Mannlichen.for hike.

Is there anything else to see between Kliene Scheindegg and Lauterbrunnen? or after?Trummelbach Falls or Staubbach Falls? We would then head up the Murren to check into our hotel for the evening.

Day 5- Saturday June 28-

We want to do the James Bond 007 brunch/breakfast at Piz Gloria on Schilltshorn which is part of the reason we chose Murren so that we would be close to it in the morning and not waste a lot of time.

After breakfast we plan to head to the Jungfraujoch and the Top of Europe (ice sculpture hall, observatory etc).

We know there will be about 3 hours of travel time between the 2 places but we are trying to fit a lot into a little time

If you think we'll have any time after the Jungfrau, we're open to suggestions of other things to see or do.

We'll be staying in Murren again and heading to Florence early the next morning.

Sound about right? Or are we too ambitious?

Thanks for any help

Posted by
3391 posts

Sounds like you have a lovely trip planned!
The boat around from Geneva to Montreux - it's a beautiful ride; be camera ready! The train is nice too, and has great views, but the boat is something special.
Definitely stop by the giant fork...the waterfront promenade in Vevey is just lovely and, if you're interested in food, the food museum is actually worth a visit. They have a great gift shop, a nice cafe, and the demonstration gardens in the front and around the side are really interesting if you're into gardening.
Yes, there is a boat dock just to the east of Chateau Chillon along the lake. Two hours is about right, maybe three. The audio guide is very helpful. Don't miss the "dungeon" where lots of prisoners and visitors, including Lord Byron, carved their names in the stones.
The cheese museum in Gruyere is separate from the medieval village - it's worth it to see both.
The rest of your trip is uncharted territory for me so I'll leave that to others!

Posted by
6898 posts

Sounds like a great itinerary for Switzerland. One suggestion is to consider the Swiss 1/2-fare card. It costs 120CHF and it's good everyday for 30 days. It does what it's name implies. 1/2 fare on all Swiss transportation - trains, boats, buses, gondolas, etc). The regular round-trip fare alone from Lauterbrunnen to the Jungfraujoch is $206. I suggest purchasing the 1/2-fare card at the first Swiss train station you walk into. Purchase before buying any of your other tickets. Even as you exit Switzerland, your Swiss 1/2-fare card will work to the southern Swiss border. The Jungfrau VIP pass is limited to your stay near the Jungfrau.

Posted by
16 posts

Thank you both for your suggestions.

Anita, we didn't know about the dungeon prisoners and Lord Byron. We'll have to be on the look out for that.
One question, is the cheese factory near or in the medieval village? I hope we will have time to explore it as well. Anything we should see there first in case we have limited time?

Larry, great tip about the Swiss pass. I checked and we do get one with our rail pass combos so we should be good for that. and at $206 for the Jungfrau, we'll need all the savings we can get

Thanks again

Posted by
3391 posts

Hi again,
The cheese factory is OK...if you really love cheese (as my husband does) it's interesting to see. It's more of a demonstration museum where you can see large cheese-curing rooms and the big vats where the mixture is stirred. There is an audio tour narrated by a "dairy cow" who shares her journey. A little "cheesy" but very informative. They have a nice on-site restaurant.
The medieval town is a mile or two from the cheese museum. You park in a lot and then walk up a small hill to the hilltop town. It's very typical Swiss with lots of cafes and shops as well as a castle that you can tour. It's on the touristy side but quite lovely.
Personally, I would skip the cheese museum and go straight to the town if your time is limited. The cheese museum will take about an hour with the audio tour. If you see everything in the town plus have a meal I would reserve about 3 hours or so for that.

Posted by
32702 posts

This all looks very good - wish it were me. Have a lovely trip...

Posted by
16893 posts

I don't see any red flags. If you already have either a Swiss Pass or Half-Fare Card, then you don't need an additional, regional pass.

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