5 or 6 days in Switzerland after Viking River Cruise in April

"Is taking the train difficult with luggage and such? What would be the best way to travel from place to place?"

How much luggage will you have? I travel solo and limit my luggage to 1 carry-on sized bag, no heavier than I can lift, plus a personal item. I can manage trains fine but I pack light. I also make sure I have one hand free and do not have any extra bags of food or items to distract me. You will need to handle your luggage yourself, getting it on and off the train and it will sometimes involve steps up to the train car.

How do you end up in Zurich since it's not on a navigable river or on any cruise itinerary? It's about 1.5 hours b y train from Basel to Zurich.

Guessing you mean the Rhine river cruise, which ends in Basel. You can take a train from Basel SBB rail station to the Lauterbrunnen valley. Interlaken is at the foot of the mountains, but not in the mountains, so not the best choice. It's a transportation hub, but all the good stuff is up the valley. The other three choices are good. I think it will still be ski season there, so lodging might be hard to find for short stays. Zermatt as well.

When we did the Rhine cruise, we went to Luzern for a few days. The optional extension in Luzern that Viking offered was way more expensive than on our own. It was a good option for us because it's a beautiful setting on the lake, with 3+ mountains you can easily visit from there. It's convenient as well, as you can get there by train from Basel, about 1.5 hours, and you can take the train from Luzern directly to Zurich Airport, 1.25 hours, for departure.

I believe hotels in all the bigger cities - Basel, Zurich, Luzern - can provide you with visitor passes good for public transportation within the city.

Viking will also arrange your flight home after the extension if you ask, with a small fee ($50?)

Yes, traveling with big bags is troublesome, but it can be done. Just dont block people getting on/off the trains. For four people, it might be cost effective to negotiate a reasonable cab fare to Luzern. Note, before the Viking ship stops at your final destination, they will ask people who need onward transportation to fill out a form and they will have taxis waiting at the dock by name to take you to the SBB train station, or wherever.

Is taking the train difficult with luggage and such?

If you can afford it, buying 1st class tickets will allow for more room for you and your luggage. After being in some very crowded 2nd class train cars in Switzerland, I always travel 1st class now on days I will have my luggage with me.

It looks like hotel oberalnd in Lauterbrunnen opens up for the season as of April 7th. That’s where I would stay. I doubt you’ll find much open up in Murren and Wengen, but it’s worth checking.

In Montreux I have stayed at the Grand Hotel Suisse Majestic. It is super convenient to both the train station and the lake.

In mid-April I would choose Luzern over Lauterbrunnen for your 2 nights. This is between ski season and summer, and some places may not be open. The higher villages of Mürren and Wengen will be especially quiet, and the trails will be either muddy or snowy.

Luzern is at a lower altitude and offers a lot to see right in the city itself, as well as a wide range of hotels and restaurants. You can still visit mountaintops. Although the cogwheel train up,Pilatus may not be running, one can still approach from the other side. Or better yet visit Rigi, a nice excursion that includes a boat trip on the lake.

When going into the mountains plan for bad weather no matter what season it is so you want to spend more than two nights in the Lauterbrunnen Valley and Zermatt. Rick Steves recommends sleeping in Gimmelwald or Mürren in the Lauterbrunnen: https://www.ricksteves.com/europe/switzerland/lauterbrunnen-valley then click on the + sign on the At a Glance line. He also suggests hiking from Männlichen to Kleine Scheidegg. Other recommendations are taking the Schilthornbahn lift and riding the Jungfraubahn train. If you do all this sleep in the valley for five nights.

Consider staying in Grindelwald in the Berner Oberland. Cars are allowed, offers excellent train service too, more restaurant and hotel choices than the other smaller mountain towns.. Awesome views of the Eiger. We found Lauterbrunnen dark, down in a valley.
If the weather is good, consider a trip to the top of the Jungfrau.

I'm worried about your "luggage and such"... how much luggage and how much "and such"?

4 folks and a cruise can add up, but at least it is a river cruise which often means fewer outfits. If you are using the trains, less is more.

Many - maybe most now - Swiss trains are double deckers. That means a nearly level entrance into the vestibule, but then stairs either down to the lower deck (slightly fewer stairs but much less view) or up to the upper deck (a few more steps, perhaps around a corner, much better view, slightly lower ceilings if you are tall).

In Switzerland anybody can get on an international train for travel within Switzerland, even if it is an Italian Frecciarossa or a French TGV, both of which require reservations in their home country, or a German ICE, simply by walking on and finding a seat (or 4) in either 1st Class or 2nd depending in the ticket. If you get one of those, or a Swiss ICE, they will likely be single storey which may involve an extra step on but then level.

It is also true that if you go up to Mürren the BLM train from the cable car into Mürren is not disabled accessible and the steps up are high. The station at Mürren is undergoing modernization and accessible, as are the trains but that won't be done before your trip. With little luggage it is an easy route for able bodied folks, with lots of "luggage and such" it could be interesting.

Hello all.....thank you so much for all of your responses. I've edited my post in regards to the Viking cruise ending in Zurich. The cruise portion ends in Basal. Then Viking transports us to Zurich for 2 days. Also, "luggage and such" could be confusing. I'm working hard at NOT overpacking and looking at using Rick Steves bag for this trip. This will be helpful with trains involved.

Viking does such a wonderful job with excursions within the cruise, pre, and post. This is actually our 6th adventure with them! For some reason (even though we booked quite early) the post extension from Viking in Switzerland is Sold out! So, we are working on planning our own. Thank you all again for your input! Our plan is slowly coming together!

thanks for the additional info.

Just so you know, if you take the provided transport to Zürich before heading to Lauterbrunnen it will slow you down.

If you take, for argument's sake, the fastest train to Zürich HB (main station) and change trains instantly to one to Interlaken Ost, the gateway to Lauterbrunnen it will take you at least 3h15. And no van can go as fast as that train.

On the other hand if you simply go to Basel SBB station and catch a train to Interlaken Ost it will not go as far east as Zürich and will get you to Interlaken Ost in just under 2 hours. Actually easier and faster.

It sounds like they have 2 additional tour days in Zurich, included in the cruise program and cost. So their time to travel on their own does indeed start in Zurich.