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6 day itinerary

HI all, please advise on this mother-daughter(16yo) itinerary starting with arrival to Zurich at 4pm on Dec 24.

Day 1 - Dec 24 - Zurich - hotel checkin, night walk, enjoying Christmas lights

Day 2 - Dec 25 - Zurich - 11am-1pm : 2 hours free city tour; walk to/from Rigiblick Funicular if there is time. PM: Zurich zoo. ( Most of the things are closed on Dec 25 ). Dinner at Swiss Chuchi.

Day3 - Dec 26 - Luzern- Zurich hotel checkout, train to Lucerne(45 mins), leave bags at train station locker, explore Lucerne for a day, take a boat tour around Lake and then cogwheel to Mt.Rigi (included in swiss pass). Train to Bern, checkin into hotel for the rest of the trip.

Day 4 - Dec 27 - Montreux-Lausanne- train from Bern to Spiez, then Golden Panorama to Monteux(2.5h, arrives at 12:20pm). Explore Montreux and walk to see Chillon Castle. Train from Montreux to Lausanne(20 mins) to visit Christmas Market(the only one open after Dec 24, open until 8pm). Back to Bern.

Day 5 -Dec 28 - ***Grindelwald-First, Paragliding* *. Travel from Bern to Grindelwald(1h30). Paragliding is avail 11:30am or 1pm.
*please help me with December itinerary, all I can find is summer ones.

Day 6 - dec 29 - OPTION 1 - Lauternbrunnen, Wengen, Murren. OPTION 2 - open to suggestions
*please help me with suggestions or itinerary on the last day of the trip

Posted by
17492 posts

Paragliding: go to this website and you can book online. Dec. 28 has availability at 10 and 11:30 am, and 1:30 pm.

https://www.paragliding-jungfrau.ch/wp/first-panoramic/

You need to allow time to travel from Bern and walk through town to the Firstbahn gondola (a 10-15 minute walk from the train station). The meeting point is at the bottom of the gondola.

Posted by
614 posts

Are your hotels non refundable? If not, I’d consider an adjustment since you’re going to Bern but then just leaving it all the time. This would save you going back and forth since you’re trying to cover a ton of ground in a short amount of time. It makes more sense to just check in/out of 1 additional hotel instead of bscktracking every day…..
Dec 24-25 - Zurich
Dec 26 - Train to Montreux with an optional stop in Luzern (evening Christmas market)
Dec 27 - Montreux/Lausanne
Dec 28 - Train to Grindelwald, Wengen or Murren and stay there to explore
Dec 29 - Grindelwald First or other activities in that area

Posted by
2 posts

Hotel is non-refundable, Bern is centrally located that's why I chose it. In addition during xmas time, it offered more lodging options than elsewhere.

  1. We are not going to be skiing on this trip. However, I wonder how to pack and if I need any ski gear to visit Mt.Rigi, First, and Schilthorn?
  2. Does this sound doable on Dec 29? If not, what would you recommend to cut out? Wengen?

Bern to Lauterbrunnen:Departure: Early morning from Bern. – Travel Time: Approximately 1h20min by train from Bern to Lauterbrunnen.

Lauterbrunnen to Stächelberg (by bus):Transfer to Bus: Take the bus from Lauterbrunnen to Stächelberg. – Travel Time: Around 10-15 minutes by bus.

Stächelberg to Schilthorn (by cable car):Duration: Approximately 30-40 minutes by cable car from Stächelberg to Schilthorn. – Explore Schilthorn: Spend 2hours enjoying the panoramic views at Schilthorn.

Schilthorn to Mürren (by cable car):Travel Time: Around 20-30 minutes by cable car from Schilthorn to Mürren. Stroll through Murren.

Mürren to Gimmelwald (by cable car or walk):Travel Time: Approximately 5-10 minutes by cable car or 45 minutes by walk. – Explore Gimmelwald: Spend a short while admiring the charming village.

Gimmelwald to Stechelberg and Wengen (by cable car and transport):Travel Time: Cable car from Gimmelwald to Stechelberg, then transport to Wengen. – Duration: Around 30-40 minutes. – Explore Wengen: Spend around 1-2 hours exploring the village.

Wengen to Lauterbrunnen (by train):Travel Time: Approximately 15-20 minutes by train from Wengen to Lauterbrunnen.

Lauterbrunnen to Grutschalp (by cable car):Duration: Approximately 10-15 minutes by cable car from Lauterbrunnen to Grutschalp.

Grutschalp to Interlaken:Departure: Late afternoon from Grutschalp. – Travel Time: Around 20 minutes by train from Grutschalp to Interlaken.

–**Interlaken to Bern

Posted by
17492 posts

Yes, cut out Wengen. It does not add much sightseeing value to your day, after you have ridden the cablecar up the Schilthorn, spent time there, and then ridden back down to explore Mürren and Gimmelwald (and have lunch somewhere). You probably will not have MUC daylight left anyway.

And with or without Wengen, you would not at the end of the day be going up to Grutschalp from Lauterbrunnen on your way to Interlaken Ost and Bern: Grutschalp is reached by cablecar on the way to Mürren.

Posted by
614 posts

Correct. Don’t add Wengen, you won’t gain anything. Spend more time at Murren/Gimmelwald/Schilthorn.

Do this:
Bern>Lauterbrunnen>Walk across the street to the Grutschalp cable car and ride up>Grutschalp to Murren by train (sit on left side) >Walk through Murren leisurely to the Schilthornbahn at the other end of town > Take the cable up to Schilthorn > On the way back down, explore Birg/Thrill Walk > Then back down to Murren for optional additional time there, or continue on to Gimmelwald to explore (food/chocolate cake/beer is nice at the Pension Gimmelwald) > Stechelberg > Bus to Lauterbrunnen > Return to Bern

This gives you a loop so that you can see more instead of retracing your steps in/out of Stechelberg. The train from Grutschalp to Murren is very scenic.

Check Webcams that morning before paying for Schilthorn. No point in going up if it’s in the clouds. Have an alternate plan for poor weather (could still walk through Murren, but then maybe head back towards Bern and explore Interlaken, Thun and/or Bern).