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9-day Plan based on suggestions from this Forum

Posted by (Chelan, Wa, USA) on

Thanks to everyone who participates in these forums (fora?). What a great resource ( and thank you Steve!).

Kicked my ChatGPT itinerary for my 9 day Switzerland trip to the curb. Read the posts here, and used the real intelligence on this forum to come up with my own plan. How does it look? Any recommendations?

Arriving Sunday July 19 leaving Monday July 27
1. Zurich > Chur
2. Chur>Pontresina via regional train
3. Pontresina
4. Local Train to Samedan then Glacier Express to Zermatt
5. Zermatt
6. Zermatt > Lucerne by scenic train route through Interlaken
7. Lucerne
8. Lucerne
9. Lucerne > Airport by train for afternoon departure

I did use my AI assistant to figure out which pass to buy because my head hurt trying to read all the posts about it here.
Buying the Half Fare Card.

Posted by
23212 posts

Local Train to Samedan then Glacier Express to Zermatt

Are you ready to get up and book your Glacier Express seat reservations? Exactly 93 days before departure date at 0:00 Switzerland time? Go online and get your seat reservations and ticket with the Half Fare Card. Reservations go fast with tour operators snatching them up as soon as they become available.

Zermatt > Lucerne by scenic train route through Interlaken

What scenic route are you taking? The Loetchberger regional train from Brig though the old Loetschberg Tunnel to Spiez? This route is more scenic than the standard route using the new Loetschberg Base Tunnel, but it does add time to the journey.

PS. Here is my report using this train.
https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/switzerland/ride-the-bls

Posted by
47 posts

Thanks Sam. I am on the west coast so I am ready at 3 pm on April 19 ( that is midnight April 20 Swiss time) to get on the website to buy. Thank you for the reminder and warning.

I plan to book the train Zermatt > Brig > Lucerne

Does this make sense?

Posted by
23212 posts

It will go like this (with my scenic route) Zermatt>Brig>Spiez>Interlaken Ost>Luzern.

Posted by
11 posts

Sam gives good advice regarding seat reservations on the Glacier Express. They actually go live at 0100 Swiss local time. Practice it a couple of times for the trains that open up 93 days prior to yours. That’s what I did as it allows you to become familiar with navigating the site. Set up an account before you go live for your day of travel.

Posted by
23212 posts

Looking at your likely travel date, you could go like this. Zermatt>Visp>Brig>Spiez>Interlaken Ost>Luzern. adding the additional connection Visp>Brig puts you inside Brig station to change between Platforms 5 and 7. That is still only a 4 minute connection time and you will have to use the under passage. If you miss it, it is just an hour wait for the next RE1, and there is a nice Italian cafe in the station to kill time.

You could also buy a Saver Day Pass with the HFC for your travel date for 44 CHF now. That will save you about 11 CHF over buying a ticket day of travel, and you will also be able to change plans on the fly.

PS. speaking of Saver Day Passes, you could save a lot more by buying a Saver Day Pass for the Glacier Express day over buying a ticket, like 39 CHF.

Posted by
47 posts

Yes, very strange posts. Is there a moderator for this forum that we can alert?

Posted by
47 posts

Thanks everyone. Really appreciate the help.
I will make modifications as suggested above and make sure I get those Glacier Express tickets right when it opens. And look into Day Saver Passes for those travel dates. And book the scenic train through Interlaken.

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