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A week in Switzerland for mid April 2020 — Thoughts on basic itinerary

Posted by (New York, NY) on

I have the airline tickets and am thinking very seriously of staying in Luzern for the 6 nights of my visit.

I know April is neither ski season nor summer so I’m hoping what I want to do will work. I will be traveling after Easter.

My flight arrives in Zürich around 10:30 AM on Thurs 16 April. I know the first day is lost as I will be tired so I will take the train to Luzern & walk around Luzern — maybe take a boat ride.

Maybe Friday will be a day to explore Luzern.

Saturday I would like to go to Zürich for the day.

Sunday and Monday I want to be the 2 days to enjoy the saver day passes I buy as soon as they are for sale on the SBB app.

My idea is one day in the Berner Oberland region visiting Mürren (I visited Mürren, Lauterbrünnen & Interlaken in May 2014), maybe Grinderwald and Wegen too? Anywhere in that region in which my saver day pass is accepted. Does a day in that region seem doable in April?

The other saver day pass would be used to go to Mt. Rigi by boat and train. How would I find out in advance how the weather is in both locations? Is there a recommended website? Is it realistic to know the night before how the weather will be the following day?

In theory, I would prefer to go to Mount Rigi on Sunday as most stores/shops I imagine will be closed on Sunday & the Berner Oberland on Monday.

If I find that both days are bad for being in the mountains, having the saver day pass gives me freedom to make day trips to Vevey, Gruyères, Basel, or nearly any city. I have been to Geneva, Montreux, Gstaad & the Chillon Castle.

My last full day, Tuesday, I would go to Bern. I read about a big outdoor market on Tuesdays and I would love to see that. I fly home Wednesday, April 22.

I have a back disability but can do some walking as long as I have opportunities to sit somewhere for a bit. So sitting outside at a café would be wonderful. I can no longer do the hiking I used to do unfortunately but I am mesmerized by the mountains. The worst thing I can do is just stand. Either I walk or I need to sit.

Is this a realistic plan? Any other ideas? I appreciate your feedback. Thank you.

Posted by
7301 posts

Hi,
I would find six nights in Luzern to be a bit long, but you mention you've been to the Berner Oberland before: would you go back for a few nights? April is a good time to do so, even though it is either still snowy, or muddy - you will need appropriate shoes.
If not, your plan is solid. I would look into the Tell Pass for the excursions you contemplate, it might offer more flexibility than a Saver Day Pass - albeit at a cost. I also would not attempt to visit both Mürren and Grindelwald in a day from Luzern, it would be a long day.

For weather: meteoswiss is the govt weather forecast agency and has a good website. You can see Rigi from Luzern so it's easy to assess the weather there.

Posted by
4071 posts

Thank you.

The reason why I wanted to have one hotel for my stay is that I have a back disability called Spondylolisthesis and I don’t want to have to stay in two different hotels for only a 6 day trip.

What if I picked one town/area in the Berner Oberland like a day trip to Grindwald since I have never been there? What do you think of that?

Yes, I could look outside to see if I can see Rigi. Great point. The Tell Pass for 2 days is 180 CHF. A Saver Day Pass is 52 CHF on weekdays and 70 CHF on weekend days. So I think the cost savings are definitely with the Saver Day Pass.

I intend to bring waterproof, walking boots. I will probably wear them on the plane to free up room in my pullman bag.

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