we'll have about five-six days in Switzerland next spring, coming from the Black Forest in Germany. Originally I thought "we'll head to Zermatt through Bern, and take the Glacier Express to Chur -- that'll give us a good feel for the beauty of the Swiss alps." But... will it?? Looking at Rick Steve's writeup, the Glacier Express isn't necessarily the best option, nor is Chur! We'd like to go from west to east so we can then spend a few days in Austria... what do you suggest for a couple that loves trains and wants to see the "best of the Swiss alps?"
Posted by
Citizen of the World
1433 posts
The most spectacular train ride in Switzerland is the 4- hour Bernina Express route from Chur to Tirano, Italy. The route itself is actually a UNESCO World heritage site. The best section is from St. Moritz to Tirano. The second best, IMO, is the 2.5 hour route from Lucerne to Interlaaken which goes over the Brunig Pass and past Lake Brienz. Regular trains use the same tracks and pass the same scenery as the pricier “Express” trains which offer panoramic windows at a premium price.
Another option for seeing Alps mountain passes is to take a day tour on a PostBus out of the Berner Oberland. The bus picks up out of Grindelwald and Lauterbrunnen and goes through some amazing mountain scenery in the Alps. It also stops at a walk-in glacier which is similar to the glacier experience at the top of the Jungfraujoch.
Posted by
Port Moody, BC, Canada
6 posts
Agree with Kenko, Bernina Express was a great scenic trip, as is the Lucerne to Interlaken route...Im wondering how Bernina and the Glacier Express will be in spring, especially since you're time is limited, you could end up with a cloudy day. Bernina Express was a great trip, I used it to get to Italy and Lake Como a few years ago, it was the most scenic way to get here.
If you have five or six days in Switzerland, and coming from the Black Forest, I'd head down to Lauterbrunnen, maybe with a night or two in Lucerne (Mt Rigi, Mt Titlis) on the way. Then visit Wengen, Murren, etc.. all amazing scenery with lots of options for different trains, gondolas in the area.
The problem with Switzerland is theres way too many options...too much to see in a few days.
Posted by
Los Angeles
4412 posts
I thought the Golden Pass from Interlaken to Montreux was pretty wonderful.
Note that Youtube is full of travel videos from train geeks who take all the routes you're considering.
Posted by
Thun, Switzerland
485 posts
Since you want to travel across the country, you could always pick a few locations as stops along the way- Zermatt, Kandersteg, Murren/Wengen/Grindlewald area, Luzern
Zermatt → Brig → Kandersteg
Kandersteg is much more open and spacious than Lauterbrunnen and will give you a similar, but different experience from the Jungfrau region. On a clear spring day the mountains look beautiful, the fields are full of daisies and other spring flowers, the cows are out grazing.
You can take the gondola up to Oeschinen Lake and hike around there a bit. I think that it is the most scenic up there in the spring (again, lots of wild flowers blooming, cows roaming around). This year it opened on May 15th, so it depends on when your trip is
https://www.oeschinensee.ch/en/
From there you can go via Interlaken into the Lauterbrunnen valley area, as has been suggested above. The train down from Kandersteg, through Frutigen to Speiz is also beautiful, then along the lake to Interlaken - very scenic.
Posted by
Bern, Switzerland
979 posts
As a Swiss I would say you can’t go wrong with any of the options, they all have something to offer and everyone has their own favorite.
My favorite, which I do several times in the summer, is to head directly to Grindlewald from my home in the Emmenthal, then take the postauto up to Grosse Schidegg and down the other side before catching the train over the Brunig to Luzern.