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Day trips from Zug Switzerland

We will be house/cat sitting in a suburb of Zug which is 30 min by train north east of Lucern for 2 weeks in July. The people we are sitting for want us to not leave the cats alone more than one night in a row. We are looking at Day trips to Lucern, Bern, Appenzall, and Engelberg. We don't typically enjoy the big city or too many museums. Looking for recommendations on any other Day trips or scenic rides. We are planning to spend one night in Murren or area. Will go when weather looks best and hope to find a place to stay. Someone said to take Brunig pass route betw interlaken and Lucern for a scenic ride. Also thinking about spending a night in Lausanne or Vevey and taking boat ride to Chateau de Chillon. We have never been to Switzerland and are open to suggestions

Posted by
3938 posts

We've spent some time in Zug and did many of the excursions you are planning. Will you have access to a car or are you planning trips by train only?

One day trip I can recommend is to go to Lake Constance (Bodensee) and visit Insel Mainau. It is only a 1h30min drive to the city. It is also enjoyable to get a ticket to ride the scenic ferries around the lake to explore the various wonderful towns on the eastern side; Lindau, Meersberg, Überlingen. While you are on the German side of the lake enjoy the relaxed and less expensive dining options!

Posted by
18 posts

Thank you for your suggestion. We will not have a car. Which town would you recommend we travel to? I copied this excerpt from the Lake Constance website.
On the Swiss, south-western side of the lake, the noteworthy settlements include Romanshorn, Arbon and Rorschach with their delightful old towns, as well as picturesque townships on the Untersee (Lower Lake) such as Gottlieben, Ermatingen and Stein am Rhein.

Posted by
18 posts

Also wondering if we could combine it with a stop in Appenzall and spend the night on Lake Constance
Any thoughts on that?

Posted by
3938 posts

I looked on the SBB.ch website and saw that it takes 2 h with one change to get from Zug to Konstanz by train. While Konstanz isn't my favorite town it is an excellent link to going from the train station to the harbor and using the extensive ferry system to explore several of the cities on the other side of the lake. You can buy a "hop on hop off" type of ticket for the ferry.

I don't know anything about the smaller Swiss towns on the southwestern side of the lake but I do know that with the Alps in the background, the views from the German/Austrian side of the lake are better AND the cost of eating in a non Swiss country will be less expensive.

I only see one town, Romanshorn, that has a ferry to the opposite shore connecting it with Friedrichshafen, a big town which has an interesting Zeppelin museum. My favorite towns to explore are Lindau, Meersburg and Überlingen all easily reached from the Konstanz ferries.

Posted by
3938 posts

If you are going to still be in Switzerland on August 1, enjoy a local celebration and fireworks for Swiss National Day. From our balcony in Zug we could fireworks around the lake at various towns on July 31 and Zug had outdoor music and food down by the lake on the 1st.

Posted by
32512 posts

are there any children in your group?

Posted by
1419 posts

As far as towns on Lake Constance - our favorites were Meersburg and Lindau. On the swiss side we weren't too impressed with Arbon or Romanshorn, but Stein am Rhein is very picturesque although the lake there is more like a river. Constance itself is also very nice.

Posted by
18 posts

We are planning to have the Swiss pass to use for travel. If going to Konstanz in Germany how would this work? Would we need to take a train to a Swiss town instead of going directly to Konstanz and then purchase a ticket from there to Konstanz? Or maybe they are close enough that we could take a ferry?

Posted by
50 posts

The Swiss Pass may be valid for Konstanz, ask at any Swiss train station. Otherwise it's only a 30 minute walk along the lake from Kreuzlingen Hafen (Switzerland).
To go to Lindau, you could also take the boat from Rorschach and your Swiss Pass probably also covers this ride.

Posted by
18 posts

What are your thoughts on an overnight trip to Lausanne? We are trying to decide if we will see enough lakes without making that trip or if it's a must see

Posted by
32512 posts

The most fabulous lake, with all sorts of terrific things to do, Lake Lucerne, the Vierwaldstättersee, is just a very short journey from Zug.