We are planning a trip to Switzerland during September of 2020. Our idea is to book the Rick Steves' tour and purchase an 8 day Swiss train pass to extend his tour either before or after it. We plan on taking the the Glacier Express from Zermatt to Chur, but even though this going in the opposite direction, we are wondering if this will repeat some of Rick's tour? Or maybe the tour will be by bus and we will be by train, so will have different views?
Thanks,
Carol and Jim
The 12-day Best of Switzerland tour follows the GE route between roughly Andermatt and Zermatt. Looks like it only stops in Zermatt for a few hours, so if you would like a few days in Zermatt, that would be worth it. I think the most scenic stretch of the GE is Andermatt to Chur, the Oberalp Pass and Rhine canyon.
You might consider continuing on the Bernina Express from Chur to Tirano. Then take the train to to Varenna on Lake Como and stay there for a few days, or ferry to Bellagio and stay there. Then train to Milan and fly home from there.
You will have the same views for a portion of the trip. The tour does a bus/train combination . The road runs right next to the train tracks for the portion up the valley.
I’ll be honest, Zermatt is just too crowded for me. So many other nicer places to go in Switzerland.
Most people on our tour felt the two places where they really wished they had more time were Engelberg and Mürren. You will enjoy the tour. I would do any big travel extensions in Switzerland after the tour and not before so you don’t duplicate activities.
I found that there was even more to this tour than is listed in the itinerary.
Thank you Sam for responding. We now have a clearer idea about the route overlap. Glad to learn that we would be seeing some new scenery.
Thank you also to Carol for your input. Even though Zermatt might be somewhat crowded and not quaint, we were hoping to get in a couple of days of day hiking. Heard the views were great. Now we are wondering if the trails were also be somewhat crowded? We were also going to back to Mürren. You are mentioned going back to spend more time in Engelberg. Hadn't even thought of that. I see it is on Rick's trip itinerary, but for some reason it is not covered in his guide book on Switzerland. Great hiking there as well?
We really enjoyed Engelberg. I’m not sure what is covered in Engelberg on your tour, but one unexpected delight for us was found in Trübsee, partway up to the summit of Mt. Titlis. We got off the cable car there to explore, and walked down the short path through a cow parade to the beautiful lake . There were rowboats to use on the lake and a few hammocks around the shores of the lake. It was so peaceful and serene and beautiful, and it felt like such a treasure to find it.
The summit of Mt. Titlis had a suspension walk, and glacier cave, and snow to climb and slide around on. Our kids enjoyed sledding down the hill on their feet, or rear ends! We also found it fascinating to see other visitors’ first experiences with snow. We had packed a picnic lunch from the Coop store in Engelberg, and enjoyed it in the Panoramic room at the summit. It was a highlight of our trip. The views were awesome.
Also, if you get a chance consider taking a paddleboat steamer on Lake Luzern. We took a short trip from Luzern to Weggis, just to explore and have lunch there. We agreed with Mark Twain who found it charming and very serene! Being on the water on a beautiful day was wonderful!
Laurie
Sounds like some great ideas. Thanks Laurie for taking the time to respond. By the way, I grew up in Michigan.
