Hi,
On our last day of Switzerland tour we will be checking out murren and going to zurich to catch flight to Amsterdam which is scheduled at 9 pm, which means we have to be at airport by atleast 7pm. We will be leaving murren by train through lucerne. We were exploring following options:
Option 1: titlis or pilatus from lucerne.
Option 2 : lucerne town explore.
Option 3: rheine falls from zurich.
Option 4: zurich city explore.
What would be best option?
My vote: Option 1 Titlis
If the weather is cloudy do option 2 Luzern town.
Forget the other two, Rhine falls are too far past Zürich and not easy to reach. Unless you are looking for top end and very expensive shopping, Luzern is nicer than Zürich.
Definitely #1 or #2. With only a very few hours to spend I would opt for just staying in Lucerne. You have been in Murren so most likley you have already had the mountain-top experience.
Option 5: how about mount pilatus? Is it possible to do it within half day?
There are three "local" mountains you could do as day trips from Luzern: Pilatus, Rigi and Titlis.
Titlis is the highest, and the only one with a permanent snow cap at the top (a small glacier). Rigi and Pilatus are nearer to Luzern and lower.
Pilatus is often done as a circular trip, boat on the lake to the far side of Pilatus, cog wheel railway to the top, followed by a cable car down the other side and bus back to Luzern. Details here: http://www.pilatus.ch/en/railway-cableways/golden-round-trip/
It is your choice, you could do any of these mountains. But, if it is a cloudy day, it isn't worth going up if the top is in cloud. In that case, spend the time in Luzern and/or a short boat trip on the lake.
If we arrive to Lucerne by 10.30 am, is it possible to complete mt. Pilatus and return to lucerne station by 4.30 pm ?
Yes, it should be possible to visit Mt. Pilatus and be back in Lucerne by 16:30, but be sure to monitor your time at Pilatus so you're not late. I'd suggest using the circular route that Chris described......
Swiss transportation is precise, but you'll still have to contend with waiting times.
If you are short of time, there is a quicker variant (and cheaper) which involves a train to Alpnachstad, instead of the boat: http://www.pilatus.ch/en/railway-cableways/silver-round-trip/
You would have to investigate the times. Click on "timetable" on that website. One option is:
Train: Luzern 11:12, Alpnachstad 11:29
Cog railway: Alpnachstad 11:35, Pilatus summit 12:05
Incase you are not aware, the Lucerne train station has lockers for small, medium & large luggage. Under Equipment and mobility at the Station, scroll down to Lockers: https://www.sbb.ch/en/station-services/railway-stations/lucerne-station.html
Enjoy your trip.
One other point to mention......
When you arrive at Alpnachstad, either by boat or train, be sure to include some waiting time for the cog wheel Funicular. If there are a lot of people waiting, it could take 30 minutes or so to get a seat on the Funicular.
If we get lucky with weather and manage to see plenty of mountain in Bernese Oberland, then we would skip Pilatus in Lucerne, instead would like to see Rhein falls near Zurich.
On the other hand, if we weather plays spoilsport in BO, and if we cant cover enough of mountains then we will plan for Pilatus.
Any idea on how to reach to Rhine falls from Zurich through public transport ?
I agree with Tim......we loved walking Lucerne's streets and seeing the lion statue and crossing the beautiful old bridge......Mt. Pilatus was great too.
