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Help with Switzerland side trip from Germany!

Posted by on

Hello Everyone!

Thank you in advance for your help as I could really use a little advice here!

I'm a 33 going on a month long trip with my dear parents (early 70's) during a break in between jobs this September. We will be taking public transit the entire trip. They aren't very active but are able to walk distances on flat easy terrain. I'd like to minimize one night stays to make it easier on my parents and would prefer day trips to frequently moving hotels if possible.

We are primarily seeing Germany (roughly following rick sleeves 3 week itinerary) and I am trying to plan a week-ish side trip into Switzerland. We'll be moving through Berlin>Dresden>Rothenburg ob de taber>Munich>Salzburg> Fussen and I thought from Fussen would be ideal to venture into Switzerland before going up to the Rhine.

Right now I'm thinking
Fussen >train to> Lauterbrunnen Valley
Lauterbrunnen Valley (visit Murren and Gimmelwald?)
Lauterbrunnen Valley (visit grindlewald? Jungfraubahn?)
Lauterbrunnen Valley > train to> lucerne
lucerne
Lucerne (day trip to Zurich)
Lucerne > train to >bacharach
Bacharach (day trip to luxembourg?)
Bacharach (rhine cruise)
Bacharach (burg Eltz, Mosel river)
Bacharach > frankfurt> fly home

Would anyone please be able to lend some advice if there is a more efficient or more thought out way to visit some of switzerland's highlights while on a trip such as this?
Suggestions for a base when in Lauterbrunnen valley for a trip like this? Anything I'm missing? We do have some flexibility in the overall timing (add or subtracting a few days here and there)
I have been pouring over forums on where to stay for base for rhine/mosel (Bacharach, Cochem, Koblenz). Any suggestions on what would be best for this specific trip? I know Bacharach is farthest away from Luxembourg but if thats truly the best base I can drop this potential Luxembourg day trip from the itinerary.
Has anyone done a day trip to luxembourg from the Rhine area?

Thank you again!

Posted by
20087 posts

A couple of thoughts. Assume you are doing this by train.
Go Fuessen to Luzern via Zurich, maybe spend the afternoon in Zurich so you don't have to waste time with a day trip from Luzern.
Then to Lauterbrunnen valley. Suggest staying in Wengen, a car free village with access to the Jungfraujoch.
Then to Germany via Basel.

Bacharach is really not an ideal place to explore the middle Rhine and Mosel. If you stay in Boppard, you will be in the VRM transit district and will receive a guest card for free train and bus transport in the VRM. That will include part way up the Mosel so you can get to Burg Eltz and Cochem and part way to Luxembourg. Bacharach is outside the VRM, and not a very good base, despite the fact that Rick likes it.

Posted by
2316 posts

I would also recommend Boppard as a base for the Rhine. Nice hotels and restaurants right on the river. Bacharach is super cute and definitely worth visiting. But the town is a bit of a walk from the river. I recommend taking the train from Boppard, stop in St. Goar and take the shuttle up to the castle. Then taxi back to the train station and continue to Bacharach by train. Explore the town, then return to Boppard via boat. Make sure you check out the boat schedule in advance.

Posted by
2 posts

Thank you everyone!!

@sam and @travel4fun wonderful suggestion for Boppard! I looked into it and was surprised I had never heard of it in RS books. However, it looks like Boppard Wine Festival is happening the week we will be there and there are very little hotel accommodations. Any second choice bases that you'd recommend for me to look into?

@Pat thank you for posting your trip review for others to learn from!

Posted by
367 posts

I would do Germany - Zurich, get off for lunch and a stroll around town and the back on the train to Luzern. Get a hotel near the train station along the river or lake. Do some daytrips (a cruise down the lake in any direction is wonderful, go up one of the many mountains). Then off the Lauterbrunnen. It's in the bottom of a valley, so fairly flat, and the lovely walk past all the waterfalls is flat and paved. Everyone at this site will tell you to stay up in the mountains, and that may be what you want to do. We stayed in Wengen and it was fabulous, but be aware that Wengen is very spread out and car-free, so be very careful how far your accommodation is from the train station. Wengen itself is quite hilly. When I was there this past May there were signs at the station that there are no taxis available, so unless your accommodation will pick you up, you might be facing a big walk. Wengen is officially a car-free village, but of course they have methods of transport for businesses that need to function.

Can't comment about the rest of your trip. Have fun!

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