My rough plan or itinerary for travel (on budget) is : Fly to Zurich. On arrival, (most important) I need to buy a rail pass- Swiss Half Fare Pass - ? Then:
-go to Lucerne for for 2 nts ? ,maybe visit Zurich if rain , next go to Vierwaldtstaettersee from Stockhorn ?
-next possibility to go to Lugano by Express for 1 nt ( is it worth it? ) (this was Rick's advice)
next go to Bernes Oberland ( buy OB regional Pass-for 4 days), and stay in Wengen for 4 nts:
-Then travel to Bern (for one day)
-next -Schilthorn - Murren (this village maybe I need all day ? )
-next go to Mahnlichen for a walk along the rigetop to Klein Scheidegg ( I suppose I take train to there plus cablecar)
-next (what is better, to stay in Wengen and travel to Thun lake or stay in Wengen for 2 days or maybe 3 days
-at Thun - take boat around lake + visit lake and village Brienz?
next day take a train (hop on hop off) and see Montreux, Lausanne, Chateu Chllon, Morgs (Which town is reallyworth visiting ?)
I really want to see village Gruyers (best from which place ?) ; Also, what about area Graubunden - village 13 century ?
Then come back to Zurich and fly back to UK
I will be grateful to anyone who can give me practical advice for this journey , routes , rail Pass, any other advice
With love , Polina
Posted by
11159 posts
We only went to Lake Thun when the weather was bad in the mountains. It was nice but if the sun is shining with clear skies, I would stay out in Wengen.
Posted by
Florida
1443 posts
I recommend the Half-Fare card since you are on a budget. A Bernese Oberland rail pass is an unnecessary expense. You can buy a HFC once you arrive in Zurich.
Based on your interests a 12-night itinerary like this might work well:
Lucerne - 2 nights
Wengen - 4 nights
Montreux or Vevey - 3 nights
Bern - 2 nights
Zurich -1 night
From Montreux or Vevey you can explore the Lake Geneva area easily. Note that many hotels give their guests a free "Riviera Card" which gives you free rail and bus transportation in the local area. Castle Chillon is probably my favorite castle in Europe!
You can visit Gruyers as a day-trip from Montreux or Vevey, or you could visit on your way to Bern. There is a cute medieval town near Bern called Murten. You could explore it on the way to Bern from Lake Geneva or as a day trip from Bern.
Visiting the Schilthorn from Wengen should take a half-day at most, assuming you also spend a few hours to explore Murren. Many good hikes of every difficulty level start in Murren.
You can visit Thun or Brienz easily from Wengen as a day trip. Near Brienz is a fun open-air museum of traditional Swiss culture.
The hike from Mannelichen to Kleine Scheidegg to Wengen is spectacular and not difficult.
Posted by
Vernon, Canada
32212 posts
Polina,
The first point to mention is that the words "Switzerland" and "budget" don't fit well together, so be prepared for the costs there. Your profile doesn't indicate where you're from, but currency exchange could be a factor to consider.
A few thoughts after reading over your comments.......
- For a short 10-12 day trip, there seems to be too much moving about, which means you won't be able to really see or enjoy any of the places you're visiting. I'm also a "60's solo traveller" and this Itinerary would wear me out.
- Wengen tends to be a bit more "upscale" than some other places in the Lauterbrunnen Vallley. You could also consider staying in Mürren or Lauterbrunnen, as you may be able to find less expensive accommodations.
- You might want to skip Graubünden this time. It's some distance from the Montreux / Lausanne area and I'm not sure you'll have much time to spend there. Which "13th century village" are you referring to?
- You'll have to do the "number crunching" to determine which Swiss Pass will be most beneficial for your circumstances. Although somewhat tedious, the best way to do that is to determine the cost of each of the trips you'll be making, both with and without each type of Pass. The Half Fare card is a good solution in many cases, but the Berner Oberland Regional Pass may also be a good one to consider. This may help - https://www.ricksteves.com/travel-tips/transportation/trains/switzerland-rail-passes
- Another excellent website to check is - https://www.seat61.com/Switzerland.htm
Posted by
OP
3 posts
-
Thank you very much for your advice . Some of your suggestions I will definitely use. You didn't comment about Lugano - I know it's expensive , but how much exactly does it cost to go to Lugano by speed train from Lucerne (after going to Wengen) ?(of course staying 1 nt) Also, I would like to go to Bern for one day only , (do you think it's worth staying there for 2 days?) . Another question - can I go back to Zurich from last stop at Geneva lake ? Is it more reasonable? How long does it take?
Many thanks , Polina
Posted by
New York, NY, USA
11294 posts
Here was what I did with 10 nights in September 2014, and it worked really well!
1) Fly into Zurich; immediately get train from airport to Luzern. Stay in Luzern 3 nights, with excursion to Mt. Rigi.
2) Train from Luzern to Mürren. Stay in Mürren 4 nights. I did excursions to Allmendhubel, Schilthornbahn, and Junghfraujoch, as well as the Valley Floor Walk in Rick's book (including Trümmelbach Falls). I also went to Interlaken for a few hours.
3) Train from Mürren to Lausanne. Stay in Lausanne 3 nights. From there I did excursions to Chateau de Chillon and Montreux, as well as to Tolochenaz to see Audrey Hepburn's grave. I also went to the Museum of Outsider Art and the Olympic Museum.
4) Fly home from Geneva airport.
I had a 15 day Swiss Pass, which was a great convenience, and it covered most of my museums as well.
In the same amount of time I had (or only 1-2 days more), you propose to also see Graubunden, Bern, and Lugano. I think that's far too much moving around in such a short time. If you really want to see one of these, cut something else.
I agree with Ken - Switzerland is expensive. As for whether to get a Swiss Pass or a Half Fare Card (and for your itinerary, those are the only two sensible options), you just have to do the math. Use the Swiss Rail site to get prices, but be sure you look at "No Reduction," since the first price is with a Half Fare Card. https://www.sbb.ch/en/home.html
Can you fly into Zurich and out of Geneva? That will save backtracking.