Hi everyone
This is a spin off from my previous topic.
At the moment my itinerary looks something like this:
Day 1 Basel
Day 2 Bern
Day 3 Lauterbrennen
Day 4 Montreux
Day 5&6 Zermatt
Day 7 Zurich
My question: Am I able to travel from Lauterbrennen to Zermatt and bypass Montreux?
Thanks
First to your question: You have to travel Lauterbrunnen to Interlaken to Spiez to Visp and then Zermatt. Takes about 2H40M. You can check all the schedules at SBB.CH.
Are you changing locations every day or basing in one place?
I would start by rethinking this itinerary. One-day stops in the Alps are always a risky venture, unless you have the benefit of a short-term weather forecast. A day of bad Alpine weather, which is not predictable more than a few days out, can easily swoop in and spoil the one day you allotted for a given location. A usual rule of thumb is to plan at least three nights in each Alpine location, which gives you two full days as a hedge against bad weather.
No, there is no direct link between Lauterbrunnen and Zermatt, each of which are isolated in cul-de-sac valleys and separated from each other by two subchains of the Alps.
May I suggest the following:
stay in Lauterbrunnen Day 3, 4,5 - this will allow you enough time to go up to the Jungfrau, to the Schilthorn and to allow for bad weather.
Day6 - take the train from lauterbrunnen to montreaux. You can do the golden pass Route and enjoy the scenery. If you get an early train (I think around 10-11), you will arrive early afternoon which will give you enough time to sightsee.
Day 7 Zurich.
Not if you are leaving from Zurich or want to sight see.
We did the above but instead of staying in Montreaux we returned to Lauterbrunnen so we had no luggage - but we didn't want to shop -
If you have your heart set on seeing the Matterhorn - you could eliminate Lauterbrunnen and concentrate on Zermatt. We decided to skip the matterhorn and loved the Bernese Oberland area. Put in a plug for Hotel Jungfrau in Lauterbrunnen. They were great.
Enjoy
Hi Everyone
Wow wow wow
1) Insightful inputs indeed. I think Its family conference time again.
2) Thanks for the bad weather tips and I think between Zermatt and Lauterbrunnen I will have to choose ; (
3) In the end it is wiser to do one well than to rush through Switzerland.
Cheers
Zermatt is a let down of glitzy shopping boutiques and orchestrated goat shows through the middle of town. Lauterbrunnen and the surrounding alpine villages are stunning.
Since your other thread says it will be in December, both Zermatt and the Berner Oberland will be in early ski season. If it is close to Christmas, it could get pricey on the lodging end. Everybody in Europe takes off from Christmas to New Years and for many, that means family ski vacation.
And Tim, the goats will all be in the barns by then.
Zermatt is a let down of glitzy shopping boutiques and orchestrated goat shows through the middle of town....
...with some of the most stunning Alpine scenery I have ever encountered, once you strap on your hiking boots and start to ascend into the mountains. Nobody visits Zermatt for the town itself.
I have to say we had some decent meals in Zermatt. Better options than Lauterbrunnen. But one does not go for the food, one goes for the scenery in both places.
