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Itinerary help needed-first time Switzerland

I would like your help, feedback/suggestions on this update itinerary.

Our tentative travel dates are; roundtrip to Zurich arriving on June 2nd leaving Zurich June 14, 15 or 16.
We are 4 adults late 50's.

We want to take the Golden Pass rail journey. Would like to spend 4 nights Lucerne, 4-5 nights Murren 2-3 nights Lausanne (Not sure about Lausanne) and final night in Zurich. What would the recommend itinerary be leaving Zurich for this route? *Also, not sure about staying in Lausanne, any other suggestions for 2 possible 3 nights*

We are planing on seeing Mt. Pilates or Mt. Rigi while in Lucerne and possibly a day trip to Bern or Titlis. While in Murren we are trying to decide between Jungfraujich or Schilthorn, would appreciate your help deciding.

We will be in Switzerland 14 or 15 days, would you recommend a flexipass version/Swiss Pass?

Thanks

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Posted by
451 posts

From Lucerne, ride the Golden Pass to Interlaken Ost, change to a train to Lauterbrunnen, catch a cable car to Winteregg, then train to Murren. From Interlaken Ost, it sounds complicated but it is not.

When you leave, head back to Interlaken Ost and catch the Golden Pass to Montreux, change trains to Lusanne, a 4 and a half hour trip. Grab a sandwich from the Coop in Murren and eat on the train.

I would definitely spend four nights in Murren, five would be better. I have not been to Lusanne so I cannot comment. I have been to Schitlhorn but not to Jungfraujoch. I think taking a train through the mountain would be amazing. There are cameras at the top of both, check them before you go, if cloudy, don't go, wait until a clear day or morning. Go very early in the morning as clouds may roll in later in the day. When we went to Schitlhorn, and after 45 minutes clouds rolled in. We passed cable car after cable car filled with people heading up into the clouds to see nothing beyond a few yards.

If you go to Jungfraujoch, you can stop in Kleinne Scheidegg and it was beautiful. You can walk down to Wengen or get off the train in Wengen and walk around, it is nice.

From Murren, walk the Northface Trail it is nice mostly downhill.

Posted by
19 posts

CSU15269 thanks for the information. Can you tell me about the trail down to Wengen and from Murren the Northface trail, are the trails paved? Would sneakers work or are hiking boots recommend.

Posted by
451 posts

Most of it is. From Almendhubel to Suppenalp is crushed stone road, from there the trail turns and heads up through a cow pasture which is more of a cow path. if the cows have recently come up from the valley, the path will be impassable due to them tearing up the trail and cow poop. It will not take you long to see which shape the trail is in. If the trail is too bad, you can turn around and walk down to Murren on a gravel road. On our first trip, we came immediately after the cows were brought up and the trail was a mess. It was hard to walk. Our second trip, a year later, and before the cows were brought up, the trail was perfect. My wife who admittedly has two left feet and stumbles walking on a flat road said the trail was in good shape.
From Suppenalp the trail climbs up and over a small rise. The trail opens back up to 3 to 4 feet wide and goes down hill. It is an easy walk from here back to Murren. This section has the best views and scenery.

If the trail is bad, you can walk up to Schiltalp from Murren, keep going past Schiltalp to the top of the ridge. It is worth it! From Murren to Schiltalp is either paved or crushed compact gravel road. Be sure to turn around and look at the view.

https://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.swissholidayco.com%2FPublic%2FAssets%2FUser%2Fimages%2FExcursions%2FBernese%2520Oberland%2FAllmenhubel%2FAllmenhubel-map.jpg&imgrefurl=http%3A%2F%2Feuorpeanliving.blogspot.com%2F2013%2F11%2Fmurren.html&docid=0638VzHttMOr1M&tbnid=ir73i0pnRypxeM%3A&vet=1&w=1701&h=1191&bih=754&biw=1708&q=MURREN%20NORTH%20FACE%20TRAIL%20MAP&ved=0ahUKEwjK7pT7r97RAhWFTCYKHamOAOgQMwgcKAAwAA&iact=mrc&uact=8

https://www.google.com/maps/place/3825+M%C3%BCrren,+Switzerland/@46.5530047,7.8720842,839m/data=!3m1!1e3!4m5!3m4!1s0x478fa0711eae731b:0x1d7962d4f9617d61!8m2!3d46.5587573!4d7.8918242!6m1!1e1?hl=en

Posted by
11294 posts

Your trip looks good to me. I had 10 nights, and spent 3 in Luzern, 4 in Mürren, and 3 in Lausanne (flying into Zurich and out of Geneva, but not spending any nights in these cities). It was a wonderful trip, so I think yours will be even better (more time is always good).

The Jungfraujoch and the Schilthorn are two very different experiences. With 4-5 nights in Mürren, there's no reason you can't do both; just make sure the weather is good before you spend the time and money for each (there are webcams you can check - ask at your hotel's front desk). From the Schilthornbahn, you have views across the valley to the mountains; at the Jungfraujoch, you are in a "saddle" between two mountains. Both were great for me.

I wasn't taken with Lausanne, although I loved the Museum of Outsider Art and liked the Olympic Museum. My stay there was fine, but also look into Vevey or Montreux. From any of these, you can easily visit the others.

I was there in 2014, and at that time, a 15 day Swiss Pass was the best deal for me. However, the terms have changed since then; you'll have to crunch some numbers yourself. One thing to remember is that with a Swiss Pass, you only have to buy tickets for things not fully covered (such as the Schilthornbahn, the Allmendhubel, and the Jungfrauhoch). For everything else, you just get on, and flash your pass when tickets are checked. This is a great convenience, particularly in the Berner Oberland, where you're always riding on something. The Swiss Pass (at least in 2014) also included museums, which helped me make it pay off.

On the other hand, the Half Fare Card can also be a good deal. It gets you 50% off of anything that moves in the entire country, including the Jungfraujoch (only 25% off with the Swiss Pass). It costs 120 CHF, so if you're taking more than 240 CHF of rides (and in two weeks, that's almost a certainty), you can't lose. You do have to buy tickets every time. But, even the ticket machines for local buses have the half-fare option.

I saw Mt. Rigi rather than Mt. Pilatus, for the simple reason that the trip to Mt. Rigi was completely covered by the Swiss Pass, while part of the trip to Mt. Pilatus was only 50% off. For Mt. Rigi, you take a boat from downtown Luzern to Vitznau, a train up to Rigi Kulm, a train down to Rigi Kaltbad, then a cable care down to Weggis, then a VERY STEEP walk down to Weggis dock for the boat back to Luzern. This was a very full and enjoyable excursion, taking most of a day. If you don't want that very steep walk down, take the boat both ways to Vitznau, where it is a short and only slightly inclined walk between the train station and the dock.

I hope you have Rick Steves Switzerland - he has lots of details on the places you plan to see, including all the logistics.

Posted by
19 posts

CSU15269 & Harold

Thank you so much for the information and your suggestions, it's been very helpful with our plans.