I am spending about eight days in Switzerland in January. We will be arriving in Salzburg and then work our way south and west towards Geneva. Approximate itinerary is as follows:
Salzburg to ?? possibly Appenzell
??or Appenzell to Luzern (2-3 days)
Luzern to Interlaken(4 days--including a day trip to Bern)
Interlaken to Geneva stopping in Chillon. Geneva only to visit CERN
So I really wanted to go to Appenzell for the "true Swiss flavor". When I discovered much is closed or open for just short hours (and its hard to get around the region without a car) I thought I'd would spend about a half day or so--so arriving early afternoon and leaving mid morning the following day. It sounds like in January, I couldn't count on any kind of music performance in the restaurants or other places in the evenings. Now I'm discovering that the train routes are less than convenient. To get to Luzern from Appenzell would take at least three hours and traveling thru Zurich. If I skip Appenzell, I could go directly from Buchs to Luzern. (2 hours vs. 5 to go Buchs/Appenzell/Luzern) The thought of perhaps spending a lot of time getting to an area with very little time experiencing it may not make sense.
I would appreciate comments on my rationale. If I skip Appenzell, I could add something somewhere. Does it make sense to do another day in Luzern perhaps using the time for excursions on the scenic trains? I am already taking a Golden Pass route (Luzern/Interlaken/Montreux) Perhaps a day trip to Zermat,Lugano or Chur combining portions of the other scenic train routes, not really stopping to sight see but just enjoying the trains? Or a daytrip to Bern from Luzern giving me more time in Interlaken? Or other ideas? Is there an easier/more effective way to get some "swiss flavor" instead of Appenzell?
I will probably be purchasing Swiss train passes regardless which do not seem to be a great deal but they do provide me with flexibility and less hassle and with the museum admissions, I'd probably come somewhat close to breaking even.
Some might say I am overplanning, but I'm from the U.S. and this is a special trip for my daughters and myself. We don't really have the time and funds for multiple trips to Europe so I'm trying to make the best use of our time and money. I really appreciate this forum for planning.