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May Zurich-Lucern-Jungfrau region Itinerary Feedback

Posted by on

Hello all!

I will be spending May 15-21 flying in and out of Zurich and was wondering if I may have some feedback on the outline.

May 15 Land around noon and train to Lucern...explore town
May 16 Lucerne - Vitznau - Rigi Kulm - Kaltbad - Weggis - Lucerne
may need to switch if weather does not permit?
May 17 Lucerne in morning and train to Wengen by early afternoon. Get groceries, explore a little, rest
May 18 Wengen to Shilthorn, to Birg, to Lauterbrunnen
Hike lauterbrunnen - Stechelberg
May 19 Wengen to First, activities up there First Flyer
First-Bachsee or First Grosse Scheidegg hike
May 20 Wengen to Zurich in morning -- shop, explore Zurich
May 21 more Zurich in more, leave in evening back to US

Concerns for hiking - I like hiking, but gf is not a super fan at all haha. I am planning to pop big question to her at some point on trip though, and I think the hikes will provide some nice places hopefully when I'm feeling the moment. I think the Lauterbrunnen hike will be fine, but I'm not sure if the First hikes will be doable in mid-May. I looked at those routes though due to them being listed as "easy".

I'm also trying to figure out the pass situation. I think I've determined the Half Price pass makes most sense because the full pass only gets half off in the mountains anyway.
Would it make sense to also get the Jungfrau region pass on May 17 for 3 days? The price looked pretty close based on the rough itinerary, but perhaps having the region pass will make sense if we go off the outline above. I am understanding it only gets 25% off to Shilthorn though? so I suppose I will then still be only using half price card then.
I think getting a saver day pass on May 20 may make good sense too since it seems most that travel will be train based at that point.

Posted by
7300 posts

If you get the half fare card, I would not get any other pass - except perhaps a saver day pass if that's cheaper than a Half-Fare ticket from Wengen to Zürich (I doubt it will be).

As for First hikes: you will see how much snow is left in the area when you get to Wengen. It is early, but the First area is south facing, so you should be fine. This said, from Wengen, I would prioritize the Männlichen - Kleine Scheidegg hike over the First hikes. Difficulty is similar.

Also, erm..., if the girlfriend does not like hiking at all, does she even have suitable shoes? You don't need high-ankle hiking boots, but athletic shoes with a good tread are the barest minimum. And don't be too pushy, or that proposal won't go too well ;-).

Posted by
8967 posts

That's a schedule of constant movement. Is your heart set on Wengen? Northing wrong with Wengen, but I note all your activities on busy May 18 are on the Mürren side of the valley. Even staying in Lauterbrunnen might be easier. There is a nice easy trail that goes from Mürren to Grutschalp (where the train goes down to Lauterbrunnen). There are at least two spots on that trail with a great view of the valley that would be good spots to propose. Lauterbrunnen to Stechelberg is a flat trail following the bottom of the valley, so all the views are up. There might still be snow up higher, BTW.

Posted by
7 posts

I booked Wengen based on I guess Rick Steve and other recs....and it's nonrefundable at this point :/

Posted by
3125 posts

Don’t worry at all about staying in Wengen. That’s where I’m staying this June. It’s super easy to get down to Lauterbrunnen and then up to Murren.

The mannlichen cable car from Wengen doesn’t open until May 26th.

Here is some info. on walks in Wengen:

https://wengen.swiss/en/summer/region/wengen/services/walking-trails-around-of-wengen/

https://wengen.swiss/en/summer/see-and-do/hiking/hikes/

Have a great trip and congrats on the almost engagement!! 😊

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