My Swiss itinerary draft (feedback encouraged!)

I hope you get feedback on this. I am traveling to Geneva in March and would love some tips as well!

the train pass bit is complicated, but it doesn't seem like you are taking that many rides so it will likely be cheaper to pay as you go (or get the half fare card).

I’m a big fan of the Swiss Travel Pass because it’s makes things so easy. Prices were lowered for 2022. To see if it’s worth it, you need to make a list of all trains trips and things you plan on doing and add up the cost. Here’s a list of what’s included and discounted with the Pass.

https://www.myswissalps.com/swisstravelpass/validity

You mentioned Rigi, that’s covered 100%. Pilatus and Schilthorn you get a discount.

It might be better to end up in Lucerne so you are closer to the airport on the afternoon you fly out.

I’d much rather stay in Lauterbrunnen or Murren or Wengen than in Grindelwald.

Actually I think they might get good value from a 6-date Swiss Pass for 359 CHF, but they will have to “do the math”. Don’t use it to get to Luzern from the airport, as that is an inexpensive trip.

Begin it on 14 Sept. it will cover the full cost of a Rigi Round trip by lake boat, cogwheel train, and cablecar. It will cover all but 36 CHF of a Pilatus round-trip. Then fully cover the train ride to Grindelwald (or Lauterbrunnen, Mürren, etc. if people convince you those are better for a Berner Oberland visit), plus all train and lift travel between the villages, and travel back to the Zurich airport from Grindelwald ( or other ) on the And half the cost of the Schilthorn or other lift in the mountain area( the Schilthorn used to be fully covered, but no longer is).

Here is the map of validity for the Swiss Pass:

https://cdn-doc.myswissalps.com/docs/default-source/rail-network-maps/swisstravelpass.pdf?sfvrsn=7788603a_56

Here are some current prices (regular price, no discount)

Luzern to Grindelwald, 36-44 CHF

Grindelwald to Zurich airport, 85

Grindelwald to Mürren to Schilthorn summit ( via Zweilutschen) , 72-76 each way, so around 150 roundtrip

Rigi roundtrip ( boat to Vitznau, train to summit and back to Rigi Kaltbad, cablecar to Weggis and boat back to Luzern, 120

Pilatus Golden roundtrip, 103,50

Adding up the value of the actual benefit of the pass for these trips (which means prorating the costs of the Pilatus and Schilthorn trips, which are only partially covered by the Swiss Pass), I get 425 CHF ( instead of 498 which is the total cost without considering the partial coverage on lifts). So if they are committed to doing all those trips the 6-day pass is worth it. And they could do more:

Maybe they also want to ride the First gondola from Grindelwald to hike to Bachalpsee for the famous reflection—-E35 CHF each way ( discount 50% with the pass).

Or ride from Grindelwald up to Mannlichen ridge for the famous hike there, or ride the new gondola up to Eigergletscher. These would also be covered 50%.

I would subtract one night from Lucerne & add a night to the Berner Oberland. When I travel there, I base out of Murren (the balcony rooms in the Hotel Alpina look straight down into the Lauterbrunnen valley). I always get the Swiss Travel Pass for the convenience of not having to buy tickets for each travel segment (though you can use the pass to get 50% off the cable car to Schilthorn; requires a separate ticket). There are boat rides on each of the two lakes outside Interlaken & you can train to Grindlewald if you want to stand under the Eiger. There are plenty of hikes in the area; some easy (Lauterbrunnen to Stechelberg; postal bus back) & some more challenging. The beauty of the area has always amazed me even 40 years later.

Thanks everyone for your feedback! I was thinking of shifting the dates a bit to be mindful of my arrival and departure from Switzerland. My initial plan was to take the train from Zurich to Lucerne after landing, but given the long flight, I’m wondering if it would be wise to spend the first night in Zurich before going to Lucerne the next day? Also, I was considering spending another night in Zurich at the end of my trip as traveling from Grindlewald to Zurich the day of my flight may be cutting it to close.

So this is the altered itinerary:
September 13th- Land in Zurich, relax after flight/sightsee and stay overnight in Zurich.
September 14th- Travel to Lucerne in the morning and stay there until the 16th.
September 16th- Travel to Grindlewald hotel and explore the Bernese Oberland until the 19th.
September 19th- Travel to Zurich, stay overnight for flight on the 20th.

Would 4 hotel stays be too much?

Since you have to take the train from Zurich Airport to Zurich city anyway, it is very easy to just stay on the train to Luzern (assuming you get one of the 2 per hour direct trains, with no transfer at Zurich main station). Think of it as is an hour to relax. And then you are in Luzern, a much more charming town, and avoiding one hotel change.

That is what I would do—-and we have been to Switzerland many times, flying in and out of Zurich.

Ahh thank you Lola! You’re right, it does make more sense to just stay on the train directly to Luzerne as it can be a moment for me to unwind for a bit. I initially dreaded doing more travel after a long flight from the states, but It does make more sense to just tough it out and take the train instead of paying for a hotel stay.

I completely agree with Lola—go straight to Lucerne from the airport. You will appreciate not having that extra hotel change. I recently did something similar—arrived at Zurich airport and immediately took the train to Basel. We did not mind the extra bit of travel at all. The trains are so much more comfortable than the planes. It was nice to sit and relax as we realized we were actually in Switzerland. I’m not sure when you arrive in Zurich, but your hotel might not be ready for check in anyway, so that’s another reason to take a little longer to get to your first hotel.

Also, as you mentioned above, it does make sense to stay closer to the airport on your last night. I wouldn’t want to be rushed or worried about getting to the airport on time.

Sounds like you have a great trip planned. Enjoy!!!

Agree you should stay in Lucerne your first night, but strongly suggest you stay near/in the airport your last night. Another option would be to go directly to say Laterbrunnen as your base which is little over 2 hr. ride from Zurich upon arrival and and end your trip in Lucerne where you can take the direct train from Lucerne to the airport on departure day, avoiding backtracking.

Rick has a handy little fare map in his guidebooks showing the rough prices of various routes, so you can "do the match"

Arrive at Zurich airport and go to the SBB window to purchase a travel pass. No need to buy this in the US. We liked the convenience of having a pass to just jump on and off trains. Make sure you keep your passport on you as the pass is "not valid" without ID. Download the SBB app - it will make train travel so easy.

I agree, stay in Lucerne your first night then head to Grindelwald or one of the other small villages; Murren, Wengen, or Lauterbrunnen. Rick likes Gimmelwald but it is very very small. It would not be my choice. The other villages have more accommodation options and restaurants. Some visitors like to go straight from Zurich to the Lauterbrunnen valley. I think it took us about 4 hours of train travel. If you did this, you could stop in Lucerne on the way home and then train into the airport the morning of your flight. Swiss trains are very punctual and reliable. We did stay in the old town of Zurich on our last night and walked around. I did find Zurich very charming, so if you want to visit, I think it is worth a stay a day before departure.

Margaret