Need advice on planning 18 night Swiss trip

Lucerne is very easy to reach via train from Zurich airport. I would head straight to Lucerne. Consolidate all the Zurich days at the end of the trip.

Thank you Rocket, this seems like a good idea. Also based on my itinerary which pass would makes more sense Swiss travel / half price / bernese oberland. We plan to go to top of europe and will use trains everywhere along with glacier express and mountain lifts.

Thanks

that's a long trip, check out Rick's suggested long itinerary in his guidebook (you do have his guidebook, right?)

Otherwise he posts it elsewhere on this site.

Rick's advice: switzerland planning

With your focus on the Jungfrau Region, I would suggest a Half Fare Card and a Berner Oberland Regional Pass. There may be a pass for the Zermatt area, too. There are lots of easy hikes - more like long walks - in the Jungfrau Region around Wengen, Mürren, and Lauterbrunnen.

St. Moritz has a reputation for glitz but it’s kind of lacking in charm, IMO. You might look at Pontresina for a more village-like experience. I’d add another night there and make your Zurich stop only for the last night.

Yes Phred its a long trip as its our first after 3 years due to the pandemic.

Thank you Stan, I have seen Rick's Switzerland trip planning recommendations based on the days, however I feel will need more days in order to fully enjoy each region.

Thanks Laurel for the Pontresina recommendation. We will be taking the glacier express from Zermatt to St. Mortiz so I guess we could stay at Pontresina for 3 nights instead of St. Mortiz as they are very close. So here is my revised trip
Arrive Zurich Aug 31st at 4 pm, go directly to Lucerne from the airport
3 nights in Lucerne
7 nights Wengen
3 nights Zermatt
3 nights Pontresina
2 nights Zurich
Has anyone stayed at Air BnB at Wengen ? I have seen some really good properties offered by Alpine Holiday Services.

I am still confused with what best travel pass would work with my itinerary. I am thinking Swiss travel pass or Half fare card and bernese oberland, my son is 15 so will be free. Appreciate the suggestions.
Thanks,

Good choice, Pontresina is much more charming than St-Moritz.

Follow Laurel's suggestion and get the 1-month Half Fare Card and the Berner Oberland Pass. With the Half Fare Card you get the free Family Card so your son travels with you at no charge. You also get a 130 CHF discount off the B-O Pass, so you have already covered the cost of the Half Fare Card. Buy the 8-day B-O Pass and it will cover the train from Luzern to Wengen on your arrival day, and part of the way to Zermatt if you use the Loetschberger rail line to Brig rather than the fast way through the Loetschberg Base Tunnel. It is a little slower, but a lot more scenic. You're taking the Glacier Express, so I guess you do like scenic.

You can perhaps save a bit on the Glacier Express, which you will be September 13. There is a product called a Saver Day Pass, which allows unlimited travel in Switzerland for a day. They go on sale 60 days before your travel date at the lowest price, and the price gradually increases as you approach your travel date. So for your date, they will be on sale soon. With a Half Fare Card, it looks like they will cost 44 CHF.

The nominal full fare for a 2nd class ticket from Zermatt to Pontresina is 152 CHF (does not include that 49 CHF reservation fee), so with a Half Fare Card it would be 76 CHF. But with the Saver Day Pass, it costs you 44 CHF. Saving 32 CHF per adult is not too bad.

https://www.sbb.ch/en/travelcards-and-tickets/tickets-for-switzerland/day-pass/saver-day-pass.html

You know your travel date, so you should book seat reservations now. They cost 49 CHF pp and are not discounted and you will have to get one for your son as well, even though he travels with you "free".

Thank you Sam, really very good information.
This might be a dumb question , we will need to buy one each half fare, BO pass and the super saver for myself and my wife correct? And if I understand correctly super saver is specific for one day and that date is pre set in my case I plan to take Glacier express on Sep 13th so should get the pass for that day. Am I understanding this correctly?

Thanks for great advice.

Yes, each adult will need their own Half Fare Card, Berner Oberland Pass, and Saver Day Pass. Yes, the Saver Day Pass is for the specific date you buy it for. You can look through the website and see that dates near today are quite expensive, while 60 days from today are the cheapest. The price gradually increases over time until it is no longer cheap. Just like airline tickets.

BTW, you do not actually have to have the Half Fare Card purchased when you buy the Saver Day Pass at the Half Fare Price, or the Berner Oberland Pass at the Half Fare Price. You just need to have the Half Fare Card purchased and in your possession when the ticket inspector checks your tickets on the train.

Thank you Sam for clarifying now I get it.
I will be taking the half fare/ 8 day B O pass and Super saver. Thank you.

Last question I have is should I increase 1 more night in Wegen to 8 nights and reduce Pontresina to 2 nights instead of 3.

Thank you.

I think 7 nights in Wengen is enough, and 3 nights in Pontresina is about right. If you like scenic train journeys, you might take the train to Tirano and back, or maybe just part way to Alp Grum. One of the most scenic rail journeys in the world.

And now that you mention it, the Super Saver ticket may be even cheaper than the Saver Day Pass. Wait until you are 60 days out and see. You should buy the Glacier Express reservations now. You do not have to wait 60 days out for those. Then you will have a better choice of seats. Some trains are sold out already, at least in 1st class, or don't have any window seats left in 2nd class.

Thank you all for the great advice. I have booked all my hotels and reserved the glacier and bernina express from St. Mortiz to Tirano and same day return.

Couple of quick questions, any good restaurants or things to do in Tirano, I know we will only have around 4 hours.
Also with my half fare card and buying tickets from SBB app, I will need to add my credit card info in the app correct ? and will be charged every time I purchase. My only concerned is if there is any issue buying with international credit cards and if connectivity issues to purchase the ticket. I will also need to pay the exchange surcharge every time I buy the ticket. Am I understanding this correctly?
Any good restaurants in Zurich, Lucerne ( will be staying there on my wife's birthday) , Wengen, Zermatt, St. Mortiz. I would like to try authentic Swiss food.
This forum has been a blessing and I appreciate all the suggestions and advice.

In Tirana we ate at https://www.merizzi.it/. Lot's of people from the train go there so service is leisurely. Those who only had 60 minutes until their next train were stressed and not getting food fast enough.You can reserve ahead online. It was very good.

Yes, you need to put your CC in the app for in app purchases. All I can say is I did not have any problems. I cannot comment on fees. We only use no-fee cards.

In Pontresina, which I encourage over San Moritz, I wanted to eat here but did not plan in advance. https://www.hotelwalther.ch/kulinarik/gondolezza/

Do you have any dietary restrictions?

Thanks Laurel, I have already requested to book a table at both places. Already received confirmation from Gondolezza, booked the Gondola Cabin, looks amazing.

Hi Barkinpark, only thing we don't eat is beef and pork. Rest all good.

Thank you,

There are two awesome vegetarian restaurants, owned by the same owner. They are Titbits and Hitl. My spouse is a meat eater, but he loves these two places. Very well known eateries in Zurich.

Thanks Barkinpark, Will try titbits, my wife likes more Veg. I believe Hitl has permanently closed.

Any good dinner cruise in Lucerne? we will be there Sep 1st and 2nd, wife's birthday is on 2nd, thinking of going on a dinner cruise.

Thanks,

We are in Berner Oberland now. We also had 7 nights- spent 4 nights in Wengen and 3 nights in Murren--we liked staying in both the carless towns. From Murren, we did local hiking and Schilthorn (Swiss skyline). Other hikes and Top of Europe easier from Wengen. Also, agree with another reply- we also went directly from Zurich airport to Lucerne by train- easy. So, if you want to see Zurich (we are skipping it), I'd do it all at the end. Lucerne is a great place to get used to Switzerland. We are here for 14 days and are visiting a lot fewer places than RS recommended trip--we like going at a slower pace.