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Need Help With Itinerary and Etc.

Posted by on

Hello! My husband and I are planning on visiting Switzerland for 5 nights. We will be flying into Zurich from Venice (we'll be coming off a cruise) and the plan for now is to head straight to Murren where we will stay for 4 nights then head into either Lucerne or Zurich for the last night in order to be closer to the airport to catch our 9:30am flight out.

I've been trying to do some research on the trains and the Swiss Pass but we're also in the middle of a move so I don't have as much time to spend looking into all the details but was wondering of you seasoned Swiss travellers what you would recommend in terms of what kind of pass we should get?

Also, any thoughts about staying in Lucerne for one night? Would it be worth it or would it just be easier if we just stayed in Zurich to be close to the airport since we will have to be there early? Also, any recos for where to stay in Lucerne?

Any insight and/or information would be much appreciated! Thank you so much!!

Posted by
1443 posts

Assuming this is your first visit to Switzerland, I would stay in Luzern for your final night. It's more interesting and enjoyable than Zurich. Trains connect it directly to the Zurich airport (2x per hour, 70 minutes). I have stayed at The B&B and at Hotel des Alpes and would recommend both. The B&B is much cheaper as it has shared bathrooms (8 bathrooms for 10 guest rooms).

ETA: In terms of a rail pass, the Half-Fare Card is probably the most economical but the 4-day Swiss Travel Pass may also be a great value even if it costs a bit more than the HFC.

Posted by
1803 posts

The consensus on the forum seems to be that Luzern is nicer than Zurich. But it may involve a very early train ride. It looks like there's a 6:10 train that gets you to the airport at 7:16. Earlier trains if you need to be there 3 hours prior to departure.

I'm on the RS tour this year that's staying at the Hotel Des Alpes. Can't vouch for it yet but it seems well located and is only a 5-10 minute walk to the train station.

https://www.desalpes-luzern.ch/en/welcome

RS directions say to enter hotel from the entrance on Furrengasse st. The other entrance that's closest to the river leads you into a restaurant and a steep flight of stairs.

Posted by
11294 posts

I had a nice stay at the Hotel des Alpes in September 2014 (can't believe it was actually that long ago!), and would certainly stay there again. The location is great.

Yes, do follow Rick's directions to enter, which put you right at the lobby; otherwise, you enter through the restaurant at the lower level, and have to take an elevator or stairs to the lobby.

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