Need Switzerland Advice!

Posted by jhkardas on 06/21/15 06:56 PM

My 12-year old and I will be traveling to Switzerland in early July with my husband who has business outside of Zurich. We are leaving before business and staying afterward to vacation. I am trying to decide between several itineraries. We were going to rent a car and wander for 4 days, but I am now thinking about training it instead.

Day 1-3: arrive and get train to Zermatt for 3 nights.
Day 4: train to Zurich, with stop in Bern to see a bit of the town (and/or visit zoo, bear pits) then head to Zurich.
Day 5-6: staying outside Zurich. My son is (really) into zoos of any kind so will go to Zurich Zoo (5) and Basel Zoo (6)
Day 7-9: Head to Lucerne for 3 nights. Thinking of Mt Pilatus (including rope park and toboggan ride which both husband and son would love) or Titlus, boat ride to explore lake, one day exploring Lucerne.
Early 19: early train to Zurich and catch plane home.

I am trying to decide between Zermatt (we have Hotel Phoenix booked but can cancel) and Matterhorn, or the Jungfrau area. And if the Jungfrau area, where would be a scenic, not too touristy town to stay in. We are not big hikers, but do love easy day hikes (4-6 hours round trip with places to stop) and want the Alps experience. We are city people and love cities but would like to also get away and relax!!!

For our travel what type of train pass would be good? Looks like we would need 4 round trips and then short rides during our Zurich stay, besides local trains, boats, buses...I keep reading about a Swiss transfer and that you have to get it before your trip. If we do not need that can we buy tickets when we arrive or should we do that beforehand.

We are very excited about our trip and I love planning travel, but there are so many choices and only so much time!!! We want to see and do but also have time to relax. I am open to any advice or suggestions, specific hotels, don't miss sites...Any help is greatly appreciated.

Posted by Ken

Vernon, Canada

06/21/15 08:06 PM

32350 posts

jh,

You might consider a blend between big city and alpine experiences. Of the places you mentioned, Lucerne and the Berner Oberland would be good places to consider. Your son might enjoy the incredible Museum of Transport in Lucerne. Zürich has it's charms, but it's a large commercial centre and (IMO) your time would be better spent elsewhere.

There's always some debate on the forum regarding the best place to stay in the Berner Oberland. Many prefer Mürren as it's above the valley and provides incredible views. I tend to favour Lauterbrunnen as it's the transportation hub in the area, and therefore very convenient for getting to both sides of the valley (Gimmelwald / Mürren / Schilthorn on one side and Wengen / Kleine Scheidegg / Jungfraujoch on the other). Your son might also enjoy seeing the James Bond displays at the Schilthorn (the movie On Her Majesty's Secret Service was partially filmed there many years ago). I'm sure the ride on the Cable Car will be an experience for all of you as well, as it's a long way above the valley floor!

One nice hike that you can take from Mürren is to take the Allmend-Hubel Funicular up the hill, and then hike back down through the alpine meadows. As I recall, it takes about two hours but it's an easy downhill hike, through meadows of grazing cows with their bells clanking. There are a couple of small hotels / bars along the way so you can stop for a cool one if necessary. You could also hike down the hill to Gimmelwald (about 30 minutes, all paved) and visit the tiny farming community that's featured in many of Rick's Switzerland shows. Stop at the Pension or at Walter's Hotel Mittaghorn for a cool one. There's also Trummelbach Falls.

What type of rail pass to buy for Switzerland is always a difficult thing to figure out, so I'll leave that to the others to comment on.