Rhein, Rigi, Lucern, golden pass and Lindt chocolate factory

I am thinking of skipping both Rhine falls and the lindt factory but I have heard that both titlus and the glacier express are very good. How can I include them in my plans.

mpankaj distances are deceiving in the mountains. It looks close on the map, but trying to get to and from Titlis on a day trip from Lauterbrunnen would take most of a whole day. The Glacier Express route is very scenic, but its just riding the train, of which you will be doing plenty of. As long as you have your accommodations booked, you have the option of staying flexible and deciding what looks feasible when you get there.

Forget the Glacier Express - it's not an express at all and it's just a slow moving train. Don't waste your previous vacation time sitting on a train. You're visiting Lauterbrunnen and the surrounding alpine villages - you'll BE in the center of the most beautiful scenery anywhere...and not stuck on a train.

I am thinking of skipping rhine for the following plan:

• day 1: zurich to lucerne. keep bags at lecerne station. move to titlis. total 3-5 hrs will be spent. back to lucerne. spend 1-3 hrs there and go to lauterbrunnen
• day 2: jungfraujoch day 3: shilthorn
• day 4: go to zermatt, keep bags in house, take glacier express just to brig and return
• day 5: gornergrat

how doe sit look?
what villages/places should be included in the daily plans?

•day 4: go to zermatt, keep bags in house, take glacier express just to brig and return

No. There is no additional scenery taking the Glacier Express to Brig and return. You will cover the exact same route going to Zermatt and leaving as it is the only way to get to Zermatt. Coming from Lauterbrunnen, you will change trains in Visp, and Brig is only a short distance away in the same valley. Further, you will each be required to pay the Glacier Express reservation fee both coming and going. Brig, itself, is not an especially attractive location to spend a day.

If you want more scenery, specify "via Kandersteg" for your journey from Lauterbrunnen to Zermatt. It will add about an hour to the travel time, but instead of passing completely under the Berner Oberland mountain range in the Loetschberg Base tunnel, you will go up the valley on a twisting train and through the relatively short old Loetschberg tunnel and down to Brig. The right hand side of the train will afford a good view of the mountains above Zermatt as you descend "the ramp" to Brig, if you have clear weather. There you can get the train to Zermatt. Now you will cover the exact same route of the Glacier Express from Brig to Zermatt. You can stop in Brig for an hour to see what you missed.

Thanks a lot. This was very helpful.

Should I spend that hour in brig at all if its not that attractive.

Should I do the titlis detour. And coming to laterbrunnen what should I specify in my journey to get the best route? The same goes for going to Montreux from Zermatt?

Where all should I spend my time in laterbrunnen and Zermatt? I heard there are places like murren, Grindelwald, gimmelwald, wengen but I am trying to figure out how to plan them out. How to travel to the waterfalls in laterbrunnen?

The suggestion to spend an hour in Brig was slightly tongue-in-cheek, but with a practical bent.

Brig has 2 train stations across the street from each other. One for standard gauge trains connecting to Spiez and Lausanne and Italy, and the other for narrow gauge trains going to Zermatt and the Furka Pass and on to St Moritz. If you take the "Loetschberger" train previously described, it arrives at the standard gauge station. Across the street, about 4 minutes later, the train to Zermatt departs. That is too fast a connection to make, even for the Swiss. The solution is to make a fast connection to a train leaving from the standard gauge station to Visp, which will arrive before the Zermatt train. The Visp station is combined with both narrow and standard gauge platforms in the same station. That will also be a fast connection. So my suggestion to hang around for an hour and have some snacks is to give a comfortable single connection to Zermatt. But if you wish to get to Zermatt ASAP, you can save an hour by doing the connections suggested by SBB.
If you haven't already done so, download the Swiss railway map by clicking on the pdf on the right hand side of this page "Map of Validity": http://www.sbb.ch/en/leisure-holidays/holidays--short-breaks-in-switzerland/swisstravelsystem/swiss-travel-pass.html

Thanks a lot.

Is it better to do the titlus detour or should I reach lauterbrunen soon and relax and instead do both jungfraujoch (that was already in the plans, weather permitting) and shilthorn.

I'd skip Titlis as you will get plenty of opportunities for mountain top scenery in Lauterbrunnen.

Somehow I am skipping one information or the other. Looks like getting the trip date nearer is getting on the nerves.

Since we are staying in Zermatt too, I am still not sure if I should do shilthorn or Matterhorn? Assuming I M doing jungfraujoch. Should I be taking a stop at Lucerne to cover the lake ride and spending some time on the nearby villages. I am going to Montreux after Zermatt.

You have an awful lot packed into a short time. Feel free to edit out activities depending on the family fatigue factor. You can take boat rides on the Brienzer See, the Thuner See, or Lake Leman. You are on vacation and make decisions at the spur of the moment to do or not something.

Absolutely true. The problem us that since i am arriving in zurich and thrn travelling to lauterbrunnen-zermatt-montreux, tge only tine i can do titlis is on my first day before reaching lauterbrunnen. So need to decide between titlis, shilthorn and matterhorn upfront.

I think based on the feedback so far i can skip rhine, titles, lucerne, boats all on my first day but the problem is that i reach zurich at 7 AM and the lauterbrunnen apartment will be available only after 4 PM. what should i do to pass the time. Need to choose one atleast.

Also i am still not clear when in my itinirary will i get the chance for boat rides?

Have you decided on getting the Swiss Travel Pass or Half Fare Card?

yes, I've purchased the swiss pass along with family crad.

Some of ideas.
1. Go to Zurich Hbf (main station) store luggage in a locker, big ones are 9 CHF for about 0.25 cubic M. Maybe that will fit all your stuff. Across the street is the Swiss National Museum for the history of Switzerland from prehistory to modern. Its free with your Swiss Pass. Walk down to the Zuricher See and take a boat ride. 1 1/2 hour round trip, departures every 30 minutes and your Pass is good here too.
2. Do that Rheinfall side trip.
3. Go to Luzern and store bags again at the station. Same locker sizes. Visit the Lion Monument (take the No 1 bus from the train station, free with the Swiss Pass). Max Chocolatiere across the bridge from the train station. Another boat ride opportunity in front of the train station. Round trip to Kuessnacht am Rigi is 2 hours with a boat at 10:00. free with Swiss pass. About 13:05 train to Interlaken will get you to Lauterbrunnen at 15:25.

Thanks a lot. This is a good plan. So you'd suggest Zurich, Rhine and rigi and not titlis? Why is it so popular?

Do I need to reserve the Lucerne to Interlaken train?

Make no mistake, Kuessnacht am Rigi is a lake port at the base of Mt Rigi, and I am not suggesting anything more It is close to Luzern, so you have time.
If you want to go to the top of Rigi, the Rigi Kulm, skip the boat ride and go from the airport via Zurich Hbf and Arth-Goldau. There are a few lockers at Arth-Goldau. The walk to the Rigibahn station about 500 m, and take this train to the top. If you can leave Zurich airport by 8:47, you can be on the top by 10:47. About an hour on the top and then return to Arth-Goldau, then Luzern and to Lauterbrunnen by 16:25.
Let the prevailing weather when you land guide your decisions. Rainy weather would be a waste to do this.
Almost no Swiss trains require or even accept reservations. Just get on the train and go.

So what is preferred based on my itinerary, rigi base + Lucerne + rhine or rigi top?

I don't think you need to decide now. Like I said, it is weather dependent and depend on the what the wife and kids want to do. I think everyone will be pretty tired, but who knows? With a Swiss Pass, you can change your mind at any time and head for Lauterbrunnen.

Can you also guide me on few more things:

• other than jungfraujoch, what else should we do in the lauterbrunnen area. We have 1 day on which we will arrive there at around 3-4 PM, then 2 full days and then the transfer to zermatt. Also what routes to take while going to jungfrau and return and where to spend the time?

• what to do in zermatt in 2 days?

• other than jungfraujoch mountain, should we go to shilthorn when we are in lauterbrunnen or should we go to matterhorn in zermatt?

You don't seem to want to listen to Sam, so I'll repeat his excellent advice, shouted so you see it clearly.

You don't have to decide what you will see now. See what the weather is when you get to each place, and how tired or energetic you are, and decide then.

And I'll add something else: you seem very worried that you will miss something. You will. Accept now that you will see what you see, and you will miss everything else, and it doesn't matter because it's all good.

Don't worry. You'll have a great trip whether you see Mt. Titlis or not, and whether you go up the Schilthorn or not. Don't sweat these details now. When you're there, the decisions will be much easier.

I am listening and Sam's advise have been great. But I am a planner (might be over) but every person is different. As questions pop in my mind I try to research and at least have the inputs with me so that I can make better choices later. I also realise that this great forum platform will not be easily accessible to me after I reach there. So I am asking and getting great feedback.

Thank you. I will keep listening and deciding on the moment too.