Switzerland Visit

sorry, your post says you've never love to be outdoors??

In that case perhaps stick to trains from Thun and go to Bern (trams and buses) and in the Berner Oberland you can stay in trains and cable cars (gondolas) and in restaurants.

If you really meant something else there is a whole lot to do near Thun. Rick Steves Switzerland has dozens of pages on the area, and there are several of us here who are regulars there.

Middle of May can be a bit muddy at altitude depending on the snow melt.

Sorry, I edited my original post, not sure what happened.

If you love the outdoors, skip the cities and stick with Thun and the greater Jungfrau Region. You could base yourself in Thun for the week, or split your time between Thun and perhaps one of the mountain villages of Mürren or Wengen. As Nigel suggested, get a copy of the Rick Steves guide book and read about the Berner Oberland.

In May, truly high altitude experiences are limited to riding trains and cable ways, but there are lower elevation hikes and walks galore: along the shore of Lake Thun, between the village of Mürren and Grütschalp, just above Lauterbrunnen, through the Lauterbrunnen Valley (stunning in spring with gushing waterfalls), and many easy outings around Wengen.

this is a UK Amazon link to an excellent walking book in the region . I am sure there is a US Amazon equivalent. https://www.amazon.co.uk/Walking-Switzerlands-Berner-Oberland-Jungfrau/dp/B0BSJPZSPR written by a regular here.

Thanks everyone for the feedback so far, much appreciated.

We are going to be flying out of Zurich on Sunday 5/18 so I was thinking we'd head back to Zurich on Saturday morning and spend 3/4 of a day there before we fly out the next day.

I was also thinking that on our way into Switzerland from Paris, maybe we'd stop in Luzern for a 1/2 day and then take the Golden Pass train to the Lake Geneva area and spend 1-2 days there, before heading into Thun for about 4-5 days.

For May 9-18, that time of year, does the above make sense? Or am I trying to do too much in too small of a time?

Thanks!!!

This is the link to the book Nigel mentioned for the U.S. I’ve just ordered one for us for our trip in September.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0DS2473XB/ref=ox_sc_act_title_1?smid=ATVPDKIKX0DER&psc=1

Thanks, just ordered the book, that will be a big help.

So we are thinking of taking the train from Paris to Geneva, and spending the first weekend in that area around Lake Geneva, then the weekdays in Thun with friends and exploring that whole area the best we can before heading to Zurich for the 3/4 day before we fly out the next morning.

What is the best / most scenic way to get from Geneva to Thun by train? We are willing to take a bit longer to get there if we have options for better views and scenery along the way, and/or a worthwhile stop along the way.

We will have 8 full days in the Lake Geneva / Thun area total. Between those two spots, and anything in between, how would you allocate those days across that area?

2 routes from Geneva jump to mind. The faster route goes direct to Bern where you change for a train to Thun, taking a total of between just over 2 or 2 and a half hours all together.

Explore the routes and prices and times at sbb.ch/en and remember to put in full fare if you won't have a 1/2 fare card.

More scenic and much slower, change at Montreux onto the MOB narrow gauge train via Zweisimmen, and change at Spiez for the short hop to Thun. That will come up on the sbb.ch/en website or app if you route via Zweisimmen.

This is great information - so with taking one train from Paris to Geneva, another scenic train within Switzerland that you recommended, and then at least one more train from Thun back to Zurich, should I be considering a Swiss train pass for that ~9 days? Or just buy tickets individually?

That depends entirely how much traveling you will do while in Switzerland. A Swiss Travel Pass can be quite expensive, and if you are only making a few short trips, probably a waste of money. You say you are visiting friends in Thun. Do they have a car?

They do, but they won't be sightseeing with us every day so we'll likely be taking some trains during that time in Thun, and in the Lake Geneva area depending where we stay.

Unfortunately, you really need to list all your trips and the full fare price for each trip to see. If you have more than 240 CHF worth of train tickets per person, the a Half Fare Card costing 120 CHF will save some money. That usually saves more money than a Swiss Travel Pass, but you still have to buy tickets for every trip. Getting the SBB app will make that easier.

Of course many people just buy the STP and can hop on and off trains at will, and they are happy not having to do any math. Just be aware that if you go to the Berner Oberland (and you should) the pass does not cover you up the mountains above the towns of Grindelwald, Wengen, or Muerren. The STP gives you discounts on the tickets, but you still have to buy them.

Regarding Swiss Travel Pass, I agree it's a math problem. Adding up a bunch of train trips, and comparing them to the cost of a STP is work. For my wife and I, the great convenience of never buying tickets everyday is worth money, though. And you might consider that the STP includes a lot of boat travel, such as on Lakes Geneva, Thun, Brienz, and Lucerne. We love to just hop on and off the boats whenever we feel like. And sometimes we eat a big meal on a boat.

In a month, we'll be doing that. We'll use our passes multiple time every day. Train travel in Switzerland is a very scenic experience. Sit next to the window. And I also agree the train from Montreaux to Spiez is really exceptional, good idea.

In Geneva, you can get a pass for just Geneva busses and trams. That might be cost effective if you are in Geneva a few days.

Depends on if you have the time, but from Geneva, one can take a short boat ride to the town of Yvoire, in France, famous for all it's flowers, and beautiful old buildings. It would be a great afternoon excursion.

We spent three weeks in Switzerland in October, and I spent weeks with a spreadsheet working out the passes.

For us, the Swiss Travel Pass was prohibitively expensive and would have caused us to waste quite a lot of money.

We used a mix of the Half Fare and Bernese Oberland pass, but of course the BO pass is not quite as good this year.

I very much second the recommendation of a boat trip to Yvoire from the Geneva area. We went from Montreux and it was one of the nicest days of the trip.

I was also thinking that on our way into Switzerland from Paris, maybe
we'd stop in Luzern for a 1/2 day and then take the Golden Pass train
to the Lake Geneva area and spend 1-2 days there, before heading into
Thun for about 4-5 days

That is a bit all over the place.

If you want to see the lake Geneva area go there first from Paris. Take the Paris Lausanne train, and head over to Vevey or Montreux.
Then travel Montreux - Thun via Zweisimmen. That gives you the first half of the Golden Pass route.

Then stay with your friends in Thun. Do Luzern as a day trip. For example Thun - Interlaken - Brienz - Luzern and back. You cold even do Interlaken - Brienz by boat. That gives you the second part of the Golden Pass route.

Then from Thun head back to Zurich for your flight back.

Wengen, thank you so much. I was just about to review this post and ask the best way to get from Lake Geneva to Thun and see the best things on the way so your response is very timely. Thank you so much.

I did unfortunately already book a Rail Europe non-refundable ticket from Paris to Geneva for $35 each, so I'm guessing I will just need to add a connection from Geneva to Lausanne as I'm guessing there isn't much point in staying overnight in Geneva for a night...

Thanks everyone for the info so far but I am struggling to finalize this trip. We will be in Switzerland from May 9 through 18. Several questions I’d love help with:

• Is the Berner Oberland area really worthwhile in mid May? I’m reading in the RS guide late May is the start of the season and many things are closed between late April and late May.

• If Berner Oberland makes sense, independent of my friend in Thun, what town this time of year is best to stay in?

• Again independent of our friend, if you were arriving via train in Lausanne on May 9 and flying out of Zurich on May 18, where and how would you spend those days this time of year? We enjoy scenery, hiking, other outdoor activities, and history primarily.

Thanks everyone for your help!

Is the Berner Oberland area really worthwhile in mid May? I’m reading in the RS guide late May is the start of the season and many things are closed between late April and late May.

From personal experience and a visit to the Lauterbrunnen Valley in 2023, I can tell you it is stunning in spring. Yes, some places are closed, notable Männlichen won’t be open, but the lush waterfalls and brilliant snowcapped peaks surpassed those of our many autumn visits. There were fewer tour groups in May, in our experience, which was nice.

You can still hike many places and do not overlook the beauty of a lakeside hike or one along a river. The Lauterbrunnen Valley hike itself is stellar. You can still go to Kleine Scheidegg even if you do not hike there.

Stay in Lauterbrunnen, Mürren or Wengen as a base.

Here's an idea for your museum/culture interest:
Take an early boat from Interlaken ost to Brienz, walk 100 feet to bus stop and take a bus to the Ballenburg Open Air Museum. Then either a boat or train back from Brienz. You could look up the Ballenburg, Museum, see if it interests you. It's many acres of old, traditional buildings, showing everyday life back then. My wife and I will make our second visit there next week.

Thank you both for the great ideas. When we arrive by train in Geneva from Paris (already booked non-refundable, non-changeable), I will take a train to Lausanne, do I need to book that in advance or should I wait since they run it seems every hour?

Thanks everyone, I'm trying to make the reservation from Lausanne to Montreux to Spiez via the narrow gauge train, but there are so many options of different train numbers on the sbb website. Does anyone know which train # I should be looking for to make sure I get the right one? Or are they all the same?

Thanks!

Thanks everyone, I'm trying to make the reservation from Lausanne to
Montreux to Spiez via the narrow gauge train, but there are so many
options of different train numbers on the sbb website. Does anyone
know which train # I should be looking for to make sure I get the
right one? Or are they all the same?

The SBB site will by default always propose the fastest route, and that is probably not what you want.

What you need to do is:
- Reserve the Montreux - Spiez (or Interlaken) train on www.gpx.swiss. Reservations for scenic trains are done with the company that operates then. When you do so make sure to only get a reservation, do not get a ticket as well.

(Ticket is what you need to be on a train, reservation gives you your own place to park your behind...)

Then for getting a ticket you have time till the moment you are travelling. You need a ticket Lausanne - Spiez (or wherever your destination is) for the day of travel. Train tickets by default are for a route, are good for a whole day, and you only need one ticket, regardless how complex your route is.
In this case you will need to add "Zweisimmen" as a via to get the right routing when doing it on line. But you could also just get it at the station.

On one of our days in Lausanne, we'd like to see the Chateau on the east side of the lake and also take the advice of you guys on here and do a half day in Yvoire. Does it make sense to do the Chateau in the morning and Yvoire in the afternoon? And if so, is there a better way to get to Yvoire from the Chateau without taking the train back through Lausanne?

The other option is the day we arrive in the Lake Geneva area - we arrive by train in Geneva, then train to Lausanne with our luggage. Would it make sense to hit Yvoire that day on the way to Lausanne? Would there be a place to safely store luggage in Yvoire?

And anything in particular that are must do's in Yvoire? Sounds great.

Also was wondering everyone's advice on the Swiss Countryside for a day. I know the RS guide says the Chocolate Train is easiest but it sounds like there is great fun to be had beyond the Chocolate Train. If so, how easy is it to rent a car and drive? Or just make a day of the public transit across that region?

Thanks!!!

WengenK or Others,

We are in Lausanne and no matter what I tried before the trip or now the last few days, none of my credit cards will work to either reserve a seat or book a ticket on the Golden Pass Express. I’m paying for everything else using these cards, including SBB trips to other locations. My credit cards aren’t declining anything on their end. Is there a place I can go in Lausanne or tomorrow in Gruyeres that I can book this one way ticket in person? I don’t know what else to do

I feel your pain. I tried for hours to buy tickets from SBB online, never could get a card accepted. The security verification didn't seem to work. If one of your cards is a debit card, perhaps you could find a bank ATM (not a generic money changer machine), and take out chf 300? Then you could pay with cash. Seems to be something with SBB security these days... ?