We arrive in Zurich at 3:30 on a Monday. We will be taking the train to Lucerne for 3 nights. We will have Monday evening, all day on Tuesday and Wednesday and most of the day Thursday before spending Thursday night at the airport and flying home Friday morning. We would like to go to Interlaken, so I thinking was Tuesday in Lucerne, Wednesday in Interlaken and Thursday in Lucerne. Any suggestions appreciated as far as scheduling peaks and lakes!
Are you getting a Half Fare Card, or a Swiss Travel Pass or a Tell Pass?
Others may say the same but I would not go to Interlaken without continuing up to at least Lauterbrunnen to see the magnificent Alps. You can go father up the mountain from Lauterbrunnen which would make a long but doable day trip.
Is there a reason why you want to be in Lucerne for those 3 nights? We enjoyed our time there, but in our experience it did not compare to the time we spent in the Wengen area. Have you considered spending your days in the Alps vs. Lucerne? As mentioned before, what Swiss travel pass are you considering?
The Swiss Travel Pass and the various options have me totally confused. The reason we decided on Lucerne as a base is the proximity to Zurich, the mountain, and the lakes. We will be moving constantly during our RS two week tour and wanted one place that we could see a lot. We know we can’t see it all, and Lucerne seemed like a good option. But we are also open to other options!
The 3-day Tell Pass looks like it would work for you. It costs 230 CHF. Pay full fare for the train from the airport to Luzern, 31.00 CHF per person. Your hotel will give you a Guest Card to use city transportation. Tell Pass would start Tuesday morning and cover all trains, boats, buses, cable cars in the region, including train to Interlaken and back. On Thursday, it will even cover you partially on the way to Zurich as far as Zug, so fare would be 20.60 CHF to Zurich airport.
Thank you so much for the Tell Pass information. It really helps!