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Thusis to Murren to Lucerne?

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Currently planning a trip to Switzerland in August for a party of 7 (ages: 73, 73, 45, 45, 12, 9, 6). We HAVE to spend 2 nights in Thusis (to see family) and can be flexible after that. Here's the potential itinerary that I'm hoping to get feedback on:

2 nights Thusis: fly into ZRH (from U.S.) and arrive at 1pm. Take train to Thusis (3 hrs?) & spend two nights.
4 nights Murren: take A.M. train(s) from Thusis and arrive in Murren in afternoon. Looks like Murren might be 6-7 hours worth of trains from Thusis.? Is this doable in a day or do you think it'll be complete punishment for 3 kids and older parents?
Final 2 nights in Lucerne: train(s) from Murren to Lucerne. I was thinking that Lucerne might be good at the end of the trip so we're (relatively) close to ZRH for flight home (around 2pm) as opposed to spending 6 nights in Murren. Thoughts? Seems like Rigi, Titlis, or Pilatus could be fun activities.

Any thoughts on the above plan? My biggest concern is whether travel from Thusis to Murren is doable in a day (without making everyone miserable). Other advise is certainly welcome as this is our first trip to Switzerland. Thanks.

Posted by
1586 posts

Yeah those long hours of travel would be too much for the kids and the seniors. Take a train from Thusis to Bern. spend a night there and see the sights. It is a lovely city. Then, next day from Bern go to Murren.

Or you can put visiting Lucerne toward beginning of the trip:

From Thusis take train to Lucerne. Spend your 2 days there then head to Murren from Lucerne. From Murren then head to Zurich airport. Travel time will significantly be be less from Thusis to Lucerne.

Posted by
16895 posts

From Thusis to Muerren, you must choose a trade-off between shorter travel time or fewer connections, such as 5 hours with 6-7 connections or 6.5-7 hours with 5 connections. The connections themselves are pretty easy but you might still prefer the latter option.

With a group your size, this is probably a good time to try SBB's Express Door to Door Luggage service. Not cheap, but certainly cheaper per person the larger that your group is.

Yes, I would include the stay in Lucerne for a change of view and activity options.

It seems like your total time in Switzerland is 9 consecutive days and so you might choose the Swiss Travel Pass for 8 consecutive days (and buy separate tickets between Lucerne and Zurich airport for the adults). That would be cheaper than the flexipass for 8 days within a month.

Posted by
2 posts

Thanks for the responses, very helpful. I like the idea of hitting Lucerne after Thusis, and then on to Murren. However, how long does it take to get from Murren to ZRH? I'll just need to ensure that our return flight home leaves late enough to allow for Murren > ZRH journey.

Posted by
1586 posts

Hey Rusty,

The quickest way to get from Mürren to Zurich Airport (ZRH) is to train which will take you 3h 47m. What you can do is go to Lauterbrunnen the night before your departure and spend a night there. It's the first city on the valley floor and centrally located. You will also hit it before you go up to Murren. Lauterbrunnen to Zurich airport is just 1 hour and 53 minutes by train. What time is your flight home ?

A more simple solution would be to use Lauterbrunnen instead of Murren as a base to explore the Berner Oberland. From Lauterbrunnen, you can do an all day trip to Murren, tour Wengen, Gimmewald ect. This way you won't have to change hotels the night before and not disturb the seniors and kids too much.

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