train travel and itinerary help

Hi Cindy,

Take the scenic train ride instead of flying. Bernina express is a good option to use around Davos. You mentioned on 7/29 possible trip to Zurich. Why not opt for Luzern Switzerland. It's a beautiful city and has plenty to offer. You will find Luzern very enjoyable. In Berner Oberland, are you basing yourself in Gimmelwald? The hike from Gimmelwald to/from Tanzbodeli is a great one; just be ready for steep uphill going there and then of course the steep downhill coming back. But the views from the top are wonderful, completely worth the effort. You can also hike to Gimmelwald to Murren. Wengen and Murren have more to see in the swiss alps. Gimmelwald is nice little town but not much to do there for a long stay. On 8/6 in Geneva, you can take the a cruise in lake geneva, hike on the Salève and St. Pierre Cathedral.

Thank you RJean!

Yes, we are staying in Gimmelwald and will plan to do that hike you suggested. Will regular shoes with relatively good traction be okay, or do you recommend hiking boots? Will also definitely consider Luzern...Zurich only for possible university tour, and grandparents were from there. (grew up in your neck of the woods though...NJ!)

Which scenic train into Switzerland from Germany are you suggesting?

Thank you again!
Cindy

Which part of Germany are you coming from ?

We will be in the Berlin area, however we are open to heading further south on or before 7/29 in order to take a train trip if it's really scenic.

If you have enough time, there is a scenic train route from München (Munich) to Zürich via Innsbruck.
This trip takes about 5.75 hours, usually with one change at Kufstein or Innsbruck. Munich is not much of a long trip from Zurich but you'll want to keep going to Lucerne via the Golden Pass line to start enjoying the Swiss mountain scenery.

Another option is to take a direct (ICE) train from Frankfurt to Interlaken in Switzerland. The scenery on this journey is pleasant and it saves you the hassle of changing trains. You can have the option to spend two or three nights in Interlaken as it makes a great base for exploring some of the most stunning scenery in Switzerland. There are dozens of mountain villages which can be reached by special trains, cable cars, or hiking.

https://www.raileurope.com/train/ice-7534

Starting from Berlin I would just fly to Zürich, from where it's easy to take the train to Davos (about two hours). Train all the way takes all day.
As for driving, it does make sense given the very long-winding train routes but: do you have somewhere to pick up the car in Davos?
If you end up driving then you don't really need a train pass, except maybe
- a 2-day Graubünden Pass from the RHB railways, which for Fr. 111 would cover travel from Landquart to Davos and, most importantly, a round day-trip on the Bernina route (but seat reservations would be separate).
- OR a cheaper Saver Day Pass for the day when you plan to do the Bernina route, but you need to buy this sixty days ahead for the best rates (Fr. 52 weekdays, 70 weekends) and you can't cancel if the weather doesn't cooperate.

Thank you again RJean for your thoughtful suggestions. I am already planning my next trip to Switzerland, and I haven't even begun this one yet, lol! :)

Balso, thank you as well. If we fly, we would fly into Zurich and rent a car there most likely, and do a day trip from there, (stay one night) and then drive to Davos the next day. I could then make a stop along the way to Davos potentially as well. Any suggestions from the community? Frauenfeld, St. Gallen, Appenzell, Chur?

We will be coming in from Berlin, so I am considering renting a car in Germany and driving down to Switzerland. We are already booked to stay 3 days in Gimmelwald, so I will definitely look into the 2-day Graubunden Pass you mentioned. Does that cover all of the trams etc that we will need to get to and fro once we are up in the village of Gimmelwald? (And yes, we will be walking/hiking as much as possible!)

To clarify: the Graubünden pass covers trains in Grabünden, i.e. the Davos / Engadine area with the Bernina railway. But if you drive to Davos it no longer makes sense. For Gimmelwald, which is in the Berner Oberland, there is a "Berner Oberland Pass" on which I am not knowledgeable, but it might make sense - look it up and do the math.

As for driving from Berlin to Switzerland: it will incur a hefty drop-off charge and the purchase of a 40 CHF Swiss toll sticker ("vignette"). Plus it's a long drive! I would advise against it.

Hi Cindy,

Yes indeed, you do have the option of renting a car in Berlin and drive to Switzerland. However, instead of driving trough and crossing the border into switzerland with the car. Drive up to the Swiss and German border and drop off the car there at a car rental facility and hop on a train there to continue your fantastic journey. This will will prevent you from paying hefty drop off charges crossing into Switzerland.

You can drive from Berlin to Freiburg im Breisgau, Germany. Drop off car there at border than hop on a train to
Lucerne, Switzerland.

Balso, thank you, I understand now. And I hadn't realized there was a vignette fee as well, though I had considered the drop off fee. It's starting to sound ridiculously expensive, including the gas too. And thank you RJean for your suggestion of dropping the car at the border....that opens up a world of opportunities! Actually, it made me realize how close Zurich is to the border, (not that I haven't seen it on a map a million times, lol) and THAT made me realize that if I fly to Zurich and rent a car (or take train) for a day trip from there, if I don't feel we have seen enough of Germany, we can always travel north from Zurich and access the southern parts of Germany much more easily than from Berlin! So, decision made. We will fly to Zurich, and then our day trip options via train or car, in either direction, are wide open. Thank you both so very much, your commentary has been extremely helpful to me in making this decision. :)

I love it when a plan comes together

Teamwork is the key Nigel in bringing a plan together.