Hi. We are taking a River Cruise from Basel to Amsterdam in late March/early April. We will be flying from NYC on our arrival to Zurich and I appreciate the input of going on to Luzern rather than staying in Zurich. We are staying 7 nights, prior to getting on the ship. My question now is that I was planning us to stay 4 nights in Lucerne and 3 nights in Murren prior to getting back to the Zurich airport before 1 pm for our transfer to Basel. In thinking this through, I think it is too much to go from Murren to Zurich and be there by 1 pm for our transfer. Please give me advise on where to stay on the last day prior to the Zurich Airport. Bern? Looking for beautiful scenery, good food and easy walks. We are in our late 60s, early 70s and going to Murren on our arrival I think would be too much for us with the jet lag and all. Thanks for your help!!!
Posted by
The Heartland USA
8963 posts
welcome jefedavis. One question: what time of day does your flight arrive in Zurich?
Short answer is yes, it would be better to go right to Luzern than spend the time in Zurich. There is a rail station in the Zurich airport and you can be in Luzern in about 1.25 hours by train from there. If your flight in to Zurich arrives in the AM, you can't check into a hotel anyway, so you might as well keep moving and head for at least Luzern, and maybe even Murren.
There is some backtracking by going to Zurich for a transfer, as you can get to Basel from Luzern or Bern in about the same time it takes to just get back to Zurich. If possible you might want to consider changing that transfer.
Posted by
OP
3 posts
Thanks Stan for replying. I think you are right about changing the transfer from Zurich to Basel to get to the river cruise. The transfer in Zurich to the ship is included, but not worth the hassle. From what I understand, getting from Murren to Basel involves a train, gondola and then train. At least that is what I saw on the Rail Europe website. I'm a bit confused with the train tickets. Again, from what I have discerned, the Super Saver must be purchased in advance and goes up with time. If I have this correct, it makes sense to purchase the tickets from Zurich to Luzern, Luzern to Murren and then from Murren to Basal now. (Giving us flexibility on our arrival time). If we miss our train to Luzern on our arrival, can we use it for another train or do we need to buy a new ticket? And also, it appears that the tickets are priced with the Half Fare Card. On the Murren to Basal route that I saw, the connections are really tight. 4 minutes to get from the train to the gondola!! Is there a way that we can take the next gondola? How do I adjust the individual pieces of the route? I would like to stay flexible with the day trips out of Luzern and Murren regarding the special trains/cable cars, etc depending on the weather. Not really worth going up to the mountain top if there is no view!!! Does the price with the special transportation, go up with time? Thanks again for the help. I'm sure there will be more questions!! ;-)
Posted by
Switzerland
158 posts
Supersaver tickets are cheaper, but you need to use them for the exact train that you purchased them for. If you miss your train you cannot use that ticket on the next train.
Use sbb.ch for train routes and prices:
Basel - Luzern
- Regular price: 36.00
- travel time about 1.5 hrs
Luzern - Mürren
- 53.60
- About three hours
Do not worry about only four minutes from the gondola to the train, it is just a few steps away, everyone will walk off of the gondola and get onto the train.
Mürren - Basel
- 83.60
- About 3 hrs
For this day you could purchase a Saver Day Pass, valid on all transportation for that day. Purchase six months ahead for the cheapest price (52.00).
https://www.sbb.ch/en/tickets-offers/tickets/day-passes/saver-day-pass.html
A half fare card could save you money if you do some mountain excursions as well. If your total comes to over 240.00 then it is worth it.
Does the price with the special transportation, go up with time?
No. You can see prices listed on all of the mountain websites. They are set for the season.
Note that there will most likely still be snow in Mürren at this time of year, just so you are prepared for that - winter boots, etc.
Posted by
Green Bay
21137 posts
And if you do get the Half Fare Card, the Saver Day Pass price would be about 39 CHF if bought now. You do not have to have the HFC when you buy the the Saver Day Pass, just buy it when you arrive in Zurich so you have it your possession when you travel. You can see that it only saves a few CHF for the trip from Muerren to Basel.
Posted by
OP
3 posts
Thanks Sam and SwissNomad for the replies. A couple more questions.
1. What is the name of the train station in Murren (final stop) on the sbb site?
2. Is the Eiger Hotel in Murren worth the splurge?
3. Recommendations for a moderate hotel in central Luzern.
Thanks again for the help!!!
Posted by
Green Bay
21137 posts
There are 2 transit stops in Muerren, the train station on the north side of town, and the Schilthornbahn station on the south side, so there are two ways to get to Muerren from Lauterbrunnen station.
To get to the Muerren train station, take the cable car right from Lauterbrunnen station to Gruetschalp, then the short train to Muerren. That location is next to the Hotel Eiger,
If you choose a hotel on the south side, take the bus from Lauterbrunnen station to Stechelberg and then the Schilthornbahn cable car to the second stop in Muerren.
In Luzern, I like the Hotel Des Alpes, right across the bridge from the train station.