Best Swiss Alps hike with most accessibility to Zurich

@ Sasha - Zurich was not on the list, but when we were making up our itinerary a few from the group expressed an interest in experiencing the Alps. Apparently we know little of the area! In my further studying of specific things to do, I found Zurich was not THAT experience that we were looking for. I think we will be city-ed out by then! We have purchased the tickets, so are pretty well stuck unless we cancel. We arrive at 11 a.m. on a Tuesday and leave at 8:30 on Thursday so two nights, one of which should probably be spent in Zurich. Next stop is Venice. @ Tom, thanks! @Barbara thanks, as well! I will poll my group and see if they think it is worth a potential expense. This is turning out to be an expensive trip, over all, but I'd hate to miss a "can't miss" experience. Could you see the Zurich-to-Murren-to-Shiltorn experience as something that could be done in a full day? That is with return to Zurich (assuming we don't cancel our hostel).

Just a little clarification about "moss accessibility" as it seems important to you. Accessibility usually means disability of some sort. I don't know what moss might be though. If you have a look at your copy of Rick Steves Switzerland it will talk about several walks that can be done in the Berner Oberland. Zuerich is in the flatlands so a train would be required to get you to the Alps, then local trains and cable cars to get you up into the mountains. These are specialized transport so are not cheap. If it is not inexpensive enough it seems you won't go. So before we go into all the detail, please share how much is inexpensive enough) . What caused you to Zuerich? It is one of the most expensive places in Switzerland. Where does your 8:30 train go to? Paris?

Nigel, perhaps it should have read ".... with MOST accessibility to Zurich." ?

Flumserberg. It's like Zurich's backyard Alpine resort. The town of Flums is less than 90 minutes from Zurich by train. From there, the bus ride up the mountain to about 1000 m (stop is Tannenbodenalp) takes about 15 minutes. You can hike to the summit in about 3-4 hours (depending on your stamina), or take a ski gondola most of the way up, around 2000m elevation. After existing the gondola, there's about 30 km of relatively flat trails that offer some amazing views. The hike up the mountain doesn't require any special mountaineering skills, other than good cardiovascular fitness.

I don't mean to confuse your travel plans, but I will follow up on Nigel's point and ask why are you sleeping in Zurich? If you really want to do some hiking, you should spend a night or two in the Berner Oberland. It is very accessible by train, is about 2 1/2 hours from Zurich by train.

Norma is correct - that is a typo in the title! Ugh, I wonder how many people I have confused with that. I'm hoping something accessible by train, inexpensive, and that won't break the bank or require multiple transfers or stops. I'm not sure if I have a limit for cost but assuming the further away it is the more the costs add up. The story is that Zurich was a stop-over from Germany. When we were planning our itinerary we added the extra days, assuming that it would be fun. As I have done more planning (and reading Rick Steves books) I'm realizing that Zurich has very little for us. However, we have bought the train tickets for our group and have made hostel deposits for the two nights. I thought of the idea of scrapping it altogether, cancelling the hostel and eating the cost of deposit and staying in Gimmewald! I'm not sure that my group will bite unless I can really make a case for it if the cost to get there is not too bad, and the cost of hostel in Gimmelwald plus the cost of travel from and return to Zurich will not break our collective banks. @ Mike - this may be something we consider cancel the hostel for Zurich and stay in Berner Oberland. I'm sold on this idea, but not sure my group will want to do it, considering the deposit paid on the hostel in Zurich, which was relatively expensive. I imagined we could make a day trip (considering we only really have 1.5 days) from a home base in Zurich and not break our plans, but it seems that Zurich is too far from the Alps. @ Tom, I'll look into Flumserberg. Thanks! Any idea what the train and bus combination costs?

I too would question why Zurich is on the bucket list. If it is just a convenient stopover between two bucket list places, make the stopover Lauterbrunnen or at least Lucerne instead. Or kandersteg if you are heading to Italy via Milan (assuming you don't already have tickets on that a8:30 train from Zurich). maybe say where you are heading after Zurich and we can come up with better suggestions.

"Any idea what the train and bus combination costs?" Looks like 16.70 CF. I plugged it into the the SBB website, and it looks like the quickest trip is only 1 hr 37 minutes from Zurich to the ski gondola (the one that's open in the summer).

I just wanted to give you a heads up that the transportation to get up to Gimmelwald/Murren can definitely add up. We recently traveled from Frieburg to Lauterbrunnen by train and then by bus/gondola to Gimmelwald. I can't remember the exact prices but we were starting to feel pretty "spent" with all the expenses as we heading back down to Zurich by train. Especially if you go up to Schilthorn which we did, and I would recommend. Even though it costs a pretty penny, we would do it again in a heartbeat, I just wanted you to be aware and prepared. We also did really enjoy Zurich which we were surprised about because many seem to say it's not worth your time. BUT, if you're looking for an Alps experience then you will definitely need to head out of Zurich as mentioned by other posters. And really just be prepared for all of Switzerland to be expensive!! When you start adding on more trains, buses, gondolas, it WILL get pretty pricey for a very short portion of your trip. Feel free to PM me if you want more details -- I could probably go back and add up the expenses if that would help. Or, if you do decide to stay in Zurich I have some suggestions too!

Personally, I wouldn't do Zurich-Schilthorn-Zurich trip in one day. It might be physically possible, but would be such a whirl wind and a bit stressful in my mind. I'm not sure how much you have invested in the Zurich hostel but if you wanted to go to Berner Oberland area, I would skip Zurich. Also, I think just guestimating the price for that roundtrip of going from Zurich all the way up to Schilthorn would be approximately $250 per person roundtrip. Maybe you have a rail pass, which could dramatically reduce the price? We only had 3/4 of a day in Zurich but we did go out on a 1.5 hour boat cruise. If you do stay in Zurich I would highly recommend this. They have longer trips as well. And they were reasonably priced. I think our 1.5 hour cruise was around 7 per person. I totally understand your desire to get out and see other parts of Switzerland, but if you do end up in Zurich you will still have a good time! We enjoyed the Rick Steves self-guided walking tour through town.

OK, so you already have tickets into Zurich. Do you also have onward tickets from Zurich to Milan? If not, you can save on travel costs by altering your route to accommodate a stop for hiking in th ealps, without the extra expense of returning to Zurich. that could easily make up for what you might lose in cancelling the Zurich hostel. How much would you lose there, by the way? You are investing a lot in this trip already and there is no point in adding to that by sticking to the Zurich base and making a roundtrip to the Berner Oberland-especially if that includes an ascent of the Schilthorn, which is very pricy. We have done lots of gred hiking in that area and have not yet been up to the summit by cablecar. IF you do not have to depart from Zurich for your journey into Italy, I suggest you cancel the Zurich hostel and continue by train from Zurich to either Interlaken (2 more hours away) or better yet, Kandersteg (also 2 hours away). Kandersteg is right on the main line into Italy so you can save travel cost and time by going that way (compared to a stop in Interlaken/Lauterbrunnen/Gimmelwald area). At Kandersteg, you can ride a gondola up to the lake and sleep in the Matrazenlager (dorm) at Hotel Oeschinensee for around 40 CHF per person, including breakfast. This is an incredibly beautiful place, a glacial lake surrounded by cliffs, peaks, and waterfalls, and there are some great hikes right at the lake or down in Kandersteg. Or rent bikes and ride into the Gasterntal, next valley over. www.oeschinensee.ch This place is every bit as beautiful as Gimmelwald but a lot easier to reach from a path going into Italy.

@Danielle - if we do stay in Zurich and do a one day thing to a shorter distance trip (like Flumserberg) then maybe a boat cruise will be a good option for that first day (which is a partial day). @Lola - tickets to Zurich are already purchased as well as ongoing tickets to Venice. We have only paid a 10 or 20% deposit on the hostel for 6 people so that's how much we would lose. Not much, I think maybe 60 USD total. So I don't think changing the train destination is possible, but there might be flexibility for one night. That would mean cancelling the hostel in Zurich for one night, in which we would stay elsewhere, and then coming back to Zurich for the second night, as our Venice-bound train leaves at 8:30 a.m. Yes, this is all stuff that I wish I had known months ago! Unfortunately we had to make reservations rather early because of our large group and we've been doing the planning over the months since then.

Sara, when are you traveling, and what is the route you have booked from Zurich to Venice? I ask because the usual route goes Zurich to Milan and then to Venice, but right now the Zurich to Milan direct train is disrupted by a landslide. They are running a "special" train, EC30113, departing Zurich at 8:41, which takes longer than usual to reach Milan. Other departures involve a bus transfer. This situation may continue for another couple of weeks. So, if you are traveling in that time by the Zurich to Milan route, you would probably miss your connection to the Venice train in Milan. If you are traveling soon, you should contact Swiss rail to see about changing your tickets to a route that works (such as the route via Brig). This would allow you to visit the Berner Oberland on the way.

Sara, I wouldn't stress about changing the planned stopover in Zurich. I visit family in Switzerland (I'm writing from there at the moment, in fact) and lived here previously, and I can assure you there are many wonderful hiking options aside from those offered in the Berner Oberland. Head to Flumserberg for the day. It's really lovely & will give you the Alpine high you're looking for while not interfering with the plans already in place. Enjoy! : )