Lucerne or Interlaken

steve

Swiss rail is very convenient. Luzern to Interlaken is about 2 hours or so, each way. I've been to each twice. Luzern is more comfortable, old money and beautiful setting on the lake. Interlaken is closer to the big mountains, hiking, etc. I prefer Interlaken, but Luzern is more comfortable for first time to Switzerland. I would not want to spend 4 hours on the train to commute from one to the other however.

Thanks Stan!

steve,

Both areas would be great places to visit. Is there any chance you could spend a few days in each?

Rather than stay in Interlaken, you might consider staying somewhere in the Lauterbrunnen Valley, as you'll be closer to the Paragliding sites. I prefer Lauterbrunnen lately, but you could also consider Mürren, Wengen or Gimmelwald.

If I had to choose between Lucerne and Interlaken, my choice would definitely be Lucerne. It's a beautiful city with lots to see. The Museum of Transport there is incredible!

Happy travels!

Hey Steve,

A minor correction to the above-it is only a one hour train ride between Interlaken and Lucerne. Also, there is now a daily TGV train between Paris and Interlaken. The bad news is the outbound train from Paris leaves at 6 pm and gets you into Interlaken at 11:45 pm. Back to Paris, the TGV leaves at a little after 6 am and gets into Paris at noon (a better deal!). Tickets on the TGV can be purchased up to 3 months in advance. There are other, cheaper trains from Paris that usually require a change in Basel and possibly Berne. Be advised , if you have never been to Interlaken, there are two stations, Interlaken West (downtown Interlaken) and Interlaken Ost (where trains to the Lauterbrunnen Valley leave from). I go along with Ken, Lauterbrunnen is a good base for paragliding but I stay in Murren when visiting; the views are spectacular from there. Definitely plan a couple of nights in Lucerne. September is a great month to go weather-wise!

Thanks Ken for the great advice. I am leaning towards Lucerne and day tripping to Lauterbrunnen. That should be possible with the trains I assume. Do they run frequently? Also..any advice for a decent hotel in Lucerne? I know Switzerland is expensive but I am looking for nice yet reasonable accomodations. Thanks!!k

Tom thanks for the info. I plan on flying into Paris and spending 5-6 days there then taking the train to Lucerne for another 4-5 days. I am planning on returning home via Zurich. Hopefully I can score a mid morning train from Paris to Basel then to Lucerne. Trouble is I cant seem to find a schedule on the internet. Maybe too early but still having difficulty looking for "sample schedules". Any advice? Thanks.

I have a concern about Tom from Milwaukee's statement that he can go from Luzern to Interlaken in an hour by train.

I'm well familiar with the area and know the Brunig Pass route of the Zentralbahn, the route via the valley on the BLS, and the route via Zurich on the main line. None of those get there in anything like an hour.

Which route does the trip in an hour?

steve,

Regarding the rail trip from Lucerne to Interlaken Ost, the shortest time I could find was 1H:50M, which seems to be consistent for every trip on that route. There appear to be departures hourly. Add about 25 minutes for the trip from Interlaken to Lauterbrunnen (you'll have to change to the smaller Berner Oberland train at Interlaken Ost).

Regarding hotels in Lucerne, you might consider the Hotel Stern. I found it to be very comfortable and they have a good restaurant. It's in good location and an easy walk to the river and the station (although I took a Taxi from the station with luggage, but walked back when I departed). Few things in Switzerland are cheap, but I thought the Hotel Stern was good value.

Cheers!

I stand corrected-it is about 2 hrs. Interlaken-Lucerne. Sorry for the misinformation; should have checked and not relied on memory....

@ chris.....my friend is coming from Algeria and has limited time and wants to see a bit of Switzerland before flying home. We are planning a week in Paris then 4-5 days in Switzerland. So my trip is not just to visit the Alps. Otherwise I definately agree with you. I just think Lucerne ( I have been there once..many years ago) is a convenient base for a little bit of Switzerland, a side trip to the Alps for paragliding...and an easy return to Zurich where we will fly home from. If we had more time and $$ I would definately stay in the Alps. I welcome all advice. You gave me a great one with Beni!!