We had planned to go to Lauterbrunnen for two nights and one full day at the end of our trip. Our flight out of Zurich leaves at 9:30 AM. We know we would have to get up really early to get there on time. Would it be better to go to Luzern or some other closer place? FYI, we will have been to Lindau, Germany and Reutte, Salzburg, and Hall in Tirol in Austria.
Posted by
Falls Creek, Victoria, Australia
48 posts
I wouldn't be trying to do it from Lauterbrunnen for a 09:30 flight.
The earliest connection is Lauterbrunnen 05:34, arriving Zurich Airport 08:16.
That's not the best from my perspective as I anm one of those that tries to get there 2 hours early.
To search connections I use http://sbb.ch/en/index.htm with Zürich Flughafen as the destination (some trains go direct, some you have to change in Zurich HB)
From Interlaken depart 05:22 arrive 07:46 or 07:50 (change trains in Zurich HB to save 4 minutes)
From Luzern
depart 04:56 arrive 06:13
depart 05:28 arrive 06:46
depart 05:50 arrive 07:28
(times vary slightly by day/month)
Posted by
Oil City, PA, U.S.A.
27 posts
Hi, When returning to the US we stayed overnight in Zurich. We rode the train to the airport. We tried to get to the airport close to three hrs. early. We probibly had 50 people in line ahead of us to check in. The line moved quickly but still took time. The airport was nice but very big. Along the way there were a lot of nice shops that we could have spent time in but we looked very little. By the time we got to our gate we were I believe about 40 minutes before the plane left. They started boarding about 20 minutes early. We got there in plunty of time but not a lot to spare. Have a good trip.
Posted by
OP
Opelika, Alabama, USA
11 posts
Oops! I forgot to mention we are driving, but I still think my second thoughts about doing this were the right thoughts. Thanks for the input.
Posted by
US Pacific Northwest
10344 posts
Oh, okay, you're not taking the train (minor detail, right). For driving, add to the driving time the time to find the car return parking lot, do the car return paperwork, then get from the car return lot to the terminal, then for standing in the long lines for check in, baggage check, security control, etc. Use ViaMichelin.com to get a realistic estimate of your driving time from your exact location in Lauterbrunnen: roughly that time is probably about 2hr 15 min, IF you have a GPS and don't take any wrong turns. Add an unknown amount of time if you choose not to get a GPS.
Posted by
OP
Opelika, Alabama, USA
11 posts
I am looking at GPSes. Does anyone have a particular one they can recommend? Also, our flight actually leaves at 10:30 instead of 9:30 (I had misremembered). Still, I am afraid we would need to leave at 4 AM to arrive on time and I would be concerned about navigating new roads in the dark! I am working on moving all our other places up one night - don't know if I'll have luck with that. If I can't, does anyone have a recommendation for somewhere to go in Switzerland that is between Hall in Tirol, Austria and Zurich?
Posted by
US Pacific Northwest
10344 posts
This is the kind of situation where a GPS can make the difference between pulling something off, that requires precise planning, and not pulling it off. Tom Tom 920 and the older model 910 if you can still find it come with a European map and are made in Europe. Problem is: renting a GPS by the day is expensive and you never know if you're going to get one, that it will talk to you, etc; and unfortunately the purchase price to buy one is significant. Everyone's favorite GPS models have been discussed here, ad nauseum--use search box upper right if you want to go through these again. Even with a GPS, be conservative in your planning, even with a GPS, if the consequence is missing your flight...blah blah blah.
Posted by
US Pacific Northwest
10344 posts
Re your other question: The Reutte area is between Hall and Zurich, but does not really solve your getting to the airport challenge that morning. Luzern is another posssibility, as you already know. There's also Bregenz west of Reutte, but...blah blah blah
Posted by
West Sacramento, California, USA
281 posts
I have used the Zurich Airport many times, and I would recommend that you arrive at least 2 1/2 hours before your flight, and preferably 3 hours. Forget about driving from Lauterbrunnen to the airport that morning, you would end your trip in a state of exhaustion, with needing to get up at about 4:00 am to make it to the airport on time. Remember, there are a number of sections of road that are not autobahn, including going through Zurich. This adds a considerable amount of time to the drive. If you drive to Zurich in the late afternoon or evening the day before, you could take care of returning the car then. There is an Ibis Hotel 3 miles from the airport, (Europcar is very close to it) that is about $110 per night for two people. It is a quick taxi or shuttle trip to the airport, especially after a full nights sleep. Even Luzern is at least 1:20 by train at that hour, and one hour, or more depending on traffic congestion, by car.
Happy Travels,
Kevin