We arrive in Zurich in June on Sunday at 11:00 am. We need to be in GENEVA by Tuesday morning. Does anyone have an itinerary they could share with us? We would like to take a scenic train ride across the country. I'm looking at the Golden Pass. Would that work and where should we stay?
Posted by
Seattle
77 posts
A day and a half is not much, and the Golden Pass line (which runs between Luzern and Montreux) takes you pretty much in the opposite direction from Munich. I might recommend staying in Zurich or Luzern (or Zug), and taking some scenic boat cruises and / or high mountain excursions. You could do the lake portion of the William Tell Express, from Luzern to Fluelen and take the train back north, with maybe a side trip up Mt. Rigi. Staying in the basic NE area would also probably allow you to make these day trips and not have to haul your luggage around, which would be my major concern about the trip BACK from the Golden Pass--if you wanted to stop at Bern you'd have to get your bags off and on the train and store them.
Posted by
Los Angeles, California
1986 posts
As you only have a short time in Switzerland, consider Lucerne, the center of town is compact with a medieval fel to it, interesting to wander around the town and some interesting things to see. Also close to trips up the mountains. Lucerne is only a short rail ride from Zurich or Zurich airport. We have stayed in both towns and didnt find that much to see in Zurich compared to Lucerne
Posted by
OP
Schaumburg, Illinois, USA
80 posts
Oh, I'm so sorry. We are traveling from Zurich to Geneva!!!! We are on Sunday at 11:00 am and have to be in Geneva early Tuesday morning. Is the Golden pass our best option for scenic travel?
Posted by
Seattle, WA
17612 posts
For Zürich to Geneva, the Golden Pass route is a good option. You have 2 nights to spend on the way, correct? I suggest you head straight to Luzern to start the Golden Pass trip, and ride as far as Interlaken. Take the short (20 minute) ride to Lauterbrunnen and spend the night thereit is much more scenic than Interlaken, and you should have some time to walk around, enjoy the waterfalls, and ride up to one of the high villages (Mürren or Wengen) if you like. On Monday morning, return to Interlaken and catch the Golden Pass train the rest of the way, to Montreux. spend that night along the lake, perhaps in the small town of Vevey instead of Montreux. It is a short train ride from either into Geneva. You can see the train schedules for this route at www.rail.ch (the Swiss rail site, in English).
Posted by
Seattle
77 posts
Okay, that makes a lot more sense! Lola has suggested a perfect itinerary for this trip. Depending on the time of year you may have lots of daylight to do exploring in the evenings from Lauterbrunnen or along the Lac Leman (Lake Geneva) shore.