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looking for suggestions for a last minute 2-day stay in Zurich this weekend (July 4-5). I'll have my 15-year old daughter in tow. I was thinking that a day trip on a train through the Alps would be fun but I'm not familiar with the best places to go. Also, maybe a boat ride on Lake Zurich. Any thoughts would be appreciated.
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The closest really high alps (13000 feet plus) are a ways away from Zuerich. Your best connect times by train to Muerren are about 2 hours, 50 minutes by train. I list Muerren because the views from there are incredible.
The best viewing spot of all without having to climb on foot is from the terrace of a restaurant at a gondola end station known as First. (Ridge)
The connect time to that destination, which includes a highly scenic gondola ride, is 3 hours 16 minutes. To achieve this short time, however. you would need to do some train hopping, i.e several changes to get there.
Changing trains in Switzerland is fairly easy, if you don't have a trans Atlantic haul of luggage.
A next best bet would be to travel to Luzern and take the ride to the top of Mt. Pilatus. While not the highest alp around, the ride up is certainly one of the steepest!!
While in Luzern I personally enjoyed both of my visits to the transportation museum. It has a little of everything: trains, planes, cars, boats, mountain cable systems, and even a balloon ride. (tethered to the ground but still a balloon.)
Near Zuerich are the Falls of the Rhine near Schaffhausen which is not all that far from Zuerich. The falls are to me more rough rapids, and they certainly are not like Niagara Falls in terms of sheer drop. Even so, they are spectacular and easy to visit.
As one final thought, unless you have some powerful reason, why are you going to Zuerich?? I would rate it down the list to be honest about it. It is a commercial banking center and not what I would call a place laden with tourist attractions. Luzern is a much more attractive alternative in my view.
I agree, Lucern or Interlaken are a better base for two days. Nevertheless, if everything is already booked (hotels, etc), I'd recommend visiting Lucern as a day trip, stroll around the city, take a cruise on Lake Lucern to Weggis and back. Visit Mt Pilatus or Rigi also. Lucern is about an hour by train. There's a tourist information office in the train station, so when you arrive, get maps/info, etc.
Rhine Falls, Europe's largest waterfall, is another interesting sight, very easy to get to from Zurich.
Bern is about an hour away by train, Bern is a Unesco world heritage sight. I'm not sure how lively the city will be on a weekend, however.
Hi moore36701,
I know how tempting it is to get to the high Alps, but with so few days, a long train ride will be counter-productive, I think. I agree that Luzern would be the best idea to get you to some heights with so little time.
Many folks think that Luzern is like all-of-Switzerland in one place because it has history, architecture, a lake system, nearby villages, and some nearby peaks. You can spend more hours outside enjoying the scenery if you chose to go or stay there. Here are some sites to help you research:
www.luzern.org
www.lakelucerne.ch
www.rigi.ch
www.pilatus.ch
www.titlis.ch
www.weggis.ch
Let us know as your plans progress and you'd like more information!
s
We were in Zurich late August 2008 & did a day trip to Mt Pilatus- I would definitely recommend it. We purchased a package which allowed for a ferry tide on Lake Luzerne (approx 1.5 hours), then a transfer to the trik trak railway (very steep) & return from the mountain was by gondola, then a local bus took us back to Luzern. We purchased package at the railway & it also included a discount on lunch on the terrace at Pilatus. There are many walking paths at the summit. A wonderful way to see mountains if you have only a short time I do not recall the price. but it did not seem excessive for such a vaired day trip.
Thank you for all of the responses. We decided to take the trip to Luzern and Mt Pilatus. We actually booked a tour with a guide through our hotel and a bus picked us up there. I'm really glad we had the guide(Luzern native) as he gave us a ton of info about the local culture and history as we traveled through several small communities on the way to Luzern. Beautiful gondola ride up the mountain but unfortunately, it decided to rain at the top. Cog-wheel train was fun and the boat ride on Lake Luzern was very relaxing. Highly recommend this day trip but don't forget your jacket. The cost was approx. $130 for me, 1/2 price for 15 yo daughter.
Thanks again.