holely

Hi everyone,

I'm planning my 2 weeks in Switzerland and after reading so many posts here, I decided on this tentatively:

1 night - Lausanne (coming directly from Paris)
5 nights - Lauterbrunnen
2 nights - Lucerne
6 nights - Sils Maria/Scuol???

the final 6 nights is where i need help. I want to cover Sils maria, Bernina express to Poschiavo valley and Tirano, Val Breagaglia beyond Maloja pass in Soglio etc. And then further north the Swiss national park and Mustair...

What is the fastest or most convenient way to get from Lucerne to Sils Maria? Is the Swiss National Park worth visiting?

nytraveler

What time of year are you traveling?

Dukey1

Why are you going to Lausanne and not Bern and then on to the BO?

neckervd

Train (and last leg by bus) Lucerne - Sils im Engadin/Segl Maria:
Lucerne dp at least every hr from 6.35 until 19.35; 5 hrs journey; change at Thalwil or Zurich, Chur, St. Moritz.

A more scenic 7 hrs journey goes through the Alps, with train changes at Goeschenen, Andermatt, Disentis, Reichenau and St. Moritz.

Soglio/Bregaglia Valley is of easy reach from Sils: buses at least every hr from 7.04 until 20.29; 45 min journey.

The National Park makes sense for hikers only: most trails are free of snow from June until October.

Ingo

Yes, Sils-Maria would be the best base for your planned excursions. For most convenient way to get there check www.rail.ch

PalenQ

Your selection of places is really good and enough time in each though Lucerne offers some nice day trips by boat and train so could easily do one more day there and maybe one less in the Sils-Maria area - anyway you are moving around enough to take a good look at a Swiss Pass of some type - covers not only trains but lake boats, postal buses, city transit and gives 50% discounts to most gondolas or trains to mountain tops.

For lots of good info on Swiss trains and passes: www.swisstravelsytem.com; www.budgeteuropetravel.com (good coverage of Bernina Pass Railway in their European Planning & Rail Guide) and www.ricksteves.com and www.seat61.com.

Quickest way Lucerne to St Mortiz/Pontresina area is via Zurich and Chur as neckervd says but the scenic route she mentions via Goschenen and Andermatt may be about as quick and much more scenic - I'd go for that and then you'll have covered part of the Glacier Express route too (regular trains just fine - official GE charges a supplement of about $30 or so to pass holders I think - Bernina Express about $10 and again regular trains go over the same route and you can get on and off at will.

PalenQ

Why Lauterbrunnen? A rather busy place vs much more sedate Wengen just 20 minutes by train from Lauterbrunnen and even better situated for the Jungfraujoch train and the fabulous Mannlichen to Kleine Scheidegg ridge walk - a must and easy hike or really stroll.

Lauterbrunnen is in a deep gorge with unique views but not nearly so sweeping as Wengen or Grindelwald. Many Fodorites rave about Wengen - no cars allowed near it and great views all around. Much more quiet than Grindelwald and Lauterbrunnen.

kja

I'm absolutely jealous! I visited each of these places back in 2013 and have wonderful memories of them. You might find some useful information in my trip report, or not! -- just click on my name to find it.

Of course, it depends on your interests, but I found much to treasure in Lausanne (and was also discouraged from going there) and was very pleased with my decision to stay in Lauterbrunnen, which suited my needs and budget extremely well. I stayed at the Hotel Staubbach, which still gets very good reviews:
http://www.tripadvisor.com/Hotel_Rev...n_of_Bern.html

Whatever you decide, you will have a wonderful time!

holely

Thank you all for the replies! I will be in Switzerland from 1st to 16th May.

I plan to spend 1 night in Lausanne after my day trip in Geneva...and taking the train to Interlaken via Golden Pass from Montreux.

I will then base in an apartment in Lauterbrunnen for 5 nights, going to Wengen, Grindelwald, Jungfrau, Klein Scnidegg, Schilthorn, Trummebach Falls. Anywhere else in this area worth going?

From Lauterbrunnen I will go to Lucerne where I spend two nights, going to Bournaki Panaroma and boat ride on Lake Lucerne before the first night, and doing the Pilatus before the second.

From Lucerne I will travel by train for about 5 hours towards Engadine. During the 6 nights here, I want to visit Sils maria, Bernina express to Poschiavo valley and Tirano,Val Breagaglia beyond Maloja pass in Soglio, visit Mustair. It seems like Swiss National Park will take some serious time, so I'll skip that from the original plan, and that leaves me with extra days to visit more places in this area. Suggestions welcome!

Was wondering if I should just base myself in one location for all 6 nights, or move area to visit the nice places?

Thank you all in advance for any feedback, cheers!

kja

For what to do, I strongly recommend the <i>Michelin Green Guide</i>. And given these questions, I will revise my previous comment to suggest that you do look at my trip report ... if nothing else, it might help you identify some options and / or identify some specific questions.

PalenQ

I will then base in an apartment in Lauterbrunnen for 5 nights, going to Wengen, Grindelwald, Jungfrau, Kleine Scheidegg, Schilthorn, Trummelbach Falls. Anywhere else in this area worth going?>

I loved boat trips on each lake that bookends Interlaken - Lake Brienz especially has some neat sights reached by boat - get on and off - Swiss Passes fully valid. The Jungfrau Region ain't all Alps and rainy days can set in - a day trip to Bern - a really neat city - in wet weather may be neat - especially since they have covered walkways in the town center.

neckervd

On May 1st, Sils Maria will most probably be free of snow, but the snow limit will be only a little higher.
Lauterbrunnen will be green for sure, but Kleine Scheidegg, Maennlichen, Schilthorn etc. will be in the snow, although trains to Kleine Scheidegg - Jungfraujoch and the gondola to Schilthorn will run.

Pepper_von_snoot

There is snow in Wengen right now.


Thin

PalenQ

and the gondola to Schilthorn will run.>

Might be awesome in snow - the ride up there - assume folks will be skiing down below and to be in that remote outpost with nothing but snow and ice around... sounds kind of neat.

neckervd

Nobody will ski down in May

PalenQ

why not? If there's snow - because no one is there?

neckervd

No prepared pists, no running skilifts and no stand by rescue service after April 17th

bandiroot

Hi everyone, we are also visiting Switzerland for 5 days in early April and we will basing ourselves in Basel. We plan to do day trips to nearby cities. I already booked train tickets to Lucerne. I read somewhere that there is no need to buy advance tickets for Strasbourg and Freiburg because the price difference is not much. Would like to confirm that my understanding is correct? Thanks for any advice.

PalenQ

check www.bahn.de/en for all the various fares Basel to Freiburg and www.voyages-sncf.com or www.capitainetrain.com for Basel to Strasbourg. but they are short train rides so full fare won't be too daunting and possible savings obviously less than long-distance trains.

PalenQ

In Colmar you can tour the studios of the sculptor that made the Statue of Liberty whose pieces were then shipped to New York Harbor where it still stands - there is also a scale-model copy of the Statue in Colmar at an entrance to town:

https://www.tourisme-colmar.com/en/a...liberty-colmar