Day trip from Lauterbrunnen to Luzern?
Feb 19th, 2006, 06:28 AM
#1
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Day trip from Lauterbrunnen to Luzern?
Hi,
How easy is it to take a day trip(s) from Lauterbrunnen to Luzern? I want to minimize the number of times I check in and out of hotels. If this is feasible, would you drive to Luzern, or to a town south of there and take a boat across the lake to the city? If so, what town would you drive to? Thanks for your help.
How easy is it to take a day trip(s) from Lauterbrunnen to Luzern? I want to minimize the number of times I check in and out of hotels. If this is feasible, would you drive to Luzern, or to a town south of there and take a boat across the lake to the city? If so, what town would you drive to? Thanks for your help.
Feb 19th, 2006, 06:46 AM
#2
Take the train to Luzern. Walk 5 min. to the ferries.
Plan 1:
Take the ferry to Vitznau. Take the Rigi train up to Rigi Kulm. Walk to Rigi Stäffel. Take the Rigi Bahn down to Arth-Goldau. Take the the train back to Luzern/Lauterbrunnen.
Plan 2: Take a ferry around the lake. Walk around the old town in Lucerne.
See sbb.ch for train schedules.
Plan 1:
Take the ferry to Vitznau. Take the Rigi train up to Rigi Kulm. Walk to Rigi Stäffel. Take the Rigi Bahn down to Arth-Goldau. Take the the train back to Luzern/Lauterbrunnen.
Plan 2: Take a ferry around the lake. Walk around the old town in Lucerne.
See sbb.ch for train schedules.
Feb 19th, 2006, 07:41 AM
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You can drive to Luzern from Lauterbrunnen easily. I have done it a couple of times.
The route takes you over he Brünig Pass to Luzern.
If you drive, I suggest you acqire a map of Luzern from some souce. I have driven in and around Luzern without one, and I think it is easier with one.
The road between the Brünig Pass and Sarnen is a little slow, but it has been improved with new tunnels and fewer curves.
I drove it much faster than the train.
If you have a road map of Switzerland you will see that the route is fairly straight-forward.
The route takes you over he Brünig Pass to Luzern.
If you drive, I suggest you acqire a map of Luzern from some souce. I have driven in and around Luzern without one, and I think it is easier with one.
The road between the Brünig Pass and Sarnen is a little slow, but it has been improved with new tunnels and fewer curves.
I drove it much faster than the train.
If you have a road map of Switzerland you will see that the route is fairly straight-forward.
Feb 22nd, 2006, 11:32 PM
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A day trip is feasible, but why you would want to leave the gorgeous Jungfrau valley area where there is so much to see and do is beyond me. But if you have
(i) taken at least one ferry ride on Lakes Thun and/or Brienz, in first class upstairs and outside in back, cold beer in hand, Swiss flag waiving in the breeze, the gorgeous Alps rising majestically all around you over the huge lakes,
(ii) taken all the cable cars, funiculars and trains you can,
(iii) gone on all the walks/hikes and picnics in the Jungfrau and Kandersteg valley you wanted,
(iiii) a car and have driven the Susten, Grimsel, Furka and Klausenpass Passes (or done them by Post Bus),
(iv) visited the little villages along Lake Thun and the towns of Thun and Brienz themselves,
(v) gone up the Brunig Pass and stopped for lunch outdoors on the terrace of the wonderful Gasthaus Brunig Kulm restaurant hanging off the cliff (one of the last places I know of other than the Villa d'este that will prepare crepes suzette at your table) and then shopped for antiques and cowbells at the little shop just beyond that--
--well if you have done ALL that, then maybe, if you still have time, you could go to Lucerne and see the wooden bridge and the old buildings.
The train takes about 3 hours. The drive about 1.5 hours. As noted above, you will go up and over the Brunig Pass, pretty but not above the tree line, not hard to drive and no Furka Pass by any stretch of the imagination. (Stop for lunch and shopping in Brunig, and/or stop in Lungern down in the valley on the other side to see the church or go up the Obese cable car you may not make it to Lucerne.) Just follow signs for Zurich and Lucerne. Once over the Brunig Pass, keep following signs to Lucerne, for Lucerne city exits and once in town, look for signs that say "Zentrum" and "Banhof" or 'Hautbanhof", this will lead you to parking in the center/Zentrum of town at the train station. The train station is where the little bridge, old town and all the tourist stuff is. IMO this is the best place to park and the best way not to get lost. When going back out, follow signs for Interlaken.
Gasthaus Brunig Kulm
Brünig Passhöhe
3860 Brünig
Tel: 41 (0) 33 971 17 08
Fax: 41 (0) 33 971 17 49
[email protected]
www.bruenig-kulm.ch
The Brokenhaus (second hand shop) nearby is open on Sundays, one of the few places in Switzerland open on Sundays outside of railroad stations and airports.
(i) taken at least one ferry ride on Lakes Thun and/or Brienz, in first class upstairs and outside in back, cold beer in hand, Swiss flag waiving in the breeze, the gorgeous Alps rising majestically all around you over the huge lakes,
(ii) taken all the cable cars, funiculars and trains you can,
(iii) gone on all the walks/hikes and picnics in the Jungfrau and Kandersteg valley you wanted,
(iiii) a car and have driven the Susten, Grimsel, Furka and Klausenpass Passes (or done them by Post Bus),
(iv) visited the little villages along Lake Thun and the towns of Thun and Brienz themselves,
(v) gone up the Brunig Pass and stopped for lunch outdoors on the terrace of the wonderful Gasthaus Brunig Kulm restaurant hanging off the cliff (one of the last places I know of other than the Villa d'este that will prepare crepes suzette at your table) and then shopped for antiques and cowbells at the little shop just beyond that--
--well if you have done ALL that, then maybe, if you still have time, you could go to Lucerne and see the wooden bridge and the old buildings.
The train takes about 3 hours. The drive about 1.5 hours. As noted above, you will go up and over the Brunig Pass, pretty but not above the tree line, not hard to drive and no Furka Pass by any stretch of the imagination. (Stop for lunch and shopping in Brunig, and/or stop in Lungern down in the valley on the other side to see the church or go up the Obese cable car you may not make it to Lucerne.) Just follow signs for Zurich and Lucerne. Once over the Brunig Pass, keep following signs to Lucerne, for Lucerne city exits and once in town, look for signs that say "Zentrum" and "Banhof" or 'Hautbanhof", this will lead you to parking in the center/Zentrum of town at the train station. The train station is where the little bridge, old town and all the tourist stuff is. IMO this is the best place to park and the best way not to get lost. When going back out, follow signs for Interlaken.
Gasthaus Brunig Kulm
Brünig Passhöhe
3860 Brünig
Tel: 41 (0) 33 971 17 08
Fax: 41 (0) 33 971 17 49
[email protected]
www.bruenig-kulm.ch
The Brokenhaus (second hand shop) nearby is open on Sundays, one of the few places in Switzerland open on Sundays outside of railroad stations and airports.
Feb 22nd, 2006, 11:44 PM
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Sorry, for parking at the train station, once you get to the train station area, look for white "P" on a blue background, this will take you to the parking garages. There is very little street parking in town, and most is only for 2 hours or so, so you are better off in the train station garage.
