Ananya_22

We will be going to switzerland Paris for a trip in end of Aug -first week of Sept. ( still decuding which wud b the best tome to go). Can someone please help us with the itinerary.

Day1: Mumbai to Zurich.early morng flight that lands at 6.30. Will keep the luggage at the station and head straight to Rhine falls. Back and head to Montreux and make base.

Day 2: Montreux -bus to Vevey- Train to Chebrex village- lavaux vineyards- walk to Rivaz and back.

Day 3: Montreux - ferry to Chateau chillon and later visit Geneva and back to Montreux.

Day 4 : Montreux train to Evolene. Stroll around and back to Montreux. Walk around Montreux.

Day 5: Montreux to Lauterbrunnen to make base there. We will be taking the Golden Pass Line. On the way will visit Gstaad & Saanen. Lauterbrunnen.

Day 6 : Train from Lauterbrunnen via Interlaken to Breinz station. Cruise on breinz. See Giesssbach falls. Bck to Interlaken stroll around. Back to Lauterbrunnen.

Day 7 : Bus ride from Lauterbrunnen to Schillthorn Bahn...to mt.schillthorn And back.

Day 8: Lauterbrunnen - train to Grindelwald- gondola to First- hike to Bachalpsee lake and back.

Day 9 : Lauterbrunnen - Grutschalp via cable car . Winteregg - murren- train to gimmelwald - down to Schillthotn bahn ..bus to Trumelbach falls.

Day 10 : Lauterbrunnen to Lucerne ..on the way.visit jungfrau bck. Stroll around lucerne

Day 11: lucerne to mt.titlis. ..go to Zurich. Make base.

day 12: zurich to paris.

Day 13: eiffel ..louvre.. notre dam..

day 15: fly out.

Is it itinerary doable?? I wanted to visit Verscaza valley but the long journey from lauterbrunnen to locarno is something i was worried about ; hence i skipped the whole locarno part and added lucerne.
Ca.n mt.titlis and mt.rigi be done in a day? Or is it too much to do?

Its my first trip to swiss and i need your help. Can someone plz guide me.

Thanks.
ananya.

swandav2000

Hi Ananya_22,

How wonderful that you've given yourself so much time in Montreux; I think you'll have a great time.

Your activities for Day 2 won't take up the whole day; in fact, it would only take up about half a day (the walk from Chexbres through the vineyards to Rivaz only takes about 30 minutes). You can extend your time in the Lavaux by taking a longer walk, for instance from Lutry to Cully (about 90 minutes) or to Rivaz (about 2h). If you go to Lutry, give yourself time to explore the town, which is beautiful. I would also add in some time for a lake cruise. A perfect idea would be to cruise from Montreux to Lutry, have lunch, then walk to Rivaz, and take the train to Vevey. Make sure you also allocate a few hours to explore the winding streets of the old town of Vevey -- you could stay there for your dinner.

For Day 3, the ferry trip from Montreux to Chillon will only take about 20 minutes, and the scenery isn't the best. I far prefer taking a ferry ride past the vineyards than past the built-up parts of Montreux.

To my mind, the very best way to get to Chillon is to walk it! You'll be next to the beautiful flowered lakeside path, and it only takes 45 minutes. That's one of the best things about Montreux imo.

Have fun as you plan!

s

Mimar

I'd reverse the itinerary, going to Lucerne, then the Bernese Oberland, on to Montreux, and fly to Paris from Geneva. Or, better, take the train. It's only 3+ hours from Geneva city center to Paris city center. The flight will take at least that when you consider getting to your departure airport early, and getting into Paris from the airport there.

You have 2 whole days in Paris, not very many.

I'm kinda surprised to hear the Val Verzasca is so desireable. We know it because we have relatives from there. It's nice but so are lots of parts of Switzerland.

Re: Jungfraujoch. It's not always clear in the mountains. I'd only take the expensive trip up to Jungfraujoch if I knew it was clear. There are webcams showing the conditions at the top. So I'd keep my plans in the Bernese Oberland loose, in order to react to the weather.

china_cat

I think day 1 sounds impossible. You will be jet lagged, then go sightseeing at Rhine Falls, and then take a nearly 6 hour long train trip to Montreux? I couldn't do it. But maybe you sleep better on planes than me.

I think Mimar's suggestion of taking the short ride to Lucerne first, and ending in Geneva makes more sense.

Any way you can add a day to Paris? It seems not enough, even for the small list of things you want to see there.

Ananya_22

Hi swandav...thank you so muvh for the lutry suggestion. I had no idea about the cruise to lutry. would definitely make it a point to take a cruise to lutry. Thanks for the idea.

hi mimar & china cat.
I dont mind reversing the itinerary and doing lucerne, BO and then montreux..ending at geneva and then to paris..if that makes the journey much easier. I had kept zurich last cos the tgv frm zurich takes 4hrs to reavh paris i heard. But if it takes lesser time from geneva..i dont mind.

jungfrau is still optional like u said depends on the weather. So we can really skip that.
Just , when do i see Rhine falls & zurich sightseeing then if not on the first day??where do you think i can add that..if you could pls help me with that.

Can you guys plz help me with the travel time as well.. like zurich to lucerne by train??
Lucerne to BO is i guess 1.5hrs rite?
And BO to montreux?
Thank you.

swandav2000

Hi again,

You should begin using the Swiss rail site to get all the travel information -- it will be very valuable as you plan. The site is at

www.sbb.ch

It will not only give you the travel time but also the number of changes and the track number for each train. Of course, it will also give you the fares for your trips.

Just average --
Zürich to Luzern is 45 minutes

Oberland to Montreux via Gstaad/Saanen is about 4h30. If you have the time, I recommend that you send your suitcases separately using Fast Baggage service, then walk from Gstaad to Saanen (or the reverse). The walk takes about 45 minutes, and it's a lovely stroll through the countryside and soft rolling hills. Then have lunch and continue your trip.

Have fun!

s

kja

You've gotten some excellent advice already! Just a few comments:

Day 1: Much as I love waterfalls, I didn't go to the Rhine Falls -- other Fodorites talked me out of it. I did spend some time in Zurich, and unlike many Fodorites, I found it very enjoyable. If you have any interest in stained glass, you might consider a stop at the Fraumunster for the Chagall and Giacometti windows.

Day 3: Because you are allotting very little time for Geneva, make sure you know what you want to see so you can make the most of your limited time there.

Day 6: You might consider visiting the Ballenberg Outdoor Museum just outside of Brienz. I had time to spend several very pleasant hours there on a day similar to the one you have planned.
http://ballenberg.ch/en/Welcome

Day 9: Be sure to walk from Grutschalp to Winteregg. Breathtaking and very easy!

As others have noted, your time in Paris seems extraordinarily limited.

Enjoy!

Mimar

You could do Rhine Falls/Rheinfall as you planned, then make the shorter trip to Lucerne.

There are direct trains from Zurich airport to Lucerne as well as via Zurich. From the airport it's one hour to Lucerne.

There's also a TGV from Lausanne to Paris (3.5 hours) if that's more convenient than departing from Geneva.

neckervd

You may have a look at
http://www.myswitzerland.com/en/home.html
http://www.swisstravelsystem.ch/en/
http://fahrplan.sbb.ch/bin/query.exe/en
Geneva - Paris: 3 1/4 hrs journey, 8 direct trains every day
Lausanne - Paris: 3 3/4 hrs journey, 4 direct trains every day

Ananya_22

Wow..thats so much info..thank you each and everyone for all your help and advices. This cleared much of my confusion.

just a lil change..instead of lauterbrunnen, m planning to change my base to interlaken..as hotels are full...and the ones that arent , are not in budget. Hence interlaken...or is there another convenient place in BO?

is there an alternative to lucerne and montreux?? From where i can visit all the places i want to..

swandav2000

Hi Ananya_22,

An alternative to Montreux is Vevey, which is on the same town bus line. However, there is a wonderful youth hostel just outside of Montreux in Territet that sits just a few steps from the lake in a very quiet position. I'd investigate that.

s

swandav2000

p.s. Interlaken will be a zoo in late August/beginning of September. It will be full of tour busses and the unloaded tour groups. I would investigate Mürren or Wengen.

s

Ananya_22

Hi Swandav , Vevey sounds good ..i have heard good things about the place yhank you so much for the suggestion..

Ya i knw interlaken will be full of tourists but i findng it difficult to find accom it bring tourist season... murren/wengen...let me check if i find something there...

ps: i'l be travelling with my mom(54) & aunt(42) alongwith my cousin..Are ppl of that age group allowed in hostels??

swandav2000

Hi again,

Yes, anyone may stay in the hostel; you only have to buy a membership.

Here's a link to the Montreux hostel:

http://www.hostel.ch/en/hostels/montreux

You can see that they have four 4-bed rooms, which would work great for you. Or you could get two 2-bed rooms. Of course, there is no toilet or shower in the room.

Here is a backpacker's lodge in Wengen:

http://www.hostels247.com/OLD__LODGE...ACKERS_hostel/

If you give us your exact budget per night for the four of you, we may be able to help you find a spot.

Or, you may have some luck finding a B&B -- try the nationwide site at

www.bnb.ch

and then search by town name or by map. There are a few possibilities for Grindelwald and one for Montreux and one for Vevey.

s

swandav2000

Hi again,

Sorry, here is another option for Vevey I had forgotten about:

http://www.veveyhotel.com/

It offers private rooms for 4-6 people, with showers and toilets down the hall.

s

Ananya_22

Wow super cool swandav..thank you for soo much help.. i'l hav a look at all these..

And will get back if i hav any other query..

thank you again...