ashtoncamille

Hi all. My husband and I are traveling to Geneva for 5 days for his work conference. We decided to extend as long as we were able- coming 1 day early and leaving 5 days late. We want to do and see as much as possible, as with 2 small children we don't get the chance to travel by ourselves much, so we don't know when the next time we will be in Europe is. We are not allowing ourselves any jet lag, but will sleep on the plane from the US and start our day on local time. Here is my tentative itinerary. Any hints/tips/feedback would be very much appreciated. I am planning on taking advantage of the 2-for-1 Swiss Pass offer and using a Swiss Pass for our time in Switzerland.
Arriving Sunday at 8:00 into Zurich. Taking train from the airport at Zurich to Luzern (about one hour ride?) Exploring as much of Luzern as possible in one day. [Any must-see's? We want to see Lake Luzern, Chapel Bridge, Weinmarkt Square for sure. Is there a good way to see a lot of this beautiful city in just a day?] We will take either the 16:55 or 17:55 train [2.5 hours?] to Lauterbrunnen and staying the evening there (we want to be as close to Jungfraujoch as possible, since we will be spending the next day there).
Monday take the 7:55 train from Lauterbrunnen and go to Jungfraujoch. I understand it will be about $92(American) each for the train. I plan on having about 4 hours to see the mountains, then leave at 14:00 to head to Geneva, where the work conference is. We will be arriving to the Geneva airport at :19:24 and will have a car to take us to the Hotel Grand Kepinski, where we will be staying until Friday.
Tuesday we have from about 14:30-17:30 free. I thought we could take the train to Gruyeres and see the village. (The morning will be filled with meetings and the evening we have a dinner at the hotel). Is there any possibility of seeing Montreux this afternoon? I heard Gstaad is gorgeous, is there a way to stop and see it for a little while?
Wednesday we have the whole day free. I was thinking about maybe a tour? Or is that not a great idea? I wanted to see Chamonix, Aiguille and the Sea of Love. Is this something we don't need the whole day for? Should I plan this on another day and allow for us to do something else this day?
Thursday we only have from about 12:30 to 16:00 free. I thought we could take the train to Montreux [1 hour?], see the town and it is my understanding we can take a short bus to Chillon. Then we will head back to Geneva for our company dinner at 16:00.
Friday we will check out from the hotel early and will have a car to take us to the GVA airport. We will take the 7:24 train to Zermatt via Visp (4hours?). We will take a cable car to Blauhard and hike to the Stellisee. We want to go to Milan that evening. It is my understanding that we can buy a ticket in Zermatt to get there. I think it's called the Bernina Express? Do we go through Domodossola to Milan? I think there is an IR train that goes from about 17:13 to 21:35? We will stay the night in Milan. I wanted to see Lake Como or Garda or Varenna (I've heard all these towns mentioned). Is there a better way to get to Milan to be able to see these?
Saturday we will see a bit of Milan in the morning (I want to see Duomo for certain) then travel toward the Cinque Terre. Is there a convenient train route to take there? I was thinking we would stay in Monterosso, since it seems to be the most resort-like, which my husband loves. I understand you can get a state park pass to hike between the 5T for about 10Euros. We will spend most of the next few days swimming and staying at the beach and exploring the 5T. [Any must-see's, or must-do's, or must-eat's?]
Sunday- 5T, staying in Monterosso
Monday- 5T, staying in Monterosso
Tuesday we will leave Monterosso for Venice. I think there is a 7:30 train that arrives in Venice at 13:15. I want to explore as much of Venice as possible. I want to take a romantic Gondola ride (of course!) and see the Wall of Reformers for sure. We will stay the night in Venice [any suggestions?]
Wednesday we will see a little more of Venice in the morning, then head to the airport. We depart for the US at 13:10.
I have so many questions. The few days that we don't have a home "base", what should we do with our luggage? Is there a way to store it or get it to our next destination? Is there a better way to see and do the things we want? I have heard great things about Y'voire, France. Is there some way to make it work in our trip? Even just a short visit? I know I'm trying to squeeze a lot into a little time, but I need to make the most out of our trip.
I would appreciate any advice or tips very much!

swandav2000

Hi ashtoncamille,

I'll try to help with some of the Montreux-based things.

Tuesday 14.30-17.30
It'll take about 2h to get from Geneva to Gruyeres, so you don't actually have time to do that on this day. You don't have Vevey listed on your itinerary, and it's a lovely town. You could see it very well in 3h, so I propose that you put it here. You can stroll through the myriad winding streets of the old town and stroll along the lake. If you want, you can stop in Lutry (just outside of Lausanne) or go to Chexbres to walk through the vineyards, or you could stop in Rivaz to taste some of the local wines at the Vinorama

http://www.lavaux-vinorama.ch/presentation_en.php

Wednesday all day
You do have time on this day to see Gruyeres as well as Gstaad, as they are not far from one another. So you'll have to choose whether to see Gstaad/Gruyeres or Chamonix.

Thursay 12.30 - 16.00
This is the day I propose for Chillon and Montreux, since Chillon alone will probably take 2h. Take the train to Montreux and walk to Chillon along the flowered lakeside path (one of the best things about Montreux imo; it takes 45 minutes), and see Chillon. Then take the bus back to Montreux (bus #201, it comes along every 10 minutes, and it'll take about 10 minutes to get to Montreux). Stop and spend time at one of the lakeside cafes and soak up the atmosphere, then take the train back to Geneva.

You can get all the train schedules for your trip at the Swiss rail site

www.rail.ch

Have fun as you plan!

s

annhig

Hi AC - nice to have you here on fodors - Welcome!

your trip sounds very exciting and you have put a lot of effort into the planning. I was going to mention Vevey too, but swandav got there before me - ditto the rest of his/her advice.

just one thing - i found your post quite difficult to read as there is a distinct lack of paragraphs and lines. if you break it up like swandav has, it's much easier to read!

nytraveler

A couple of notes:

Your post is really impossible to follow since there are no paragraphs - just one giant blob of copy.

Second, you have not left nearly enough time for many things and have not take weather into account.

You don't have a day in Lucern - you have half a day - by the time you get through Immigration, get you luggage, get to the train station and catch a train there - esp if you are leaving again at 5 in the afternoon.

Also - you should check out the dining hours in Lauterbrunnen - in small villages in Switzerland they are usually early and short - even in cities restaurants can be closed at 10 pm.

Do not bother to ascend the Jungfrau unless you know it is clear at the top - if it's cloudy you can only see about 10 feet in front of you - nothing else. (We waited in Interlaken 3 days to get a clear one - although it was clear in the valley every day.

Also, you can;t get the train up to the top, see anything there (and there's a lot to see) and then come back down in only 4 hours? And where would you leave your luggage - are you going back to your hotel?

And why are you going from the Jungfrau to the Geneva airport - rather than just downtown to your hotel?

Sorry - I know I would have more comments - but I can't get through all that copy.

ashtoncamille

So sorry for all the copy. Not quite sure how I did that. I'll just re-post, since I can't edit? Thanks for the response.

PalenQ

If doing that much train travel in a 4-day period then investigate the 4-day Swiss Pass that covers most Swiss trains, lake boats (like on Lake Geneva from Geneva or nearby Lausanne), postal buses and city buses and trams as well as free etnry to over 400 Swiss museums. And if you are traveling before the end of November this year there is a 2 for 1 sale of 4-consecutive-day and 4-day flexipasses which would make a Swiss Pass for all this trip a great deal I suspect.

Anyways lots of fab info on Swiss trains - www.swisstravelsystem.com; www.budgeteuropetravel.com; www.ricksteves.com. I have bought Swiss Passes for years and often for some reason the exact same pass has often been cheaper if bought in US than in Switzerland so always check pricing (including any possible shipping charges or credit card fees for foreign transactions if buying there - often 3% fee) before buying.

Nonconformist

"Thursday 12.30 - 16.00
This is the day I propose for Chillon and Montreux, since Chillon alone will probably take 2h. Take the train to Montreux and walk to Chillon along the flowered lakeside path (one of the best things about Montreux imo; it takes 45 minutes), and see Chillon. Then take the bus back to Montreux (bus #201, it comes along every 10 minutes, and it'll take about 10 minutes to get to Montreux). Stop and spend time at one of the lakeside cafes and soak up the atmosphere, then take the train back to Geneva."

Is there time? If they have to be back at Geneva by 4, as they said.

If they can get the 12.36 train to Montreux (assuming a quick getaway from their events), they get there at 1.39; and they'd need to get the 2.32 train back to get to Geneva before 4. Honestly, it looks like Wednesday is the only day they can do anything that's not actually in Geneva and they'll have to decide which of the Lake Geneva and environs trips appeals the most and do that then.

PalenQ

A Swiss Pass I believe gives free entry to Castle Chillon - if correct that could be another factor - and also covers boats so if you get back to Geneva and want a float...

Tentek

That is a very ambitious plan. I was in Geneva last July for a conference. The conference was 4 days and I was there 2 days before and 4 days later. I didn't get out to Gstaad, Zurich, or Italy. I saw Montreux, Chillon, Vevey, Neuchatel, Lausanne and hiked the Saleve. I am no expert but I couldn't have fit in anything else without cutting into the bare minimum time I had for these destinations.

Swandav and kaapa3 are the experts.

I understand your sentiment about having small children and not having an opportunity to travel again. but running around trying to do too much will not make for a pleasant experience, IMHO.