Travel in Switzerland 1st week of September
Jun 10th, 2014, 07:43 AM
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Travel in Switzerland 1st week of September
Travel in Switzerland 1st week of September – After 4 days in Venice, we willtravel by train to Lugano for 2 days. We have 2 days in St Moritz and 2 more days to do what else?...We’d love to see Jungfrau & Interlaken. Any recommendations? We are fairly 5 star in our current travel (backpacking days behind us) and would love a recommendation for a hotel and if 2 days is enough for Jungfrau/Interlaken. Flying out of Zurich ultimately. Cheers, Matt
Jun 10th, 2014, 08:42 AM
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The Jungfrau Region to me and many is the absolute highlight of Switzerland - the dreamy Alpine Wonderland picture of Switzerland - glacier-girdled peaks soaring high about cow-bespotted lush Alpine meadows, etc.
And stay up in the hills in a place like Grindelwald, easily reached by mountain train from Interlaken in about 20 minutes - and be eyeball to eyeball practically with the ice-bound Jungfrau Massif - take the train up to the Jungfraujoch station, the highest in altitude in western Europe.
Lugano never excited me too much - Id take those two days off and spend then in the Jungfrau Region and maybe a day in Lucerne if going to Zurich to fly out of.
For lots of great info on Swiss trains and various passes like the Swiss Pass, Swiss Card, Half-Fare Card, etc check out these superb IMo sources: www.swisstravelsystem.com; www.ricksteves.com and www.budgeteuropetravel.com.
You can go from Venice to St Moritz in one day on the train, skipping Lugano - take a train to Tirano, southern terminus of the famed Bernina Pass Railway, to me the most dramatically scenic one in all of Europe - stay in St Moritz then take the Glacier Express train to Brig and head via Spiez to Interlaken from there. a long day but a really scenic one.
And stay up in the hills in a place like Grindelwald, easily reached by mountain train from Interlaken in about 20 minutes - and be eyeball to eyeball practically with the ice-bound Jungfrau Massif - take the train up to the Jungfraujoch station, the highest in altitude in western Europe.
Lugano never excited me too much - Id take those two days off and spend then in the Jungfrau Region and maybe a day in Lucerne if going to Zurich to fly out of.
For lots of great info on Swiss trains and various passes like the Swiss Pass, Swiss Card, Half-Fare Card, etc check out these superb IMo sources: www.swisstravelsystem.com; www.ricksteves.com and www.budgeteuropetravel.com.
You can go from Venice to St Moritz in one day on the train, skipping Lugano - take a train to Tirano, southern terminus of the famed Bernina Pass Railway, to me the most dramatically scenic one in all of Europe - stay in St Moritz then take the Glacier Express train to Brig and head via Spiez to Interlaken from there. a long day but a really scenic one.
Jun 10th, 2014, 10:16 AM
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Thanks PalenQ! I appreciate your candor in even suggesting that Lugano isn't a must see. I will check out the resources you mentioned and massage my trip.
How many days in St. Moritz would you recommend?
Matt
How many days in St. Moritz would you recommend?
Matt
Jun 10th, 2014, 10:33 AM
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2 days are not enough for the St. Moritz/Engadine area, and 2 days are not enough for the Jungfrau area, either. The travel time between both is quite long and you will lose that whole day. Why not extending your stay in St. Moritz area and dropping the Jungfrau region? Or vice versa?
Jun 10th, 2014, 03:32 PM
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If it comes down to St Moritz area and Jungfrau IME I say the Jungfrau is more awesome than even the awesome St Moritz area with many more varied things to do, besides Alpine things - like boat rides on two lakes bookending Interlaken. But both are fabulous - but 3 days in each if not counting the whole day it takes to go between them would be better than 2 each.
Jun 10th, 2014, 03:38 PM
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Ditto what Ingo says about taking all day to get there - took us six hours by train to get from the Lower Engadine to Lauterbrunnen. We knew that going in and had reasons for doing it, but I'd never suggest this to someone with so little time.
Jun 12th, 2014, 07:29 AM
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Ingo and Melnq are right: choose either St. Moritz and the glaciers of Bernina or the Jungfrau area.
BTW: there are many other glacier areas between Venice and St. Moritz (if you take the itinerary via Bolzano/Bozen).
BTW: there are many other glacier areas between Venice and St. Moritz (if you take the itinerary via Bolzano/Bozen).
Jun 12th, 2014, 11:18 AM
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If someone had more time a sweet way between the St Moritz area and Interlaken area is to take the Maloja Pass bus - one of the most dramatically scenic bus rides I have ever taken - down the sinuously twisting Maloja Pass road to Lake Como and over to Lugano - stay there a day or two
then go via the Centovalli scenic train thru a slice of Italy to Domodossola and change to the mainline to Brig/Visp and then keep going for Interlaken via Spiez (or Zermatt via Brig/Visp).
Not for this person but if anyone wants a scenic route that could take a few days with stops a sweet route other than the Glacier Express.
then go via the Centovalli scenic train thru a slice of Italy to Domodossola and change to the mainline to Brig/Visp and then keep going for Interlaken via Spiez (or Zermatt via Brig/Visp).
Not for this person but if anyone wants a scenic route that could take a few days with stops a sweet route other than the Glacier Express.
Jun 13th, 2014, 01:17 PM
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...and don't forget the Swiss PostBus from Domodossola via Simplon Pass to Brig>
Oh uyes - fantastic and what a day that would be the Centovalli to Domodossola the postal bus to Brig - bypassing the long Simplon Tunnel from which you of course see absolutely nothing along the way, burrowing far under the fantastic summit scenes like you see from the bus.
Oh uyes - fantastic and what a day that would be the Centovalli to Domodossola the postal bus to Brig - bypassing the long Simplon Tunnel from which you of course see absolutely nothing along the way, burrowing far under the fantastic summit scenes like you see from the bus.
