4 days in Switzerland itinerary
 

Hi! I'll be in Switzerland for the first time this August, with a few days between when i need to be in Geneva and Zurich. Here is my itinerary, what do you think?
A couple of questions I had:
Is doing both Rigi and Schilthorn worth it?
Should I just scrap Lucerne and stay in Lauterbrunnen the whole time?
Is this itinerary worth the money I'll be spending on it?

Note: I will have a 3-day swiss travel pass for days 2-4

1 - Geneva - City Tour
2 - Geneva-Lauterbrunnen Golden Pass Line + Mannlichen-Kleine Scheidegg Hike + ?
3 - Lauterbrunnen - Schilthorn + Birg + Lauterbrunnen Hike + Night Train to Lucerne
4 - Lucerne - Mt. Rigi + Hergiswil Glass Factory + Lucerne City? + Night Train to Zurich
5 - Zurich - City Tour

Thanks for your help in advance!

You're moving all the time and with just 4 days I would probably just stop in Jungfrau area and spend another day there. Anyway a Half-Fare Card may be better than a Swiss Pass for such limited time - not sure do the maths - check www.sbb.ch for fares - general info Swiss trains - www.budgeteuropetravel.com; www.ricksteves.com and www.swisstravelsystem.com. Yes Rigi would be anti-climatic after much more awesome Schilthorn excursion but a lake boat tour would be great.

Everything is feasible if the weather is fine:

Geneva dp 8.30 - Montreux - Golden Pass - Interlaken - Lauterbrunnen ar 13.25
Check in your hotel and continue by train Lauterbrunnen dp 14.07 - Wengen 14.19/14.40 - Maennlichen ar 14.46.
Walk to Kleine Scheidegg. Scheidegg dp by train 19.31 - Lauterbrunnen ar 20.20 (or earlier, trains every 30 min).

Day 3: the itinerary to Lucerne is very scenic. Try to arrive there before sunset (around 9pm in June and 7pm in September).

Day 4: there may not remain much time for the visit of Lucerne.
The day coud look like this: Lucerne dp 8.18 by train to Rigi Kulm ar 9.47. Rigi Kulm dp by train 11.00 - Vitznau ar 11.40, dp by boat 11.49 - Hergiswil ar 14.15 (change boat at Verkehrshaus). Hergiswil dp by boat 17.10 - Lucerne ar 17.45.

i did not find Geneva all that interesting and would put that time to Lausanne, Vevey, Montreux instead (approx. 1 hour from Geneva by train on Lac Leman)

Thanks for all of the replies!
suze, I have to be in Geneva on that day, so I might as well spend it going around the city. I plan on spending an entire evening in the chess park at Bastions Park btw.

Also, how much money do you guys think I should be spending for my time here?

Money - depends widely - but expect about $300-400 a day for nice hotel, meals, transit and chess wagers - could be bit less or a lot more.

No need to take a tour of either Geneva or Zurich unless you want to – they are VERY easy to visit on your own. Just get a decent guidebook in advance and decide what you want to see. And unlike many Fodorites, I enjoyed both cities – but then, I had enough time in Switzerland to balance my interest in the countryside with my interests in things that cities offer.

Your plan for the Bernese Oberland is entirely contingent on the weather. If you want to go there, I would think you might want to figure out, in advance, what you will do if the weather does not cooperate.

A good guidebook should also give you some ideas of how to plan your budget.

Hope that helps!

Hi I agree with Palen, I would spend more time in the Jungfrau area, just gorgeous. Also I actually do like Zurich unlike some others, altho it is quite expensive to stay there I thought. The Mannlichen is absoulutely amazing area to me, and more so than the Schilthorn. Enjoy. Sue

Thanks for all of the help! Does anybody have any more suggestions?

Do you have any questions?

what is your final proposed itinerary - then we could comment better.

Blackbird, You asked about the Schilthorn and Rigi, I've been to both, as I am sure others have been on this site. To me the mountains over Wengen area are spectacular, if you are into gorgeous scenery. the Jungfrau, Monch and part of the Eiger are over the village and the unbelieveable Mannlichen area, which has the lift right in the village. My two cents here. Sue the lift takes you right up to it, get discount at hotel.

The Schilthorn and Rigi Kulm are very very different - Rigi is relatively low altitude and is known for its views over central Switzerland but not awesome Alpine beauty like at The Schilthorn which is an isolated outpost surrounded by snow and ice.

Geneva: https://www.redcrossmuseum.ch/en/

https://www.lake-geneva-switzerland....a-switzerland/

And boat tours and cruises on Lake Geneva!

What do you guys think of replacing the day in Lucerne and replacing it with a First to Schynigge Platte hike? I could then spend the morning of the last day at Lucern and the afternoon-evening in Zurich, instead of going on the Rigi. Would the hike be too similar to the others, or worth missing Rigi?

Hike similar to what others? You just say a Lauterbrunnen hike - that is flat walking in a deep gorge.

First to S Pl may be rather strenuous going uphill? What kind of hike do you seek?

The most popular and an esy-peasy awfully scenic hike goes from The Mannlichen to Kleine Sheidegg- so-called Panorama Walk as you can see fromthis ridge walk both the Lauterbrunnen and Grindewald valleys with a frontal view of Jungfrau Massif as you walk - gently descending wide path. Best of any for novie hikers and can't beat views.

Rigi can compare to none of those hikes or anything in Jungfrau Region.

For the Lauterbrunnen hike, this is what I'm talking about: https://www.alpenwild.com/staticpage...72-waterfalls/ . I won't do all of it, but as much as i can fit into right after the schilthorn before it gets dark.

I'm fine with the strenuous hike, in fact I want something strenuous because I particularly enjoy that type of a trail.
There's two things I'm afraid of though:
1) The hike being too difficult to complete without any special hiking equipment, and there being too many sheer cliffs (I'm slightly acrophobic)
2) The views being too similar to the mannlich-kleine scheidegg hike

Thanks for all of your help!

Research Berner Oberland hiking sites -locally I've seen maps of hikes in Jungfrau Magazine (perhaps on line now) with three colors denoting easy, moderate and tough - 1st two no gear needed and I do not think you'd need any on those hikes but check.

Blackbird -

I've done the hike that you linked, with the exception of the Lauterbrunnen to Grutschalp bit (took the cableway up from Lauterbrunnen). Are you referring to this hike as strenuous?

The walk up to Grutschalp could well be strenuous - the section from Gimmelwald to Stechelberg is a bit challenging - via a bergweg with a steep descent - and when we were there (April) - avalanche danger and the trail damaged from rock falls. The section from Stechelberg to Lauterbrunnen is completely flat - but long. The entire loop took us 5.5 hours, 10.25 miles.

If you're looking for something strenuous, you might take a look at the hike from Wengernalp to Wixi, Bigernalp, Mittlenap, Upper Preech, Lower Preech and over the upper Trummelbach Falls, then back to Lauterbrunnen. We hiked it years ago - yowsa - it was a doosie - not for the faint of heart.

Melnq8: I was talking about the First to Schynige Platte hike, not the Lauterbrunnen to Grutschalp one