5 days in Zurich Switzerland
 

My husband and I fly into Zurich on 5/24/14 and are staying for 5 days and will base out of Zurich, Marriott in City Center.
We plan to take day trips by train to:
1. Jungfrau
2. Chur
3. Mount Pilatus
4. Rhine Falls
5. ???
Is this a good plan?
Should we go to Geneva or is it too far for a day trip?
Thanks in advance for any and all tips/suggestions!

Lucerne!

You can't visit the Jungfraujoch from Zurich, it is too far.

It takes me about 3 hours by train to get from Zürich to Wengen.

You also can't know what the weather will be like at Kleine Scheidegg to go up to the top of the Jungfrau.

If it is raining or cloudy, there is no reason to go up because you can't see
anything.

On nice days, tickets to the Jungfrau may be sold out by 11 AM.

You should think about staying overnight in Interlaken if you want to see the Jungfrau.

Thin

Zürich is one of the most boring and expensive cities on earth for a tourist.

If you are looking for a New York, Paris, or London excitment-vibe, you won't find it in Zürich.

Zürich is a pleasant city, but it is pokey slow.

The prices in the shops on the Bahnhofstrasse will make the hair on the back of your neck stand up.

Thin

Lucerne - many are nonplussed with a Geneva they find all too modern and spiffy but to day trip to Lake Geneva would be sweet - a day in say Montreux - you could take the fabled Golden Pass scenic train there one way if you want.

The Jungfrau is a long day trip if you want to see the Jungfraujoch - the highest summit with the highest train station in Europe - about 4 hours each way by train from Zurich.

I seriously think you should re-think basing in Zurich another city many find rather boring compared to the scintillating Alpine places - I'd base in the Interlaken area and leisurely explore that area with so so many varied things to see and do.

Why base in Zurich and then be so far from an Alpine wonderland that a day trip just cannot do justice to.

anyway if traveling that much in a few days look at a Swiss Passm valid not only on trains but lake boats - Lake Lucerne is to me the prettiest of all Swiss lakes and a boat trip on it so sweet. Maybe base 3 days in one of those Alpine villages like Grindelwald, Wengen or Lauterbrunnen that so many rave about and from your hotel balcony be eyeball to eyeball practically with glaciers and soaring peaks hovering above lush cow-dotted meadows, etc.

From Lucerne Pilatus is an easy day trip - take a boat to Alpnachstad (or a train) and then hop one of the world's most thrilling railways to the summit - then a hair-raising aerial cable car back down to Krens, in suburban Lucerne with buses back to the town center.

Great sites for learning about Swiss trains and passes: www.swisstravelsystem.com; www.budgeteuropetravel.com and www.ricksteves.com.

The Alpine Wonderland Switzerland whose picture is perhaps etched in your minds' eyes but which will not be fulfilled by Zurich or any place on your list - Chur for example is a nice city but compared to many other options would be low on my list - nice but not much for tourists really.

There are hikes for all degrees of dificulty - no special shoes required for most - you can walk to glaciers - take a myriad of aerial cable cars and toy-like mountain trains, etc.

https://www.google.com/search?q=jung...w=1455&bih=978

The reason we picked Zurich is because we have a family occasion in
Sommerach , Germany the 29, 30 and 31st, so we needed to be in the upper portion of Switzerland to be able to then travel to upper Germany. We did plan tours for Jangfrau, Lucerne and the Rjine Falls. It will be our first trip to Switzerland so I am sure will be good, and we will take your suggestions to be in other areas like Geneva when we return. Thanks for the comments/tips!