Fine tuning August Swiss venture
 

Thank you for your help planning our August adventure. Could use guidance on two issues...best value in rail pass and choosing a base for our last five days. We will now go directly from ZRH to Montreux and spend five days there. Short day trips, a ferry, maybe sneak into France or Italy. Then my partner wants to go into the mountains where we will spend five days doing mountain things ..we don't hike, but walk...not museum types but like good food and knocking around seeing cool stuff. Were thinking Wengen, Murren, or Lauterbrunnen?

I believe a slightly larger base town at the end would be best for us, some wider selection of cafes, retail, hotels etc. and on an active rail line so we can day trip easily....Wengen or Lauterbrunnen? And..given our desire to use trams, vernaculars, ferries, gondolas...and our train to and from ZRH...is there a travel pass that would provide good value? Again, two spry 71 year old independent experienced travelers ..very much enjoyed Engadin trip three years ago. Thanks!

And..given our desire to use trams, vernaculars, ferries, gondolas...and our train to and from ZRH...is there a travel pass that would provide good value?

Take a look at the Half Fare Card, for which you pay half fare on just about everything that moves in Switzerland. It's our card of choice for our own visits (we now have the year long HFC, as we hope to squeeze in a second visit this year).

You might want to do the math to see if it makes sense for you - if you plan to spend 240 chf or more per person on transport (which is very easy to do in expensive Switzerland), it's a good choice as the HFC is 120 chf per person for up to 30 days.

Wengen, Murren and Lauterbrunnen are all good bases, as is Grindelwald. You can see a lot of the Berner Oberland from any of them. Murren is the smallest, and has fewer cafes, etc, Wengen and Grindelwald have more.

Many people overlook Lauterbrunnen as it's in the valley, but we've stayed there a few times and found it a good base as it's a transport hub of sorts. The views from Lauterbrunnen go up - you'll be looking up at the valley walls and waterfalls, whereas the views from Wengen look down and across the valley.

FYI- it's funicular, not vernacular:)

Duh! Thanks ..my kids love it when I butcher the language! Wish I could edit that. Much appreciated!

What do you mean with "a slightly larger base town at the end"?
Wengen, Muerren, Grindelwald & Co are of course all much smaller than Montreux which has a "wider selection of cafes, retail, hotels etc" and which is "on 2 active rail lines which allow day trips to
Gruyeres castle and cheese diary: 1 1/4 hrs OW
Broc chocolate factory: 1 1/2 hrs OW
Gstaad/Bernese Oberland: 1 1/2 hrs OW
Viewpoint Glacier 3000: 2 1/4 hrs
Viewpoint La Berneuse:1 1/4 hrs
Viewpoint Rochers de Naye: 3/4 hrs
Viewpoint Roc d'Orsay (Col de Bretaye): 1 hr
Viewpoint Les Chaux (Barboleuse): 1 1/2 hrs
Acquapark Bouveret: 3/4 hrs (by train or boat)
Vapeur Park Bouveret: 3/4 hrs
Roman theatre and Gianadda Foundation Museums at Martigny
Verbier (alpine resort and mountain bike center): 1 1/4 hrs
Viewpoint Mont Fort (3333m): 2 1/2 hrs
Lake d'Emosson (Mont Blanc area): 2 hrs
Chamonix Mont Blanc: 2 hrs
Aguille du Midi (3842m): 2 1/2 hrs
Underground Lake of St-Leonard: 1 1/2 hrs
Crans-Montana: 1 1/4 hrs
Lavey les Bains (mountain spa): 1/2 hr
Saillon-les-Bains (mountain spa): 1 hr
Ovronnaz-les-Bain (mountain spa): 1 1/2 hrs
Leukerbad (mountain spa): 2 hrs
Brigerbad (mountain spa): 1 3/4 hrs
Yverdon-les-Bains (spa on Lake Neuchatel): 3/4 hr
Divonne-les-Bains: 1 1/2 hrs
Evian-les-Bains: 1 1/2 hrs
Aletsch Glacier (longest glacier of Europe): 2 1/2 hrs
Mittelallalin revolving glacier restaurant (3450m): 2 3/4 hrs
Zermatt: 2 1/2 hrs
Matterhorn Paradise: 3 1/2 hrs
Stresa/Lake Maggiore: 2 hrs
Geneva by train: 1 hr
Geneva by historic paddle steam boat (with board restaurant):5 1/4 hrs
etc. etc.........

Thank you! I was referring to a town the size of, say Wengen or Lauterbrunnen as compared to Murren. My partner is quite determined to get into the mountains I could easily stay busy in Montreux ...

"My partner is quite determined to get into the mountains*
The mountains are everywhere around Montreux: Chamonix, Verbier, Crans-Montana, Val d'Annivers.....
But you are right: Wengen & Co is also "in the mountains".

I love the town of Brienz (on Lake Brienz) or Interlaken suburb of Unterseen for it's easy connections INTO the mountains, with lots of stores and dining options.
And yes, I also always find the Half Fare Card to be the most economical.