I am travelling to Switzerland in May with my elderly mother. We are travelling from France by train (and have a Euro select pass. I would like to go on the scenic trains, but it seems they do not connect at the same cities). I would like to arrive in Lucerne (and after a day travelling from Paris- give my mother a rest by spending the day there). I will be arriving on the 24th and then departing Switzerland to Venice on the 28th. I am not sure how to arrange the time to include (if possible a couple of scenic trains) and minimise the stress on my mother. She is ok sitting (hence the train idea), but has difficulty walking very far. I thought maybe Arrive Lucerne, spend the day at Lucerne, train from Lucerne to Chur and then the Bernina Express - leave Lugano for Venice... however, the Glacier Express sounds nice and I am not sure of the better option. Does anyone have any suggestions as to how we could best utilise these four days? Any help would be very much appreciated.

Hi FranceswitzItaly,

I think you're forgetting how tiring it can be for your elderly mom to switch hotels, which you plan to do three times. It can take a lot of time and energy to pack up in one hotel and then unpack in another. I think having three different destinations (Luzern, Chur, Lugano) won't be worth it for your mom.

There is plenty to do, even sitting down, for your mom in four days in Luzern. You can spend one day on the ferries around the lakes, maybe stopping at one of the villages for lunch. Ferry schedules are at www.lakelucerne.ch. You can spend another day riding the rails and gondolas up to the peak of either Pilatus or Rigi (or both). Information at www.rigi.ch and www.pilatus.ch. You can spend another day taking the train to the skiing village of Engelberg and going up Titlis. If you want to see some high mountains, take the train from Luzern to Interlaken and have a look. Information for Luzern is at www.luzern.org.

In any case, I stronly recommend that you stay in one place, or return to the same hotel every night to help your mom preserve her energy.

s

Thank you.. out of all the people to whom I have spoken you make the most sense. I suppose, being young'ish' myself, I just wanted to see as much as a I could. Two quick questions.. I just happened to pick Lucerne without knowing a great deal about Switzerland, but it sounds like, from all the activities you have suggested that is is a nice place to locate for our stay in Switzerland...or do you have any better suggestions for a central location? However, with your suggestions, I thought I might then change the itinerary slightly, so that the final trip to Venice would not be too long. If we arrived in Lucerne on the 24th May, spent the next few days there, and on the the 27th take the William Tell Express to Lugano, staying there one night, so that the final trip to Venice on 28th would only be around 4 hours.... Or would we be better off taking the William Tell to Lugano and then going straight to Venice that evening on the 28th?...(So far designing the itinerary for the trip has been very difficult (to say the least).. so thank you so much..).

When I have gone from the Geneva area (Vevey or Montreux) to Venice... I used the overnight train, in a private sleeper cabin (have done this twice).

I have also done a day train one return but it was quite long and not incredibly scenic or anything.

I'd take the Bernina Express route any day over the overhyped Glacier Express, which is an all-day marathon jaunt thru nice but not always dramatic scenery

the Bernina Express is in my top five scenic Europe rail ride and i think i'd taken most all other candidates

I'd put the Glacier Express under several other Swiss routes that don't get the huge publicity the Glacier Express does - plus you'd have to pay a hefty supplement with a Eurailpass to ride it whilst the Bernina Express is fully covered except for a minimal reservation fee.

Hi again FranceswitzItaly,

Sorry, I don't usually go on to Italy when I'm in Switzerland, so I can't help with that portion.

But, yes, I do think that Luzern is a lovely spot if you want to be central. Luzern is a little representation of Switzerland -- its history, mountain beauty, lakes beauty, and medieval architecture. It's a wonderful spot for an introduction to the country.

Other options for a central & beautiful spot might be Thun on Lake Thun or Bern. Both of these are less touristy, if that's a concern for you, and both are closer to the high mountains of the Berner Oberland. Thun has the attraction of also being on a lake, Lake Thun.

But I think your first choice is a great start. Luzern will give you all you want!

Have fun!

s

I think Bern would be a great central location for you. Great town, lots to do (museums, bear pit, great restaurants, lots of great shops,)
Then by train you can reach Lucerne and Interlaken in about an hour) Interlaken is a beautiful Swiss village)The Jungfrau region is also close by train (some of Switzerlands best mountain areas). Plus I think Paris-Bern would be an easier journey by train for your mother.
Good Luck,
Mike