First I want to say it's me Karen not my Husband who some of you have been talking with recently about fishing. LOL!!!

Now then. . . What do you think of this itinerary? And will the Half-fare card be the one for us to get for this trip?

Day 1 & 2 - Fly from states to Zurich Airport; take a train into Zurich for a few hours; then take a train into Lucerne; take a taxi (40 chf - per our accomodations) to Merlischachen.

Day 3 - Lunch cruise from Lucerne to Vitznau and back. We'll take the train? from Merlischachen to Lucerne and then back again. Probably do some shopping and have dinner in Lucerne.

Day 4 - Free day; shop, rest, fish?, plan more of our trip.

Day 5 - Boat Tour on Lake Lucerne; train from Merlischachen to Lucerne and back. May do some shopping in Merlischachen & have dinner.

Day 6 - Pilatus & Seilpark (looks fun); not sure how the train will work today. But, assuming we'll take it from Merlischachen to Lucerne then on to Pilatus? and back. This will be an all day trip - so eating will be on the run.

Day 7 - Titlis; train? Same as day 6.

Day 8 - Jungfrauhoch; train from Merlischachen to Jungfrauhoch (4.5 to 5 hours). Planning on using a day pass for this with the half-fare card. Woooo!!! I just realized something - that's 4.5 hrs there and then 4.5 hrs back!!! Not much time to do anything else. Should I scrap this trip? If so, what should I replace it with?

Day 9 - Merlischachen to Zurich Airport to catch our flight home.

So? Do you think that the Half Fare Card will be the best for us? If not, which do you think.

If you have any other suggestions, I'd be glad to hear them.

Thanks, Karen

Hope you get a few replies as we are doing a similar trip next Spring!
Good Luck
Rosie

Hi whitneykt,

Here are some thoughts --

1. The taxi to Merlischachen. I just checked the SBB for the trip from Luzern, and it's 12 minutes by train and costs 5.40 chf. Why take a taxi there from Luzern? Just change trains, take the taxi from the Merlischachen station to your hotel, and save yourself about $50. Schedules are at www.rail.ch.

2. The trip to the Jungfraujoch. No. Ten hours on a train is eight hours too many; I limit myself to two hours in each direction for my day-trips. Otherwise, your memories of the day will just be that four-walled moving carriage. I would either tour Rigi or Titlis. There are many little hikes you can take around the mountains -- check out www.rigi.ch or www.titlis.ch.

3. Half-Fare Card -- also good on the ferries, so don't forget to use it there.

4. Ferries -- schedules are at www.lakelucerne.ch if you haven't already found it.

5. Which pass? Unfortunately, you have to do all the math to find the absolute best one. I usually do a spreadsheet, which I hate to do! The easy way is to input your itinerary and the travelers' data at www.railsaver.com, then click on "only if it saves me money." That will give you an estimate of the best pass to use.

6. You'll get more responses for your question if you put "Switzerland" somewhere in your title.

Have fun!

s

swandav - the reason for the taxi is because the lady we are staying with said they have a deal with them. The cottage is about 10 minutes from the train station in Merlischachen but, I think their is quite a hill to climb to get to it. So she thought with our luggage the taxi from Lucerne was a good idea. Not sure why it's not from the train in Merlischachen.

That's kind of my thoughts on the Jungfraujoch trip. That would be a very LONG day.

I did do a spread sheet and if we do what I have on this itinerary and if I have my prices correct, the half fare card seems to be my best bet. I tried that "railsaver.com" thing and it kept telling me that certain towns were not found . . . so I didn't get very far on that program.

Since we are leaving a week from yesterday is it too late to get a card here or should we just wait until we get the Zurich and buy the half card?

Thanks again!

Hi whitneykt,

I've bought the HFC online before and picked it up at the station under the Zurich airport -- but in all reality, it only saved me about 10 minutes. Because of the frequency of the trains to Luzern, it doesn't matter much --i.e., you won't miss an important train connection if you spend an additional 10 minutes.

I would just relax & buy it there. If you have a travel partner, you could split up -- one of you get the HFC/s and the other buy goodies at the grocery store.

Have fun!

s

On the boats, purchase the 1st class ticket. It's a little extra, but worth it. You will be much more happier and comfortable.

Swandav - So it's not cheaper to buy it from here than to buy it from the train station.

Thanks Budman!

Nope, same exact price, 99chf. Only difference will be any fluctuation in the exchange rate.

s