shad_kolo

We will be visiting Switzerland in April of next year and will be traveling with our two year old after visiting Paris. I wanted some help on planning my itinerary. We will be there for 7 days and will be flying out of Zurich. We were thinking of spending three days in Interlaken and four in Lucerne. We would be really greatful if we can get your expert opinion on this.

April 7th : Leave Paris in the morning by train and head to Interlaken. Reach Interlaken by early evening. Stay in Interlaken. Visit Lake Thurn.
April 8th: Trip to Jungfrau. Stay in Interlaken.
April 9th: Go to Lauterbrunnen valley/murren/trummelbach falls. Stay in Interlaken
April 10th : Leave to Lucerne. Stay In Lucerne. Need suggestions here, what else can we do?
April 11th: Mt Pilatus trip. Stay in Lucerne
April 12th: visit Lucerne and around. Lion monument, boat trip etc. Stay in lucerne
April 13th: Leave to Zurich in the evening. Stay in Zurich to catch next day early morning flight to US. Need suggestions here, what else can we do?
Can you suggest on other things I could do during this trip?

nytraveler

You could visit

Town of Thun (adorable)
Brienz/Lake Brienz
Ballenberg folk museum
Gruyere

Don;t bother to move to Zurich - Lucerne is only an hour on the train directly to Zurich airport.

shad_kolo

Thanks for the reply. Should I take the hotel in Interlaken or should I stay in mountains? What would you suggest? Since it is April would there be road closures in the mountains? Also, is Golden Pass from Interlaken to Lucerne worth it?

swandav2000

Hi shad_kolo,

If you were going in the summer, fall or winter, I would say to stay up in the mountains. But in April, the mountain villages are not great -- the snow will be melting and turning much of the landscape to mud, and the flowers aren't blooming yet. So Interlaken is a good place to stay.

Remember that enjoying the views from the Jungfraujoch depends on having good weather; with only two full days in the area, you'll have to get lucky to have one day that's clear. If you definitely want to ascend the Jungfraujoch, then you should extend your stay in the area. If you'll be happy ascending only Pilatus (and no reason you shouldn't be!), then you don't have to worry about staying longer in the Jungfrau area.

I'm not sure what you mean by "road closures" in the mountains. They are always closed to road traffic; the only way to get to some of the mountain villages and all of the mountain tops is by rail (or cable car). However, the trains should be running, so long as there isn't a monster storm or avalanche.

Have fun as you plan!

s

neckervd

If you leave Paris by train in the morning, you will arrive in early afternoon, for example:
Paris dp 7.19 - Interlaken ar 12.57
Paris dp 8.02 - Interlaken ar 13.57 (most scenic itinerary)
Paris dp 10.23 - Interlaken ar 15.28


You may have a look at
http://www.myswitzerland.com/en/home.html
http://www.swisstravelsystem.ch/en/
http://fahrplan.sbb.ch/bin/query.exe/en

shad_kolo

Thank you so much for the reply. As per your suggestion, we are planning to stay in Interlaken and take day trips from there to the mountains. Thanks a lot for the great advice.