Long awaited Trip - Please advice on our Intinerary
 

Hi Everyone,
I and my wife have been dreaming about going to Swiss for a while and we have planned next week. Can you please advice on the below itineray.
Day 1 - Zurich
Day 2 - Luzern ( Walking Tour, Bike trip along North Shore, Lake Cruise, Swiss Transport Mueseum)
Day 3 - Luzern - Mount Pilatus, Mount Rigi
Day 4 - Luzern - Mount Titlis, Weggis, Andermatt Scenic Drive
Day 5 - Interlaken ( What to do/see here )
Day 6 - Jungfraujoch
Day 7 - Geneva or any other better place. We have a train leaving out of Geneva
Day 8 - Paris
Can you please advise on the above Itinerary ?
Also, We dont want to stay in a City hotel. We've been fascinated by some pictures, where there is a hotel with a snow capped background mountain...more like a village setting, but easy access to city
1) Can you please advice such a hotel in Luzern & Interlaken
2) Also, which is the best place to visit a Chocolat factory and Cheese factory....
3) We find it very hard to include Zermat / Glacier Express in our trip. Can you please advice on a alternate but equally good experience based on our itinerary
4) Also, I've read in forums people telling to stay in mountains...and explore by bike / foot..are there any such places in Luzern / Interlaken ?
Thanks much in advance.....

For the Geneva day, I would base in Montreux or Vevey instead. They are right on the train route about 1 hour outside Geneva. Beautiful towns right on Lac Leman with mountain views in the distance.

Interlaken is all about hiking. For an easier trip, take the chair lift, cable car, funicular, or whatever UP, then hike down aways. Also, you can ride a boat on the lakes, get off at a cute town, get back on, etc.

As for the Jungfrau, ONLY go on a clear day....it is quite a treck and an expense, and is usually quite crowded on the train...I don't know of many people who would advise you to go on a day with low visibility.

The Golden Pass train between Interlaken and montreux, on Lake Geneva and not far from Geneva by rail is every bit as wondrous as the much more highly publicized Glacier Express route in my opinion. There are the official Golden Pass trains, with panoramic cars in 1st class, with neat swivel seats as well as about hourly local trains. Golden Pass trains require a reservation i believe on this part and can easily be made at any station in Switzerland.
I think you itinerary is super. I assume you're going by car - if not the Swiss Flexipass railpass would be ideal for you on this type of trip - you get three days of 100% covered travel and then 50% everything else for the one-month validity period of the pass - even the pricey Jungfrau train which is not covered in full by the pass - ditto for Titlis and pilatus. Passes are available at stations in Switzerland but are about 10-15% cheaper if bought in the U.S. last time i compared prices with RailEurope's in U.S. and at www.sbb.ch - the Swiss rail site. Saver passes (two or more names on one pass) cost as low as $150 p.p. for three 100% covered travel days and 50% off everything else that moves in Switzerland for the month period. If driving most of the trip the pass is not good for you, but the Half-Fare card, sold in Switzerland for SF99 or about $80 may well be as it would get you 50% off the four mountain top trains you'll be taking (Titlis, Rigi, Pilatus, Jungfrau and the savings would exceed the cost of the card - if going by train pay the extra for the Swiss Pass and have your long train journeys covered in full would probably be the better deal. Though RailEurope, owned 30% by the Swiss Railways, is the major marketer in the U.S. i always recommend BETS (www.budgeteuropetravel.com) for passes because of their expertise. On their home page you can ask for their free European Planning & Rail Guide which has lots of info on Swiss trains - maps, itineraries, etc.) www.ricksteves.com also has good info on Switzerland trains. Check www.sbb.ch for real fares in Switzerland to compare with pass prices. www.railsaver.com is a U.S. company that will tell you whether a pass is warranted or not for your itinerary.

In Interlaken, take the funicular to Harder Kulm, have lunch, and enjoy the spectacular views.

To go up Mt. Rigi, take the boat from Luzern to Vitznau then the cog train up the mountain. You can purchase a ticket for the entire trip. ((b))

Thanks.
Reading this forum, I think I should not stay in Interlaken but in surrounding areas like Grindelwald or Muerren. Can you advice / please suggest some good hotels
Thanks again

Wengen, known for its superlative views in an area exuding superlative views and a very quite mountain town with no cars (leave them in Lauterbrunnen and hop the train up there) is a favorite of many Fodorites. If using a Swiss Pass it covers you in full to Wengen. Murren is a lot more isolated than Wengen and currently hard to get to because the usual funicular up there is closed and you have to take a round about route.

ttt

Instead of staying in Interlaken, you may consider Brienz which has both lake and mountains to explore and is most beautiful. The Brienzer Rothornbahn runs steam trains to the Rothorn Kulm and boats ply the lake and Brienz is only 15 mins from Interlaken

We stayed in Wengen at the Alpenrose, which we thought was great. If you have limited time and want to do the trip to the Jungfraujoch, you are better off staying in Wengen or Grindelwald, rather than Muerren, because they are on that train line, and Muerren is on the other side of the valley. You would also have the option of combining the trip to the Jungfraujoch with some hiking. (consider the Mannlichen-Kleine Scheidegg walk discussed on numerous posts here.)

If you are traveling by car and prefer a more rural setting, then you might consider staying in Weggis or Vitznau (villages on the lake) rather than in Lucern itself and doing all your excursions of this area from there. The lakeside setting of these villages is spectacular.

Hi Kalts,
As for the Swiss Transportation Museum, we though it was a very worthwhile stop. Now this is just my opinion...I'd cut one night in Luzern and use it to stay an other night in The Berner Oberland. Staying another day in Luzern to see Mts. Pilatus, Titlis and/or Rigi, I don't see. The much better mts. are in The Berner Oberland. We stayed at the Hotel Eiger in Wengen. Absolutely wonderful views! Again, just my opinion, Wengen, as far as a place to stay, is at the top of our list in all of
Switzerland (maybe Europe).

Paul

The Swiss Transport Museum in Lucerne is, except for Britain's national rail museum in York, the finest transportation museum i've ever seen and i've seen a lot of them. Again, however if interested in all things that move for public transportation throughout the ages in Switzerland, the steep entry fee can be waived if you use a day of 100% travel on a Swiss Pass. You can also take a boat from opposite the Lucerne train station right to the museum a few miles east of town on the lake.