Lucerne and surrounds
 

Please help! I am planning a car trip around Switzerland.

Basically a friend and I are looking to drive around Switzerland. I have to get the car from lucerne as I am borrowing it from someone.


I want to know from locals or people who have done it if this itinerary is possible:

Arrive zurich 2nd

Airport to train to lucerne
Lucerne to apartment
Walk around a bit. Late night

3rd
Wake up early
Explore lucerne
3pm... maybe earlier pick up car.
430pm (latest) leave for interlaken
530pm arrive interlaken
Explore interlaken
Dinner drinks etc

4th
Early wake up
Venacular to look out
Drive to lauterbrunnen (20 min)
Train to top
Jungfrau
Lauterbrunnen to wengen train?
Drive around
Explore surrounds


Evening start drive through to Bern
Stop as we feel we need on the way
Explore Bern in the evening
Drive back to lucerne (1hr20min)

5th
explore engelberg and grindelwald
Back to lucerne in evening to explore evening time in the city

6th
Early wake up
Chill in lucerne
If there is anything else we decide to do we can do
Maybe pilatus or rigi mountains (?)
Return car
Train to zurich
Check in airbnb
Explore zurich as much as we want
Drinks food city walks

7th
Check out
Leave swiss

Thank you so much!

>>> day 3: 430pm (latest) leave for interlaken -530pm arrive interlaken
Are you driving a Lamborghini or Ferrari? Use www.viamichelin.com to get realistic travel time for all your segments.

>>> day 4:
Drive to lauterbrunnen (20 min)
Train to top
Jungfrau
Lauterbrunnen to wengen train?
Drive around

If you start from Lauterbrunnen, Wengen is between Lauterbrunnen and Kleine Scheidegg. So you route is:
Lauterbrunnen-Wengen-Kleine Scheidegg-Jungfrau-Kleine Scheidegg-Wengen-Laterbrunnen-Wengen-Lauterbrunnen.

Why don't you just get off the train at Wengen on the way down? There is not much time left to drive to Bern on this day, and you are going back to Luzern?

>>> day 5: explore engelberg and grindelwald

Grindelwald is practically next to Lauterbrunnen on day 4. You are driving back again?

>>> day 6: Maybe pilatus or rigi mountains (?)
Most of this trip is on cog-wheel train or aerial gondola. For Pilatus, a full route is a cog-wheel from Alpnachstad to Pilatus then down to Kriens on aerial gondola. If you drove, you car will be left at the wrong place and you have to come down the same way.

Trains are great for this area -places you are going- some no even reachable by car and once there youmust take the train.

I would base both in Lucerne and Interlaken even if going by car.

But consider taking trains in this area - no advantage to driving and IMO a detriment.

Check out Swiss trains and passes- www.swisstravelsystem.com; www.budgeteuropetravel.com and www.ricksteves.com.

And stay in a Wengen - eyeball to eyeball with the finest of the awesome Alps - or Grindelwald.

really you'll only be taking trains from one train station to another. Get a Swiss Pass or Berner Oberland pass for trains and lifts.

What time of year are you making this trip? Really any time of year but especially fall-winter-spring, the mountains may be shrouded in clouds. You don't want to spend big bucks to go up to Jungfraujoch to see nothing but clouds. So you need to schedule several days and hope the clouds go away. The same applies to any of the mountain trips.

Here are webcams for the Bernese Oberland area: http://www.bergfex.com/jungfrau-grin.../webcams/c299/.

I can't speak to whether this trip is do-able. I can say that I would not enjoy it -- too rushed for me!

Why drive, when you can rely on excellent public transportation?

Do train and go to Wengen and spend a couple nights there.

Yes again seriously think trains for places you are going to - your car will be parked in expensive garages much of the time.

That evening in Bern makes no sense. You won't even get there with all the rest you have planned for that day. It gets dark by 5PM or so in winter, and a quick stroll down one side of the main drag from the train station and back up the other is hardly worth that drive from the Wengen area before then driving to Lucerne later the same night.
I have just spent a few days there (yet again - I grew up there and visit often these days) and can tell you that you don't get to experience the essence of Bern in a couple of hours after dark.

Hi again, My husband and I rented a car in Zurich a few years back, drove to Engleburg, went up the mountain in revolving lift, stayed in Engleburg a couple nights. some lovely old hotel that was a cooking school at the time. over to Luzern or vice versa, later over to Murren, left car in some secure lot, spent two nights in Murren ,a lovely spot in May/June, then over thru Simplon Pass into Italy. Switzerland is easy to travel by car because it is so small, but the trains are also a good deal with Swiss Pass. Sue

Ttt

Even with a car you may want to do or investigate a Half-Fare Card available at any Swiss train station. 50% discount on mountain trains could make the $135 or so p.p. cost worth it- practically save that much alone on the Jungfraubahn.