Our 8 day swiss itinerary
May 28th, 2007, 05:42 AM
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Our 8 day swiss itinerary
Hi everyone,
This is a tentative 8 day swiss itinerary. This is our first time to Switzerland and we enjoy hiking, scenery and seeing interesting cities. We are planning a trip in late August, and our flight is a round-rip to Geneva. We really would like to see as much as we can, but not hop from one hotel to the next everyday. For the itinerary below, we thought of buying the 2nd class swiss pass.
Day 1 – land in Geneva AM. Train to Montreaux, and Golden pass to Interlaken. Stay in Interlaken or surrounding smaller cities.
Day 2 – stay in Interlaken/smaller cities. Trip to Wengen, Gimmelwald.
Day 3 - stay in Interlaken. Hikes around the area.
Day 4 – Early AM train to Lucerne. Spend the day in Lucerne, and take the evening train to Lugano. Stay in Lugano. Is William Tell the only train to Lugano?
Day 5 – Stay in Lugano.
Day 6 – train to Lausanne. Stay in Lausanne, trip to Gruyere, montreaux, vevey..
Day 7 – Stay in Lausanne.
Day 8 – Stay in Geneva, so that we are not scrambling to make the early morning flight out of Geneva.
Day 9 – Early AM flight out from Geneva.
Is this too packed? From Interlaken, what other places would you recommend seeing? Is the train to Lucerne and out to Lugano too hectic the same day?
This is a tentative 8 day swiss itinerary. This is our first time to Switzerland and we enjoy hiking, scenery and seeing interesting cities. We are planning a trip in late August, and our flight is a round-rip to Geneva. We really would like to see as much as we can, but not hop from one hotel to the next everyday. For the itinerary below, we thought of buying the 2nd class swiss pass.
Day 1 – land in Geneva AM. Train to Montreaux, and Golden pass to Interlaken. Stay in Interlaken or surrounding smaller cities.
Day 2 – stay in Interlaken/smaller cities. Trip to Wengen, Gimmelwald.
Day 3 - stay in Interlaken. Hikes around the area.
Day 4 – Early AM train to Lucerne. Spend the day in Lucerne, and take the evening train to Lugano. Stay in Lugano. Is William Tell the only train to Lugano?
Day 5 – Stay in Lugano.
Day 6 – train to Lausanne. Stay in Lausanne, trip to Gruyere, montreaux, vevey..
Day 7 – Stay in Lausanne.
Day 8 – Stay in Geneva, so that we are not scrambling to make the early morning flight out of Geneva.
Day 9 – Early AM flight out from Geneva.
Is this too packed? From Interlaken, what other places would you recommend seeing? Is the train to Lucerne and out to Lugano too hectic the same day?
May 28th, 2007, 05:57 AM
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I think perhaps that going all the way to Lugano and then staying there only one day may be too much running around.
We stayed in Interlaken when in the BO. I know a lot of people say to stay in one of the smaller towns around there (ex: Wengen , but we were happy with our choice. Interlaken is central and it's easy to get to the small towns from there with beautiful cog wheel trains, or the regular trains, etc. The excursions themselves are part of the fun. You will love the Alps.
We stayed in Interlaken when in the BO. I know a lot of people say to stay in one of the smaller towns around there (ex: Wengen , but we were happy with our choice. Interlaken is central and it's easy to get to the small towns from there with beautiful cog wheel trains, or the regular trains, etc. The excursions themselves are part of the fun. You will love the Alps.
May 28th, 2007, 07:28 AM
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Hi to switzerland,
Yes, do think about skipping Lugano on this trip. I think it would add too much stress & strain and would detract from your overall vacaction.
Here's what I would do --
Arrive in Geneva and take the train to Luzern, overnight 1-2 nights (Are you coming from elsewhere in Europe, or from another continent?
Yes, do think about skipping Lugano on this trip. I think it would add too much stress & strain and would detract from your overall vacaction.
Here's what I would do --
Arrive in Geneva and take the train to Luzern, overnight 1-2 nights (Are you coming from elsewhere in Europe, or from another continent?
May 28th, 2007, 07:31 AM
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(Sorry, hit "post" by mistake"
Anyway, if you need to get over jetlag, Luzern is a good place to do it.
From Luzern, go on to the Berner Oberland for 4-5 days, spending your days on gentle walks or Alpine hikes and on cruises on the lakes.
Then take the Golden Pass to Montreux and stay there or in Lausanne for 2-3 days. This is a long ride, and doing it when jet-lagged won't be a lot of fun!
You can stay in Lausanne the night before your flight; the train will take you directly to the airport's station in less than an hour. You'll lose more time by switching hotels.
Good luck!
s
Anyway, if you need to get over jetlag, Luzern is a good place to do it.
From Luzern, go on to the Berner Oberland for 4-5 days, spending your days on gentle walks or Alpine hikes and on cruises on the lakes.
Then take the Golden Pass to Montreux and stay there or in Lausanne for 2-3 days. This is a long ride, and doing it when jet-lagged won't be a lot of fun!
You can stay in Lausanne the night before your flight; the train will take you directly to the airport's station in less than an hour. You'll lose more time by switching hotels.
Good luck!
s
May 28th, 2007, 12:39 PM
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I realize you would like to see as much of Switzerland as you could see, but to me this is a tour set up for a sure case of travel fatigue.
I would do at least one more day in Interlaken since I am partial to the mountains, but hey that is just how I would do things.
All of those places are absolutely wonderful areas. No question about it, but I could see my self getting really tired at an accelerated pace.
I would do at least one more day in Interlaken since I am partial to the mountains, but hey that is just how I would do things.
All of those places are absolutely wonderful areas. No question about it, but I could see my self getting really tired at an accelerated pace.
May 28th, 2007, 12:53 PM
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Thanks so much for the great suggestions... If we skipped Lugano, and instead went directly to Luzerne, I am wondering if there any excursions we could take around luzerne. The main reason I included Lugano in the itinerary was because of all the wonderful reviews we read in this forum... but I guess one can't see everything in a week!
Also, would it be more economical to buy a swiss pass or go with point-to-point tickets?
We are flying from the U.S.
Also, would it be more economical to buy a swiss pass or go with point-to-point tickets?
We are flying from the U.S.
May 28th, 2007, 12:56 PM
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You just have to go back the next year and visit other areas! There are so many incredible hikes in the BO and in the Lac Leman area. One of our favorite days was hiking along the wine trail from Montreeux to Lausanne. At any point, you can catch the local train and get off at the next village. All those gorgeous little towns. We had a chance lunch at the Auberge du Rivaz which was just spectacular. We took the train to Bulles and hiked to the Gruyeres castle- a fun jaunt! If you can skip Geneva, do. The trains run frequently and are 100% reliable. With the swiss pass, you have the flexibility of hopping on and off all trains, buses, and boats at will (except for the private ones such as Jungfrau) It's a great thing to do!
May 28th, 2007, 01:08 PM
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I do not know how some in this forum deal with the let lag deal, but my way of dealing with this is to do as "little" as I can do the first day.
Upon arrival in Zurich, I usually check into an airport hotel. After check in and such, I grab a couple hours nap. Then the rest of the day, I do very little. I guess mostly having lunch and dinner at the hotel. I like to have dinner that evening followed by an adult beverage or two.
I always felt as this was a day I wasted, but I do not do jet lag as well as some of you.
Then the next day, I head for some special place. Or try to head out that way. LOL
Upon arrival in Zurich, I usually check into an airport hotel. After check in and such, I grab a couple hours nap. Then the rest of the day, I do very little. I guess mostly having lunch and dinner at the hotel. I like to have dinner that evening followed by an adult beverage or two.
I always felt as this was a day I wasted, but I do not do jet lag as well as some of you.
Then the next day, I head for some special place. Or try to head out that way. LOL
Aug 30th, 2007, 02:26 AM
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Just curious: Why the switch from Luzern to Bern. If put to a vote on this board, Luzern would win out over Bern hands down--though the latter has its champions. Luzern has a beautiful lake, river, mountains, compact Altstadt an interesting sights. Bern, while nice, doesn't compare in my opinion. I can't imagine a trip to Switzerland that doesn't include Luzern. If I never returned to Bern, however, I don't think I'd have regrets.
Aug 30th, 2007, 02:32 AM
#19
hi, to s'land,
I really like the way you have tweeked you itinerary - it looks so good i'm thinking about when we could do it ourselves.
A few years ago we stayed a night in Vevey - it turned out that the next morning was market day [i think a sat, from memory] - it seemed to me that they started setting it out at about 3am.
so try to avoid staying in the market place the night befor a market, if you want to sleep.
otherwise it was charming, and the market was great.
regards, ann
I really like the way you have tweeked you itinerary - it looks so good i'm thinking about when we could do it ourselves.
A few years ago we stayed a night in Vevey - it turned out that the next morning was market day [i think a sat, from memory] - it seemed to me that they started setting it out at about 3am.
so try to avoid staying in the market place the night befor a market, if you want to sleep.
otherwise it was charming, and the market was great.
regards, ann
Sep 3rd, 2007, 06:27 AM
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to swtizerland:
some great resources on Swiss trains
www.swisstravelsystem.com has lots of trains, lake boats, postal buses, etc. and especially on Specialty trains like Bernina Ex Glacier Ex Golden Pass, etc.
www.budgeteuropetravel.com on their home page offers the very helpful European Planning & Rail Guide free - it's a primer on European rail travel and has a especially useful chapter on Switzerland - with rail map and special coverage of intineraries, Jungfrau trains, specialty trains like Bernina Express, etc. Their web site also has nice info of Switzerland. I also recommend them for any Swiss Pass because of the expert staffers you can call and chat with about any questions and the don't charge RailEurope's $18 mailing fee on typical Swiss Passes.
www.ricksteves.com has also lots of stuff on Swiss trains and itineraries.
In any case buy your Swiss Pass outside of Switzerland as you' save 15-20% on the total prices as for some reason exact same pass in Switzerland is that much more expensive if paid for in Swiss francs (and you also have the typical 3% charge card or money exchange fees)
some great resources on Swiss trains
www.swisstravelsystem.com has lots of trains, lake boats, postal buses, etc. and especially on Specialty trains like Bernina Ex Glacier Ex Golden Pass, etc.
www.budgeteuropetravel.com on their home page offers the very helpful European Planning & Rail Guide free - it's a primer on European rail travel and has a especially useful chapter on Switzerland - with rail map and special coverage of intineraries, Jungfrau trains, specialty trains like Bernina Express, etc. Their web site also has nice info of Switzerland. I also recommend them for any Swiss Pass because of the expert staffers you can call and chat with about any questions and the don't charge RailEurope's $18 mailing fee on typical Swiss Passes.
www.ricksteves.com has also lots of stuff on Swiss trains and itineraries.
In any case buy your Swiss Pass outside of Switzerland as you' save 15-20% on the total prices as for some reason exact same pass in Switzerland is that much more expensive if paid for in Swiss francs (and you also have the typical 3% charge card or money exchange fees)
