Any ideas on where to go..or which rute to take to do a day trip to the Swiss Alps, on train, from Zurich? Which town to get out and look around? We will be in Zurich 2 days, and seeing the Alps is a must! Is it cheaper to buy the Swiss Pass than getting these passes sepparetely?

Lots of directions you can go -- consider Konstanz to the north, St Gallen to the east, Luzern to the south, or the small neat town of Baden just northwest of Zurich. My favorite of all these has to be Luzern, with St Gallen as a good second choice. Any of these can be reached by train on a day trip (Baden is probably best by bus). As for the Swiss Pass, others will have to comment. I prefer travel by car. Good luck.

Hi camirami,

Yes, I agree with Wayne above. Taking a day in Luzern will be a delight, and will give you your Alpine fix.

From Luzern, you can ascend (at least) three nearby peaks: Rigi, Pilatus, and Titlis. You can get information on them at

www.rigi.ch
www.pilatus.ch
www.titlis.ch

And for general information on Luzern,

www.luzern.org

You can get the schedules and fares for the train trips at the Swiss rail site,

www.rail.ch

I think you'll find that the fares between Zürich and Luzern won't be so high that you would need a Pass. But it would be best to price out the tirps to see.

Have fun!

s

Good post Swandav.

this is great info info swandav, thanks! one question.. we don't need to buy the train tickets in advance do we? just betting them the day of at the station should be fine? i would deffinately print out a schedule to know the times.

Also, if you want real Alpine villages, Klosters is only about 1+ hour train ride away, Flims/Laax is even closer. Switzerland is so compact and easy. And no, you don't need tickets in advance and you don't need 1st class. Enjoy.

Hi camirami & swandav,
How was your trip? my case is same as Camirami.. We are 4students from germany, would like to spend 2days in Zurich (including Alps visit).. I think its better to buy train tickets other than swiss pass, since we are there only for 2days..
Can you please suggest me an idea/your plan to make our trip a memorable one..

thanks,
Manik

Hi Manic_Magesh,

I'm not sure what new information you are looking for . . .??

Take the train from Zürich to Luzern, which takes about 45 minutes. Check the Luzern site to see how much sight-seeing you want to do in the city, and what you want to do in the mountains. Make sure you take a ferry ride on the lakes at least one time.

Just make a list of the things you'd like to see and do in your short time there. Get the walking directions, cable cars, and ferry ride schedules in advance, and have them available. Then, see what the weather is like when you're there, and get going!

s

s