Swiss itinerary help
 

Work schedule change has opened up possible time off at the end of July for the first time since my University days. Never holiday in July or August. Managed to get reasonable business class tickets to Zurich with arrival July 25 and departure August 5. Had considered the Azores but airfare more convoluted and expensive. Also. Considered Norway but were there 2 years ago so thought we might go to Switzerland. Thinking of first night at Zurich airport hotel as we get in at 1010 and taking a train into the city for the day. Train to Lucerne for 2 nights possibly at Renaissance hotel. (Could do 3 nights Lucerne if we skipped Night in Zurich). Train to Wengen for 5 nights at Alpenrose hotel. We then have 3 nights extra. Any recommendations as to what to do before flying back out of Zurich?

The options are endless...what are your interests? Hiking? Cities?

So, you arrive at 1010 pm into Zurich? Then plan to head to Lucerne the next day after exploring Zurich a bit?

The good news is....you got time off. The bad news is....July and August in Switzerland. Gonna be crowded! We did this last year and most of the mountain locations were pretty nuts. Many trains to the top sites were jammed and uncomfortable I continue to recommend a less frazzled experience in Montreux. Less crowded, take a ferry to France, relax, take day trips to the mountains if you really need to. Lauterbrunnen, Wengen etc. will be jammed with frail young women hauling around refrigerator-sized suitcases. St. Moritz is also nice.

Lauterbrunnen, Wengen etc. will be jammed with frail young women hauling around refrigerator-sized suitcases.

True that.:lol:

You're asking specifically about Zurich? There's a lot to do there; IMO, it's underrated. It holds some excellent museums and two of its churches have stunning stained glass windows -- the Chagall windows at Fraumunster and the Polke and Giacometti windows of Grossmunster. Any good guide book should give you some ideas.

If you're asking more generally, you might take a look at my old trip report:
https://www.fodors.com/community/eur...thanks-983126/

Interested more in mountains and hiking rather than cities. Might cut Wengen from 5 nights to four nights

If I'm following, cutting a night from Wengen would mean you have 4 nights to play with? Enough, IMO, to head into the glorious Engadine. Stunning mountains, wonderful hiking / walking paths....

I agree. There are lots of great places to base yourself in the Engadine, but we prefer Scuol. Charming, historic old town in the lower level and lively upper level. Highly recommend the Hotel Arnica. https://www.arnica-scuol.ch/en/

Re Zurich, we think it's underrated as well; we spend the week-end there several times a year and always enjoy it. However, when it comes to museums, Basel easily trumps Zurich for variety and quality.

So now thinking arrival ZUR 1010. Checking into Radisson Bleu at the airport then taking train into Zurich for the day and dinner before returning to the Radisson. We are flying business so hopefully will not be too tired. Train next morning to Lucerne. Spend 2 nights in Lucerne probably at Renaissance hotel. Train to Wengen for 4 nights at Alpenrose hotel. Train to Scuoi via Brig and Glacier express. 3nights Scuo with return to Zurich night of the 4th.

Since you plan to be in Zurich the night before your departure, have you considered going straight from the Zurich airport to Luzern upon your arrival? It takes just over an hour and I believe there are multiple trains each day.

P.S.: Here's a link to the Swiss rail website.
https://www.sbb.ch/en

Unless you are staying on points, I suggest you stay at one of the two Hyatts at Zurich airport instead of the Radisson, which has gone downhill since the Hyatts opened. (the Hyatts are in "The Circle" complex connected to the airport). There is a tram stop right outside the Hyatt to take you into Zurich. However, if you plan to spend that day in Zurich, then why not stay in town instead? If you decide to have dinner in Zurich, we highly recommend Bindella, in the old town on a small street just off Bahnhofstrasse (reservations usually necessary). Note: the nearby Zeughauskeller restaurant is a tourist trap.

Or, as suggested above, go straight to Lucerne from the airport. You can have a short doze on the train and then wake up to Alpine scenery :).

Since you've now got Engadine in your October plans, you might find this site helpful: https://www.engadin.com/en/autumn They have a community chat group on the site for advice and answers to any specific questions you might have about the region.

Thank you. Wondering about how long to stay in Wengen or if we should go at all. I suppose 4 nights might be reasonable. Any idea as to how much time to stay in Lucerne? Three nights and two full days vs two nights and one full day? We were originally planning a September trip. Hotel rates on our first night in Switzerland were quite high in Lucerne which is why we thought to stay first in Zurich. Have found reasonable rates at the Lucerne Radisson for three nights. Our flight out of Zurich is at 1:35 pm so spending the night in Zurich rather than the airport seems reasonable.

As I understand it, you've said your focus is on hiking and the mountains. From my perspective, 4 nights is quite reasonable for Wengen. There's a LOT to do in that area, hikes and cable cars and easy access to things to do if the weather turns in ways that make hiking less than ideal. I'd keep that time frame; YMMV.

Lucerne -- well again, I'd go for three nights. The city itself is lovely and has some wonderful museums and sights, but more to the point for someone aiming to experience Swiss mountains, I'd want to spend at least one day on a boat on Viervaldstatdersee -- I thought the views amazing and you can get off to explore various points of interest. So I'd want two days (3 nights) -- one for the city, one for something stellar nearby.

Switzerland is expensive. No way around that. You can choose to let cost dictate your itinerary or you can choose to spend a bit more to let your itinerary dictate costs. Your call.

While I'm not a fan of Lucerne, I think only two nights there is giving it short shrift. I personally don't care for two nights stays, as one full day never seems enough, regardless of the destination. I think four nights in Wengen is a decent amount of time, although I'd have no trouble spending much longer there. Fear not, you will not run out of things to do in either location.

A train ride from Wengen via Brig - Glacier Express to Scuol is endless:
Wengen dp 8.42 - Lauterbrunnen dp 9.01 - Interlaken Ost dp 9.29 - Spiez dp 10.05 - Brig dp 11.14 - Samedan dp 18.16 - Scuol-Tarasp ar 19.25

Yes I can see it would be a long somewhat complicated train ride. Maybe train from Wengen to Zermatt for a night then Glacier express to keep it simpler? Suspect Zermatt would be a zoo in early August

You suspect correctly.

Zermatt for only 1 night doesn't make any sense.
Zermatt is in the middle of the highest mountains of Europe and a base for unforgettable gondola rides or hikes to tons of glaciers, mountain lakes, mountain huts and viewpoints (up to 12500 feet).
But the village itself is nothing to write home about and full of all kinds of tourists.
If you want to stop over, do it at Riderealp. 30 min by train and gondola from Brig

Going from Wengen to Scuol would make for a long day ... but I don't think there's any need to go through Brig unless one wants to do so. I think there are routes that are closer to 6 hours.

I am starting to question going to Scuol. Lots of train connections and a very long day from Wengen. SSB also does not do express baggage transport to Scuol. Starting to consider Golden Express to Montreux for a few nights then back to Zurich for a few nights. Can stay with points at Zurich Marriott or Neues Schloss or the Park Hyatt.

Montreux would certainly make sense.

If you have Marriott points, get right off the train in Montreux and cross the street to the Grande Hotel Swiss Majestic, so easy and very nice property, right on the lake, 5 minutes from the ferries, super central location.

Trip is coming into focus.
1: Arrival ZRH 1010 July 25. Train to Lucerne Using Swiss 50% off pass.
2: Lucerne July 25/26/27 Radisson hotel
3: Train to Wengen on Berner Oberland 6 day pass on July 28
4: Wengen July 28/29/30/31 Hotel Alpenrose or Hotel Branbar
5: Golden Express to Montreux using BO pass.
6: Montreux August 1/2/3 Grande Hotel Swiss Majestic
7: Train to Zurich using 50% Swiss card
8: Zurich at Marriott using free night reward or
Park Hyatt for 40 K Chase points or
Widder hotel for 55K Chase points including free breakfast and $100 property credit or
La Reserve Eden au Lac for 50K points with breakfast and $100 credit or
Alex Lake Zurich for 42K points plus breakfast and $100 credit or
The Dolder Grand for 50 K points including breakfast and $100 credit.
9: Fly home 1335.

For your hotel in Wengen, I encourage to make sure you have a stunning view from your room. For me, the reason to stay in Wengen is for the views.

The named trains, like the Golden Express, generally run on the same tracks as unnamed trains. I found no reason to choose one of the more expensive named trains, and often, the times for the "regular" trains were more convenient for me. My trip was some time ago; things could have changed. I hope one of the experts weigh in. I trust you've done your calculations to determine that the 50% pass is worth it.

No, things haven't changed - most of the so called 'express' trains charge supplements and require reservations, but they all use the same track and take the same route, so the scenery is the same. Regional trains are cheaper, run more frequently, and are usually much less crowded.

Second class is also perfectly fine, but I've not visited in the height of the summer season for many years, so that may have changed, meaning, they could be quite crowded. Some people choose first class for the extra luggage space, but in some two dozen trips, we never have.

Deep Purple would approve!

Lots to see on the Eastern end of Lake Geneva.

twk....still looking for that stupid with a flare gun!

GOLDEN PASS
Only the Golden Pass Express trains Interlaken dp 9.07, 11.07, 14.07 16.07 are direct. All other trains need a train change at Spiez and another one at Zweisimmen.
https://www.gpx.swiss/en/
The fare is the same for all trains. But as the 4 mentioned Golden Pass Express trains get usually full very quickly during the season, seat reservation (20 CHF/pax) is highly recommended.

I will add that this museum was amazing. I was pleasantly surprised as I hadn't heard many recommendations for it. Give yourself time. It is huge.
https://www.kunsthaus.ch/en/

Thanks for clarifying!

What surprised me most was how human-like it felt when helping me craft short replies to text messages from locals. Especially when tone and formality matter in French, it gave me confidence to respond properly.

Deep Purple the band? They still exist?
They played at the jazz festival?

Local lore! Frank Zappa was playing the casino....Purple were to record there but a stupid shot off a flare gun and caught the casino on fire and burned it all to the ground....hence, Smoke on the Water ...biggest hit. Read the lyrics, then walk 10 minutes from your hotel to the new casino and check out the Queen museum. Very cool. We're old and remember...

Great! Now I have that song stuck in my head.
luckily not in my LP collection

Taking Golden Express as it’s no changes as Neckervd notes. Any suggestions for day trips out of Montreux?

Went last year, no expert but here's some stuff we did. A trip to the Charlie Chaplin home and museum, spend a full morning or afternoon. Book a lunch or dinner cruise on a steam powered paddlewheel ferry on the Lake. Take a trip on a ferry to Evian, France, get off and knock around town, eat lunch and head back. Take a train to Gruyeres and see the cheese factory, go in the morning if you want to see it made, and have a fondue there. The Queen/Freddie Mercury museum at the casino was better than I expected, go to the studio control room and mix a track. Eat food, walk along the lake. Castle there was ok, but just a castle. We had travel passes so used them to the max, short day trips by rail and lots of ferries. Very nice place to spend a few days.

Lausanne. Vevey. Glion. Gruyeres. Rocher de Naye. The Lavaux vineyard terraces. Boat on the lake. Seems that I enjoyed the Chateau Chillon more than wildiowa.

Try the Michelin Green Guide.

The castle is worth a visit but we are older and after awhile it was a bit much physically v.s. what we were seeing. It is for sure an attraction that draws a lot of people and is popular.

Chocolate train worth it?