Switzerland - 4 days
 

Hi all,
I'm planning to head to 3 countries in EU

My route as per below:

Msia -> London -> Switz -> Italy -> Msia

I'm wondering what can I do in Switz with public transport only for 4 days, which includes travel in and out of Switz.

Best if suggestions on which are to stay can be provided too.

As I dont have many days to spare, I'd just like to do the highlights of Switz. I am a nature person and would like relaxing trip as this is a honeymoon. ;) Less touch points is okay as I just want a good time there.

Thanks in advance.

Hi ellinteoh,

Yes, Switzerland has one of the best public transport systems in the world -- in fact, some of the nicest villages and all of the mountaintops don't even allow cars. You won't have any problems at all getting around.

Here's a link to the Swiss rail site, where you can find all the information you need for schedules and fares:

www.rail.ch

Lots of folks fly from England to Switzerland, so I think you should be able to find some good, cheaper flights. Many fly into Basel, or you can fly into Zürich.

With only four days (3 nights??), you should have only one destination in Switzerland, or else you'll spend your honeymoon packing and unpacking and standing around in hotel lobbies. I would suggest the city of Luzern for your one base -- it has mountains to ascend and a system of lakes to explore.

www.luzern.com

Have fun as you plan!

s

If you have four days, fly into Zürich and take the train to Luzern (1 hour). Spend two days in Luzern - it is a wonderful picturesque historical town. Take a boat trip on the lake and ride the tram up to Mount Pilatus to enjoy the mountain scenery.

From Luzern, take the train to Interlaken (2 hours). From Interlaken, you can ride up to the Jungfrau for a most spectacular mountain experience (only if the weather is good).

Within four days, you will see the best of Switzerland.

From Interlaken, it is an easy train ride into Italy (e.g. 3 hours to Milano).

Thanks for the information! Very helpful indeed.

Btw I'll be flying into Venice (Italy). It looks like travelling into Italy will be from Interlaken anyhow yea?

One more question. What is the best way to travel to Venice fr interlaken/lucerne. Thks.

Swiss rail.

www.rail.ch

s

a 4-consecutive-day Swiss Pass can be a bargain if traveling around and through Switzerland - covers also lake boats, city trams and buses and entry to over 400 Swiss museums (though most folks do not go to Switzerland to trek around museums!) - you can buy it at any Swiss train station upon arrival and if traveling after Sep 1 thru Nov 30 you can buy the passes 2 for the price of 1 (even Saverpasses - two names on one pass) - and check out these sites for oodles of great info on Swiss trains and passes - www.seat61.com; www.ricksteves.com and http://www.budgeteuropetravel.com/id3.html. But of course if just transiting Switzerland in the most direct route to say Italy from Zurich in one train ride then the pass would not be the best option.

One more question. What is the best way to travel to Venice fr interlaken/lucerne. Thks.

From Lucerne take train to Bern
From Interlaken take local train to nearby Spiez, a station on the Bern to Milan, Italy mainline. Hourly or so trains from Bern and Spiez to Brig - some of these trains go on into Italy via the Simplon Tunnel to Milan - change in Milan for Venice - always it seems have to change in Milan though there used to be an occasional Brig to Venice direct Cisalpino train I think that has been scrubbed.

With a Swiss Pass buy a ticket from Domodossola, Italy (first stop in Italy after Simplon Tunnel - Swiss Pass is valid up until here - ticket from Domodossola to Milan and Milan to Venice - www.trenitalia.com has online discounts if you want to lock yourself into a hard to change or non-changeable train otherwise at any station in Switzerland just show you pass and ask for a ticket from the Italian border (Domodossola on this route) to Venice - I suggest leaving ample transfer time in sprawling gigantic Milan Centrale station with zillions of tracks - can be perplexing changing for novices - so build in an hour or so IMO time between train transfers - Italian trains can always be late too.