breevesms

2 “young” couples in our 70s need input on 14 days dedicated to riding the Swiss train system, especially segments or all of the Golden Pass, Bernina Express, the Glacier Express, the Gotthard Panorama Express and other lines to various mountain villages.

Present plans and ideas:
1. Fly into Zürich in the latter part of July.
2. Purchase 15 day Swiss Travel Pass.
3. Golden Pass from Luzern to Interlaken, spending 4 or 5 days in the Interlaken area (Wengen, Murren), visiting Lauterbrunnen, Grindelwald, Thun, etc. in Berner Oberland, using the Swiss Travel Pass for trains, ferries and buses.
4. Ride Golden Pass from Interlaken to Montreux.
5. Ride Glacier Express from Zermatt to Chur.
6. Bernina Express from Chur to Lugano.
7. Lugano to Luzern on the Gotthard Panorama Express.
8. Some of the train travel will not necessarily be on the “Express” trains, but local trains so we can get off the train if we so desire. I fully understand about making reservations on the Express routes when traveling on them.
9. I also realize that there are other scenic routes and bus routes that may be just as beautiful, so we are not wed to the 4 routes listed above.
10. We are railroad people, so spending a large amount of time on trains does not bother us.
11. We like to people watch and view the scenery more than spending time in museums, even though our wives love to shop, and we can spend time then in a bar or pub or just watching the crowd or mingling with the locals. By the way, we like to eat where the locals eat, so we don’t need stops with Michelin restaurants.
12. Again, we are in our 70s, and hiking is out due to our physical condition.
13. We do not desire to spend just 1 night at numerous places, but will do it 1or 2 times if we like the itinerary.
14. I have reviewed many, many trip reports and Q and A’s on this and other forums, so if this is addressed in another post, please excuse me and direct me to it/them.

Questions:
1. Most scenic train route from Montreux to Zermatt?
2. If we decide to overnight in Montreux, Zermatt, Chur, Lugano, Andermatt, Tirano, or some other town or village, how long do we stay in each place, and be sure to add your preferred stops?
3. Any ideas if our itinerary is doable or too ambitious?
4. Your suggestion(s) on a more practical itinerary.

Thanks in advance!

neckervd

MONTREUX - ZERMATT
(luggage can be sent directly from Montreuxy Zermatt)

via MONT BLANC - MATTERHORN (most spectacular and most expensive itinerary):
https://www.montebianco.com/en https://www.matterhornparadise.ch/en...acier-paradise
Montreux (1300 ft above sea level) - train - Martigny (1530 ft) - MONT BLANC EXPRESS - Montroc (4470 ft) - Chamonix (3400 ft) - AIGUILLE DU MIDI GONDOLA - Aiguille du Midi (12390 ft) - GEANT GLACIER GONDOLA - Pointe Hellbronner (11375ft) - revolving cabine SKYWAY MONTE BIANCO - Entreves (4260 ft) - bus - Courmayeur (4000 ft) - Aosta (1870 ft) - Chatillon (1470 ft) - Breuil Cervinia (6600 ft) - MATTERHORN ALPINE CROSSING GONDOLA - Kleihnmatterhorn/Matterhron Paradise (12740 ft) - Zermatt (5310 ft).
Places to visit:
Martigny: roman theatre and fondatoin gianadda
Aosta: https://www.lovevda.it/en/culture/roman-architecture
Chamonix, Courmayeur, Breuil-Cervinia: mountain ressrts

VIA GOLDEN PASS - LOETSCHBERGER
Golden Pass Panoramic express Montreux - Gstaad - Spiez
Scenic train Loetschberger Spiez - Kandersteg - Goppenstein (Loetschental Valley) - Brig.
Possible side trips:
from Montbovon: to Gruyeres Castle, cheese dairy and Broc chocolate factory
from Gstaad: to Glacier 3000 (9650 ft)
from Muelenen to Niesen (rope rfailway)
from Kandersteg to Lake Oeschinen (gondolas)
from Goppenstein to Loetschental Valley (bus)

neckervd

The Swiss Travel System gives you the oportunity to combine scenic trains, boat rides on lakes and rivers , as well as bus and cableway rides into mountain areas where trains don't go. If you really want to see most of Switzerland, you best combine all that. For exemple:

Historic paddle wheel steamboat Geneva - Lausanne - Montreux
Golden Pass Montreux - Interlaken - Meiringen
Post bus Meiringen - Grimsel Pass - Furka Pass - Andermatt
Glacier Express Andermatt - Samedan/St. Moritz/Pontresina
Bernina Express and Bernina Express bus Pontresina - Tirano - Lugano
Lake Lugano boat Lugano - Capolago and cog wheel train to Monte Generoso
Lake Lugano boat Lugano - Ponte Tresa and connecting bus to Luino
Lake Maggiore boat Luino - Locarno
scenic Centoilvalli train Locarno - Domdossola
Postbus Domodossola - Simplon Pass - Brig
cog wheel train and gondola to Fiesch - Eggishorn/Aletsch Glacier
local train from Fiesch to Zermatt and Gornergrat
local trains from Zermatt to Visp and Sierre, rope railway to Crans-Montana and gondolas to Glacier de la Plaine Morte
bus from Crans-Montana to Sion - Haute Nendaz - Siviez and gondola to Mont Fort
Gondoal Mont Fort - Verbier - Le Chable and train to Lausanne - Yverdon
Lake Neuchatel boat Yverdon - Neuchatel - Biel/Bienne - Solothurn
train Solothurn - Burgdorf - Thun
Boat Thun - Interlaken - Brienz
Cog wheel steam railway Briez - Brienzer Rothorn
Gondola Brienzer Rothorn - Soerenberg - bus - Schüpfheim - train Lucerne
Voralpen Express Lucerne - Rapperswil - St. Gallen (with side trips to Rigi and Einsiedeln)
Train to Romanshorn plus Lake Constance boat and Rhine river boat to Konstanz - Sein am Rhein - Schffhausen/Rhine Falls
local train Schaffhausen - Zurich airport........

Of course, you can never do all thet in 2 weeks, the more than it is more interesting to stay at nice places than to move all the time.. I just wanted to show you how one can combine different legs.

Finsteraarhorn

Hello,

14 days, late July - early August are a good timeframe to visit Switzerland by train: good choice! Neckervd gave already some advanced suggestions. Let me come back to some basics.

- Q1: I would ride from Montreux to Zermatt the regular railway, to have more time to spend in Montreux (cogwheel train to Rochers de Naye) or Zermatt

- Q2: An itinerary ZRH - Bernese Oberland (via Lucerne-Golden Pass I; not Interlaken but either a mountain village or a lakeshore village) - Montreux (via Golden Pass II) - Zermatt - St. Moritz (or a surrounding village in upper Engadin valley, not Chur, not Andermatt; travel by Glacier express) - Lugano (via Bernina railway and bus, don't stay in Tirano) - Lucerne (via Gotthard Panorama Express and maybe boat from Flüelen) - ZRH sounds to me.

- Q3: 6 bases for 14 days are a bit too much imo: I would prefer to stay at least 3 nights in every destination. Hence, consider to skip one/two destinations to have more time (traveling less) to enjoy the others. Skip Montreux or Lucerne and/or one mountain destination for example.

- Q4: I would stay, at least 3 nights each, in Bernese Oberland, Zermatt, upper Engadin, Lugano and Lucerne. Ok, 3x5=15 nights: cut one night somewhere or cut another destination.

Did you already checked the websites of the "Grand train tour of Switzerland"? Just to get some ideas. Grand Train Tour of Switzerland | Switzerland Travel Centre , Grand Train Tour of Switzerland | Switzerland Tourism (myswitzerland.com) and Grand Train Tour of Switzerland | SBB

August 1st is the Swiss National Day: expect celebrations, big barbecue parties, politician speeches, fokloristic concerts (alphorns etc.) and events, fireworks and bonfires.

twk

I didn't try to cover some of the areas that you mention when I did 2 weeks in Switzerland in 2016, but I do highly recommend the 15 day unlimited travel pass. With that pass, you can just enter a journey on the SBB app and go if it suits your fancy. Don't neglect the boat aspect of the pass, either, even if you are a train enthusiast. If you click on my name, you can see my trip report to see what we covered with the pass.