Switzerland in May
 

We (2 of us) are looking into touring Switzerland for 10 days mid-May (fly in from Canada around May 12th) and are looking for feedback on the best way to do it. We don't particularily want to stay in a different city each night (notice that suggested bus tours or train tours stay in different cities each night -- apart from a couple of stops that are for 2 nights); and therefore, it seems that we need to pick which regions we wish to travel to and where it is best to establish a base.

We plan to travel light .. 1 small suitcase and back pack each ... buy a phone card when we arrive and take our notebook with us for web access. We will buy either a Swiss Saver Pass or Eurail .. need to first finalize our itinerary and then check out costs.

We are flying into Zurich ... after Switzerland, we are heading to Amsterdam then London by train ... flying back to Canada from London.

Subject to feedback (and maybe finding a hotel!), we are looking at:
1. Zurich/Luzern area for 3 nights ... Golden Round Trip?
2. Interlaken area for 3 nights (stay in Lauterbrunnen, Murren or Wengen)
3. Lausanne area for 3 nights (Geneva, Castle of Chillon, the Lavaux vineyards cruise .. stay in Montreux or Vevey).

In choosing these areas, we are missing out on Zermatt, Lugano, the Glacier Express, St. Moritz as well as other spots that are included on bus/train tours.

Should we be rethinking our plans to include Zermatt and the Glazier Express or ..? Spend less time somewhere else?

I think should amend to include Zermatt ... take the Glacier Express from Andermatt ... stay for 2 nights at the Best Western (Hotel Butterfly) .... and spend 1 less day both at Interlaken and Lausanne?

Hi Enroh,

No, I don't think you need to include ALL that stuff, Zermatt, the Glacier Express, Interlaken, and Lausanne. Something has to give (remember that every time you move, you can lose around half a day with just boring chores of packing and dealing with hotels).

The best part of the Glacier Express is its highest point, between Disentis and Andermatt; the rest of the trip is nice, but no nicer than any other trip through the Alps. And I don't think you need to hit both Jungfrau area and Zermatt; I think seeing one Swiss Alpine region, but seeing it in some depth, would be much more satisfying.

I think you should make that hard choice: either the full Glacier Express with some days at either end, or Interlaken and Lake Geneva. Here are two sample itineraries:

Luzern two nights, St. Moritz area three or four nights, Glacier Express to Zermatt, Zermatt three or four nights, Zürich one night before trip to Amsterdam.

Luzern two nights, Jungfrau area four nights, Golden Pass to Montreux, Montreux for three nights, Zürich one night before trip to Amsterdam.

I'll also add that May isn't the best time to see the mountains; some residents call that the Mud Month.

Good luck as you plan!

s

Hi s,

I agree that we need to make a decision on something similar to your sample itineraries ... travel to a different hotel each day takes time and you have to deal with traveling with the luggage. It sounds as if it's not the best time to see Switzerland? What is your preference between Jungfrau area vs St Moritz/Glacier Express .. given that it will be mid May?

Also any preference between Jungfraujoch (CHF95/pp w/Swiss Pass) and Schilthorn/Piz Gloria (CHF52/pp w/Pass) or both are 'must sees'?

Thanks for you input,
R

Swiss trains are fantastic as are postal buses and lake boats and city trams and buses and all are covered by the Swiss Pass and the pass also garners 50% discounts of cable cars (except 25% Jungfrau from Wengen or Grindelwald; pass covers in full up to those Alpine villages).

With the itinerary previsioned a Swiss Pass IMO is a no-brainer - can just hop on any train anytime - a consecutive day pass if the time limit comports to your actual time in Switzerland is the best deal per day - otherwise look at a flexipass and on the 100% covered days you can ride practically any train, lake boat, postal bus, city transports and on the days in between the 100% covered days you then get 50% off everything that moves in Switzerland until the final 100% day is exhausted (except again Jungfrau from Wengen and Grindelwald 25%). On specialty tourist trains the pass is valid but a reservation/supplement fee must be paid.

Anyway for loads and loads of great ideas on Swiss trains (and postal buses, lake boats, etc) I always spotlight these Wunderbar sites - www.swisstravelsystem.com; www.budgeteuropetravel.com; www.seat61.com; www.ricksteves.com. And Swiss Passes are often cheaper if bought before arrival if the past several years are any indicator - but check as on occasion the reverse has been true!

What is your preference between Jungfrau area vs St Moritz/Glacier Express .. given that it will be mid May?

To me the Jungfrau (a k a Berner Oberland) region is the essence of the idyllic Alpine Switzerland etched in our minds' eyes and should be the focal point for anyone who has not been to Switzerland or not the Jungfrau Region - there are so so many varied things to do here - lake boats on the lakes the bookend Interlaken, with delights to visit on each lake - Brienz and Thun - and great hiking for all levels of difficulty - from the famous Mannlichen to Kleine Scheidegg 'ridge walk' - a don't miss that even baby strollers can navigate - even if you do not do the Jungfrau or Schilthorn (a k a Piz Gloria after this name was conjured up for the James Bond film filmed in part here and has now become an official name it seems) - but you have glaciers you can walk to - Trummelbach Falls - a torrent inside the cliffs - Ballenberg's really famous open-air museum and even Interlaken, to me an often underrated city with Lucerne type covered wooden bridges (though few tourists take time to ferret them out) - the William Tell Playhouse and on and on.

a great base with so so many great short excursions.

and IMO May is great - flowers starting to bloom - the small farm's meadows are ready to cut - cows are out, etc. Yes relatively few tourists in the area as this time is in between the hot winter season and popular summer hiking season. A plus to me as popular trails such as the Mannlichen to Kleine Scheidegg ridge one will not be so mobbed, etc. and you can secure loding in your budget with a buyer's market.

Not sure why you are specifying the "Lausanne area" but staying outside Lausanne...if you want Vevy or Montreux don't even bother with Lausanne (which has much to offer IMO but you cannot do everything).

The Butterfly in Zermatt is a great hotel and I ASSUME you MIGHT do Zermatt in order to view the Matterhorn peak (any other reasons?)

Geographically, you'll be doing the Golden Pass route if you take the train down to Montreux from Interlaken after you finish your Bernese Oberland portion so no need to do a round trip from Luzern.

You do not mention anything about hotel budget constraints so there is everything from some of those "grand epoch" places (and a few wannabes) in places like Lausanne and Vevey all the way to www.rooms.ch for more budget choices.

May is a great time to go...not real crowded yet.

Enjoy

We spent a few days there in late May 2007. On reaching Lauterbrunnen the hire car started flashing Verglas (I think) which we eventually realised meant ice in French. The hotel in Stechelberg was full but we found a wonderful hostel nearby & warm welcome from the English speaking couple there. The previous night they had been full as the snow & ice had kept people there. The night we went they were expecting a couple who never turned up so a room was ready for us. "Last week it was wonderful, we were sunbathing" they told us. Outside Trummelbach branches were breaking due to the unseasonably cold weather after growth had started. We enjoyed it but didn't use all the cable cars we would have done, as wouldn't see much in the cloud.
I think if 2 buy a Swiss pass you get 10% discount, at least you did in 2007

You are right ... as of now, our reason for going to Zermatt is to take the Glacier Express (by starting in Andermatt, we will be missing the best part of the Glacier Express -- its highest point between Disentis and Andermatt) and to see the Matterhorn peak.

Others recommended the Butterfly as a good pace to stay ... in looking at Trip Advisor, there appears to be many other options for around the same (even less) cost. Our hotel requirements are safe, clean, non-smoking, quiet rooms .. hopefully with free wi-fi. For the Swiss part of this trip we hope to average out at around $200/night .. hopefully that is doable, if not, we'll spend what is required. No "grand epoch" places for us!

We are planning to leave Switzerland by train to Brussels, stay there for 2 nights, head to Amsterdam for 2 nights and then train/boat/train it to London, 2 or 3 nights there and then head home. Before working on hotels for that portion (cannot book the train until 90 days out), we want to make sure that we have taken sufficient time to see Switzerland.

To include Zermatt, our new Itinerary looks like this (9 nights):
1. Zurich/Luzern area for 3 nights ... see the sights of Zurich and Luzern, boat to Rapperswil, Mt. Pilatus or Mt Rigi
2. Luzern - Andermatt - Zermatt, stay for 1 night ... Matterhorn
3. Zermatt - Montreux, stay in Montreux or Vevey for 2 or 3 nights ... Lake Geneva, Castle of Chillon, the Lavaux vineyards cruise
4. Interlaken area for 3 nights (stay in Lauterbrunnen, Murren or Wengen).. visit the small towns, Mannlichen to Kleine Scheidegg 'ridge walk', waterfalls, Jungfrau or Schilthorn
5. Afternoon train back to Zurich for 1 night ... get ready for Brussels

It seems that we will have a lot to see and do in Switzerland for the 9/10 days ... may be better off to extend our stay in Switzerland??

May in Switzerland is lovely, its wildflowers season and you can find some lovely walks in different parts of Switzerland (lower altitudes..even med altitudes will be snow covered). My suggestion is that you choose
- one Alpine area (I love the Jungfrau region), alternatively Zermatt
- one big city and surrounds(Zurich as you are landing there is the obvious choice). If you are visiting Lac Léman area, why go to Luzern? Instead rent a car for the day and take a day trip to Rheinfalls, Stein Am Rhein (truly and absolutely beautiful!) & Schauffhausen.
- one lakeside area (I second the riviera, I live close to the Lavaux area and find it always beautiful and heaps to see), alternatives - Neuchâtel, Lake Constance region, Lake Luzern and surrounds.

I guess the only problems with May in Suisse is that if hiking at higher altitudes like around Murren trails may - may but not nearly likely IMO - be icy and some lifts are closed for a spell in May - the in-between season for repairs. But otherwise this IMO is a fantastic time to come, for the reasons Suja aptly points out!

"Amsterdam for 2 nights and then train/boat/train it to London" Yes you can use the overnight or day ferry or alternatively do it all by train. http://www.seat61.com/Netherlands.htm (but I suspect you've already done your homework on this)

We have done the Eurostar from London-Paris ... thought it would be a nice change to take the ferry.

Decided to book our flight by using points ... cannot have an open jaw + a stopover (looking to stop in Toronto on our way home) ... so ... now we need to change our plans to fly in/out of Zurich or not stop off in Toronto.

Is 16 days too many to stay in Switzerland? or should we break it up by going to a neighbouring country for a few days?

Is 16 days too many to stay in Switzerland? or should we break it up by going to a neighbouring country for a few days?

Well without commenting on whether 16 days is too much or not Switzerland is so so tiny that it is easy to include a visit to one of its neighbors - Austria, Germany, Italy and France (oh well Liechtenstein as well!)

Northern Italy is just a few hours by train from Zurich, Lucerne or the Interlaken/Jungfrau region. And here you have the ballyhooed Lake District with Lake Como and Lake Maggiore easily reached by train and each with lots of places along their idyllic shores to spend a few lovely days. Stresa is one nice lake resort town that is smack on a main rail line from Switzerland, as is Como.

so even though you could spend 16 rhapsodous days in Switzerland itself (it has German, French and Italy and even Romanisch sections that are much different from each other) it is easy to include a taste of Italy or another country.

Is 16 days too many to stay in Switzerland? or should we break it up by going to a neighbouring country for a few days?

Well without commenting on whether 16 days is too much or not Switzerland is so so tiny that it is easy to include a visit to one of its neighbors - Austria, Germany, Italy and France (oh well Liechtenstein as well!)

Northern Italy is just a few hours by train from Zurich, Lucerne or the Interlaken/Jungfrau region. And here you have the ballyhooed Lake District with Lake Como and Lake Maggiore easily reached by train and each with lots of places along their idyllic shores to spend a few lovely days. Stresa is one nice lake resort town that is smack on a main rail line from Switzerland, as is Como.

so even though you could spend 16 rhapsodous days in Switzerland itself (it has German, French and Italy and even Romanisch sections that are much different from each other) it is easy to include a taste of Italy or another country.

We are looking at going to Munich for 3 days ... we were in and out of there 2 years ago ... to see what we missed last time. Back to 11/12 days in Switzerland ... hopefully now I can find good/half decent hotels at a reasonable price and finalize the itinerary!

What are your experiences in booking hotels ... do deals come up nearer your stay when other people cancel their reservations? .. or commit as early as you can as rooms continue to get more expensive?

I would have to take a break to Germany for financial reasons! Sixteen days of spending LOTS of Francs would shorten my next trip.

scatcat - reminds me of what a German once told me when I was saying how much more things cost generally in Germany than back home - he said 'in Germany you have to change money every day but in Switzerland you have to change every hour!

Even Germans may have sticker shock when crossing the border into Switzerland!

Enroh _ I have found that cities like Interlaken have across te board much more affordable hotels than cities like Lucerne, Zurich, Geneva, etc. Interlaken itself teems with budget and IME perfectly adequate hotels for a fraction of the price a similar hotel would cost in other cities. so if budget is really important consider basing in Interlaken, which of course is a great base due to its excellent rail and boat links.

Thanks PalenQ for all of your comments.

We were not overly happy with the way that our itinerary was working out (but would make the most of it), so prior to booking tickets through Aeroplan on their website, we contacted an agent to reconfirm their policy about open jaw and stop-overs ... good thing we called as we found out that you are able to get both an open jaw and a stop-over if you book through an agent (for a booking fee of $30+taxpp)... could even have 1 stop-over and open jaw in Europe (as long as you are still traveling to your furthest point) and a stop-over in Canada.

So .. we ended up changing our initial plans and booking flights from Canada-London; London-Zurich; Zurich-Canada with a stopover in TO. It gives us 3 trip segments ... 8 days for London, Brussels, Amsterdam .. 10 days in Switzerland .. a few days to see family back east.

Switzerland: I have booked hotels for the 9 nights ... we will spend the first 3 nights in/around Zurich (1st day is pretty much a travel day, see Zurich at night).. 1 night in Zermatt (hopefully the weather co-operates and we can see the Matterhorn) ... 2 nights in Montreux (lake view)... 2 nights in Lauterbrunnen .. last night in Zurich.

With all of the suggestions and reading through Trip Reports from others, we have lots of options on what to see and do! I will start to refine those plans once I find a hotels in London and Amsterdam!

Switzerland: I have booked hotels for the 9 nights ... we will spend the first 3 nights in/around Zurich (1st day is pretty much a travel day, see Zurich at night).. 1 night in Zermatt (hopefully the weather co-operates and we can see the Matterhorn) ... 2 nights in Montreux (lake view)... 2 nights in Lauterbrunnen .. last night in Zurich.>

To me this itinerary, if by rail, makes a Swiss Pass of some type a no-brainer - don't forget the pass is also valid on boats in full on Lake Zurich during your time there

One advantage of a Swiss Pass over a Eurailpass in Switzerland is that it will take you in full to Zermatt whilst Eurailpass will not but only to Visp - from there not covered so may pay $50-60 return to Zermatt and back. Plus a Swiss Pass also covers entry to over 400 Swiss Museums so places like Zurich that may be worth a bit too. And also boats on Lake Geneva around Montreux - I took one once to Evian-les-Bain in France (covered completely by a Swiss Pass even though to France) - a swank resort that makes a nice visit to taste a wee bit of France as well as the local Evian mineral waters - there is a big ZigZag cigarette paper plant there as well!

The itinerary is by rail ... I agree and will purchase the 8 day Swiss Pass .. is there a big enough difference between the 1st and 2nd class (besides being less crowded) to warrant the extra $388? Best to buy in advance on the www.swiss-pass.ch website or www.raileurope.ca or ...?

May head to Evian-les-Bain to see where the LPGA plays one of it's event.

Hi again,

I'm not sure if you've done the math for your rail trips. I always get the Half Fare Card (99 chf and gives you half off almost everything that moves for one month) when I travel in Switzerland, and I think you may want to consider it instead of the Swiss Pass.

Here are the costs of your trips:
Zürich - Zermatt 116 chf or 58 chf with HFC
Zermatt-Montreux 68 chf or 34 chf with HFC
Montreux-Lauterbrunnen 76.20 chf or 38.10 chf with HFC
Lauterbrunnen-Zürich 72.26 chf or 36.10 with HFC

So without the HFC, your trips come to 332.46 chf; with the HFC they come to 265.20 (adding in the 99 chf to buy it). The 8-day 2d class Swiss Pass is 376 chf, so you'll be saving about 100 chf if you buy the HFC.

The HFC gives the the same or better discount for the mountain trips (50%), so the benefits are the same there. The biggest difference will come if you decide to take some ferry cruises, but they will also be discounted 50% -- you'll have to take a lot of cruises to get to 100 chf per person.

You can always buy your pass or HFC at the Zürich airport's train station, and you can ask the desk clerk for advice. I see this frequently, in fact. The clerks know this stuff cold. If you tell him/her your plan, s/he will tell which pass would be best.

Anyway, have fun!

s

Thank you for helping out with the math ... I need to finalize what excursions we will do while in Zurich, Montreux and Lauterbrunnen and work out the numbers.

I always buy a Swiss Pass and inevitably find that I use it more than anticipated - like on the spur of the moment hopping on a lake boat in Lucerne, Interlaken, Geneva, etc without worrying about what 50% would be and I never ever have to queue to buy tickets.

Plus with the math be sure to add 3% for foreign transactions in buying the HFC and subsequent tickets.

IMO the Swiss Pass may after all is said and done be your best bet - unless all your trips are set in stone and you will never do any more.

Plus the Swiss Pass gives free entry to over 400 museums that typically cost $10-20- - like the famous Ballenberg Open-Air museum overlooking Lake Brienz in the Interlaken area.

The 8-day 2d class Swiss Pass is 376 chf>

And do NOT price Swiss Passes only in Swiss francs as they are typically (but not always) significantly lower if bought in the U.S. before arrival - why I do not know but has been the case much of the last several years.

Do you always buy the 2nd class pass?

Do you always buy the 2nd class pass?

Do you always buy the 2nd class pass?>

No I do not because I ride incessantly, being a rail buff, for a consecutive-day period all over Switzerland and on inter-city trains there is a world of difference - mainly on there being lots of empty seats in first class so I can bop back and forth from side to side as the scenery dictates. and I always have an empty seat for my luggage, etc.

I have found that 2nd class at times can be standing roon only - especially around cities like Zurich at rush hours with commuters - so it depends also on time of day. And in Alpine areas crowds of hikers and their gear can also swarm aboard in 2nd class, etc.

And on some special scenic trains the observation domed cars are only in first class - though this is changing.

That said for the average traveler who is going to places like the Jungfrau Region and not taking many trips 2nd class is just fine - and on some transports like the lifts to Murren and Gimmelwald there is only one class. So since there is a significant difference in price and most tourists do not nearly ride as much per day as I do I think for Switzerland 2nd class is just fine - there is a difference though.

Many thanks.

I'll check the price differences buying in advance in Canada vs buying once we arrive in Zurich.

Enroh - I have not tracked prices for Swiss Passes in Loonies - only US $s the past several years, where it typically has been significantly cheaper here, in the US, then there - not sure about Canada.

It all seems weird because RailEurope which markets the Swiss Pass and Swiss products in the U.S. is part owned by the Swiss Railways.

So without the HFC, your trips come to 332.46 chf; with the HFC they come to 265.20 (adding in the 99 chf to buy it). The 8-day 2d class Swiss Pass is 376 chf, so you'll be saving about 100 chf if you buy the HFC.>

Well an 8-consecutive-day Swiss Saver Pass per person in 2nd class costs $316 US - and that would be about 300 Swiss francs if you figure in the 3% foreign transaction fee most credit cards charge and current exchange rate - so if prices in Loonies are similar then you'd be saving only about 25 Swiss francs and you certainly may well spend much much more than that on say yes boat rides on Lake Geneva, in Interlaken or much more if you go up to Murren and Gimmelwald from Lauterbrunnen - a Swiss Pass for you IMO is a no brainer.

After a quick look at a few sites, it appears that the tickets are cheaper buying them when we arrive ... I may be looking at the wrong sites!

www.swisstravelsystem.com - CHF 639.20 (discount when buying 2)
www.raileurope.ca - $780 CDN

I was unable to get onto www.raileurope.com site -- keep taking me to www.raileurope.ca ... my parenst are in the US for the winter and I had them look up the US site -- $742 USD. May be looking at the wrong site? At $316 pp - $632 USD or CHF 605- the US price is slightly lower.

Hi again,

Since we've gotten into nit-picking, see what the charges are for mailing if you buy in US or Can $.

I also like having that expert help from the desk clerks in Switzerland. They are not trying to sell any particular product, and do have an interest in your having a good trip overall in the country.

I'd buy it there!

s

Here are the current prices for Swiss Pass (from www.budgeteuropetravel.com, which I am sure you can access from Canada - REurope does throw you to prices for Canada automatically if you put in Canada as your contry of residence. And this agency has no mailing fee for orders of $250 and higher - RailEurope has no mailing fee on orders of $399 and higher (though RE's at times is lower than $399) - so shipping should not cost anything nor handling.

2010 Swiss Consecutive-Day Pass Prices

(1st price is 1st class single person pass - 2nd price is 2nd class solo pass; 3rd column is price for first-class Saver (2-5 people on one pass - per person) - 4th column is for 2nd class saver p.p.
Cinsecutive Day Passes
4 days $385 $257 $328 $218
8 days $555 $371 $473 $316
15 days $673 $449 $572 $382
22 days $776 $517 $660 $441
1 month $854 $569 $726 $485

2010 Swiss Flexipass Prices
This flexipass gives 3, 4, 5, or 6 days of unlimited travel over 1 month

3 days $369 $246 $314 $209
4 days $447 $298 $382 $254
5 days $517 $345 $441 $295
6 days $587 $392 $500 $334

Forgot to note that the $371 is for a single pass but if you have two names on one pass it is indeed $316 per person or $634 for the total for two people using one Saver Pass.

$371 is for a single traveler. so always make sure you are using the Saver Pass price if traveling with someone else.

so it is $634 US vs 640 Swiss Francs (rounding up for ease of calcuating - use a current conversion rate of about $1.06 per each franc

1.06 x 640 = $672 and then if your credit card company typically adds 3% for foreign transactions add $21 for a total of buying the pass there of $693 - or you pay about $60 more for the same pass there. Thus I would not take swandav's advice to buy it there unless $60 don't make any difference to you. These are current prices - in a month the discrepancy may not be so great - or could be greater - anyway this illustrates how Swiss Passes (if I quickly calculated correctly) are significantly cheaper if bought in the U.S. than in Switzerland. I am open to being corrected, please, if my math is wrong!

(Exchange rate of $1.0428 in today's NYTimes - you rarely get the official rate even on credit cards so I used $1.05

You will want to stay in Wengen or Lauterbrunnen. I would never ever ever ever never never ever ever stay in dreadful Interlaken.

A nice hotel in Luzern in the Montana.

Two hotels in Zurich that I recommend: Baur au Lac and the St. Josef.

Stay at the Baur au Lac if you have money to burn. Stay at the St. Josef if you want a clean place to stay without spending a lot of mullah.

Take care Miss Thing,
The Baron von Prat

thin - I am one who absolutely loves Interlaken and think that those who diss it probably just trekked along the tacky yes souvenir-shop plagued Hauptstrasse between the two train stations.

Yet of that path is a cute Interlaken with Lucerne-like covered wooden bridges, sweet riverside walks - scintillating views of the Jungfrau peaks and a classic old-town square, again which many do not see.

Interlaken has its neat points but you have to ferret them out!

Thank you PalenQ for all of your research.

The www.budgeteuropetravel.com site kicks me back to the eurorail.ca site (and $780 for 2 passes)... in going that route, I would need to buy in the US.

Interesting point about the 2011 prices...

Pal, I always diss Interlaken despite the fact that I always spend an afternoon getting lost in its back streets every time I'm in the region. I've also walked along the river between the two station.

I still think the whole town pales (a lot) in comparison to the others nearby. And that's the point -- there are better alternatives.

s