Switzerland - Paris trip Queries...Help please?
 

Hi, i have been planning a trip to switzerland - paris for 10 days of stay (excluding the travel time), during the first week of april. i have come across few blogs and got information about the following "must visit" places here in switzerland :
-Mt. Pilatus
- Mt Titlis
- Jungfraujoch
- Zermatt and Gornergrat
- Chur
- Paris by train

i shall be landing in Zurich , and would like to include the best of these ( would be glad if includes ALL of them), and majorly experience snow as i have never experienced it. Can somebody suggest the best itinerary for an excellent experience that includes 3 star budget strategy. We are planning to spend just 2 to 3 days maximum in paris.
thank you

You need to wait and keep an eye on all the websites for these locations, to see how the season develops. March into April is the "anything can happen" season - snowfalls can cause sudden closures and so on.

I suggest that you google each of these and keep the URL handy, checking it frequently as your trip approaches. You can literally land in Zürich and head off in any direction, depending what looks like a valid target.

As you google the targets, google accommodations, so you know what calls to make at the last minute. It is not tourist season so you can book at the last minute.

Trains are at www.sbb.ch/en

The SwissPass is highly recommended.

https://www.swisspass.ch/auth/login?lang=en

Actually this is link I meant to post: https://www.swiss-pass.ch/swiss-pass/

michelhuebeli: sure, we wud keep a track on weather, but just wanted to get myself confirmed if i wud be able to experience playing in snow, and more over, i wanted to know the mst convenient route dat will help me cover all the above mentioned places to see. if u cud help me wid dat?

thanx kerouac :)

Chur is by far not among the 100 most popular places in Switzerland, but I suppose you have your reasons for going there.

As to "the most convenient route dat will help me cover all the above mentioned places to see", we should know whether you mean the fastest, the cheapest or the most scenic route.

Nevertheless:

ZRH airport - Chur: trains about every 30-60 min from 5.10am until 22.43; journey time 1 1/2 - 2 hrs

Chur - Zermatt: Glacier Express train (direct), Chur dp 11.26 - Zermatt ar 17.10
More scenic itinerary: Chur - San Bernardino - Bellinzona - Locarno - Centovalli Express - Domodossola - Brig - Zermatt, 8 hrs journey, about every hr
Fastest itinerary: via Zurich, 4 1/2 - 5 hrs journey, every 30 - 60 min

Zermatt - Interlaken: 2 1/4 hrs journey, trains every 30-60 min
Interlaken - Jungfraujoch: 2 hrs journey, trains every 30 min

Interlaken - Lucerne: 1 3/4 hrs journey, trains every hr
Lucerne - Titlis: 1 1/4 hrs journey, trains every hr
Lucerne - Pilatus: bus/gondola every 15 min, 1 1/4 hrs journey

Lucerne - Paris: 4 3/4 hrs journey, trains about every hr

This live webcam shows you the weather in the Berner Oberland region: Grindlewald, Schilthorn, Jungfraujoch, and Maennlichen. As I write it looks a bit snowy and is -1C in Maennlichen.

http://www.swisspanorama.com/

Here is an itinerary that does what you ask:
Lucerne - 2 nights. Pilatus and Titlis easily done as day-trips from here.
Chur - 2 nights.
Zermatt - 2 nights. Check out the Matterhorn.
Wengen - 2 nights. Jungfrauchjoch easily done from here.
Paris - 2 nights.


Here is a better itinerary:
Lucerne - 3 nights.
Wengen - 4 nights.
Paris - 3 nights.

The second itinerary is better for two reasons: (1) it's not as rushed so you will be able relax and enjoy your visit more, and (2) it gives you a better chance to catch good weather in the alps.

The second itinerary skips Zermatt because you already get lots of alps in Lucerne and Wengen. In poor weather there is not much to do in Zermatt as in the Wengen area.

Agree withEdward's itinerary above, of all our stops in Switzerland (Lucerne, Interlaken, Zermatt, Montreux) we could've skipped Zermatt and stayed longer in Interlaken from which we saw the Jungfrauchjoch; we picked Interlaken thinking if weather was poor (it wasn't!) we'd more easily get to Bern and other locales.

Just wait until you get there.

If there is snow somewhere that's accessible at that time, go there.

If there has been snowfall that causes closures, don't go there.

We can't tell in advance - have your ducks in a row - URLs, webcam sites (thank you Edward), phone numbers, and learn to read the train timetables at www.sbb.ch/en.

Then when you get there, scope out quickly where you can go and where you cannot go, and make your move.