Hi! I am going to Zurich for 4 days in Nov. and would like to take a day trip from Zurich to the Jungfrau region.My questions are:- <BR>a)What are the 'must see' sights in that are? <BR>b)Can I see Grindelwald,Jungfraubahn,Schilthornbahn,Murren and Grimmelwald all in one day? <BR>c)What is the best way to plan this trip? <BR>d)Is it a good idea to obtain an Eurail Pass just for 4 days? <BR>e)Is it again a good idea to tour on my own or join a tour service?

I think your proposed trip is a lot for one day, but if you leave Zurich at 6 in the morning, you can get to Stechelberg by 9:17. That would give you time to take the cable lift to the top of the Schilthorn. You would be at the restaurant on top before 10:15. That should give you plenty of time to look, if the day is clear. <BR> <BR>Also, taking the same train from Zurich you could get to the Jungfraujoch by 10:53. <BR> <BR>I did it last September and took the waok along the snow track to the Monks Hut. I am not sure if you want to do that in November because the wind chill factor could be in the -30 F range, or colder. You are afterall at almost 12,000 feet elevation. <BR> <BR>I guess you could try to do both Jungfrau and the Schilthorn in one day, but you would be pressed for time on a very expensive trip. The fare from Interlaken to the Jungfraujoch with no discounts is about $100. You would have to add to that a round trip ticket between Zurich and Interlaken. <BR> <BR>I don't think a Eurail Pass is a good idea, certainly not for ravel only in Switzerland where a Swiss Pass and a Swiss Card are available. The Swiss Card is what I had and it give half off all train travel and 25% off on many cable lifts. <BR> <BR>Given the very short days, I don't think you would get your money's worth trying to make this in one day. <BR>I don't think you need a tour, unless you can get one that uses a bus and can get you to Lauterbrunnen faster than the train. I did not investigate that aspect of the trip. <BR> <BR>I think you would get more out of it if you spent one night somewhere enroute. <BR>Lauterbrunnen has several small hotels and Grindelwald is full of them. <BR> <BR>

I think this is too much, since as Bob pointed out, the days will be shorter. It is quite possible to do all that on a summer day, but still hard. I have never been to the Schilthorn, so I can't compare the two trips. If you are a big photographer I might choose the Schilthorn, but otherwise I would lean toward the Jungfrau. It is worth every cent. If it is very cloudy, which is quite possible in November, you may want to find out at a rail station about visibility on the mountain tops before you go. In my opinion the highlights of the area for a one-day trip, starting in the morning (1) cable-car from Grindelwald up to Mannlichen and hike 50 minutes or less from Mannlichen to Kleine Scheidegg, (2) train from Kleine Scheidegg to top of Jungfrau, (4) train from Kleine Scheidegg to Lauterbrunnen, (5) bus through Lauterbrunnen Valley to Stechelberg (never used the bus - maybe someone else can tell you about this - I don't know if the train goes there), (6) Stechelberg cable car to Gimmelwald, (7) hike to Murren, (8) train to funicular to take you back to Lauterbrunnen. If you decide to spend time in one town there, I would choose either Wengen or Murren. Murren would not be a good place to sleep though with only one day there, since it is harder to get to. You can use Deutsche bahn's site to plan. It will give you timetables and maps for the train routes. Type in bahn.hafas.de/english.html. There is also a site for the Jungfrau train at jungfraubahn.ch/3e12.htm. As Bob also suggested, you will be able to get more from your day by training in the night before and staying at Grindelwald, Wengen, Lauterbrunnen, or perhaps even Interlaken. I would think you could catch a pretty late train back from Interlaken to Zurich (it should be 2 to 2/12 hours).

Easy to tell I wrote my first response on the fly. I should be more careful. I can attribute it to senility I suppose. <BR> <BR>When I went to the Jungraujoch last summer, I left from Lauterbrunnen where I was staying in an apartment. <BR> <BR>I totally enjoyed the trip and would do it again. There is a TV set in the Lauterbrunnen train station that shows the view from the Sphinx observation building at the top. I do not know if it possible to learn the conditions at the Joch in Interlaken before you go up. But if there was doubt, you could go as far as Lauberbrunnen, take a look at the monitor, and then decide if you want to continue. You might miss your connecting train, but there will be another one. <BR> <BR>Train connections to the top leave Interlaken Ost at 7:39, 8:32, 9:32, and 10:32. But you don't have much time <BR>in Lauterbrunnen to check conditions, buy a ticket and catch the connecting train. But the next one will leave in about an hour. <BR> <BR>The trains from Interlaken Ost to the "top of Europe" - as the Junfraujoch is called -- are operated by the BOB -- Berner Oberlandbahn. If you ascend by way of Lauterbrunnen, there are two changes of train enroute. The first change is at Lauterbrunnen where you take one type of train as far as Kleine Scheidegg. There, you make the second change to a different type of train for the run to the top. Each change involves a different type of train engine required for the conditions. <BR> <BR>There is a weather forecast for Interlaken-Bern-Zurich available from Yahoo. You could check it before hand. I found it to be fairly accurate. It is written in German, but the pictures and symbols that come with the forecast make it very obvious what to expect. <BR> <BR>I am not sure one can compare and judge which one of the two views is the best: Schilthorn or Jungfrau. Both are stupendous. But both are very dependent on good weather. <BR> <BR>

The Jungfrau region is beautiful. I did a bit of hiking there in April 1995. It was made even more incredible by my choice of hiking buddy: a girl from Texas who couldn't keep her jaw from dropping open through much of the day, such was her wonderment of such huge mountains! <BR> <BR>Anyway, seems you've gotten some good responses here. But on the Eurail subject, don't bother. Go for one of the Swiss passes instead. I had a Eurail pass, and it was great on that particular trip (a whirlwind, see all of western Europe in two months kind of thing), but in the Swiss Alps it was virtually useless. Although Eurail counts most anywhere, it is NOT valid in the mountain trains in this region. I think we got a minor discount on regular fares with the Eurail pass, but nothing significant. It DID count on a tour across the lake at Interlaken. <BR> <BR>I don't know what hiking would be like at this time of year, but it really is a fun way to see the area. My friend and I spent a day doing a loop from Lauterbrunnen to Winteregg to Murren to Gimmelwald to Stechelberg to Trummelbach Falls and back to Lauterbrunnen (some walking, some cable car, some cogwheel). It probably took about five hours, including getting to and from Interlaken, where we stayed. We accidentally ended up in Grindelwald for a bit (watch out for those trains that split in half, sending you to the wrong destination!)and it looked horrible busy and touristy. <BR>You don't need a tour. Maps and brochures are available to help you plan it on your own. You could probably get copies in Zurich and plan your day on the train on your way there. <BR> <BR>If you'd like to do a bit of walking instead of spending all day in trains, cogwheel trains and cable cars, then there's no way you can do it in a day. Why not spend a night in Gimmelwald or thereabouts, and spend two days there? If you are going to Zurich for pleasure, not business, you will quickly find there's not a heck of a lot for tourists there. I'd much rather spend my time in the mountains or in Luzern. <BR> <BR>Have fun!!

There is a monitor for the Jungfrau at Interlaken Ost and also one at the Murren station. Don't know about others. The last poster made a good point - two to three days in the Berner Oberland are needed to really do a lot, so if you have an option that would be the thing to do. One day would be ok though if that is all you have. It certainly isn't Switzerland without the Alps. The first time I went it was for a few hours in Basel, so I really was glad to have a chance to visit the mountain areas on the next trip. I had assumed from your post that you have to be in Zurich for 4 days. Luzern and Bern are also wonderful if you get extra time or need something different some evening. Each is 1-2 hours away.

Thanks all of you for your wonderful and very very helpful tips.Finally I am beginning to get an idea of the place,earlier it was just a jumble of unprounciable names.I wish we could spend some more time in the Alps.Unfortunately we are already booked at a hotel in Zurich for 4 nights.So our itinerary is something like this: <BR>Day 1- Sightseeing Zurich. <BR>Day 2- lucern & either one of Rigi,Titlis or Pilatus. <BR>Day 3- Jungfrau. <BR>Day 4- Rhein Falls & Stein. <BR>How does this sound? Any scope for improvement?

If you are "hooked" by the hotel in Zuerich, I think you have described a workable plan. I have not been to Pilatus myself, but a well-travelled friend has. He liked it. <BR> <BR>In Luzern, I enjoyed the Transportation Museum, and the bus goes close to the door. Just be prepared with varieties of Swiss coinage to purchase your ticket from the automatic dispenser. <BR>In case you are not familiar with the coins, they are minted in many sizes. I recall coins for 5 francs, 2 francs, 1 franc, one half franc, 20 rappen, 10 rappen and 5 rappen. The half franc coin is quite small; it can fool you. If you have several 5 franc coins in your pocket, you will feel like you are weighted down. <BR> <BR>The tourist office, close to the train station has someone who can speak English. Go there for directions. <BR>

Sounds like a good plan to me. While in Luzern, you may wish to take a cruise on the lake. The boats make several stops. Just get off where you like. Lake transportation will be covered if you get a Swiss Pass. I would highly recommend this pass, since you will do so much train travel.