rana8689

I am trying to plan a trip for a famiily of four adults to Switzerland during the last week of June. I have booked 2 days hotel in Zurich 2 days in Lucern and 5 days in Lautternberg. Could some one suggest what places I can cover and which is the best way to travel to those palces--by train, boat or drive.
Currently I have planned Rhine falls, mount titlis, Rose garden, Bear park, Zermatt. I need to add more places.
Is it a good idea to use the glacier express to travel from Lautternberg to Zermatt and also would the journey be tiring as we plan to return on the same day.

Kindly advise

neckervd

Zurich, Berne, Lucerne, Schaffhausen, Engelberg and Zermatt exist, Lautternberg doesnt'exist (at least not in Switzerland).

The Glacier Express ride is a whole day journey: the highlights are the the train itself, the itinerary through very diferent mountain valleys and the 2 terminal places of Zermatt and St. Moritz: it wouldn't make sense to stay less than a whole day at both of these places.

As you ask about boat rides:
It's perfectly possible to visit medieval towns, castles, Roman theatres, gothic cathedrals etc. with regular boats where you could stay hours on board:

Lake Geneva: Geneva - Chillon castle (5 1/2 hrs by steamboat)
Lake Maggiore: Locarno - Arona (4 hrs by boat)
Lake Lugano: Ponte Tresa - Porlezza (3 1/2 hrs by boat)
Lake Constance – Rhine river: Schaffhausen - Meersburg - Lindau - Rorschach (11 hrs by boat)
Lake Neuchatel: Yverdon - Murten (5 hrs by boat), Murten - Solothurn (8 hrs by boat)
Lake Lucerne: Alpnachstad (Pilatus railway) - Fluelen (3 1/2 hrs by boat)

You may have a look at
http://www.swisstravelsystem.com/en/home.html
http://www.myswitzerland.com/en/home.html
http://www.swisstravelsystem.ch/en/
http://fahrplan.sbb.ch/bin/query.exe/en

nytraveler

I believe the OP means Lauterbrunen.

And no - you can't see most of Switz by boat. There are specific boat trips you can take but for overall travel you need either train or car (latter might be more reasonable for 4 people).

rana8689

Sorry Neckervd, it is lauterbrunnen.

PalenQ

You can take only a portion of the Glacier Express to Zermatt from Lauterbrunnen - just from Visp/Brig to Zermatt - a dsmall portion. Anyway with all that train travel be sure to look at some kind of Swiss Pass - for lots of great info on Swiss trains and passes I always spotlight these IMO fantastic sites - www.swisstravelsytem.com; www.budgeteuropetravel.com and www.ricksteves.com.

PalenQ

Lauterbrunnen to Zermatt is a long LONG day trip if returning to Lauterbrunnen - and if you are going mainly to see the iconic Matterhorn then your chances of its being behind clouds or fog once you get there is good - I would reconsider that day as you will pretty much have similar awesome glacier-girdled peaks in the Jungfrau Region.

An 8-consecutive-day Swiss Saverpass would no doubt be the best for your previewed plans that have you traveling significant distances many days - with the pass just hop on any train, lake boat, bus, etc.

rana8689

Thanks PalenQ for the Lauterbrunnen to Zermatt advise. Is there any other shorter trip we can take on any of those express trains to have scenic views,

docdan

yes, there is the first leg of the Golden Pass scenic train, from Luzern to Interlaken, which you'll have to go through to get to Lauterb. http://www.eurail.com/trains-europe/...ns/golden-pass. It is not THE most scenic of Swiss rail trips, but pretty nice. You'll find the trip from Luzern to Engleberg (Mt Titlis) to be a very nice trip. Do plan on some time visiting the very nice abbey in Engleberg. some of the most unusual marble interiors of any church I've ever seen. and for sure, rent the trotti bikes on the trip down from Mt Titlis. My adult daughters screamed more on that experience than they did on several days at Busch Gardens.
I agree that given your interest in going to Lauterbrunnen, a trip to Zermatt doesn't make sense. One usually plans to do one or the other, but not both. As to boats, some folks find a few hours cruising Lake Luzern, which is unbelievably beautiful, to be a nice idea. (In German, it is known as the Vierwaldstättersee) One idea to do this is on your Zurich-Lucern leg, to take the train to Brunnen, walk to the Brunnen SGV pier, and take the boat to Luzern. You can work out the times on the www.sbb.ch train website. All doable with a Swiss rail pass. (That is the same boat trip mentioned above that includes alpnachstad and Fluelin)
If one is into modern art the Rosengart museum in Luzern is worth a look.

docdan

also, click on my tag for my trip report on our trip last year to Luzern.

PalenQ

Thanks PalenQ for the Lauterbrunnen to Zermatt advise. Is there any other shorter trip we can take on any of those express trains to have scenic views>

Those express trains are not really express trains as they usually go very slow due to mountainous terrain - they do not stop as often as local trains so they are called express.

But IMO the trains right in the Berner Oberland are as thrilling or more than say the Glacier Express - take the train from Lauterbrunnen to Wengen and up to Kleine Scheidegg and then down to Grindelwald - those are as awesome train rides - biut as docdan in his.her superb advice above says you can take the Golden Pass special scenic train between Lucerne and Interlaken-Ost (jumping off point for trains to the hills and Lauterbrunnen. You do not meed a reservation or to pay extra with your Swiss Pass to ride the GP on this portion but if you want a place in a panoramic observation car it is advised - can make it at any station in Switzerland.,

PalenQ

And the train on its final appraoch to Engadine and then the thrilling ascent of Mt Titlis are as awesome as any scenic train in Switzerland

PalenQ

If taking trains to either Lauterbrunnen or Grindelwald from Interlaken-Ost beware that it starts as a single train and splits with one part trundling up to Grindelwald and the other part tracking over to Luaterbrunne - splitting at where the Girndelwald and Lauterbrunnen valleys comes together.

PalenQ

About those trains splitting - I take these trains often and there are always at Zweilutschenen (sp?) the station where the train stops and splits into two halves - there are always flummoxed folk being told buy conductors to get off one train and get on the other part, which typically can be quite full so finding seats can be problematic.

In Interlaken look on the outside of each train car to see the label of where that train car is going - it will either say Lauterbrunnen (for Wengen and Murren connections) or Grindelwald. So don't get caught with your pants down!