Trip to Switzerland - Need some help?
Mar 24th, 2007, 08:14 PM
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Trip to Switzerland - Need some help?
We are planning to take a trip to Switzerland with our two kids (1yr and 4yr old) and wanted some advise on the itinerary listed below:
April 2nd land on Zurich - reach Interlaken on 2nd
April 3rd - Jungfraujoch
April 4th – Lucern
April 5th – Zermatt
April 6th – Zurich
April 7th - Return
Interlaken will be our base and are planning to return each day to stay at the same hotel.
1. I want to find out if we spending an entire day at these locations would be an overkill (considering we are traveling with 2 kids)
2. What part of the itinerary do you think we should change?
3. Do you think we should take a Swiss Rail Pass for our trips?
Thank you for your feedback in advance.
-Y
April 2nd land on Zurich - reach Interlaken on 2nd
April 3rd - Jungfraujoch
April 4th – Lucern
April 5th – Zermatt
April 6th – Zurich
April 7th - Return
Interlaken will be our base and are planning to return each day to stay at the same hotel.
1. I want to find out if we spending an entire day at these locations would be an overkill (considering we are traveling with 2 kids)
2. What part of the itinerary do you think we should change?
3. Do you think we should take a Swiss Rail Pass for our trips?
Thank you for your feedback in advance.
-Y
Mar 24th, 2007, 08:47 PM
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When you see a clear day, check the webcam for the top and Jungfraujoch and if it good, go on that day so no need to fix the date now. Don't even bother to go up the top on a cloudy day...The Husky ride there close at noon in case you and the kids want to ride on it. The ice palace was fun, your kids will enjoy that...
The transportation museum in Lucern will be fun for the kids. My kids loved the hotair balloon ride there.
We've only been to Jungfraujoch and Lucern on your list and those 2 spots each can easily take the whole day (you can combine other towns like Wengen along the railway with Jungfraujoch).We bought the Regional Pass for Berner Oberland which allow 3 days free and then I think half price for things the rest of the 4 days. The ride to Jungfraujoch is half priced no matter on which day...Don't know whether that's the best deal for you guys. Kids'passes are either free or very cheap.
Also, the restaurant Brasserie in Victoria-Jungfrau Grand Hotel in Interlaken had a live music band there the night we went for dinner, it was so good and I can listen to that all night. The restaurant is very beautiful also, the food was pretty good but I can only remember the music now. As I recalled, the prices weren't bad either(I think it was about 120Euro for the 4 of us) and you would think that kind of setting will cost a fortune.
The transportation museum in Lucern will be fun for the kids. My kids loved the hotair balloon ride there.
We've only been to Jungfraujoch and Lucern on your list and those 2 spots each can easily take the whole day (you can combine other towns like Wengen along the railway with Jungfraujoch).We bought the Regional Pass for Berner Oberland which allow 3 days free and then I think half price for things the rest of the 4 days. The ride to Jungfraujoch is half priced no matter on which day...Don't know whether that's the best deal for you guys. Kids'passes are either free or very cheap.
Also, the restaurant Brasserie in Victoria-Jungfrau Grand Hotel in Interlaken had a live music band there the night we went for dinner, it was so good and I can listen to that all night. The restaurant is very beautiful also, the food was pretty good but I can only remember the music now. As I recalled, the prices weren't bad either(I think it was about 120Euro for the 4 of us) and you would think that kind of setting will cost a fortune.
Mar 25th, 2007, 01:48 AM
#3
Hi Hawks: You'll be flying with your program.
Interlaken-Jungfrau: 2.17 hours one way
Interlaken-Zermatt: 3.5 hours one way
Interlaken-Luzern: 2.0 hours one way
Interlaken-Zürich: 2.0 hours one way
*taken from sbb.ch
Lots of train time for the little ones.
The weather is iffy in April. Right now we've got sunshine and lots of snow. It could be raining or snowing in two weeks. Keep an eye on the weather forecast. I use wetter.com for best forecasts.
Personally, I'd skip Zürich (and maybe even Luzern) and add on another day in BO. Head for the mountains and do a day of sledding. The kids will love it.
If you do go to Luzern, the Verkehrsmuseum is a good idea. I was there last month and saw they were renovating a few things so not everything might be open. Still, it's the best bet for the kids while in Luzern. It's a bit out of the way so you might have to take a tram or walk along the lake (which is lovely). There's a super playground near the museum too.
If the weather is really bad, I saw there's an indoor swimming pool available for public use in Interlaken. Ask at the hotel for more info.
Interlaken-Jungfrau: 2.17 hours one way
Interlaken-Zermatt: 3.5 hours one way
Interlaken-Luzern: 2.0 hours one way
Interlaken-Zürich: 2.0 hours one way
*taken from sbb.ch
Lots of train time for the little ones.
The weather is iffy in April. Right now we've got sunshine and lots of snow. It could be raining or snowing in two weeks. Keep an eye on the weather forecast. I use wetter.com for best forecasts.
Personally, I'd skip Zürich (and maybe even Luzern) and add on another day in BO. Head for the mountains and do a day of sledding. The kids will love it.
If you do go to Luzern, the Verkehrsmuseum is a good idea. I was there last month and saw they were renovating a few things so not everything might be open. Still, it's the best bet for the kids while in Luzern. It's a bit out of the way so you might have to take a tram or walk along the lake (which is lovely). There's a super playground near the museum too.
If the weather is really bad, I saw there's an indoor swimming pool available for public use in Interlaken. Ask at the hotel for more info.
Mar 25th, 2007, 02:58 AM
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Hi thehawks,
Considering how far away Zermatt is, and that it's roughly similar (but less attractive imo) to the villages of the Berner Oberland, and that it might be cloudy by the time you get there -- I'd drop Zermatt. There is really a lot to do and see in the Berner Oberland beyond just going up the Jungfraujoch.
s
Considering how far away Zermatt is, and that it's roughly similar (but less attractive imo) to the villages of the Berner Oberland, and that it might be cloudy by the time you get there -- I'd drop Zermatt. There is really a lot to do and see in the Berner Oberland beyond just going up the Jungfraujoch.
s
Mar 25th, 2007, 03:34 AM
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Weather and visibility in the Alps are impossible to predict for more than a couple of HOURS in advance!!!! So keep your plans as flexible as possible. Both Jungfraujoch and Zermatt are not worth going at all if the weather is cloudy or foggy, you won't see anything. Talk to the locals in the very morning how they estimate the weather and then decide what to do that day. And listen to them if they tell you there is a snowstorm coming up because there is a single cloud in a certain direction. They know.
Zermatt is a loooong train ride away. I'd rather dedicate another day to Berner Oberland, which is much closer to Interlaken.
The Verkehrshaus in Luzern is splendid for both adults and kids. A wonderful "joker" for a bad weather day. I've never met a 4 year old who wasn't fascinated by huge engines.
Zermatt is a loooong train ride away. I'd rather dedicate another day to Berner Oberland, which is much closer to Interlaken.
The Verkehrshaus in Luzern is splendid for both adults and kids. A wonderful "joker" for a bad weather day. I've never met a 4 year old who wasn't fascinated by huge engines.
Mar 25th, 2007, 10:30 AM
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Let me strongly suggest you consider renting a car for the Luzern and Zermatt parts of the trip. If I understand this correctly, you are returning to Interlaken each night, unless the final night in Zürich is for departure purposes.
I have done the Interlaken to Zermatt and Luzern trips. You can make the trip much faster in a car with the option to stop when you want and see what else is there. The highway to Luzern, up the Brünig Pass, and by Sarnen is much better now than it was even 5 years ago because a couple of tunnels have been added to speed traffic.
The trip by train from Interlaken Ost to Zermatt is 3 hours, 28 minutes one way.
(West is about 5 minutes less.)
You also have two changes in route: at Spiez and at Brig.
The trip to Luzern is about 1 hour, 50 minutes, but the return schedule gives you two choices: leave at 15:55, 16:55 or 17:55 for a no change connection or leave later and take longer with a change or two of trains.
You can drive from Interlaken to Zermatt it much more quickly by way of the Lotschberg Tunnel on the train ferry.
The same is true of the trip to Luzern.
Also having a car gives you some leeway if the day is cloudy.
Exploring the high Alps is so much a function of the weather that one needs a "Plan B".
I know rental cars are expensive, but you can pile into one the paraphernalia you need for two young children that would be awkward to carry on a train.
The Jungfraujoch is indeed one of those problematic trips. The cost is high, hence the reward for taking the trip must be equally high. (I have changed my plans more than once when I saw the conditions on the day we had hoped to go.)
If the day is clear, there is only one other excursion I know of that surpasses the Jungfraujoch. If the day is partly cloudy, you might be ok. If the day is fully cloudy, then the whole trip is frustratingly expensive.
The same is true of Zermatt. Last summer, after 3 tries, we finally got clear days in both Saas Grund-Saas Fee and Zermatt. On one trip, we arrived in the sunshine. We got off the train to the Gornergrat at an intermediate stop. I got one long glance at the Matterhorn, and then it disappeared. By the time we got to the end station where the viewpoint is located, snow was falling.
By the time we got ready to leave, the trail was covered in snow, so we returned the whole way by train.
Last year in Zermatt the day was perfect: few clouds, little wind. We took the Klein Matterhorn cable way, and from the top the view was incredible in its beauty.
Let me suggest that the Museum of Swiss Life, an outdoor museum, located at a spot known geographically as Ballenberg is also a worthy place to visit. (It is close to Brienz on the lake.)
The problem is that you would need some way to roll the children about the vast estate because carrying them would be tiresome.
We enjoyed it as senior citizens because of the activity. There were 4-footed farm animals around as well as various barnyard fowls. The sawmill was in action as were a couple of bakeries.
There are places to eat on the grounds.
And there are benches on which to rest.
Either way, you will be ok. One thing about the train, you do have a little more mobility inside the coach than you do in a car. The trade off is not being able to stop when you want to.
Of course the imponderable is how much is worth not to drive? I cannot answer that one.
I have done the Interlaken to Zermatt and Luzern trips. You can make the trip much faster in a car with the option to stop when you want and see what else is there. The highway to Luzern, up the Brünig Pass, and by Sarnen is much better now than it was even 5 years ago because a couple of tunnels have been added to speed traffic.
The trip by train from Interlaken Ost to Zermatt is 3 hours, 28 minutes one way.
(West is about 5 minutes less.)
You also have two changes in route: at Spiez and at Brig.
The trip to Luzern is about 1 hour, 50 minutes, but the return schedule gives you two choices: leave at 15:55, 16:55 or 17:55 for a no change connection or leave later and take longer with a change or two of trains.
You can drive from Interlaken to Zermatt it much more quickly by way of the Lotschberg Tunnel on the train ferry.
The same is true of the trip to Luzern.
Also having a car gives you some leeway if the day is cloudy.
Exploring the high Alps is so much a function of the weather that one needs a "Plan B".
I know rental cars are expensive, but you can pile into one the paraphernalia you need for two young children that would be awkward to carry on a train.
The Jungfraujoch is indeed one of those problematic trips. The cost is high, hence the reward for taking the trip must be equally high. (I have changed my plans more than once when I saw the conditions on the day we had hoped to go.)
If the day is clear, there is only one other excursion I know of that surpasses the Jungfraujoch. If the day is partly cloudy, you might be ok. If the day is fully cloudy, then the whole trip is frustratingly expensive.
The same is true of Zermatt. Last summer, after 3 tries, we finally got clear days in both Saas Grund-Saas Fee and Zermatt. On one trip, we arrived in the sunshine. We got off the train to the Gornergrat at an intermediate stop. I got one long glance at the Matterhorn, and then it disappeared. By the time we got to the end station where the viewpoint is located, snow was falling.
By the time we got ready to leave, the trail was covered in snow, so we returned the whole way by train.
Last year in Zermatt the day was perfect: few clouds, little wind. We took the Klein Matterhorn cable way, and from the top the view was incredible in its beauty.
Let me suggest that the Museum of Swiss Life, an outdoor museum, located at a spot known geographically as Ballenberg is also a worthy place to visit. (It is close to Brienz on the lake.)
The problem is that you would need some way to roll the children about the vast estate because carrying them would be tiresome.
We enjoyed it as senior citizens because of the activity. There were 4-footed farm animals around as well as various barnyard fowls. The sawmill was in action as were a couple of bakeries.
There are places to eat on the grounds.
And there are benches on which to rest.
Either way, you will be ok. One thing about the train, you do have a little more mobility inside the coach than you do in a car. The trade off is not being able to stop when you want to.
Of course the imponderable is how much is worth not to drive? I cannot answer that one.
