Switzerland Itinerary Suggestions

Old Jan 20th, 2014, 06:40 AM
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Switzerland Itinerary Suggestions

Hi Everyone!

I am travelling to Switzerland from 21 June to 4 July For a holiday. I have planned my itinerary but realised that there are some areas where I'll need some advice with.

1. The itinerary for Wengen is mostly outdoor and weather dependent. Are there any suggestions for wet weather activities?

2. Should I change 30th June from Lausanne to Zermatt?

3. Should I get a half fare card or a swiss pass?

4. Any other sugesstions on my itinerary?

Appreciate all advise and suggestions. Here's my itinerary:

21 June -Lucerne:
Arrival @ Zurich 0800am
Zurich to Lucerne train @ 0845, 0913
Reach hotel @ ~1000, 1020
Leave hotel by 1100
Mt Pilatus Golden Round Trip (if rainy weather, swap with 22 June's activities)

22 June - Lucerne:
Chapel Bridge
Old town
Swiss transport museum
Dying Lion Monument

23 June - Lucerne:
Day Trip to Berne
Bear pit
Rose Garden
Old town
Cathedral

24 June - Wengen:
Train from Lausanne to Wengen @ 0605
Reach Hotel Edelweiss @ 0920
Jungfrau

25 June - Wengen:
Sky Dive

26 June - Wengen:
Flyingwheels full day bike

27 June - Wengen:
Eiger trial (optional, takes over any of the first 3 days activities if weather is not ideal)

28 June - Lausanne:
Lavaux vineyard

29 June - Lausanne:
Maison Cailler - Chocolate Factory
Castle of Gruyeres
House of Gruyeres cheese (optional)
Explore town of Gruyeres

30 June - Lausanne:
?? Shld I change this to zermatt, any other interesting things to do in lausanne or nearby ?

1 July - Zermatt:
Gornergrat

2 July - Zermatt:
Klien matterhorn

3 July - Zurich:
*not planned

4 July - flight back in the morning
wteoh is offline  
Old Jan 20th, 2014, 07:45 AM
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June 23rd:
On your way back from Zermatt to Zurich airport, you will pass through Berne anyway. Leave Zermatt on July 3rd for Berne (trains at least every hr from 5.39 until 21.13; 2 1/4 hrs journey) visit and sleep there. Trains from Berne to Zurich airport at 4.21, 5.30 and then every 30 min until 23.00, 1 1/4 hrs journey.

June 24th:
if you leave Lucerne at 6.05 via Meiringen, you will arrive at Wengen at 8.51. Trains every hr.

June 28th:
The train ride to Lake Geneva would be more scenic via Golden Pass than via Berne - Fribourg. You could include Gruyeres, etc in this itinerary:
Wengen dp 6.05 (as you obviously like to get up early) - Interlaken - Golden Pass - Zweisimmen - Gstaad - Montbovon ar 9.27, dp 9.40 - Gruyeres ar 9.57. Check in at a hotel, visit first the cheese diary, go then by train to the chocolate factory at Broc (Gruyeres dp 10.58 or 11.58), go then back to Gruyeres,visit the castle, may be a museum and have dinner in the medieval city.

June 29th:
Gruyeres dp 6.59, 7.59 or 8.59 via Montbovon - Golden Pass route to Montreux ar 1 1/4 hrs later. Check in a t a hotel wherever you like (Montreux, Caux, Mont Pelerin, Chardonne, Vevey, Lausanne ...... Don't miss a Lake Geneva cruise on board of a historic steamboat (best way to enjoy the Lavaux vineyards, BTW)

For other places in Switzerland and rail passes, you may have a look at
http://www.myswitzerland.com/en/home.html
http://www.swisstravelsystem.ch/en/
http://fahrplan.sbb.ch/bin/query.exe/en
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Old Jan 20th, 2014, 08:15 AM
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The problem with Switzerland (besides the cost) is that what most people go for - the scenery - is weather dependent. I've been twice, both times for about a week and both times had several days of rain.

The strategy that has worked for me is to base in a central town/city for several nights and do day trips based on the weather. The first time we stayed in Interlaken for 5 days and on the two days that it did not rain we went up into the mountains, the other days we went to Bern, Thun, etc. They would have been better in the sun, but at least this way the days we did go up into the mountains we had fairly decent weather. Did we miss something not basing in Wengen or thereabouts? Maybe. But I would have felt worse if we'd spent three nights up in the mountains and it rained and then moved on to the cities and it was sunny. We did then move on to Lucerne for two nights as I felt it was too far for day trips from Interlaken, and we were flying out of Zurich.

I did the same thing on my second trip - based in Lausanne for 6 days and did day trips to Gruyeres, Sion, Geneva, etc. I watched the weather each day and on the last day it was predicted to be sunny at the Matterhorn and I went as a day trip. I'm SO glad I went on a sunny day. By later in the day there were clouds around the Matterhorn but I had seen it in the morning. Awesome. My original plan had been to spent a night or two in Zermatt on my way from Italy, had I done that I would not have seen the Matterhorn. www.pbase.com/annforcier/switzerland
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Old Jan 20th, 2014, 10:19 PM
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Thanks for all the advice.

neckervd - any day trips I can do from lucerne if I change the Berne visit to 3rd July? Or would it be better if i change 23rd to Wengen so that I have more days in case of bad weather?

There doesnt seem to have alot of hotels in gruyeres too. Perhaps I will just stick to lausanne.

Isabel - I guess I don't have much choice but to go ahead with the plan irregardless of the weather since I dont think that I will be back in Switzerland soon and I dont want to miss out any of the places.
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Old Jan 21st, 2014, 05:57 AM
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As a small place, Gruyeres has only 5 hotels (plus 2 hotels at the other side of the valley, too far away from the center)
http://www.la-gruyere.ch/fr/Destinat...gruyeres&name=
http://www.lafermedubourgoz.ch/
http://www.gruyere-rooms.ch/

If you come from Interlaken, it's handy to sleep at Gruyeres for luggage problems (the small railway station has no lockers AFAIK).
Backtracking from both, Montreux or Lausanne, takes 1 1/4 hrs OW.

There are tons of daytrip possibilities everywhere, from Lucerne and Wengen too. Have a look at the links I sent you yesterday (above). and don't forget the Brienz area
Brienzer Rothorn
Giessbach
Aar Gorge
Trift Bridge
Gelmer cablecar
Hasliberg - Alpen Tower
Ballenberg Village Museum
http://www.grimselwelt.ch/home-en/
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Old Jan 21st, 2014, 07:49 AM
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With that much rail travel a Swiss Pass or Half-Fare Card or Swiss Card will be a good deal - probably a Swiss Pass since you are covering a lot of ground - valid in full to Wengen, Murren, Zermatt and on the Golden Pass scenic train between Interlaken area and Lake Geneva.

Also fully valid on lake boats, city trams and buses, Switzerland's iconic postal buses and also gives free entry to 470 museums like those in Lucerne and Lausanne and Ballenberg (about a $25 there alone!)and perhaps Gruyeres castle and places like that. For lots of great info on Swiss trains, passes, etc I always spotlight these IMO fantastic sites: www.swisstravelsystem.com; www.budgeteuropetravel.com; www.ricksteves.comand www.seat61.com.
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Old Jan 21st, 2014, 09:24 AM
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1. The itinerary for Wengen is mostly outdoor and weather dependent. Are there any suggestions for wet weather activities?>

Yes take a day trip to Bern, to me one of the most if not the most beautiful city in Switzerland and neatly they have covered walkways in the city centre - check out the Bear Pit too - just about an hour or so from any Jungfrau Region base.
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