Switzerland advice

coleen

We are going to Switzerland for 4 nights in mid October. It on my OH bucket list and looks lovely but expensive.

We are arriving in Zurich and spending the 4 nights in Lucerne. We are staying in an apartment so can sort our own breakfast and snacks etc.

We would like to go to Interlaken for a day and do some walking .

We would also like to go to Mt Pilatus and hike some of the way and go up in the gondola to the top.

We we’re looking at Jungfraujoch which would be at least traveling 4.5 hours each way and doing and organised trip to that.

That is expensive and maybe to far and we would not get to spend much time there.

If anyone can advise on any of these or tips for Switzerland in general, also should we get a rail pass or pre-book trains to these destination.

Any advice please

It is expensive in general.

Honestly, if you wanted to go to both Interlaken and Jungfraujoch in 4 days then you probably should be staying in the Interlaken area and not Lucerne.

Jungfraujoch is a very long and expensive day, even if starting in Interlaken.

You sound as if your main reason for going is to be in the mountains.

So, if it was me (which its not, its up to you really) I would either change accommodation to Interlaken / Lauterbrunnen and concentrate on the hiking in that area, or else continue with the Lucerne accommodation, do Mt Pilatus and research the hiking around Lucerne / Vitznau eg https://www.komoot.com/guide/1093/hiking-around-lucerne . Both Lucerne and Interlaken and their respective surrounding areas are beautiful, neither will disappoint - though Lucerne is not right in the mountains whereas Interlaken (and even more so Lauterbrunnen) are. Whichever you pick dont forget you have lots of lake ferries designed to transport you to mountain walks.

Also, when you are researching the things you want to do, keep an eye on what is open during October, I have only ever been there in Summer, you will start to see some peaks and walks disappear when the snow starts.

coleen

Thank you . The reason we had picked Lucerne over Interlaken was that our flight back from Zurich was early and the access from Lucerne seems better.

Jim2007

The first thing to be aware of is that October is a closed month, it's when the tourist industry does maintenance work etc, so you need to check and make sure that the places you want to go to and the things you want to do are open. On the other hand the snows could come early and that would rule out hiking.

Since you will be in an apartment you can use either the Migros (https://www.migros.ch/en) or Coop (https://www.coop.ch/en/) for grocery shopping. If you don't have a car you might want to consider getting them to do one home delivery to cover you for the whole period. I think delivery is free if you order over 100 Francs, which is not difficult if there are two people for four days. If you are looking for a meal during the day or early evening these supermarkets usually have a restaurant attached and the prices are much more reasonable than most places.

I've been on the Jungfraujoch a couple of times (I have lived here for 30+ years) and I don't think it is worth the money and there is every chance that it will be in mist and fog at that time of the year. A very nice trip from Luzern is to take a train over the Brünig Pass (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Br%C3%BCnig_Pass) to Grindlewald then up to Kleine Scheidegg (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Br%C3%BCnig_Pass) on to Wengen and back to Luzern. In addition to the Pilatus in Luzern, there is also the the Riggi (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rigi), so check visibility on the day and decide which is better.

Depending on the weather, there are also a couple of other things to do:

• The Swiss transport museum
• Chocolate Factory
• Explore the old town
• Hope on a train to Bern and explore the old town (Most sidewalks are covered in, to it's ideal on a wet day)

Swiss trains are expensive, but it is worth remembering that Swiss people don't pay full fare as a rule, everyone has a discount card of some sort. It is difficult to say if it is worthwhile for ye to buy one, without known your full plans. However this is the link to the best passes for tourists (https://www.sbb.ch/en/leisure-holidays/inspiration/international-guests/swiss-travel-pass.html). Also load the SBB app on your home, this will give you all the train and bus times as well as allowing you to buy tickets online. Most train stations and post busses have free internet so your app should work in most situations.

The Coop supermarket is also a good place to shop for gifts if you want to bring stuff back as it offers well known brands at reasonable prices.

Enjoy your trip.

Jim2007

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119371944#Comment_119371944

Probably best as October is also the last chance for the mountain railway companies to do final maintenance before the snows.

Another very nice (and easy) walk is from Mannlichen to Kleine Scheidegg, 5km so about 1.5 hrs, wonderful views, mostly pretty level.

Starting from Interlaken take the train to Lauterbrunnen then to Wengen then cable car to Mannlichen, then walk along the Panoramaweg to Kleine Scheidegg. From Kleine Scheidegg, take the train to Grindelwald then back to Interlaken.

Described very well here https://www.earthtrekkers.com/mannlichen-to-kleine-scheidegg-panorama-trail/

jusvi2001

Hi Sorry if i am hijacking the thread. I am planning a trip to Switzerland for 3 days on 22nd August. my kids are 8 and 11 yr old so not much into hiking but just want to visit and experience Jungfrau or some other place similar . Interlaken, Chocolate factory ( Lindt factory unless there is another one) and transport museum are on the list. Can someone advise where would be the best place to stay to explore Jungfrau, Interlaken, chocolate factory and transport museum. also is there anything else which kids would be interested.

Thank you

BKtje

I don't have any children so can't suggest anything which you haven't already mentioned but I'll try to answers some of your other questions.

The transport museum is excellent and is on the outskirts of Lucerne. You can easily spend a whole day there so I would suggest spending the night in Lucerne somewhere.

You can then take a 2 hour train to Interlaken where you are 35 minutes from Grindelwald where you can take the telecabin and mountain train up the Jungfrau and in Interlaken you are also close to the Lindt chocolate factory (which I've never visited). I'd therefore suggest staying in Interlaken for ease of access to these two areas.

While I loved going up the Jungfrau, it is eye wateringly expensive unless you have a discount (Full price is 204chf per adult). I would suggest making sure that it would be enjoyable for your children beforehand though there are a few activities up top which they might enjoy. https://www.jungfrau.ch/en-gb/jungfraujoch-top-of-europe/

Do your sums with regards to trains to see if taking a discount card would be worthwhile. It's 185chf per year (adult) but pretty much cuts all train, bus, cable cars and most public ferry costs in half including the trip up the Jungfrau so may be worthwhile if you do it. Interlaken and Lucerne are both very expensive as they are both tourist destinations so in general a bit more expensive than even Swiss standard prices.

Jakey Rolling

1/2 price Swiss Half Fare card (valid 30 days) is CHF120 per adult. So if you are booking trains/mountain railways/cable cars that exceed CHF240, then you will be saving overall. (I was berated yesterday by a ticket clerk for not having bought the 1/2 day pass) We did however have a 6 day Berner Oberland Pass which saved us a packet in time and money, the difference in our case was marginal. The BOP also gets the Jungfraujoch price down to CHF99 per adult, as well as "free" travel on nearly all cable cars and mountain railways in the Gridnelwald/Lauterbrunnen area

Very long day out to Jungfraujoch from Luzern. Lovely train ride from Luzern to Interlaken all the same, though at the end of the day you'll be too tired to appreciate it :-)

The Davestator

Check what the current arrangements for phone data is too. I learned the hard way as I assumed it would be the same as other EU countries but it wasn't and I got a big bill.

Jakey Rolling

Phone data is extrotionate, €7 per MEGA byte on Three, voice calls about €2/min to make or receive, texts 35c.

I bought an add-on for €20, but that only gave 1GB data. Enough for quickly checking train timetables, otherwise mobile data off and use Wifi where possible. Download maps prior to travel for use offline. Had rest of fmily switch off mobile data as soon as we landed. Only in chatting to a Three rep did i happen to find out that the €80 limit that I have set that cuts data when you go over that amount, does not work outside EU.

VG31

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119460373#Comment_119460373

Switzerland is included in EU roaming on Vodafone.

Smallglass

I'm travelling from Lake Como to Zurich by train in September,planning to stop off in Pontresina for 3 days.Any advice on activities/dining ect in the area would be appreciated.TIA

rainagain

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119426930#Comment_119426930

https://swissfamilyfun.com/ was recommended to me, might be useful

aquarius10

Did you get to Pontresina ? How was it ? Any tips ?

We are going this weekend and so looking forward to it.