Planning an 8 day trip by rail to switzerland by rail. Need help
Replies: 1 - Last Post: Dec 11, 2012 7:54 AM Last Post By: neckervd
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Planning an 8 day trip by rail to switzerland by rail. Need help
We are planning a trip to Switzerland in June. We will fly into and out of Zurich and plan to do all our travel by train. The places we would like to see are:Lucern
Laterbrunnen
Zermatt
Montreux
We would like to stay in 2 places and do day trips from those two places. A stay in Montreux not necessary but would like to see Chillon Castle. What are the most scenic routes to get from place to places, and how much time is necessary for travel.
Any help planning our itinerary is appreciated.
1
There is nothing to see at Lauterbrunnen. It's just the starting point of some of the most expensive Swiss mountain railways (Jungfrau, Schilthorn).All places you mention can easily be visited in day trips from Berne (if you sleep in a hotel or hostel close to thre railway station). But with this solution, you sit 2 to 5 hours in trains every day, more if you go on by train from Lauterbrunnen to Jungfraujoch or from Zermatt to Gornergrat, etc.
But frankly, I wouldn't do that. Sleep at Lucerne, Zermatt, Montreux, etc. and start day trips from there:
steamboat ride from Lucerne to Vitznau and cog railway to Rigi;
railway, cablecar or cableway (gondola) ride from Zermatt to any mountain and short (or longer) hikes to glaciers or mountain lakes;
panoramic train from Montreux to Gruyeres and Broc with visits of the cheese diary, the castle, the medieval town and the chocolate factory,
steamboat cruises on Lake Geneva, may be up to Prangins castle (Swiss National Museum), Nyon castle (Porcelain Museum), Thonon-les-Bains (Bellegarde castle and Ripaille castle)
etc. etc.
SCENIC SWISS RAILWAYS
Almost every railway ligne through Switzerland is scenic. Here are the best ones (in this order of priority):
Glacier Express Zermatt-Brig-Chur-St. Moritz, Bernina-Express St. Moritz-Tirano,
Golden Pass Montreux-Gstaad-Spiez-Interlaken-Lucerne, Voralpen Express Lucerne-Rapperswil-St. Gallen
Old Loetschberg line Berne-Spiez-Kandersteg-Brig, Simplon line Brig-Domodossola-Arona, Centovalli line Domodossola-Locarno,
Gotthard railway Lucerne-Airolo-Lugano-Chiasso,
Mont-Blanc-Express Martigny-Chamonix-St-Gervais (-Geneva).
http://www.myswitzerland.com/en/home.html
http://www.swisstravelsystem.ch/en/
http://fahrplan.sbb.ch/bin/query.exe/en
http://www.rhb.ch/Video-Glacier-eng.784.0.html?&L=4
http://www.rhb.ch/Video-Bernina-eng.782.0.html?&L=4
http://www.rhb.ch/UNESCO-Clip-eng.1061.0.html?&L=4

