Is 6days enough for Zurich, Lucerne, Interlaken and Jungfrua?

Hi and welcome to the forum.

You do the ever same error of a first time traveller (not only to Switzerland): Trying to put too much in too little time.

I don't agree that you have six full days for travelling. As it sounds, you're arriving from overseas, therefore regard the day of arrival and the next day as lost due to jetlag. The same applies for you last day - packing, checking-out and transfering to the airport take their time. Taking this in account, you have only three full days. This is never enough for your itinerary if you do not only want to sit in trains and cable cars. Please let us know what your longest possible stay could be and also let us know your budget so that we can suggest a much better itinerary.

Though 6 days is probably not enough, you could probably squeeze your list in...

Day 1: Arrive Zurich airport. Catch the train to Zurich HB (main train station). Stow luggage (about 8CHF). Catch train to Stein am Rhein (1 hour). See falls. Catch train back to Zurich HB. Retrieve luggage/check into hotel. Explore Zurich (boat trip on lake, wander old town, etc). Stay overnight in Zurich.

Day 2: Explore Zurich some more? Train to Lucerne (1 hour). Explore town.

Day 3: Day trip from Lucerne... Pilatus/Titlis... boat trip on lake... Catch train to Interlaken (2 hours) or stay overnight in Lucerne.

Day 4: Travel up into the Jungfrau area (from Interlaken/Lucerne (2.5 hours)). Explore Jungfrau area.

Day 5: Explore Jungfrau area.

Day 6: Travel from Interlaken to Zurich airport (2.5 hours).

Check out www.myswitzerland.com for great info on destinations, transport, etc. And www.sbb.ch for trains (English version available)

Edited by: silverfern

Dear a_p

Thank you very much for your reply. I am from London and just flight is just less than 90mins, I don't think the jetlag will be a big problem for us.

Our total budget is just around 1700CHF for 2 people. The flight ticket from easyjet is around 100CHF each so that we have 1500CHF for everything else. I believe 6 days is the maximum amount of time we can stay.

Maybe I will forget about Lucerne and pack Zurich, Interlaken and Jungfrua in 6days? Is that possible to give me some sample itinerary for this case?

And my final question is will you suggestion Interlaken or Lauterbrunnen in terms of landscapes views?

Thanks again!
Paul

Dear silverfern

Thank you very much for your help, I will think about it.

Paul

Hi Paul. Thanks for reporting back and providing a few details. My first thought after seeing your budget was that more than six days in Switzerland will most probably not be possible. In order to profit best of your money, I suggest to do a circle tour which is avoiding backtracking. Try to do the following:

• June 8: Flight London - Zurich. Transfer to main station, leave your luggage here. Roundtrip to Rhine falls (take the train in direction Schaffhausen, get off in Neuhausen am Rheinfall). Overnight in Zurich.
• June 9: Transfer by train to Berne - Interlaken - Lauterbrunnen. Visit Trümmelbach falls. Overnight in Lauterbrunnen.

• June 10: Considering your budget, I suggest to do Schilthorn (Mount Gloria - the James Bond movie "On her Majesty’s Secret Service" had been taken up there) instead of Jungfraujoch. Jungfraujoch should only be done if the weather is perfect, otherwise you won't see anything and > 200 Sfr. per person would be waisted. Schilthorn is "only" about half this price and the view from up there is at least as spectacular. Overnight in Lauterbrunnen.

• June 11: Transfer Lauterbrunnen - Interlaken - Brünig pass (cog railway) - Lucerne. Visit the old town, Glacier Garden and Bourbaki Panorama. Overnight in Lucerne.
• June 12: Classic Roundtrip: By boat to Vitznau - by cog railway up to Mount Rigi - (Bring your own lunch, the way the Swiss do) - by cog railway down to Arth-Goldau - by train back to Lucerne. Don't go up to Engelberg and Mount Titlis as other people might tell you, this would definitely break the bank. An alternate for this day would be Mount Pilatus which is just above Lucerne. Rigi is however to be preferred over Pilatus. Overnight in Lucerne.
• June 13: Transfer by train to Zurich and flight back to London.

Make sure to find accommodation soon, look out for middle class hotels that would fit your budget. In order to reduce travel costs, I suggest to get a Swiss Half Fare Card. For details, click here. For tons of interesting information about travelling/holidaying in Switzerland, please click here. For personalized schedules, click here. Feel free to come back in order to ask more questions.

Hi

I am wondering why did you say prefer Mt Rigi than Mt Pilatus. I am visiting Zurich and Lucerne in May so I have not decided whether I should go Mt. Rigi or Mt. Pilatus.

I am wondering why did you say prefer Mt Rigi than Mt Pilatus.

Rigi is low scale, not that much overrun by tourists like Pilatus. But nevertheless as famous - au contraire! Mark Twain, Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, Johannes Brahms, they all were inspired by Rigi. Wheras Pilatus...? It's not much more than a big rock behind the city of Lucerne with only one lookout; Rigi is however a small mountain ridge with several lookouts. It's all about good marketing...