5 Day Itinerary for Switzerland

Posted by: khyatidesai on: April 19, 2009

• In: Switzerland
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We had easter leaves coming up and were thinking of travelling somewhere in europe as we had our schengen visas. Luckily enough we got quite a good deal on the UK-Geneva and Zurich-UK flights – which decided the destination for the trip for us.We had decided to take a 4 night trip to the Swiss territory. I have tried to list my experiences and itenary for a 5-day break in Swiss from the UK. Though Switzerland looks like a small country on the map, but once you are on the ground in Switzerland (officially called the Swiss Confederation), you will discover an endless variety of places to visit. Now, if you just had an endless vacation to explore them!
Map of Swiss country

A few things to note before travelling to Switzerland…
First and foremost, do find out if you require visa for travel. Further info about visas can be obtained from the site
Swiss Visas.

It is advisable to buy ticket passes for your entire duration of the trip, from the UK itself, since train travel in switzerland can be very expensive. We had taken the Half fare card, you just have to pay half the fare of the ticket in swiss trains with this card. This card also has a discount to the scenic Glacier express and Mt. Titlis. But my personal opinion is to take the Half Fare Card only if your trip spans for over 5 days(since the card validity is for a month). Also if your trip is of a lesser duration 4-5 days and you intend to travel to more than 3-4 cities, then either half fare(£55) or full fare card(£130) would suffice, provided you are travelling to at least 3-4 cities in  Swiss County. The full fare card is valid for 4 days, 6 days, etc.

Further information about the train passes can be obtained from
Switzerland Train Pases
This site is specially dedicated to the travellers visitng from the UK.

The internal train journeys (in Switzerland) can be booked in advance and you can also check the train times for planning your trip.
Swiss Train Times
All stations have signages that display which train arrives next and goes to which station, and when the train is arriving, a voice announces where the first class and second class coaches are. Even the rail staff is quite friendly and helpful. We did not face any language problem though English was our only language of communication.

Now that we have all the basic information, lets start the trip to the scenic country, a virtual tour for most of you.
Day 1
We had taken an early morning flight from the UK to Geneva. Though we had a very early start, we were feeling refreshed maybe with the excitement of finally going to the Swiss.(it was my long time wish to travel to Switzerland). We reached Geneva by 10.45 am. Since we had decided not to stay in Geneva, we had taken very light luggage which was no bother to carry during the day and no waiting for the check-in baggage also. We cleared our customs in a frenzy and finally were out of the airport breathing in the refreshing air of the country of mountains.

As most of you may be aware Geneva is not the capital of Switzerland, Bern is the capital city, but it definitely is the tourist capital, with lot of museums to keep one occupied. Geneva is home to historic buildings, musuems, parks and interesting sights. You can have a stroll around on your own or opt for the 2 hour tour bus. The tour starts from the Gare Routière, the bus station at place Dorcière, near the Key Tours office. We had decided to be our own tour guide, thats a fun way of exploring any new city.

Geneva can mostly be visited on foot, except to visit some landmarks. Since no trip to Geneva is complete without a visit to the European Headquarters of the United Nations(Palais des Nations), we headed for the same foremost.

We took a tram from the station. Tram No 1/13 Location: Avenue de la Paix

Timings of the UN: 10:00 – 12:00, 14:00 – 16:00 Daily. 09:00 – 16:00 (July and August)

Admission : SFr. 8.50. PAssport required. This is a guided tour.

Geneva’s world famous lakefront offers endless opportunities for recreation and relaxation throughout the year. The Jet d’eau fountain sprouting 140 metres into the air is the world’s tallest fountain and symbolises Geneva’s heritage as a leader in the hydraulic power.
On the eastern bank is the gigantic Flower Clock made of 6500 flowers,the arrangement of flowers is changed few times in the year. To have a better view of the city, would recommend to take a one or two hours cruise on the lake.

The flea market(open Tuesdays, Fridays and Sundays from 8am to 17.00). Rue De Rive and Rue Du Rhone are great places to shop for high street fashions.  A stroll around the old town of Geneva gives you a chance to discover Geneva’s secrets yourself. At the Carouge, you can see the skilled artisans at work. An evening stroll across the bastions Park and Placve Neuve is also very relaxing. The geneva botanical garden(Jardin Botanique) are a must see for the those ion love with flora with over 15,000 species of palnt variety. Bus 4 or 18.

In the late evening we headed to our hostel in interlaken.Its a 3 hours train journey from Geneva to Interlaken,(32.50 CHF pp, single half price) through a very scenic route. We had to change trains at Bern – the capital city – which we visited the next day. Our hostel was not very far from the Station – 10 min walk. Later a light dinner and we were ready to end our tiring but beautiful day.

Day 2
After an early breakfast,we started the journey to Mt. Jungfraujoch around 8 am. It is advisable to check the daily live weather conditions for Jungfraujoch , since the weather conditions there can be very bad. Unfotunately on the day we visited the temp was less than 4 degress and it was very very windy. Infact our hostel staff did suggest us not to go there, since we would not be able to see much or enjoy a walk on the glacier. We were suggested to go to Mt. First or Mt. Schilthron. But as we had jsut one day in interlaken and we had decided to take the glacier express the nextr day, we decided to try out luck

Reaching There

From interlaken there are two ways to reach Jungfraujoch at 3454 m (11,333 ft) above sea level.

Ticket price from Interlaken Ost to Top of Jungfraujoch and return 88.90 CHF pp. We had the interlaken day pass provided by our hostel.

Take a train from Interlaken Ost station to Lauterbrunnen. From here change to a green colour train(Wengernalp Railway) to Kleine Scheidegg, where we again change to a cog wheel red train(Jungfrau Railways) which goes all the way up to the top of europe. Stops at the viewing windows of the Eigerwand and Eismeer stations allow fascinating views over the famous north wall of the Eiger and the glaciers of the Eismeer. The viewing points are in the center of the marvelous glacier world of the Jungfraujoch. You also have rest rooms at these points. Mostly the trains have a designated 5 minute break at both these points while going up

Else, take train from Interlaken Ost to Grindelwald(can spend some time here also). It takes nearly 35 min. Then continue your journey by Wengernalp Railway over Kleine Scheidegg to the mountain, and for the trip to the world famous Jungfraujoch with Jungfrau Railways.

The total journey time to reach the top will be around 2.5 hrs. You can take one route while coming and the other route while going back, as done by us. The route itslef is very scenic and beautiful.

On the top, you can visit the ice palace, Aletsh Glacier, Schynige Platte with Alpine Garden . There is an indian restaurant also on the top in addition to a cafetaria and the crystal which offers swiss cuisine.

The first thing we did was to head to the glass revolving door that leads to a balcony / corridor sort of structure which provides a great view of the Aletsch Glacier, followed by the ice palace, another glacier where one can actually walk around the glacier(though its quite safe as its is cordoned at the corners and if weather permits), observation tower – through Spinx tunnel.

Roaming about on the peak to our hearts content, we decided to start our descent journey. We reached interlaken and we had either the option of cruise around lake Thun (last cruise at 5 pm) or a trip to the capital city – Bern. We opted to visit Bern. Ticket Price 26 CHF half price Interlaken to Bern and return.

Bern is just an hours train travel from Interlaken, but the ride is very scenic with snow caped mountains in the back drop and a huge lake(with no end in sight) parallel to the train. Since we reached around 6 in the evening, museums were not a part of our itenary. The umbrella styles houses and shops are a breathtaking view.

We visited the Fantastic Clock Tower, which has puppets that pop out before the hour and perform a little skit. We did want to visit the Swiss Alpine Museum displays a history of the Swiss Alps, but was closed. A stroll around berns green river Aare is a also worth taking.
After spending few hours in bern we headed to the station for the train to our interlaken hostel to retire for the night.

Day 3

We checked out of the hostel today, as we headed to take one of the royal trains from Zermatt – Glacier express. The tickets for the same can be booked online from the UK or can be purchased at any of the stations in swiss. We had purchased the tickets on the first day of our arrival itself.

App. Ticket price Interlaken to Zermat one way 30 CHF pp, Half Fare, and the Glacier express discounted price 10CHF pp without meal.(Half Fare)

All info about the Glacier express can be found at
Glacier Express

It’s a regular scheduled year-round train service between Zermatt at the foot of the Matterhorn and St Moritz in the Engadin skiing area.  Said to be Europe’s slowest express, its a narrow-gauge train which takes 7½ hours to cover just over 290 km (180 miles), at an average speed of around 24 mph.  But you won’t mind, as spectacular Swiss mountain scenery unfolds outside the train’s massive panoramic sightseeing windows while you eat lunch accompanied by crisp Swiss red wine.

Since we were starting the scenic journey from Zermatt at 10 am, we took the 7 am train from Interlaken(2hrs). From Zermatt, we boarded the Glacier express. Our scenic journey was very beautiful. Frankly speaking I dont have words to describe the journey. Its best experienced first hand, no amount of writing would do it justice. We reached St. Moritz around 6 pm. Since we could not get accomodation in Moritz, we had booked our hostel in Churn a 2 hrs travel.

After exploring the scenic beauty of St. Moritz for a couple of hours we headed to Churn to retire for the day. If once does not wish to take the entire train journey, one can board the train from Brig also and get of at Chur, ie get in or off at any of the designated stops.Glacier Express

Ticket from St. Moritz to Chur single 19 CHF pp, Half Fare

Ticket from Chur to Luzern single 22 CHF pp, Half Fare

Day 4
Our next destination was the city of Lucerne. We took the early morning train to Lucerne(2 hrs).

From Lucerne, one can visit Mt. Pilatus, Mt. Titlis or Mt. Rigi, but since friends recommened Mt. Titlis we headed there.

Reaching Titlis

With the half fare card, our Mt. Titlis price was 54 CHF pp.
Take train from Lucerne to Engelberg that runs hourly. By road, it takes half hour to the village. From the Titlis base station, continue the journey with 3 different cable cars to Mount Titlis.

On reaching Engelberg by train, the mode of transportation changes from rail tracks to cable cars. From Engelberg, the journey is made by 3 aerial cable cars through many changes of scenery from the green valley up into the high alpine glacier region in only 45 minutes. The last lap of the cable car is a 365 degree revolving cable car, so once can see the entire landscape by just staying stationary in once place.

The entire one way journey takes around 2.5hrs.
Mt. Titlis

In the evening we spent some time around Lucerne visiting the dying lion (bus no 1), wooden chapel bridge(old and new) whcih involves a nice stroll arouund the river and a walk across the old town.

Day 5

Luzern to Zurich half fare single ticket 13.50 pp

Also Zurich travel card 11.50 CHF half price pp.

Since we were heading back to the UK today from Zurich, it was our last destintaion in the country of Alphs. We took an early train from Lucerne to Zurich(2hrs).

As we had only few hours to kill before our flight, we went to the rhine falls and took the 90 minute river cruise.

Finally we ended our glorious trip by taking early afternoon flight back to the UK.

Few points to remember
Ensure to take warm clothes even though you are planning the trip in Summer as few areas have snow throughout the year.

List of things to take

• Warm clothes
• Gloves
• Cap
• Glares(in the areas of snow, if the sun is really bright, the reflection with the snow can really hurt the eyes)

Some Additional Info

Know the Train Route

Step1

Begin your journey at Geneve Cff. Geneve Cff is the primary train hub for western Switzerland, with connecting destinations throughout the country and Europe at large.

Step2

Make a connecting stop in Bern on your way to Interlaken, about two hours from Geneva. Bern, the capital of Switzerland, is the primary crossroad for the entire country and is the best connection for continuing on to Interlaken.

Step3

Complete your journey at Interlaken Ost, the larger of the two stations in the city and only 60 minutes from Bern. This station has more international travel options than Interlaken West, too, so this would be the perfect place to begin a journey to eastern European destinations.

Step4

Make additional stops along the route from Geneva to Interlaken to see the Swiss countryside. Cities like Lucerne, Lausanne and Fribourg are all positioned near the train route.

Purchase Your Tickets

Step1

To book your ticket, contact Eurail at 1-866-638-7245 or visit their Web site (see Resources, below). From their homepage, just click on ‘Train Tickets and Schedules,’ printed in blue in the left-hand column.

Step2

Keep a few extra dollars in your pocket and book economy class seats from Bern to Interlaken. The trip is short enough to make it nearly pointless for an upgrade to first class.

Step3

Book a first class seat for the first leg of the journey if you’d like to stretch out. You’ll have about two hours in a seat with plenty of leg room–perfect for a nap.

Step4

Have your tickets mailed to your home before you travel, or elect to pick them up at the station. Either method is conveniently available when you book your train travel online.

Scenic Trains

Glacier Express

A panoramic trip through the Alpine heartland of Switzerland, and a memorable way of traveling from the eastern to the western Swiss Alps. Route: Zermatt – Brig – Andermatt – Chur – Davos / St. Moritz and vice versa. Journey time: 7 1/2 hours, runs all year. Summer: 4 trains daily; Winter 1 train daily

Bernina Express

Glacier Express and Bernina Express Panorama WagonThe north-south Alpine crossing from Chur to Lugano offers breathtaking views as you travel from ice-age glaciers to palm trees. Route: Chur – St. Moritz – Bernina Pass – Tirano by train – then continue by bus to Lugano and vice versa. Journey time: 7 hours. Train runs all year, bus runs May to mid October. Frequency: 1 train daily

William Tell

The William Tell Express links German-speaking central Switzerland with the Italian-speaking Mediterranean-like portion of Switzerland. Route: Lucerne – Fluelen by boat, then continue by train to Lugano/Locarno (change in Bellinzona for Lugano). A lunch is included on the boat. Journey time: 5 1/2 hours. Train runs May to October. Frequency: 2 trains daily. Runs in both directions

Golden Pass Line

Golden Pass is the natural link between Central Switzerland and Lake Geneva. Route: Lucerne – Interlaken – Zweisimmen – Montreux and vice versa. We suggest to reserve the Zweisimmen to Montreux Route. Journey time: 6 hours or 1 1/2 hours from Zweisimmen to Montreux or vice versa. Train runs all year. Frequency: several trains daily

Chocolate Train

Enjoy stunning views of the vineyards surrounding Montreux and medieval Gruyères and continue to Broc, where the chocolate factory is marvelously situated between Lake Gruyères and the Alps. Journey time: 8 hours. Runs June to October. Frequency: Monday, Wednesday and Thursday

A reservation fee will be added to your Swiss Railpass for the scenic trains.

PS : Few inputs for travel help have been taken from other sites also.

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