Starwalker
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i would shoot for at least 5 days (Switzerland is much too wonderful to enjoy in less).
fly into Geneva and visit the city (maybe go to Lausanne if you get bored) on your first jet-lagged day.
second day, head by train to Jungfrau region. i would suggest going a little further and staying in Wengen or Murren rather than Interlaken; these small towns in the Alps are more charming, better views, more outdoor activities than Interlaken, which is on flat land and outside of the Alps.
spend your 2nd and 3rd day in the Jungfrau region. if you really want to see Eiger, Monch, and Jungfrau, then take the cable car to Mannlichen or train to Kleine Scheidegg instead (Murren also gets lovely views of the triplets, though from a distance). at the actual Jungfraujoch, you'll see glaciers and other impressive snow-capped peaks, but you don't get to see the Eiger, Monch, Jungfrau side by side. some people say Jungfraujoch is a hightlight to their Swiss trips, but i think it's a bit over-rated. it's also about a 3 hr trip (round trip) by train to Jungfraujoch, so it's about an all-day excursion, since you'll have less sunlight in february.
while you're in the area, there's lots of winter hiking to be done. if you want to participate in winter sports, you can always rent skis and equipment in any of the mountain towns. the InterSport network also lets you return the equipment to quite a number of different shops in different towns in the region, even if it's not the same store where you actually rented the equipment. for a cheaper alternative with equal thrills, try sledding; both the actual sled and pass is cheaper than skiing. in the winter, you can purchase the Jungfrau SportPass, which gives you unlimited rides on the gondola/trains in the Jungfrau area, but it can be cheaper to just buy the individual tickets if you're not riding a lot. (note: the SportPass will only give you a 50% discount to Jungfraujoch.)
4th day, sometime in the afternoon, you'd have to head to Zurich, since it's a 3hr train ride. you can go to Zurich via Luzern, and go to Mt. Pilatus then. alternatively, you can head straight to Zurich, and visit its altstadt and excellent shopping and restaurants.
5th day, you fly out. and if you're coming back to the US, chances are your flight is at 10am.
if you want to visit Zermatt, then you would have to omit Jungfrau area. it's 3+ hrs to Zermatt from either Geneva or Zurich. so if you try to do it all, you'd be changing a location everyday and spending most of your time on the train, and weather is a big determinant of whether it's worthwhile to visit the Alps (Matterhorn and Eiger, Monch, Jungfrau can be shrouded in clouds for days). to maximize the chances of the best views, i'd pick one location and stay there for a few days. btw, Zermatt is very nice and the sight of the Matterhorn is a thrill, but i think Jungfrau region has more to do.
as for passes, you can look into the options provided by the SBB. Swiss Pass, Swiss Card, Half-Fare card will all give you 50% reduction to Jungfraujoch, cable cars, Rothorn and Kleine Matterhorn in Zermatt (you can't go up the actual Matterhorn unless you're a rock climber), but no pass gives you unlimited access to these special rides. it's up to you to do the math and determine which pass is worth your while, though i'm suspecting that if you're doing the Geneva-Interlaken-Zurich route (all single trips), you'll get the best deal with Half Fare Card (99CHF for 1 month, then you pay 50% for all train rides/gondolas/funiculars).
whether february will be cold depends on how used to cold you are. it's unlikely to be above 0C in Switzerland during that time of year, and it would be in the negatives in the mountains then.
your itinerary is ok, though imo, very hectic. you will best enjoy Switzerland by cutting out certain things (e.g., Geneva + Jungfrau area + Luzern + Zurich, without visiting Pilatus) or just add more days to your trip (there is no lack of things to do in Switzerland even if you stay 3 times as long). pick your absolute musts, and work your schedule that way. though i would suggest giving the Alps the majority of your time, because even though the Swiss cities are nice, i don't think it's worth it to spend most of your time in them. |
Julie N
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I was in Interlaken in July and it was cold enough to need a coat in the morning. By afternoon, it felt like springtime, but I can't imagine how it would feel in February!
I'm not sure if trains run up that way in February, but it truly is a small town. The locals are so sweet and very helpful. I would make hotel reservations for interlaken just in case you get snowed in. Heck, I'd stay there all month. It's gorgeous! There are lots of businesses that will take you paragliding, mountain hiking, etc, but i'm not sure if they operate in winter. |
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