
2024 Edition 
8-Day Itinerary to discover Switzerland with its amazing panoramic trains. You will see Lucerne, Interlaken, Montreux, Zermatt and St Moritz. You will ride the famous Glacier Express, the GoldenPass line, and experience breathtaking mountain trains and gondolas.

This itinerary is made for spring, summer and fall seasons.

Zermatt, Switzerland

St Moritz, Switzerland

Switzerland

Switzerland Best Panoramic Trains and Destinations: 8 days Itinerary

Take a train to Zürich HB from Zürich Flughalfen. Then take a train to Lucerne from Zurich HB (trains every ‘10 & ‘35)

Then you can go discover Lucerne’s old town, starting with the famous Chapel Bridge. 

Then walk in the old town. First go to the Kornmarkt square, then to the Weinmarkt square and continue towards the Speuer Bridge.

Then walk down to go see the Lion of Lucerne. You can also go to the Glacier Garden a minute away from the Lion of Lucerne to learn about glaciers.

Depending on your energy level after a long flight and maybe with some jetlag, you can either rest for a bit at your hotel, as you’ll be able to access your room then, or continue walking along the lake, for example towards the Swiss Transportation Museum (also called Verkehrshaus, great in case of rain). You can come back by boat to Lucerne (every ‘35 and sometimes other times too). 

Dinner cruise schedules vary, check for times here.

Arrival in Zurich airport in the morning.

After the walk in the old town and, depending on the time, have lunch at the Rathaus Brauerei or Pfistern Restaurant, both by the water.

After lunch, we recommend walking up to the Lucerne walls and see the view from the 7 towers. 

Sunset cruise on Lake Lucerne. Take the boat by the train station to enjoy beautiful views on the mountains surrounding the lake. Cruises might even have a mini alphorn concert!

Day 2: Lauterbrunnen, Mürren and Harder Kulm

Then take your luggage and go take your first panoramic train of this trip, the Golden Pass line to Interlaken. Trains leave every hour (‘06).

Arrive in Interlaken Ost and drop your bags either at your hotel or at the lockers of the train station. 

Walk to the Trümmelbachfälle waterfalls on the pedestrian path that passes next to the Staubach waterfall, among others. 

Explore the Trümmelbachfälle waterfalls.

Then take a bus to Stechelberg (every ‘12 & ‘42). There, take the Schilthorn gondola to Mürren. You have the possibility to stop at Gimmelwald, a small rural mountain village with multiple self service fridges selling cheese, dried meat and other delicious treats. 

In Mürren, stroll in the car free village and discover the views from the village on surrounding mountains like the Eiger. 

The round trip will be 50% off with the Swiss Travel Pass. 

Enjoy walking in the morning in Lucerne a little bit more.

Lunch either in a restaurant in Lauterbrunnen, or picnic bought at the Lauterbrunnen Coop supermarket next to the train station. Eat it on the pedestrian path to the Trümmelbachfälle.

Take a train to Lauterbrunnen (every half hour ‘04 and ‘34). You can either in a restaurant in Lauterbrunnen, or picnic bought at the Lauterbrunnen Coop supermarket next to the train station. Eat it on the pedestrian path to the Trümmelbachfälle. 

Dinner in Harder Kulm, at the Harder Kulm restaurant. Take the Harderbahn funicular from Interlaken Ost and enjoy a sunset dinner overlooking two lakes and with a view on the Jungfrau and the Eiger.

In Grindelwald-Terminal, buy a round trip ticket to the Jungfraujoch. Take the Eiger Express, and from the top, change for the last train to the Jungfraujoch.

On top of the Jungfraujoch, you can enjoy multiple activities: the Ice Palace, the Eismeer views of the Glacier, the Sphinx, the Lindt chocolate experience, etc.

When you feel you have enjoyed the Jungfraujoch enough, take the train to the Eiger Express station and take the Eiger Express from there. You can also take the train to Kleine Scheidegg and there take a train down to Grindelwald to have a different view on the way down. 

Once in Grindelwald, walk in the village and enjoy views on the Eiger. 

In Interlaken, we liked the Restaurant Taverne and the laid back Hüsi Bierhaus.

Take a train to Grindelwald Terminal (every half hour ‘04 and ‘34).   

Lunch on top of the Jungfraujoch. You have multiple options, from sit-down restaurants to self service restaurants. 

Continue enjoying the once in a lifetime experience at the Jungfraujoch. We really recommend going outside to see the snow and the views. 

If you are in Grindelwald a Friday, you can discover the Grindelwald Canyon in the evening (closes at 10pm on Fridays).

Otherwise, you can have a drink in Grindelwald at the Avocado bar. 

Stroll on the Montreux lake side promenade. See the Freddy Mercury statue. Further on the promenade, find the Montreux Casino with a free Queen museum. 

Another alternative is to take a boat from Montreux to Rivaz and enjoy a walk in the vineyards from Rivaz. You can walk on the Chemin du Dezaley for a beautiful view on the vineyards, mountains and the Lake. Get back by train from Epesses (trains every ‘38). 

If you go to Montreux in the first half of July, you will have an incredible atmosphere in Montreux, with possibilities to eat lots of types of food on the promenade while listening to free music, or even go to a concert of the famous Montreux Jazz Festival. 

Take another panoramic train, the GoldenPass Express train from Interlaken Ost to Montreux at 9:08am and 11:08am from platform 7 or 8. You should reserve seats for this trip on this website, choosing “Only reservation”, as the ticket is included in the Swiss Travel Pass. 

Lunch in the GoldenPass Express. You can reserve meals online. 

Arrive in Montreux and check in your hotel. If you chose the Grand Hotel Suisse Majestic, it is in front of the train station (and it was our wedding hotel!).

We recommend a Riviera Tour boat cruise on a Belle Epoque CGN boat in the afternoon. Check the schedule at the pier when you start your promenade from the hotel to make sure, as schedules vary. 

Dinner in Montreux. We recommend the 45 Grill & Health Restaurant at the Grand Hotel Suisse Majestic. 

Once on the top, go see the views on the Lake Geneva. You can do a short ridge hike and maybe spot some marmots along the way. 

After having stayed an hour on the top, you can take a train back down to Montreux. Then have one last stroll on the lake promenade, maybe even to the Chillon Castle (about 35 minutes from Montreux). 

You also have a boat at 12:45pm directly to the Castle, and trains (stop at Chillon Veytaux)

The entrance of the Castle is free with the Swiss Travel Pass. 

Arrive in Zermatt. It is a car free village, but your hotel might offer a shuttle in a small electric car. There are also electric taxis in case.

Drop your luggage at your hotel and then walk in the village. 

The Gorner Gorge is also an interesting sight, just outside of Zermatt. You can access it by walking along the river from Zermatt for about 20 minutes. 

If you want a beautiful view of Zermatt with a sunset, you can walk up towards the Champagne bar on Gourmetweg. The bar might be open for a drink with a view.

Otherwise, we also liked the sun terrace of the Zermatterhof hotel.

Dinner recommendation: Stäferstube, a very cute and traditional restaurant with amazing cheese fondue. 

In the morning, take the cogwheel train (every ‘19) from platform 8 to the Rochers de Naye, a peak overlooking Montreux and Lake Geneva. The trip is included with the Swiss Travel Pass. 

Lunch in Montreux or by the Chillon Castle at the Byron Cafe. 

After having enjoyed Montreux, head to Zermatt by train. (Trains to Visp every ‘11 & ‘43). Change in Visp and take the train to Zermatt (every ‘08 & ‘41).

We recommend seeing the sunset colors on the Matterhorn from the viewpoint of the Champagne bar, or from the Kirchbrücke (Bridge) next to the Hotel Bristol. 

We highly recommend catching the sunrise colors on the Matterhorn, either from your hotel room or outside, if you can. The Kirchbrüke is a great place for that. 

You will start with the Matterhorn Glacier Paradise. Walk to the gondola station and take multiple gondolas to finally arrive at the Little Matterhorn that culminates at 12740 feet. 

Experience the Ice Palace, and the small cinema lounge with short films of the Matterhorn and the region.

Head to the train station and take the Gornergrat train to see the Matterhorn from another amazing angle.	

On the way to the top, stop in Rotenboden to take a short hike of 15-20 minutes down to the Riffelsee (lake).

Then take another later train to the top and enjoy a panoramic view.

There is also a virtual reality experience «Zooom the Matterhorn» that lets you paraglide next to the Matterhorn. 

Stadthaus Zürich

Lindenhof

Brasserie Lipp

Jules Verne Panoramabar

Kronenhalle

UTO KULM

Chapel Bridge

Zytturm

Lion Monument

Rathaus Brauerei

Schäferstube

Lake Saint Moritz

St. Moritz-Celerina Olympic Bobrun

Landwasser Viaduct

Hotel Hauser

Champagne Bar

Grand Hotel Zermatterhof

Kirchbrücke

Furi Zermatt

Furri

Gornergrat Railway

Rotenboden - Gornergrat Höhenweg

Riffelsee

Coop Supermarkt Lauterbrunnen

Trümmelbachfälle

Gimmelwald

Mürren

Murren BLM

Harder Kulm

Pfistern

Interlaken Ost

Zermatt

Kornmarkt

Swiss Museum of Transport

Staubbach Falls

Jungfraujoch Top of Europe

Jungfraujoch

Grindelwald Terminal

Lindt Chocolate Shop Jungfraujoch

Pfingstegg

The history-rich Glacier Canyon in Grindelwald offers a unique sensory walk, combining the sights of exposed rock galleries with the sounds of rushing water. 

Glacier Canyon Grindelwald @ OUTDOOR.CH

OUTDOOR - Glacier Canyon Grindelwald

Avocado Bar Grindelwald

Restaurant Föhrenstube + Derbystube

Taverne

Hüsi Bierhaus

https://www.booking.com/hotel/ch/grand-suisse-majestic.en-gb.html?aid=2308050&no_rooms=1&group_adults=2

Grand Hotel Suisse Majestic, Autograph Collection

Freddie Mercury statue

Casino Barrière Montreux

Rivaz

Chemin du Dézaley

45 Grill & Health

Rochers de Naye

Chillon Castle

Café Byron

Gorner Gorge

Klein Matterhorn

Zermatt Bergbahnen AG

Gornergrat

Du Pont

saycheese!

https://www.booking.com/hotel/ch/waldhaus-am-see.en-gb.html?aid=2308050&no_rooms=1&group_adults=2

Waldhaus am See

Zuoz

Plazzet

Schipfe

Uetliberg

🏨 Check Availability for the Green Marmot

Green Marmot Capsule Hotel Zürich - Discount Code

Green Marmot Capsule Hotel Zürich

 Check Availability for the Ruby Mimi Hotel

Ruby Mimi Hotel & Bar

Townhouse Boutique Hotel

Hotel Townhouse

Book your stay at Hotel Limmatblick

Limmatblick

Hotel des Alpes

Des Alpes

Hôtel Central Luzern

Hotel Central Luzern

https://www.booking.com/hotel/ch/alex-schlosshotel-tenne.en-gb.html?group_adults=2&aid=2308050&no_rooms=1

SchlossHotel Zermatt – Active & CBD Spa Hotel

https://www.booking.com/hotel/ch/backstage-boutique.en-gb.html?aid=2308050&no_rooms=1&group_adults=2

Backstage Hotel Vernissage

https://www.booking.com/hotel/ch/interlaken.en-gb.html?aid=2308050&no_rooms=1&group_adults=2

Hotel Interlaken

https://www.booking.com/hotel/ch/villaeurope.en-gb.html?aid=2308050&no_rooms=1&group_adults=2

Carlton - Europe Vintage Adults Hotel

https://www.booking.com/hotel/ch/victoria-jungfrau-grand-spa.en-gb.html?aid=2308050&no_rooms=1&group_adults=2

Victoria-Jungfrau Grand Hotel & Spa

https://www.booking.com/hotel/ch/best-western-eurotel-montreux.en-gb.html?aid=2308050&no_rooms=1&group_adults=2

Eurotel Montreux

Crystal

AMERON Luzern Hotel Flora

Check rates and Book the Royal St Georges 

Hotel Royal St Georges Interlaken - MGallery

Check rates and Book The Lubo 

The LUBO

Sphinx Observatory

Hauser

Victoria Jungfrau

Not properly editable, Too many eat & stay recommendation, Assuming one is a back packer, No travel timings or route advice. Total waste.

Switzerland Best Panoramic Trains and Destinations: 8 days Itinerary

Buy to unlock full guide