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Details of Trip
Number 5
Schüpfheim, Sörenberg, Brienzer Rothorn, summer-only Glaubenbüelen Pass and
Giswil (or back via Sörenberg):
Summary
Travel by train, via Wolhusen, to Schüpfheim, then go by bus to Sörenberg
Talstation, where you should spend several hours. Take a cable-car from here,
Sörenberg-Schönenboden, up to Brienzer Rothorn which, incidentally, may also be reached
by rack-railway from Brienz, to the south. Leave Sörenberg Talstation by bus, going via
the Glaubenbüelen Pass to Giswil, and then go on by train, back to Luzern.
(Alternatively, if you are not travelling during summer months, return to Luzern by
retracing your outward route.)
(Note: The (SBnnn) references
shown below refer to specific timetable sections of the official Swiss timetable, making
it easy to validate exact current schedules.)
Leave Luzern at around 9 a.m. (or
about an hour later) (SB460), by train, reaching Schüpfheim in about 50 minutes. Go on,
mid-morning (or at around mid-day) (SB460.60), by bus, reaching Sörenberg Talstation in
about half an hour. Allow about an hour for the round-trip ascent to Brienzer Rothorn
(SB2505). Leave Sörenberg Talstation mid-afternoon, the only service (SB460.60), reaching
Giswil in about 35 minutes. Go on, after about 10 minutes (or later, at your leisure)
(SB470), by train; it is a fairly frequent service, taking about 40-50 minutes.
Alternatively, return from Sörenberg by the same route as the outward journey, via
Schüpfheim.)
Section
D2 From Zürich 5 trips
Situated at the northern end of Lake
Zürich, where the Limmat leaves the Lake and flows north-west to join the Aare River,
Zürich is the largest city and most important indus-trial and commercial centre in
Switzerland, with much to see and do, in neighbouring areas as well. Five day trips are
proposed here, mostly by train, and some also using a lake or river steamer, visiting
nearby towns or lakeside resorts.
Travels by train to Schaffhausen,
bus to the Rhine Falls, goes by river steamer to Stein am Rhein, and returns by train.
Travels by train to Baden, Koblenz
(or Brugg) and Basel, then back to base.
Travels by train to Baden, Brugg,
Beinwil am See, goes by lake steamer to Meisterschwanden, then by train, via Wohlen and
Dietikon, back to base.
Travels by train, via Rapperswil,
to Wattwil and Wil, then back to base.
Travels by train to Rapperswil,
Bauma and Wetzikon, then back to base.
Details of Trip Number 1
Schaffhausen, Rhine Falls, Stein am Rhein:
Summary
Travel by train, north to Schaffhausen, an ancient port on the Rhine, not far
above the famous Rhine Falls, the most powerful in Europe; ships' cargoes used to be
stored there in warehouses before being carried to Neuhausen, just below the Falls. Spend
several hours at this fascinating old town, including a trip by local bus to Neuhausen, to
see the Rhine Falls, a spectacular sight in summer. From Schaffhausen, follow the Rhine
upstream, by steamer, to Stein am Rhein. From there, return by train, via Winterthur, to
Zürich.
Leave Zürich at around 9 a.m. (or
an hour later) (SB760), by train, reaching Schaffhausen in about 40 minutes. From here,
take a local bus (SB994.90) to Neuhausen, and return to Schaffhausen. Go on, in the early
afternoon (SB3820), by steamer, reaching Stein am Rhein in less than two hours. Leave here
mid-afternoon (or in the late afternoon) (SB821), by train, via Winterthur, going on by
connecting train (SB750), to reach Zürich in the late afternoon (or early evening), in a
little over an hour from Stein am Rhein.
Section
D13 From Interlaken 5 trips
Situated between Lakes Thun and
Brienz, the beautiful resort town of Interlaken is the natural centre for visiting the
great Jungfrau Massif, and other nearby Alpine areas in the scenic Bernese Oberland.
Interlaken has two railway stations; East and West. The main shopping area is at the
western end of town, but Interlaken Ost (East) is the starting point for the mountain
railway to the Jungfrau region. Five day trips are proposed here, most visiting the
Jungfrau region, some visiting points near and beyond Lakes Brienz and Thun.
Travels by train to Grindelwald,
then goes, via Kleine Scheidegg, to Jungfraujoch, returns to Kleine Scheidegg, goes to
Wengen, ascends to Männlichen and back, goes by train to Lauterbrunnen and back to base.
Travels by train to Lauterbrunnen,
by funicular railway to Grütschalp, train to Mürren, ascends to Schilthorn, descends to
Stechelberg, goes by bus to Trümmelbach Falls and Lauterbrunnen, returns by train.
Travels by train to Brienz,
rack-railway to Brienzer Rothorn Kulm - SUMMER ONLY - back to Brienz, then by bus to
Ballenberg Folk Museum - SUMMER ONLY - back to Brienz, then to base by train.
Travels by train to Meiringen, by
bus to Reichenbach, funicular railway to Reichenbach Falls and back, bus to Aare Gorge -
both SUMMER ONLY - back to Meiringen (or from Meiringen ascends via Hasliberg Reuti to
Mägisalp (and Planplatten), back to Meiringen); goes by bus, via Schwarzwaldalp and
Grosse Scheidegg - both SUMMER ONLY - to Grindelwald, returns by train - part of Tour S12.
Travels by train to Wilderswil, by
rack-railway to Schynige Platte, returns to Interlaken, then goes by Lake Thun steamer to
Beatenbucht, funicular railway to Beatenberg (ascends to Niederhorn), returns to base by
bus from Beatenberg.
Details of Trip Number 2
Lauterbrunnen, Grütschalp, Mürren, Schilthorn, Stechelberg, Trümmelbach Falls,
Lauterbrunnen:
Summary
Travel by train, via Lauterbrunnen, famous for its waterfall, and then take the
short funicular railway up to Grütschalp, in order to board the mountain railway to
Mürren, a beautiful, small town overlooking the Lauterbrunnen valley, with the Jungfrau
in view in the background. It is quite a walk from Mürren railway station to the
cable-car station, but a pleasant one. From there, take the two-section cable-car trip to
Schilthorn, with its famous revolving restaurant; have lunch there, or take a picnic lunch
with you. On the return journey, descend all the way to the valley, four sections, to
Stechelberg, from where you catch a bus back, as far as Trümmelbach. Spend some time
there, to visit the impressive Trümmelbach Falls, as they tumble down through caves the
water has carved inside the mountain. Go on by bus to Lauterbrunnen, and return to
Interlaken by train, either before or after your evening meal.
Leave Interlaken Ost at around 9
a.m. (or about 30 minutes later) (SB311), by train, reaching Lauterbrunnen in about 25
minutes. Go on, after less than 10 minutes (SB313), up to Grütschalp and on to reach
Mürren in about 30 minutes. Go on, after about 10 minutes (or half an hour later)
(SB2460), up to Schilthorn, less than 20 minutes away. Spend about an hour and a half
here, before returning and going on down to Stechelberg, about 30 minutes further. Leave
here in the early afternoon (or an hour later) (SB311.15), by bus, for Trümmelbach, less
than 15 minutes away. Spend an hour here and then go on to Lauterbrunnen, less than 10
minutes away. Return to Interlaken at your leisure (SB311), by train; it is a frequent
service, taking about 20 minutes.
TOUR S2
SUMMER ONLY From Zürich 2+ days
This scenic tour visits the towns of
Schwanden and Linthal, with a trip by funicular railway to Braunwald, before returning to
Linthal. Next morning, it goes on a highly scenic bus journey, on a summer-only service,
over the Klausen Pass to Balm-Klausen, and on to Flüelen. From there it goes by train to
Schwyz, and then returns to Zürich.
Variation:
Adds a day, or more, to the tour, by going from Schwyz to Luzern, and does one or more day
trips from there before returning to Zürich.
Summary
Travel by train along the south shore of Lake Zürich and, via Glarus, along
the Linthal Valley to Schwanden, with time to spend there before going on to the resort
area of Linthal. In the afternoon, take the funicular railway up to Braunwald, an
attractive resort town with no motor vehicle traffic, from where you may take a gondola to
Grotzenbüel (or perhaps take a chair-lift to Kleiner Gumen). Spend some time there,
before returning to Linthal for the night - hotel reservations strongly recommended. -
Next day, take the scenic bus trip over the Klausen Pass to Balm-Klausen, from where a
superb mountain panorama can be seen. Go on then, via the ancient town of Altdorf, famous
as the birthplace of William Tell, to Flüelen, on Urner See, an arm of Lake Luzern
(Vierwaldstätter See). Then take the short train trip to Schwyz, the ancient city where,
in 1291, the Swiss Confederation was born. Spend a few hours there before returning, via
Arth-Goldau, to Zürich. - (Variation; travel from Schwyz, also via Arth-Goldau, to Luzern
for the night - hotel reservations recommended - and enjoy an evening meal beside the
river, as it flows through the Old Town; next day, or later, after doing one or more day
trips, return to Zürich at your leisure.) - Note that seat reservations are essential for
the bus journey over the Klausen Pass.
Day 1:
Leave Zürich at around 9 a.m. (or about half an hour later) (SB720), by train, and reach
Ziegelbrücke in about 50 minutes. Leave here, after some 10 minutes (SB735), for
Schwanden, arriving there mid-morning (or in the late morning). Go on, after a couple of
hours (SB735), to Linthal, only about 20 minutes away. Check your reservations for
tomorrow's bus journey over the Klausen Pass. Book into your hotel and, in the early
afternoon (or mid-afternoon) (SB2840), take the 10-minute trip by funicular railway up to
Braunwald. (Allow about an hour for the round-trip ascent to Grotzenbüel (SB2843), or to
Kleiner Gumen (SB2841).) Return to Linthal for the night.
Day 2:
Leave Linthal at around 9 a.m. (or mid-morning) (SB600.29), by bus, reaching Balm-Klausen
in about an hour and a half; after about 20 minutes, continue on to Flüelen, about 45
minutes away. Go on, in the late morning (or an hour later) (SB600), by train, to Schwyz,
about 15 minutes away. Leave Schwyz mid-afternoon (or in the late afternoon) (SB600), via
Arth-Goldau, where you may need to change trains, going on to reach Zürich in the late
afternoon (or early evening).
Variation (Day 2):
Leave Schwyz mid-afternoon (or in the late afternoon) (SB600), via Arth-Goldau, reaching
Luzern in less than an hour. Spend an extra day, or more, here; see Day Trips from Luzern,
D1, Part B(ii), and return to Zürich at your leisure (SB660); it is an hourly service,
taking less than an hour
Introduction
to using public transport in Switzerland and nearby
(Abridged)
Copyright © 2000-2001 E.S. Stuckey
Published June 1, 2000
Last Revision:September 28,2000
Note: These trips are extracted from Switzerland
and Beyond, no longer available. You can find similar trips in Switzerland by Rail or Daytrips
- Switzerland.
You may write to the author care of:
grimsel@ozemail.com.au
Dr. Stuckey and his wife toured
Switzerland for periods of several months while visiting relatives based there.
Like Ed and Julie, the Stuckeys
became fans of Swiss public transport. As a result of their enthusiasm Dr. Stuckey
published the book from which this article is extracted. The book is no longer available,
but you'll use the rails and cables like a pro thanks to the brief notes above and the
even greater detail you can find in the books cited at the beginning of this article.
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