Imagine turquoise and perfectly clear water from the Swiss Alps flowing through the rivers and lakes, with ice-capped mountains littering the background. These are rare and spectacular sights for city dwellers around the world. But for people living in Switzerland, it's merely their backyard.
In this itinerary catered specifically for elderlies, retirees and seniors, we'll bring you around Switzerland via the nation's famous scenic railways, with a pitstop in Paris to satisfy that food and shopping bug in you.
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Day 1: Flight into Zurich, Switzerland
Buffer time to settle down, adjust for time difference and explore Zurich city.
Zurich is a global center for banking and finance. For tourists, a walk in Zurich Old Town and a Lake Zurich cruise are definite must-dos.
Zurich Old Town
“Zurich's Medieval houses, contorted, narrow lanes and guild and town halls from the Renaissance period offer an attractive backdrop for world-class entertainment. A tour of the Old Town lets visitors experience Zurich's multifaceted past. The backdrop turns into a living history of characteristic buildings and the people that lived and acted out their lives in them.” -- Source: Myswitzerland.com
If the weather is good, it’s a really enjoyable walk with nice architecture, interesting cafes and restaurants. In the summer, you’ll even see people sunbathing naked in the city, near the lake.
Warning:
If you are planning to stroll in the afternoon in summer, make sure you have sunblock, umbrella, sunglasses and/or a cap. The sun really do burn.
Tip:
You can download the walking route and city map here.
Download the Zurich City Guide App
Lake Zurich
Like most lakes in Switzerland, Lake Zurich is beautiful. What's perhaps a little different is that because of the low tax rate and high property prices, this area plays host to many magnificent houses and villas of the upper echelons of society.
Take a river or lake cruise and soak in the awesomeness of Switzerland's high standard of living.
Tip:
You can download the latest map and timetable of Zurich lake and river cruises here.
Check out unique and themed cruises here.
Other attractions to consider:
Uetliberg – Zurich’s home mountain
Bahnhofstrasse - Shopping Street
Swiss Finance Museum - The first and only financial museum in Switzerland
Kunsthaus Zurich - Largest Art Museum in Switzerland
National Museum Zurich - Swiss History Museum
Swiss Casino Zurich - Largest casino in Switzerland
And many more!
Zurich Tourist Travel Pass
To travel within Zurich, you can purchase the Zurich Card where you can have unlimited 24 hours or 72 hours, 2nd class travel on tram, bus, train, boat, cable car and certain boat trips, free or reduced admissions into museums, discount on tours and more.
There is also the Zurich Card Bike which is slightly more expensive but includes everything in Zurich Card plus rental of classic or e-bike.
Day 2: Travel to St. Moritz, Explore St. Moritz
High in the Swiss Alps, St. Moritz is the birthplace of Alpine winter tourism and very popular as a winter sport location. In summer, there's hiking, biking, fly fishing, sailing, rowing and many other activities to do.
For us, this is where we start our journey on the Glacier Express scenic train.
Travelling to St. Moritz from Zurich
The most economical, fuss-free and scenic way to travel to St. Moritz and around Switzerland is via the train. For non-European tourists, we have access to the Swiss Pass and the Eurail Pass, which allows for unlimited travel on the Swiss train network. In the next section, we'll compare the two to see which one you should get.
Is Swiss Pass or Eurail Pass better?
If you are planning to travel within Switzerland, get the Swiss Pass. If your trip includes other parts of Europe, then which to get will depend on what you plan to do. For both passes, you can choose:
The number of days you want the pass to be valid for
1st class or 2nd class
Flexible or consecutive days redemption
Price - Eurail Pass is slightly cheaper
For a 15-day, flexible redemption, 1st class adult ticket, the Swiss Pass costs ~700+ CHF whereas the Eurail Pass costs ~ 657 EUR (at time of writing, the exchange rate between CHF and EUR is about 1 to 1). You can potentially get it cheaper on websites such as klook.
Let us help you compare and find the best deals for you.
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Coverage - Which is better depends on where you are going
If you are travelling within Switzerland, Swiss Pass is better
Swiss Pass covers not just inter-canton rail transport, but also local transport, such as buses and trams within a city. Eurail Pass mainly covers inter-canton rail transport.
For those transport that are not free, such as certain funiculars and cable cars up the mountains (which can be really pricey), Swiss Pass allows for ~50% off. You will have to pay full price for Eurail Pass.
Conclusion
If your travel includes places in Europe outside of Switzerland, Eurail Pass may be better. If you are travelling within Switzerland or want to visit many mountain tops in Switzerland, pick the Swiss Pass.
Related: How to use the Eurail pass?
Things to do in St. Moritz, Switzerland
If you only have one day, do these
Take funicular, cable way up the mountains, enjoy a scenic overview of St. Moritz and then take a stroll around Lake St. Moritz.
Corviglia, Piz Nair Mountains
Depending on where you stay in St. Moritz, there are different routes up the mountain. Given that we will only be spending a day in St. Moritz, stay near the train station, take the train up from St. Moritz Dorf to Corviglia and depending on your preference, either trek down or take the cable way from Corviglia up to Piz Nair and then back down.
Click here to see prices for the funicular and cable way. They are not covered by Eurail pass.
Here's what you can expect to see on the funicular.
Notes:
Trekking down from Corviglia to St. Moritz Dorf should be doable for most people. There are some rocky paths and a few slightly steeper slopes but the journey is generally pleasant on a good weather day.
Do bring your trekking poles if you have, it will come in handy
Once you reach Corviglia, do chill out at the quattro Bar. Great food, great drinks and great views! Make sure you try the "BIO Eistee aus Alpenkräutern" (organic ice tea made from alpine herbs). It's not common and we love it! #notsponsored
As you trek down, you will get to hear the iconic Swiss cow bells!
Fun fact: As you trek down the mountain, you'll see these. What do you think it is and what do you think the man is doing?
Answer: These things help to drain the water from the mountains and the man is clearing rocks from the drains to prevent them from getting clogged up.
Lake St. Moritz
Once you are back down in the St. Mortz area, get some dinner before taking a stroll around Lake St. Mortiz. The water is clear with fishes (and people) swimming in the lake. It's the perfect end to nature-filled day.
Day 3: Travel from St. Moritz to Zermatt via the Glacier Express
There are many panoramic trains in Switzerland (see a list here) that pass through the nation's majestic mountain scenery, idyllic valleys and villages, and runs along crystal-clear lakes and ice-blue glaciers.
In this trip, we've picked the Glacier Express because it's one of the most iconic and between Glacier Express and Bernina Express, which are more similar in routes, we wanted to stay within Switzerland (Bernina Express travels into Italy). Price is less a consideration because both are covered by the Eurail Pass.
Glacier Express Route
Glacier Express Cost Breakdown
In order to travel on the Glacier Express, you need to pay for the:
ticket;
reservation fee; and
food/drinks (optional but recommended).
The ticket is covered by the Eurail pass so all you need to fork out is the reservation fee and any meals that you wish to purchase. The journey is ~8 hours and you can bring your own food and drinks. But why not splurge a little for the fine-dining on the train via scenic route experience?
You can find out more about prices here. The menu is here. We've included a table below to breakdown the costs for easier comparison.
There are 1st and 2nd Class coach cabins. The Excellence Class is an add on to the 1st Class ticket. With the Excellence Class, you are guaranteed a window seat, a 7-course refined regional meal with accompanying wines, as well as a concierge service that can help provide anecdotes and insights about nature, culture and people along the journey.
Here's an overview of 1st, 2nd and Excellence Class panoramic cars. They all come with power socket, free Wi-Fi and audio guide.
You can find out more about the Excellence Class here. If you are planning to go for the Excellence Class, make sure you book early!
Comparison of classes within Glacier Express
| 2nd Class (CHF) | 1st Class (CHF) | Excellence Class |
Ticket price from St. Moritz to Zermatt | 152 CHF | 268 CHF | 268 CHF |
Reservation Fee (Low Season/High Season) | 39/49 CHF | 39/49 CHF | 420 CHF |
Food & Drinks (4-course menu) | 52 CHF | 52 CHF | 7-course + wine included |
Total (without Eurail Pass & high season) | 253 CHF | 369 CHF | 688 CHF |
Total (with Eurail Pass & high season) | 101 CHF | 101 CHF | 420 CHF |
Why Glacier Express makes Eurail Pass worth it
The cost of a 2nd class, 7-days flexible Eurail pass for an adult is 335 euros vs 446 euros for the equivalent first class. Regardless of which class you choose, the cost of the Glacier Express ticket will cover ~45% (2nd Class)/~60% (1st Class) of your Eurail Pass. In fact, if you have time, do more scenic trains and it will make your Eurail Pass/Swiss Pass even more value for money.
In this trip, we picked the 1st class Eurail Pass. It is a relatively small addition to the cost (111 euros or ~33% more) but the comfort and flexibility is significantly higher.
Glacier Express Departure Time
The Glacier Express departs twice a day from St. Moritz - One at 8:51am and the other at 9:48am. Swiss trains are extremely punctual so make sure you go early to have ample time to settle down.
The entire journey takes around 8+ hours and you will arrive at Zermatt at either 5:10pm or 6:10pm. We recommend taking the earlier train to allow more time to settle down in Zermatt and find a nice restaurant for dinner.
Which side of the Glacier Express should you sit on?
You can book the Glacier Express tickets here. Below is what the booking looks like. If like us, you're thinking which side (red or blue) will get the best view, I would suggest the blue side.
You get great views on both sides at different times of the journey but based on our experience, you are less likely to be under the sun on the blue side. The downside is that if your travel group is less than 4 people, you might end up sitting with others. Your choice.
Once you arrive in Zermatt, check into your accommodation and explore the lovely town of Zermatt.
Day 4: Explore Zermatt town and the mountains
If you have seen a Toblerone chocolate packaging before, you have seen Zermatt's most iconic Matterhorn, the pyramid shaped colossus of a mountain. Zermatt lies at the foot of the Matterhorn and is a very popular car-free ski, hiking and vacation destination.
Notably, the Matterhorn glacier paradise is Europe's largest and highest summer ski region which normally welcomes skiers all year round. (Unfortunately in summer 2022, the ski area was closed for the first time for about 50 days due to unusually high summer temperatures, little snowfall and large scale glacier movements.)
Depending on your interest and fitness level, there are many things you can do during summer in Zermatt.
For this itinerary, we will be taking it easy and embarking on cogwheel, cable car rides up the various mountains surrounding Zermatt. Explore the routes with the interactive map here.
If you only have one day, do these
Take the funicular, cable car and head up to the various mountain tops. Once you are done, explore Zermatt town.
How to buy the mountain pass and which mountain pass to buy at Zermatt?
Buy the peak pass here or at the ticketing booth when you are in Zermatt
The Peak Pass offers unlimited travel between the peaks for a day. Its the most economical pass and easy way to get a big picture overview of the key mountain tops.
You can check out the other available passes and tickets here.
As an example, the Peak Pass cost 217 CHF (price change depending on season) for an adult and 163 CHF if you have the Swiss Pass. No discount for Eurail Pass holder.
Suggested route
Each mountain station has its own appeal. We gave the majestic Matterhorn Glacier Paradise spotlight below but you can explore the highlights at each mountain station here.
Zermatt - Furi (Matterhorn Express)
Furi - Trockener Steg (Cable Car)
Trockener Steg - Matterhorn Glacier Paradise (Matterhorn Glacier Ride), the highest cable car station in Europe (3,883 m).
Take some time to have lunch here and absorb the views from the observation platform. On clear days, you can see Mont Blanc (4,810 m) in France, the highest mountain in the Alps, the summit of the Gran Paradiso (4,061 m), Italy’s highest peak, and it stretches as far as the Mediterranean. The air is very thin there so make sure you take plenty of time to explore.
Matterhorn Glacier Paradise - Furi
Furi - Riffelberg - Rotenboden - Gornergrat
Gornergrat - Rotenboden - Riffelberg - Riffelalp - Zermatt
Once you are done with visiting the mountains, which should take at least a day to chill in Zermatt town's many interest shops, restaurants and surroundings.
Day 5: Travel from Zermatt - Paris with a Strasbourg Stopover
There are many train routes that go from Zermatt to Paris. Almost all requires a seat reservation. First figure out which train station you would like to go to in Paris (choose one nearest to your accommodation) and then input that into your Rail Planner.
You may want to consider planning the trip such that you have a stopover for lunch at Strasbourg, a northeastern French city with a strong German influence and formerly known as Alsace. It's a culturally-rich town lesser known to the international community with many little hidden treasures.
Try out Alsatian cuisines, especially tarte flambée, a thinly rolled bread dough covered in fromage blanc/crème fraîche, onions and lardons (small strips of bacon)!
Day 6 - 10: Explore Paris
Paris needs no introduction. For first timers, the promise of a magical city of lights and love awaits. For old-timers, its a place to relive beautiful memories and immerse in artistic new finds. There's so much to do in Paris that it's definitely worth a periodic visit!
As one of the most visited cities in the world, where to go and what to do are widely written about.
For this itinerary, we'll list down key attractions to get you started on the discovery journey. Our suggestion is to pick a few things that you definitely want to cover, then spend the rest of the time wandering and getting lost in the streets of Paris.
Paris Bucket List
Eiffel Tower - There are three levels to the Eiffel Tower. You can either take the elevator up all three floors (long queue) or climb the stairs (shorter queue) for the 1st and 2nd floor and then take a lift to the 3rd floor. Make sure you book your tickets in advance to avoid spending many hours queuing in line.
The Louvre - This palace-turned-museum is the largest art museum in the world and houses some of the most famous art pieces, including Mona Lisa, Venus de Milo and the Winged Victory. Be prepared to spend hours exploring the works with an interactive 3D audio guide. The line to purchase tickets is always long so consider purchasing the ticket in advance, Museum pass, priority entrance or join a skip-the-line tour.
Champs-Elysees - This is one of the most Instagrammed streets that runs from Place de la Concorde to the Arc de Triomphe. You will no doubt see people stopping in the middle of a traffic junction or standing in the middle of the road just to take a good picture or do some Tik Tok moves. Along this street and the streets next to it, you will see queues to enter high-end fashion houses such Chanel, Louis Vuitton, etc. Drop by for a macaron or high tea at Ladurée and enjoy a nice meal at the many fine restaurants in the area.
Arc de Triomphe - This iconic monument honors those who fought and died for France in the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars, with the names of French victories and generals inscribed on its inner and outer surfaces. From the top of the Arc, you can get a great view of Paris, from Champs-Elysee to the Lourve to the Eiffel Tower and all out to the La Defense area.
La Seine - A river in the northern France flowing across Paris. There are many "bouquinistes", green boxes-type "shops", along the the river that sells books, art, tourist gifts and other interesting items. Stroll along the river or take a Seine River Cruise.
Île de la Cité- This is an island in the center of Paris and in La Seine where it houses the Notre-Dame Cathedral, the Sainte-Chapelle royal chapel and Pont Neuf, the oldest bridge in Paris.
Notre-Dame Cathedral - One of the oldest cathedrals in the world that is being rebuilt after it was partially burnt down on 15 April 2019.
Place de la Concorde - A large roundabout and a major public square in Paris where King Louis XVI, the last King of France, and Marie Antoinette was executed by guillotine during the French Revolution.
Palace of Versailles - A former royal residence located on the outskirts of Paris. For a period of time, Versailles was the capital of France. See official guide to Château de Versailles here.
Montmartre/Sacré-Coeur/Moulin Rouge - Montmartre is perched on top of a small hill in the 18th arrondissement, this picturesque, artsy area is where you can find one of the most beautiful streets of Paris, pretty cafes like La Maison Rose, and the iconic Sacré-Coeur, a monumental Catholic church. While you are in the, make sure to visit Moulin Rouge, probably the most famous cabaret in the world.
Panthéon - A monument in the 5th arrondissement of Paris. The building was originally build as a Church but was later converted into a mausoleum for distinguished French citizens including Marie Curie, Victor Hugo and others.
Here is an incomprehensive list of other attractions:
Musée d'Orsay - One of the largest collection of Impressionist art.
Grand Palais - Museum and exhibition hall
Palais Garnier - Opera house
The Paris Catacombs - Underground ossuaries which hold the remains of more than six million people in a small part of a tunnel network built to consolidate Paris' ancient stone quarries. It was created as part of the effort to eliminate the city's overflowing cemeteries.
Centre Pompidou - A modern art museum with plumbing and pipes located on the exterior of the museum.
Pont Alexandre II - An extravagantly decorated bridge that connects the Champs-Élysées quarter with those of the Invalides and Eiffel Tower.
Luxembourg Gardens
And many more!
Tip: If you have bought stuff in Paris, make sure you get your tax forms stamped before you leave. You can't get your French purchase stamped in Switzerland.
Day 11: Travel from Paris to Interlaken
Interlaken is a popular vacation destination presided over by the three mighty mountains, Eiger, Mönch and Jungfrau. It is the starting point and base for you to explore many activities and sights around the region.
Depending on how many days you are staying at Interlaken and how far you want to go, the kind of activities that are available to you will differ.
Tip: Download the activity map from the Interlaken tourist information site. Check out what's available and narrow down what you want to do.
Fun fact: When you reach interlaken, look around you and you will probably see Koreans on the streets and Shin Ramyun instant noodle being displayed and sold right at the front of shops. Made popular by the popular Korean drama 'Crash Landing on You', many Koreans have flocked to Interlaken and many parts of Switzerland to reminisce the scenes in the show.
If you only have one day, do these
For this itinerary, we will be focusing on spending time in Interlaken itself with activities suitable for retirees.
Cycle and explore Interlaken
Get a bike, leisurely cycle and absorb the amazing views of the lakes, farms, mountain views, flora and fauna that Interlaken has to offer.
Check here for cycle routes and here for bike rentals.
Tip: Get a powered/motorized/electric bike (you will thank me for this) to assist you with the uphill slopes. E-bikes are very common in Switzerland but make sure you book in advance as they get booked out real fast.
Go on a lake cruise
Visit Harder Kulm
Interlaken's local mountain standing at 1,322m above sea level that promises overwhelming views of Interlaken and the peaks of the Eiger, Mönch and Jungfrau. You can take the funicular railway up the Harder Kulm from central Interlaken in just 10 minutes.
For more information on things to do in Harder Kulm, check here.
Day 12-13: Head back to Zurich and do last minute shopping
Depending on what your interests are, there are many things that you can do in Switzerland and France. Let the Immortalize Bespoke Travel Planner Team help you create an itinerary that's best suited for you.
Head to Bespoke Travel Planner Service Page >
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Official guides
Zurich
www.myswitzerland.com/en-sg/destinations/zurich/
St Moritz
www.myswitzerland.com/en-sg/destinations/st-moritz/
Zermatt
https://www.myswitzerland.com/en-sg/destinations/zermatt/
Paris
Interlaken
https://www.myswitzerland.com/en-sg/destinations/interlaken/
FAQs
How to use the Eurail Pass?
To use the Eurail pass, simple download the Rail Planner app, load your rail pass in the app, check, select and save the destinations. Activate on the travel days and show the QR code to the inspector.
You can familiarize yourself with the app before the trip
If you are a client of Immortalize Bespoke Travel Planner Service, contact your dedicated planner and we will help you set up your app and rail pass and show you how to use it.
Is Swiss Pass or Eurail Pass better?
If your travel includes places in Europe but outside of Switzerland, Eurail Pass may be better. If you are travelling within Switzerland or want to visit many mountain tops in Switzerland, pick the Swiss pass.
See full explanation here.