Switzerland, Liechtenstein, and Austria

Switzerland has always been a tourist magnet, offering something to every type of traveler – from majestic mountains to deep blue lakes, from scenic train rides to delightful cafes. However, my family and I wanted to add something to the Swiss mix. It was then that I decided to also visit the tiny, but equally stunning, country of Liechtenstein and the beautiful city of Innsbruck in western Austria.

Things to take care of before departure

Swiss Travel Pass Purchase the first-class Swiss Travel Pass (STP) from sbb.ch. First class carriages are less crowded and, therefore, it is easier to load/unload the luggage. Children below 16 years of age get the free Swiss Family Card and can travel free as long as they are accompanied by a parent. STP is a hassle-free way of traveling and is valid on most trains and buses. It also provides discounts on certain trains/cable cars which are not completely covered by STP.

Wandering Rawat tip: Create an account on sbb.ch to purchase the STP. Once purchased, you can download the sbb app on your phone and sign in using the same credentials you used to create the account. This way, the STP QR code will become available on your mobile phone. The sbb app is immensely valuable to check train timetables and connections.

Hotels

Choose hotels which are walking distance from train stations, have air conditioning (summers nowadays can get quite hot in Switzerland), and provide free breakfast. My hotels were:

Interlaken: Hotel Interlaken (Höheweg 74, 3800 Interlaken) – This 14th century property is very near the Interlaken Ost station and about 10-minute walk from downtown. They offer lavish breakfast. Past visitors included the English poet Lord Byron and the German composer Felix Mendelssohn. There is a beautiful backyard where you can enjoy your meals bought from nearby restaurants. They allow you to use their cutlery while using the backyard. Also, the hotel is very close to two churches, which is an added attraction.

Zermatt: Hotel Derby (Bahnhofstrasse 22, 3920 Zermatt) – It is walking distance to the train station and the main street and offers basic breakfast.

Zurich: Hotel Glockenhof (Sihlstrasse 31, 8001 Zürich) – A nice modern looking hotel in an excellent location. One issue is that the bathroom is partitioned off from the bedroom only by a glass door offering little privacy.

Tickets for Glacier Express While Glacier Express is free with STP, you still have to buy reservations. Make the reservations in your class of STP as soon as the dates open because the seats go away pretty quickly. On the train, simply show your reservation and the STP. For this itinerary, make the reservations from Zermatt to Chur.

Vehicle for trip to Liechtenstein and Austria We went with a company called Joker Bus AG to rent a bus with a driver for this trip.

Reservation for Piz Gloria restaurant Make advance reservations for this famous revolving restaurant in Schilthorn. It was the location of filming of the James Bond movie, On Her Majesty’s Secret Service.

Reservation of paragliding Paragliding can be done at multiple places in Switzerland. We did at two places – Interlaken and near Engelberg. Book your paragliding slots early on as they tend to go away fast.

Day 1 – Arrival in Zurich, Interlaken, and Harder Kulm

Land at Zurich airport in the morning and go to the nearby Zurich Flughafen station to take the train to Berne and then to Interlaken Ost. The journey lasts about 3 hours. Swiss trains are renowned for their punctuality and provide a comfortable way to travel in Switzerland. The electronic displays at stations will tell you where to stand on the platforms for first class carriages. Use the sbb app to check the train schedule.

After checking in at the hotel and resting for a couple of hours, walk to the Harderbahn valley station across the beautiful Aare River. Use the STP to get discounts (this should be repeated at all cable car stations) and take the 100+ year old funicular to reach Harder Kulm, which is at a height of 1322m above sea level. The viewing platform is about a 5-minute walk from the Harder Kulm station and from there you get incredible views of Lake Thun, Lake Brienz, Interlaken, and the peaks of Eiger, Mönch, and Jungfrau. After enjoying the views from Harder Kulm, come down using the funicular and go to downtown Interlaken for dinner, stopping by the statue of the famous Bollywood film producer, Yash Chopra. 

Day 2 – Grindelwald, First, and Lake Bachalpsee

Go to the Interlaken Ost and take the train to Grindelwald train station. From there go to the Grindelwald Firstbahn gondola lift station, about a 10-minute walk.

After exiting the gondola lift station at First, do the First Cliff Walk presented by Tissot, which provides stunning panoramic views of the mountains. 

The Cliff Walk ends at the restaurant, where you can relax, have snacks, and then embark upon the hour-long hike (one way) to Lake Bachalpsee. The hike is relatively easy, where you can enjoy crisp alpine air and the remarkable scenery. Upon returning to Grindelwald, have coffee and snacks at one of the many cafes and return to the hotel in Interlaken. 

Wandering Rawat tip: Always take sunglasses to the mountains to avoid the snow glare. 

Day 3 – Jungfraujoch, Männlichen, and Lauterbrunnen

Take the early morning train from Interlaken Ost to  Grindelwald but get off at Grindelwald Terminal station; then take the Eiger Express cable car  to the Eigergletscher station and then another train to Jungfraujoch, which is the highest train station in Europe. The train stops at one the stations (Eismeer) for few minutes so that the passengers can look at the mountains through a window. Jungfraujoch sits between the peaks of Jungfrau and Mönch at a height of 3454m. At Jungfraujoch, go to the Sphinx observatory to enjoy the great views of the mountains and the glaciers and the Ice Palace to see the sculptures. You can also visit the Lindt Swiss Chocolate Heaven, which we skipped.

Wandering Rawat tip: Buy sandwiches at the Coop supermarket at the Grindelwald terminal to save money (the Jungfraujoch trip is very expensive even after the STP discount)

On the way down from Jungfraujoch, return toward Klein Scheidegg and from there take the train the beautiful village of Wengen. Take the cable car to Männlichen and at the end of the cable car journey, do the 25-minute (one way) Männlichen Royal Walk to go to a viewing platform to great views of Grindelwald and Lauterbrunnen valleys. The hike is short distance-wise, but I found it quite strenuous. 

Take the train from Wengen to Lauterbrunnen and then walk to the Staubbach Falls. If not tired, you can hike up to near the falls. Walk back to the Lauterbrunnen station and take the train back to Interlaken Ost.

Day 4 – Piz Gloria, Mürren, and Trümmelbach Falls

Start the day by visiting the two churches behind Hotel Interlaken.

Then start for lunch reservation at Piz Gloria in Schilthorn. Take train from Interlaken Ost to Lauterbrunnen then take the cable car to Grütschalp and then a train to Mürren. 

Walk 10 minutes through Mürren to reach another station to take the cable car to Birg. From there, take another cable car to Schilthorn, the site of James Bond themed Piz Gloria revolving restaurant (even the restrooms are 007-themed). The buns on the burgers come with the 007 logo printed on them. 

After enjoying the lunch, take the cable car to Birg, where you can exit to do the Thrill Walk. Otherwise, take the cable car from Birg to Mürren where you can enjoy coffee and pies at Alti Metzg bistro with stunning views of the surrounding mountains. 

If you have time, walk down about a mile to Gimmelwald to enjoy the scenery, or simply take the cable car to Gimmelwald and then down to Stetchelberg.

Cable car station order: Schilthorn – Birg – Mürren – Gimmelwald – Stetchelberg

Take the 141 bus from Stetchelberg toward Lauterbrunnen to reach the Trümmelbach Falls, which are Europe’s largest subterranean waterfalls. The sheer force of water is awe-inspiring.

Wandering Rawat tip: Take the elevator to reduce exertion of climbing up; however, descend using the stairs.

After viewing the falls, take the same 141 bus in the same direction (toward Lauterbrunnen) to reach the Lauterbrunnen station for onward journey to Interlaken Ost.

Day 5 – Paragliding, Zermatt, Gornergrat, Matterhorn

We booked an early morning slot for paragliding with Paragliding Interlaken, which was walking distance from Hotel Interlaken. Set aside about 2 hours for this activity. You can buy the footage of the jump for an extra fee.

After paragliding, start the train journey to Zermatt. You have to change a couple of trains to reach Zermatt. Check in to the hotel, grab lunch in downtown Zermatt, then take the Gornergrat Bahn to Gornergrat to see the mighty Matterhorn, the iconic near-symmetric pyramidal peak made famous by Toblerone chocolate. Gornergrat Bahn was the world’s first fully electrified cog railway and is currently Europe’s highest open-air cog railway. The station for the train to Gornergrat is right across the street from the main train station in Zermatt.

Wandering Rawat tip: For best views, sit on the right side of the train when going to Gornergrat.

Upon reaching Gornergrat, you will definitely be mesmerized by pristine beauty of your surroundings – Matterhorn, other peaks, and glaciers. The air is as fresh as it gets. On the way back, get off at any of the intermediate stations before heading back to Zermatt. We got off at Riffelberg to enjoy the scenery and to pet the sheep. We took the train again to continue our journey to Zermatt.

Day 6 – Glacier Express and Zurich

Board the world-famous red Glacier Express at the Zermatt train station. Enjoy the scenery for about a 6-hour ride to Chur (we did not go to St. Moritz, as we wanted to take the connecting train to Zurich). On the way, you will see numerous waterfalls, rivers, and lovely towns. The train offers a variety of menu options though these are not cheap. Get off at Chur and take another train to reach Zurich station in about an hour.

After checking in to the hotel and some relaxation, walk down to Niederdorf in Zurich’s old town for dinner. We went to Swiss Chuchi restaurant and their raclette, cheese fondue, and rosti were amazing. Wander around the streets and sit by the bank of Limmat river for a relaxing evening. 

Day 7 – Vaduz, Liechtenstein and Innsbruck, Austria

We used the services of Joker Bus to go on a private tour to explore Vaduz and Innsbruck. You will reach Vaduz, the capital of Liechtenstein in just over an hour from Zurich. On the way, stop by at the Old Rhine Bridge, the oldest surviving wooden bridge over the Rhine, which connects Liechtenstein with Switzerland. The bridge is open only to pedestrians and horse riders and is 135m long and 6m wide.

Head to the main district few minutes away from the bridge. Leave the bus and walk to explore the nearby Cathedral of St. Florin and Parliament building. Hop inside the Liechtenstein Center to get your passport stamped for 5 euros. Hike about 20 minutes to reach the Vaduz castle on top of a hill. While entry to the castle is not permitted, you will be able to get majestic views of Vaduz. You will also see some big houses on the way. Come down to the bus and then buy lunch at a nearby Coop store before heading to Innsbruck. 

In Innsbruck, make the Golden Roof (Goldenes Dachl) in the old town (Altstadt) section of the city as the first stop. The structure, built by the emperor Maximilian I in the heart of the historic center, is tiled with 2,657 fire-gilded copper shingles. You will find lots of attractions to visit in this area – Hofburg palace (no photography allowed inside), Dom zu St. Jakob (Cathedral of St. James), Hofkirche, and St. Anne’s column on Maria-Theresien-Straße to name a few. There are ton of eating places at this location. 

After wrapping up the old town, hop on the bus to go to Swarovski Crystal Worlds in Wattens, a 20-minute drive. This attraction opened in 1995 and has 18 Chambers of Wonder including Umbra, Crystal Dome, and Blue Hall. Each chamber will leave you mesmerized. However, before going inside, don’t forget to take a picture with the world famous The Giant, created by the multimedia artist André Heller. The Giant is a head, covered with grass with water coming out of its mouth. Marvel at the art pieces in The Garden once you exit the Chambers of Wonder. Grab snacks and coffee at the cafeteria before taking the bus to head back to Zurich admiring the scenic route. 

Day 8 – Titlis and Lucerne (Luzern)

Catch the train from Zurich Hauptbahnhof and get off at the Lucerne station 45 minutes later. Find the train to Engelberg, which leaves every hour on the hour. At Engelberg, walk 10 minutes to reach the Titlis valley station or take a bus. From Titlis valley station, take gondola to Stand and then take the Titlis Rotair (the world’s first revolving cable car) to reach Titlis. The cable car revolves 360 degrees during the roughly five-minute trip allowing for spectacular viewing.

At Titlis, take pictures with cut-outs of Bollywood actors Shah Rukh Khan and Kajol (one of their movies was filmed at this location) or go on the Cliff Walk, which is 500m about the ground level. You can also take the Ice Flyer to get stunning views of the glacier below. 

On the way back from Titlis, get down at Lake Trübsee station and walk a short distance to the go to the lake. Admire the lake and the spectacular views of the mountains. There are also small boats that you can self-operate for free. 

Take the gondola down to Stand and then walk to Engelberg train station. Some of us stopped at an intermediate station between Engelberg and Lucerne to go for another round of paragliding while others continued to Lucerne.

The highlight at Lucerne is the Kapellbrucke (Chapel Bridge), which is a short walk from the station. Next to the bridge, which is over the river Reuss, is the octagonal Wasserturm, a 13th-century water tower. The bridge is named after the nearby St. Peter’s chapel and was rebuilt after being partially destroyed in a fire in 1993. Enjoy coffee at one of the many shops near the river. Then, take a train to head back to Zurich and fly back home the next day.