A 5-day itinerary: Zurich, Lucerne and the Jungfraujoch

Why this route works

This itinerary is built around one decision: sleeping in Interlaken for a single night so the Jungfraujoch excursion doesn’t eat an entire day of travel. Everything else follows from that. You start in Zurich, move through Lucerne and up Mount Rigi, base yourself in Interlaken for the high-altitude day, spend a day in Grindelwald, then return to Zurich with time for the Rhine Falls before you fly home.

It’s a moderate-difficulty trip in the sense that the days are long and train-heavy, not that any walking is strenuous. You’ll want comfortable shoes, a light layer for altitude, and a Swiss Travel Pass or Half Fare Card worked out before you land, because rail and cable car costs add up fast in Switzerland.

Day 1: Zurich

Land at Zurich Airport and take the train into town — it’s about 10 minutes to Zurich HB and included on most transit passes. Spend the afternoon on foot in the old town: the Zurich old town walking route covers the Lindenhof terrace, Grossmünster and the narrow lanes of Niederdorf in a couple of hours without rushing.

Walk down Bahnhofstrasse in the late afternoon — it’s one of the most expensive shopping streets in Europe and worth seeing even if you buy nothing. If you have energy left, the Polybahn funicular up to the ETH terrace gives a free view over the city and Lake Zurich for the price of a single tram ticket.

Dinner in Zurich is not cheap: a simple restaurant main runs CHF 28-40, and a half-litre of local beer is typically CHF 7-8. If you want to eat well without overspending, look at bakeries and the covered market stalls near the station rather than sit-down restaurants on your first night — the Zurich food guide has specifics.

Day 2: Lucerne, Mount Rigi, then on to Interlaken

Take the 07:xx or 08:xx train from Zurich HB to Lucerne — it’s a direct 45-minute ride. Spend the morning around the Chapel Bridge and the old town, then head to Vitznau by boat or train (about 45 minutes from Lucerne) for the cogwheel railway up Mount Rigi.

Rigi is the gentler of the region’s viewpoints: a round trip by cogwheel train from Vitznau costs around CHF 84 return, and the summit walk is flat enough for anyone. Note that the mountain railways here do close for scheduled maintenance in spring and autumn — check the operator’s calendar before you build the day around it. Booking ahead through a package such as the Rigi round trip from Lucerne bundles the boat and train legs into one ticket, which is simpler than buying each segment separately.

By late afternoon, head back down to Lucerne and take the train on to Interlaken — the Lucerne–Interlaken line via the Brünig Pass takes around 2 hours and is scenic in its own right, running along Lake Brienz for the final stretch. Check into your Interlaken hotel and get an early night: tomorrow starts before sunrise.

If Rigi feels like one mountain too many for the day, it’s a fair cut — Lucerne alone, with a boat trip on Lake Lucerne, still leaves you on schedule for Interlaken by evening.

Day 3: The Jungfraujoch

This is the day the overnight in Interlaken was for. Trains to Jungfraujoch leave from Interlaken Ost, and the full journey up — changing at Grindelwald or Lauterbrunnen, then again at Kleine Scheidegg — takes about 2 hours 20 minutes each way. Aim to catch one of the first departures, both because the upper station gets crowded by mid-morning and because cloud tends to build over the course of the day.

A standard return ticket from Interlaken runs roughly CHF 200-240 depending on the season and how early you travel; the first “Good Morning” departures are usually discounted. Book the day trip to the Jungfraujoch from Interlaken in advance rather than turning up and hoping for seats — this line sells out on clear days.

At the top, budget 3-4 hours: the Ice Palace, the Sphinx observation deck, and the walk out onto the Aletsch Glacier viewpoint (weather permitting) are the main draws. Bring sunglasses and a warm layer even in summer — it’s a genuine high-alpine environment at 3,454 metres, not a scenic overlook. Full details, including what the brochures don’t mention about queues and altitude, are in the Jungfraujoch guide and this account of a first Jungfraujoch visit.

Head back down via Grindelwald in the late afternoon and stay a second night in the Interlaken/Grindelwald area — trying to also see Grindelwald properly on the way down tends to mean rushing both.

Day 4: Grindelwald and Mount First

Move your base (or just your day trip) to Grindelwald. The gondola up to First takes about 25 minutes and gives a completely different view from the Jungfraujoch’s glacier scenery: greener, closer to the valley, with the Eiger’s north face visible from the base station. The Grindelwald First attraction ticket from Interlaken covers the gondola return, currently around CHF 45-50 depending on season.

At First itself, the cliff walk and viewing platform are free once you’ve paid for the gondola; the First Flyer zip line and mountain cart are separate paid add-ons if you want more than the view. This is a good half-day rather than a full one, which leaves room to walk part of the way down through Bussalp if the weather holds, or simply relax in the village before the return journey.

By early evening, take the train back to Zurich — Interlaken Ost to Zurich HB is about 2 hours, direct on most departures. You’ll want tomorrow’s energy for one more early start.

Day 5: Rhine Falls, then departure

Rhine Falls is a straightforward half-day trip: trains from Zurich HB to Neuhausen or Schaffhausen take about 50 minutes, and from either station it’s a short walk or local bus to the falls themselves. This is Europe’s largest waterfall by volume, and it’s genuinely worth seeing up close rather than from the viewing platforms alone.

The short boat crossing to the rock in the middle of the falls costs around CHF 12-18 depending on which landing point you choose; the 30-minute Rhine Falls boat tour covers the fuller loop if you’d rather not work out the different jetty options yourself. Full logistics, including which side of the falls to pick, are in the Rhine Falls visiting guide.

Head back to Zurich by early afternoon, leaving time to collect luggage and get to the airport — it’s about 10 minutes by train from Zurich HB to ZRH, but build in a buffer rather than cutting it fine on your last day.

What this itinerary costs

Item	Approximate cost (CHF, per person)
Zurich–Lucerne–Interlaken–Grindelwald–Zurich rail (without pass)	180-220
Mount Rigi round trip from Vitznau	~84
Jungfraujoch return from Interlaken	200-240
Grindelwald First gondola return	45-50
Rhine Falls boat crossing	12-18
Zurich–Rhine Falls return rail	~35

These figures don’t include accommodation or meals, and Switzerland’s mountain railways adjust prices by season, so treat them as a planning baseline rather than a quote. A Swiss Travel Pass covering the trains and giving 50% off the mountain excursions is worth pricing against buying everything separately — for a route this dense, the pass often wins.

Alternatives if you have more or less time

With only 4 days, drop Mount Rigi and go Zurich, straight to Interlaken, the Jungfraujoch, then home via Zurich — you lose Lucerne’s old town but keep the mountain highlight. With a sixth or seventh day, add Zermatt or the Schilthorn above Mürren as a second high-altitude viewpoint, or slow down and spend a full extra day in Lucerne itself.

If you’re travelling by car rather than on the ZVV and SBB network, the route works just as well, though parking at the Jungfraujoch railway stations is limited and you’ll still be doing that leg by train regardless.