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Zurich excursions question


happycruizer

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We will be arriving in Zurich a few days before departing from Basel for our Romantic Rhine cruise. We are planning on taking the train to Lucern one day and possibly doing Pilatus..................just how "scary":eek: is the trip up the mountain for someone who does not like heights? Might Rigi or Stanserhorn be a better choice? We hope to spend at least half-day exploring Lucern, therefore thought Titlus would be too far.

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Are you afraid of being on a mountain top or being in something like a cable car? Mt. Pilatus has two ways to the top. A cable car on one side of the mountain or the Cog Railroad up the other side. So if it is a cable car you fear, the Cog Railroad is probably your best bet. Once you up there, the views are spectacular. You will have several views and if you are afraid of looking over the edge, there are plenty of places to view the sights with out going near any dropoffs. On a clear day, you can easily see the Jungfrau and the Eger mountains. The Stanserhorn is not quite as high. More green at the top. Also, some great views and walking areas. When we went up several years back, you went up an incline railway on the first part and then had to transition to a cable car for the top section. The original incline section on the top part was abandoned and replaced by the cable car. So if cable cars are not your preferred method, go for the Cog Railway up and down on Pilatus. Both have walking trails to the top for the young & energetic. I believe you can start your trip at the boat station right next to the train station. You can buy a ticket there and ride the boat over to Mt. Pilatus. I have stayed in Weggis, but I did not take the cable car to the top of Mt Rigi. Weggis is a really nice village and recommended place to visit. If you do go there, make sure to go on one of the old sternwheeler boats.

 

http://www.pilatus.ch/content-n58-sE.html

 

Lummy

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I am also not especially fond of heights and have been to the top of Santis and Pilatus. I thought that cable cars were much scarier than the cog railroad up to the top of Pilatus. When the train is moving, it is easy to just look at the rocks and cows on the mountain. A cable car swings a little and it is a long way down! I thought that the cog railroad up the mountain was one of the neatest things I did in Switzerland. I took the boat to the bog railway and then took an express train back to the Luzern station.

 

The top of Pilatus is big and there are places to look that won't cause you to hyperventilate! I for one got enough of a view being a safe distance from the railing. :)

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Thanks for your input. I am not afraid of being on a mountain top; just getting there. I do not think I could do a cable car if there is much movement and I can see what is below:eek: . Sounds like the cog railroad where I can look to the sides at the scenery might be the best option for me, assuming I try not to notice how steep the grade is coming back down. I suppose I could put blinders on:rolleyes: . I live/drive in the mountains but not as high as the alps......I just did not want to get half way up or down and have a panic attack [which BTW, I have never done].

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LOL! I don't think that I ever would have gotten into a cable car if I hadn't been strongly encouraged by the people I was with. The cable car does swing a little as you go up, and it is 1/2 glass so you can see the scenery. If I remember my eyes were shut. :)

 

In the cog railroad, the sides are open (no glass windows.) You can see the plants and scenery going up. If you don't like heights, you don't want to look ahead or behind.

 

Here are some pictures that will give you an idea of what it is like.

 

http://travel.webshots.com/album/551385502ciXioE?start=24

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hcross888, thanks for the photo link....great shots. IF I can muster up the courage to get to Mt. Pilatus I'll have the courage to stand by the rail for the view. The picture of the train that is shown on Mr. Pilatus website reminds me of a caterpillar [aka wolly worm] inching it's way up a tree:eek: . I may still consider Mr. Rigi; however there will be 5 other people so I may be outvoted:rolleyes: .

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We will be arriving in Zurich a few days before departing from Basel for our Romantic Rhine cruise. We are planning on taking the train to Lucerne one day and possibly doing Pilatus..................just how "scary":eek: is the trip up the mountain for someone who does not like heights? Might Rig or Sanderson be a better choice? We hope to spend at least half-day exploring Lucerne, therefore thought Titles would be too far.

 

More free advice to you. I hope it is worth more than that. It was a long time ago, 1991, when we stayed in Zürich for three nights prior to picking up a leased auto to drive to northern Italy, where we lived for a few months. We have returned to Switzerland a couple of times since.

 

First, you did not ask, but be aware that it is very easy to take a train from the airport to the city. Trains go from the terminal directly to the main Zürich station. (Bahnhof) The station is very central and there are many hotels of many prices within easy walking distance from the station.

 

We took a nice one day bus tour from the Zürich rail station to places south. These included Mount Titlus and Lucerne. There was about an hour stop in Lucerne. However, I recall that a few left the tour in Lucerne and took the train back to Zürich at a later time.

 

There were two cable cars, one after the other, to the top of Titlus, as I recall. There is a large café at the mountain top, where there was a Swiss band of some sort.

 

We simply went to the tourist office at the train station to take the bus. At that time we had to pay cash, but that could have changed. We also took a nice "trolley car", really a bus, tour of the city another day.

 

During a trip in 1999 we traveled on the "Glacier Express" from Zermatt to St. Moritz. This is a very nice trip. You would want to spend the night in Zermatt, as the train leaves at about 9:00 am. The cog rail trip to and from Zermatt is spectacular.

 

There is a nice little town, Raperswil, a few miles east of Zürich if you want to spend a few hours at a different place.

 

Check the Swiss rail pass if you are to travel by rail a bit in Switzerland. The pass was good for the Glacier Express, and it will be good for your train from Zürich to Basel.

 

If we go back to Zürich we will check on music for the dates we are there. They have a first class opera theater there which we have missed.

 

If you have not been on the Rhine, be aware that the scenery during the southern part is not much. However, as you travel downstream it gets better and better.

 

Bob :cool:

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