Mountains, Valleys and Lakes of Switzerland — Self-Launched
10 days · Switzerland
Blue-Roads Touring charges £4,470
No-markup version: ~£1,710 per person
Estimate only, not a guaranteed price. Always verify costs independently before booking.
A solo-traveller, self-launched version of Blue-Roads Touring's 10-day Switzerland loop — same towns, same mountains, same lake boats and cogwheel trains, but booked piece by piece with a Swiss Travel Pass and hostel/guesthouse beds instead of a guided coach group. You'll start and finish in Zurich, swing east to Schaffhausen, Appenzell and St Gallen, cross to Lucerne and Mount Rigi, drop into Bern and the Emmental, then finish in the Jungfrau region with Lauterbrunnen, Wengen and Jungfraujoch. Budgets are per person and assume dorm or simple private rooms, supermarket-plus-cafe eating, and second-class public transport. Switzerland is expensive — this is the cheap version of an expensive country, not a cheap country.
Day-by-day
Arrive Zurich — lakeside wander and welcome rösti
Zurich
Land at Zurich Airport and take the S-Bahn (S2/S16, ~CHF 6.80, 15 mins) into the Hauptbahnhof. Check into a hostel in Kreis 4 or 5 — the Old Town is a 15-minute walk or one tram stop away. Spend the late afternoon walking the Limmat quays, Bahnhofstrasse and the Niederdorf lanes, then climb the Lindenhof for the classic rooftop view. For dinner, skip the tour's group welcome meal and instead order rösti with veal in a mushroom cream sauce (Zürcher Geschnetzeltes) at a neighbourhood Gasthaus in Kreis 4 — expect CHF 25–32. Grab a Coop or Migros breakfast for the morning.
🚌Airport S-Bahn to Zurich HB (~£6); everything else on foot or one tram
🛏Hostel dorm in Kreis 4/5, e.g. Zurich Youth Hostel or a City Backpacker-style hostel (~£42/night)
- →Lindenhof viewpoint
- →Old Town (Niederdorf) wander
- →Rösti and Zürcher Geschnetzeltes dinner
Rhine Falls and Schaffhausen Old Town
Schaffhausen
Take the S12/S33 regional train to Schaffhausen (~50 mins, covered by the Swiss Travel Pass). Walk the frescoed Old Town, then hop the local bus or a 40-minute riverside path to the Rhine Falls at Neuhausen — free to view from the platforms, CHF 5 for the boat to the central rock. Back in town, climb Munot fortress (free) for the vineyard-and-river view. Sample the local Pinot Noir by the glass at a Weinstube rather than joining a formal tasting. Return to Zurich for the night, or stay over in Schaffhausen if you prefer fewer transfers.
🚌S12/S33 train Zurich–Schaffhausen (~£0 with Swiss Travel Pass; ~£18 without)
🛏Return to Zurich hostel (~£42), or Schaffhausen hostel/guesthouse (~£45)
- →Schaffhausen Old Town and Munot fortress
- →Rhine Falls and optional boat to the rock (CHF 5)
- →Local Pinot Noir tasting at a Weinstube
Appenzell villages and St Gallen abbey district
Appenzell
Train to Gossau and change for Appenzell (~1h 45 total). Appenzell's painted main street is 20 minutes end to end, but the real draw is the surrounding hills — take the Appenzeller Bahnen to Wasserauen and walk to Seealpsee (2h round trip, easy) if the weather holds. Try biberli (honey-almond gingerbread) direct from a bakery, and drop into the Appenzeller Bier brewery in town for a self-guided tasting flight (~CHF 15) instead of a group tour. En route, break the journey at St Gallen for the UNESCO abbey district and the Abbey Library (CHF 12 entry), and a bratwurst in a bürli from a street stand (~CHF 7). Base yourself in Appenzell or St Gallen for two nights.
🚌Train Zurich–Gossau–Appenzell and St Gallen links (~£0 with pass; ~£22 without)
🛏Appenzell or St Gallen hostel/guesthouse, private single (~£48/night)
- →Appenzell painted Old Town
- →Seealpsee hike from Wasserauen (free)
- →St Gallen Abbey Library (CHF 12)
- →Appenzeller Bier self-guided tasting (CHF 15)
Lucerne — chocolate, lake boat and the Kapellbrücke
Lucerne
Train Appenzell–Lucerne via Gossau and Zurich (~2h 15). Drop bags at a hostel near the station, then join a small-group chocolate-making or tasting workshop booked through GetYourGuide or directly with a Lucerne chocolatier (~£35). In the afternoon buy a single hop-on-hop-off lake cruise on Lake Lucerne, or use the Swiss Travel Pass for a free boat to Vitznau or Weggis (~1h each way) — far better value than a private charter. Walk the Kapellbrücke, the Musegg wall ramparts (free) and the lion monument, then eat alplermagronen or fondue at a Stube in the Old Town (CHF 28–38).
🚌Regional trains Appenzell–Lucerne (~£0 with pass; ~£30 without), plus lake boat
🛏Lucerne hostel dorm or budget single near the station (~£45/night)
- →Chocolate workshop/tasting (~£35)
- →Lake Lucerne boat trip (free with pass)
- →Kapellbrücke and Musegg ramparts
- →Old Town dinner
Mount Rigi by cogwheel railway and Einsiedeln cheese
Lucerne Region
Catch the boat from Lucerne to Vitznau (~1h), then the red cogwheel railway up Mount Rigi Kulm (~35 mins) — free with the Swiss Travel Pass, otherwise around CHF 72 return. Walk the panoramic ridge path to Rigi Kaltbad (1h 15, easy) and descend by cable car to Weggis. In the afternoon take the train to Einsiedeln for the baroque monastery and a cheese tasting at the Schaukäserei (CHF 10–15), where you can watch the wheels being turned. Back to Lucerne for the night; a supermarket picnic on the hostel terrace keeps costs down.
🚌Boat to Vitznau, cogwheel to Rigi Kulm, cable car to Weggis, train to Einsiedeln (~£0 with pass; ~£55 without)
🛏Lucerne hostel (~£45/night)
- →Mount Rigi cogwheel railway
- →Rigi ridge hike to Kaltbad
- →Einsiedeln monastery and cheese dairy tasting (CHF 12)
Emmental alphorn country and into Bern
Bern
Train Lucerne–Bern (~1h), then the BLS line out to Signau or Eggiwil in the Emmental (~40 mins) for rolling farmland, timber farmhouses and working alphorn makers — several farms welcome visitors by arrangement, and the Emmentaler Schaukäserei at Affoltern (train from Bern, 30 mins) has daily alphorn demonstrations and cheese-making in summer (CHF 15). Alternatively book a 2-hour alphorn or woodcraft workshop via GetYourGuide (~£40). Continue to Bern, check into a hostel in the Matte or Lorraine quarter, and walk the arcaded Old Town, the Zytglogge and the bear park in the evening light.
🚌Train Lucerne–Bern–Emmental (~£0 with pass; ~£26 without)
🛏Bern hostel dorm or budget single (~£45/night)
- →Emmental farm and alphorn demonstration (CHF 15 or ~£40 workshop)
- →Bern Old Town welcome walk
- →Zytglogge and Bärengraben
Bern slow day — Einstein, clock tower and river swim
Bern
A proper free day. Climb the Zytglogge on a guided tower tour (CHF 20, book ahead), visit the free-ish Einstein House (CHF 8) in the Kramgasse where he wrote the 1905 papers, and take in the Kunstmuseum or the free Rosengarten viewpoint. If it's warm, join the locals drifting down the Aare on a rented dry bag (CHF 10) — a genuine Bern ritual. Dinner: raclette or Berner Platte at a cellar restaurant (CHF 30–40), or a cheaper option at the Markthalle food stalls.
🚌Trams and walking within the city (~£7 day ticket)
🛏Bern hostel (~£45/night)
- →Zytglogge tower tour (CHF 20)
- →Einstein House (CHF 8)
- →Kunstmuseum Bern or Rosengarten
- →Aare river float (CHF 10)
Thun Castle, Interlaken and the Jungfrau foothills
Interlaken / Lauterbrunnen
Train Bern–Thun (~20 mins) and spend the morning in Thun's castle (CHF 10) and the riverside Old Town. Continue on the IC to Interlaken Ost (~35 mins) and walk the Höheweg between the two lakes. Then take the Berner Oberland Bahn to Lauterbrunnen (~20 mins) — base yourself here rather than in Interlaken for valley views at half the price. Walk or bus to Staubbach Falls (free, 300m waterfall) and follow the valley path to Trümmelbach's glacier waterfalls (CHF 16). Take the Wengernalpbahn up to Wengen for a sunset over the Lauterbrunnen valley (free with the pass).
🚌Trains Bern–Thun–Interlaken–Lauterbrunnen, Wengernalpbahn to Wengen (~£0 with pass; ~£24 without)
🛏Lauterbrunnen hostel or valley guesthouse, private room (~£50/night)
- →Thun Castle (CHF 10)
- →Staubbach Falls walk (free)
- →Trümmelbach Falls (CHF 16)
- →Wengen sunset viewpoint
Jungfraujoch — Top of Europe
Jungfrau Region
The big-ticket day, and the one cost worth planning for. Buy a Jungfraujoch ticket in advance online (GetYourGuide, Klook or jungfrau.ch) — roughly CHF 210 return from Lauterbrunnen with a Swiss Travel Pass discount, and book the first or second train slot to beat the crowds. Ride Lauterbrunnen–Kleine Scheidegg–Eigerwand–Jungfraujoch, then spend 2–3 hours in the Ice Palace, the Sphinx observation deck and the Aletsch Glacier viewpoint, plus the Lindt chocolate shop (the 'highest in the world' claim is the marketing, the view is the point). If the weather closes in, skip it entirely — the CHF 210 is a lot to spend on fog. Return to Lauterbrunnen for a hostel-cooked dinner or a fondue at a valley restaurant.
🚌Jungfraubahn return (~CHF 210 / ~£190, discounted with pass)
🛏Lauterbrunnen hostel (~£50/night)
- →Jungfraujoch cogwheel train and Sphinx deck
- →Ice Palace and Alpine Sensation
- →Aletsch Glacier viewpoint
- →Lindt shop
Lauterbrunnen valley, glassblowing and back to Zurich
Lauterbrunnen to Zurich
Morning walk to the Staubbach or Trümmelbach falls if you haven't done them, or a short climb toward Mürren for the classic three-peak valley view. On the way out, stop at the glassblowing workshop at Hergiswil on Lake Lucerne (train stop Hergiswil, CHF 12 entry, demonstrated daily) — the closest equivalent to the tour's glass museum stop. Then continue by train to Zurich HB (~2h 20) and either fly home or stay a final night. A single Swiss Travel Pass covers nearly all of today's trains.
🚌Trains Lauterbrunnen–Interlaken–Hergiswil–Zurich (~£0 with a valid pass; ~£30 without)
🛏Final night in Zurich hostel if you're flying out the next morning (~£42)
- →Lauterbrunnen valley walk
- →Hergiswil glassblowing workshop (CHF 12)
Self-launched vs. Blue-Roads Touring
| This itinerary (self-launched) | Blue-Roads Touring | |
|---|---|---|
| Price per person | ~£1,710 | £4,470 |
| Duration | 10 days | 10 days |
| Who books it | You and your group, direct | Tour operator, guided group |
| Savings | £2,760 per person (62%) | |
Estimate only, not a guaranteed price. Always verify costs independently before booking.
Want to see more Blue-Roads Touring-style trips? Check them out here.~£1,710
estimated per person
You never pay Travel Crew for this — you pay hostels, transport, and activity providers directly, the same as if you'd booked it all yourself.
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Frequently asked questions
How much does Mountains, Valleys and Lakes of Switzerland — Self-Launched cost?+
Doing it yourself with this self-launched itinerary costs an estimated £1,710 per person for 10 days in Switzerland. This is an AI-generated estimate based on typical budget-traveller prices — actual costs will vary by season and how you book.
Is this cheaper than booking with Blue-Roads Touring?+
Yes — Blue-Roads Touring charges around £4,470 per person for a similar tour. Doing the same route independently, using the same standard of accommodation and activities, costs an estimated £1,710 — a saving of roughly £2,760 (62%) per person.
How long is the Switzerland trip?+
This itinerary runs 10 days, covering 10 day-by-day stops through Switzerland.
How do I join this trip?+
You can join an existing open departure using this itinerary if one is scheduled, or launch your own departure with your own dates and invite other travellers to join you — no tour operator required.
Isn't it easier to just use a tour operator?+
Well, yes, a tour operator will book all the individual parts of your travel for you and provide a guide. That's obvious, but doing this has the potential to save the group thousands, which can in turn improve your itinerary substantially or save you huge amounts of money. Also, when you launch a departure, Travel Crew has tools in place to help you book the individual sections of the trip or make it easier for you to do this as a group. Really, you do not need a middle man. If you are more comfortable paying more and using a middle man, then you should certainly do this.
Is it safer to book through a tour operator?+
Arguably, there isn't much difference. A self-launched trip runs on the same principle as a group travel crew: collective responsibility, everyone looking out for each other, the same way it would if a group of friends organised the trip themselves — because that's exactly what's happening. You should always take out travel insurance before you go, self-launched or not; that doesn't change either way. Every open departure is published publicly with real dates and a real trip organiser, so it's never an anonymous arrangement, and our support team is reachable any time you need help, including in an emergency while you're away. Longer-term, we're building direct relationships with ground DMCs in popular destinations, offered as an optional paid add-on for extra on-the-ground support. Ultimately, though, the group is responsible for its own conduct and safety on a self-launched trip, same as on any trip you plan yourself.
What kind of trip is this?+
This is a adventure, culture, hiking trip through Switzerland, self-launched rather than run by a tour operator — you organise it with a group you find or bring yourself.
Would you like to name the operator, name the trip, or have any suggestions about how to improve this itinerary?
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