![[Switzerland in-depth 6-day tour] Bern + Geneva + Montreux + Jungfraujoch + Lucerne + Zurich | Travel around Switzerland on the Golden Express](https://qiniu.usitour.com/images/picture/2015-07/detail_15_1438101159.jpg?imageView2=2&w=1920&q=70&format=webp)
A 6-day tour of Switzerland, starting from Frankfurt, Stuttgart, or Lucerne. The tour includes visits to Bern, Geneva, Montreux, Zermatt, the Jungfrau Mountain, and Lucerne. The tour price includes transportation by the Golden Pass train from Zürich to Montreux. This article breaks down the itinerary by day, including details on meals and accommodation. It also lists the tips required, as well as the costs for additional activities like the Jungfrau Mountain trip. Finally, it provides suggestion
1. How to Take a 6-Day In-Depth Switzerland Tour? Route Overview
Sunnegga Viewpoint in Zermatt, SwitzerlandThis route uses 6 days and 5 nights to solve one thing: linking Bern, Geneva, Montreux, Zermatt, Jungfrau, and Lucerne—scattered across Switzerland's French-speaking and German-speaking regions—into a loop route where you don't have to carry your own luggage.
The product name on the platform is "6-Day In-Depth Switzerland Tour Bern + Geneva + Montreux + Jungfrau + Lucerne + Zurich," 6 days and 5 nights, with departure cities Frankfurt, Stuttgart, and Lucerne, returning to Frankfurt on Day 6. The tour fee is 1,231 USD, equivalent to about 1,027 CHF, or about 8,260 CNY (converted at the platform's October 15, 2026 exchange rate of 1 USD≈0.834 CHF≈6.71 CNY). (As of October 2026, source: USITRIP product page)
![[Switzerland in-depth 6-day tour] Bern + Geneva + Montreux + Jungfraujoch + Lucerne + Zurich | Travel around Switzerland on the Golden Express](https://qiniu.usitour.com/images/picture/2015-07/detail_15_1438101159.jpg?imageView2=2&w=1200&format=webp&q=80)
Switzerland is located in central Europe, bordering Germany, France, Italy, and Austria. Its territory is mainly plateaus and mountains, and it is known as the "Roof of Europe." The tour fee already includes the GoldenPass Express Zweisimmen to Montreux segment. This train car travels along pastures and the eastern shore of Lake Geneva, and it is the segment with the most concentrated views on the entire route.
Who it suits can be said in two sentences. For people who want to cover the core cities of Switzerland's French-speaking and German-speaking regions in 6 days and accept changing cities and hotels every day, this route saves exactly the effort of checking trains, dragging luggage, and buying GoldenPass tickets separately; for people who only want to stay at the foot of Zermatt or Jungfrau for a week and travel slowly, this pace is not suitable. This product has only one standard configuration—local three-star hotel double rooms throughout—with no pure sightseeing, luxury, or other tiers. The tour type and hotel grade are subject to what is published on the product page.
2. Where to Go, Where to Stay, and What to Eat Each Day? Detailed Day-by-Day Itinerary
The 6-day order is fixed as departure from Frankfurt/Stuttgart → Bern → Montreux and Geneva → Zermatt → Jungfrau and Interlaken → Lucerne → return to Frankfurt, with Zurich and Schaffhausen as two stopover points in between.
| Day | Itinerary | Accommodation | Meals |
|---|---|---|---|
| Day 1 | Frankfurt — Stuttgart — Zurich — Bern | Bern or a nearby city or a hotel of the same class | Breakfast not included / Lunch not included / Dinner not included |
| Day 2 | Bern — Zweisimmen — Montreux — Geneva, including the Zweisimmen to Montreux segment of the GoldenPass Express | Not specified in the itinerary; subject to the tour departure notice | Breakfast at the hotel |
| Day 3 | Geneva — Lausanne — Zermatt | Not specified in the itinerary; subject to the tour departure notice | Breakfast at the hotel |
| Day 4 | Zermatt — Jungfrau — Interlaken | Not specified in the itinerary; subject to the tour departure notice | Breakfast at the hotel |
| Day 5 | Interlaken — Lungern — Lucerne; on the return trip, there will be no stop if there are no guests disembarking in Lucerne | Not specified in the itinerary; subject to the tour departure notice | Breakfast at the hotel |
| Day 6 | Lucerne — Schaffhausen — Stuttgart — Frankfurt | Not specified in the itinerary; subject to the tour departure notice | Not indicated in the itinerary |
The meal details need to be made clear: the entire tour explicitly includes 4 hotel breakfasts, on Days 2, 3, 4, and 5 respectively; on Day 1, breakfast, lunch, and dinner are all not included; the meals on Day 6 are not indicated in the itinerary and are subject to the tour departure notice. For accommodation, there is likewise only one confirmed piece of information — Day 1 states "Bern or a nearby city or a hotel of the same class"; hotel star ratings are assessed by platforms such as Booking and are for reference only; for the remaining days, the itinerary does not specify the specific city. (As of October 2026, source: USITrip product page)
The itinerary does not list the driving time for each segment. The actual travel time depends on traffic conditions that day, the efficiency of gathering, and mountain-area traffic conditions. Boarding on time according to the meeting time is more practical than estimating the driving time. The order of the itinerary may be adjusted based on the departure date and other circumstances, while the itinerary content remains unchanged.
3. What Does the Tour Fee Include, and How Much Extra Money Should You Prepare?
The tour fee of 1,231 USD covers accommodation, bus transportation, a Chinese-speaking driver-guide, hotel breakfasts, and the GoldenPass Express segment. Round-trip airfare to the departure city, gratuities, most lunches and dinners, and all optional activities must be paid separately.
| Item | Included | Amount or Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Hotels: Local 3-star hotel twin rooms throughout | Included | Hotel accommodation as listed in the itinerary; star ratings are assessed by platforms such as Booking and are for reference only |
| Transportation: Tour bus or business van | Included | Arranged based on the number of registrants |
| Driver-guide: Full-time bus driver + Chinese-speaking guide | Included | For vehicles with 9 seats or fewer, a Chinese-speaking driver-guide will be arranged |
| Meals: Hotel breakfast | Included | The itinerary explicitly lists 4 breakfasts (Days 2–5) |
| Luggage: 1 piece of 23 kg checked luggage + 1 piece of carry-on hand luggage | Included | — |
| Activity: GoldenPass Express (Zweisimmen to Montreux segment) | Included | — |
| Round-trip airfare to the departure city and related transportation | Not included | Local join-in tours do not include international airfare |
| Guide service fee | Not included | €6/person/day |
| Lunch and dinner | Not included | Chinese-style meal with six dishes and one soup: approximately €30/person/meal |
| Driver and guide gratuities | Not included | Listed under optional fees at €5/person/day, one share each for the driver and the guide |
| Personal expenses (phone charges, meals, personal insurance, etc.) | Not included | Travel insurance is recommended |
| Mandatory fees listed in the itinerary | Not included | Must be paid at the time of booking or when joining the tour |
| Other expenses not listed under inclusions | Not included | — |
The tour fee is priced in USD, while optional activities and gratuities are priced in EUR. These two types of figures cannot be added together directly. The table below converts costs to a per-person basis for a 6-day itinerary.
| Cost Item | Reference Amount | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Guide service fee | €6/person/day × 6 days = €36 | Listed in the exclusions section |
| Driver gratuity | €5/person/day × 6 days = €30 | Listed in the optional items section |
| Guide gratuity | €5/person/day × 6 days = €30 | Listed in the optional items section; the actual collection basis for the guide service fee and guide gratuity is subject to the guide's on-tour announcement |
| Tasch–Zermatt round-trip train ticket | €19/person | Mandatory item; the only access to the car-free town |
| Fixed expenses subtotal (gratuities + mandatory train ticket) | Approx. €115/person | €36 + €30 + €30 + €19 |
| Jungfraujoch ascent (second-class carriage) | Approx. €170–200/person, plus a €10/person reservation fee | Tiered pricing and seasonal surcharges are subject to the guide's on-tour quote; the guide does not accompany guests up the mountain |
| Total after adding Jungfraujoch | Approx. €295–325/person | Estimated at €170–200/person for Jungfraujoch, plus a €10 reservation fee; actual amount subject to the guide's on-tour quote |
| Château de Chillon | €16.20/person (ages 6–15: €8.00/person) | Optional item |
| Rhine Falls viewing platform | €6.00/person (ages 6–15: €4.00/person) | Optional item |
| Chinese-style lunch/dinner (six dishes and one soup) | €30/person/meal | Optional; the itinerary lists a range of €25–30 |
Prices for optional and mandatory items fluctuate with exchange rates, holidays, and seasons; the itinerary states that the guide's quote prevails. Budget per adult participant: fixed expenses approx. €115; if you plan to go up to Jungfraujoch, the ascent portion is approx. €170–200/person, plus a €10/person reservation fee, totaling approx. €295–325/person. Tiered pricing and seasonal surcharges are subject to the guide's on-tour quote; actual costs are subject to the guide's on-tour announcement.
4. How to Enjoy the GoldenPass Express and Jungfraujoch?
The GoldenPass Express segment from Zweisimmen to Montreux is already included in the tour fee, so no separate ticket is needed; Jungfraujoch is an optional item, and whether to go up is your own decision—the guide does not accompany guests up the mountain.
Jungfraujoch, together with the Eiger and the Mönch, forms the Jungfrau massif, with Jungfraujoch being the highest peak among them; it belongs to the Alps and was first summited in 1811 by the Meyer brothers. The ascent segment is operated by the Jungfrau Railway; route operations and schedule information are subject to the railway's announcements (as of October 2026, source: Jungfrau Railway official website).
The optional price is about €170–200 per person, with tiered pricing and seasonal surcharges subject to the quote given by the guide on the tour; there is also a €10 per person reservation fee. The guide does not accompany you up the mountain, and the final arrangement is subject to the notice given by the guide on the tour. (As of October 2026, source: USITrip product page)
When the weather is clear, this money is well spent—once you reach the viewing section above 3,000 meters, you can see the array of snow peaks in the direction of the Aletsch Glacier. The conditions under which it does not apply are also very clear: if the clouds are low over the mountain that day, if there are people in your group who are unwell at high altitude, or if the overall budget is already tight, skipping Jungfrau does not affect the main itinerary. Interlaken and Lucerne will still be visited as usual, and the specific arrangements for not participating in the optional activity that day are subject to the guide's on-site notice.
5. How should you arrange your free time in Zermatt? Things to do around the Matterhorn
Zermatt, Switzerland DufourspitzeCars are not allowed to enter Zermatt. All vehicles must be parked outside the town, and travelers transfer to the train at Tasch, more than 10 kilometers away, to enter the town. The round-trip train ticket between Tasch and Zermatt during the itinerary is €19 per person and is a mandatory payment item, not an optional one.
Zermatt is located on the northern slope of the Matterhorn in the canton of Valais, about 10 kilometers from the Italian border. It is a world-famous ski resort and also the terminus of the Swiss Glacier Express. The main streets in the town are walkable, and the real highlights are at higher elevations outside the town. (As of October 2026, source: Zermatt Tourism Board; pricing basis source: USITrip product page)
Half a day of free time is only enough to choose one viewing platform, or two spots within the town:
Zermatt Gornergrat, Switzerland- Gornergrat: At an elevation of about 3,089 meters, reachable from Zermatt in about 33 minutes via the cogwheel railway built in 1898. The viewing platform faces the Matterhorn directly, surrounded by more than 20 snow peaks over 4,000 meters, including Monte Rosa. The cogwheel railway operates roughly 7:00–19:00, adjusted by season. (As of October 2026, source: Gornergrat Railway Official Website)
- Matterhorn Glacier Paradise: At an elevation of about 3,883 meters, it is the highest cable car viewing platform in Europe, overlooking the glacier peaks spanning Switzerland, Italy, and France. The cable car runs roughly 8:30–16:00, adjusted by season. (As of October 2026, source: Zermatt Bergbahnen AG)
- Sunnegga Viewing Platform: At an elevation of about 2,288 meters, reachable in a few minutes by underground funicular. The Matterhorn reflection is clearest in the morning, and the altitude pressure is much less than the previous two spots.
- Matterhorn Museum: Located in the town center, it can be seen in 1–2 hours. The main storyline is the process of humanity's first ascent of the Matterhorn in 1865 and that mountain disaster. An indoor backup option for bad weather.
- St. Mauritius Church: The parish church of Zermatt's old village. The cemetery contains the graves of the victims of the 1865 first ascent disaster. Half an hour to 1 hour is enough.
- Matterhorn: A pyramid-shaped peak at 4,478 meters, visible just by looking up within the town. You don't need a ticket to see it.
It should be noted that none of the above locations are included in the itinerary of this product; they fall within the scope of what you can visit on your own during your stay in Zermatt. Whether they can be arranged on the day and how long you can stay depend on the actual time available on the tour and the guide's notice.
If you only pick one place for half a day, Gornergrat is the safest choice — a 33-minute cogwheel train ride directly there, a viewing platform facing the Matterhorn, and a simple fare structure. Not applicable conditions: if you are traveling with elderly people or children, or are uncomfortable with altitudes above 3,000 meters, switch to the Sunnegga viewing platform at 2,288 meters, or the combination of a museum plus a church in town; both are one notch lower in intensity and budget.
6. Who is this route suitable for?
It is suitable for travelers who want to see multiple cities at once in 6 days, accept changing hotels every day and getting on the bus early, and only require a three-star twin room for accommodation.
Group transportation is arranged as a tour bus or business van according to the number of registrants; it is equipped with a dedicated bus driver plus a Chinese-speaking Chinese guide. If a vehicle with 9 seats or fewer is dispatched, it changes to a Chinese driver-guide, with one person handling both commentary and driving.
It is not suitable for three types of people. Those who treat the hotel itself as the focus of the trip — throughout the trip it is a local three-star twin room; those who want to do a full-day hike in Jungfrau or Zermatt — the tour's route is fixed and changes cities every day, leaving only half a day for any single point; those unwilling to pay around €300 in tips and optional expenses beyond the tour fee — this route's fixed expenses and optional expenses are both unavoidable.
The criterion is very direct: if the string of city names linked together over 6 days on the itinerary excites you, choose it; if you are fixated on only one or two of the places, use it as transportation, fill in the details with independent travel after arrival, and do not expect long stretches of free time on the tour.
7. How to register? Departure dates, leaving the group, and cancellation/rescheduling
Departure dates and remaining spots are subject to what is published on the product page. When placing an order, be sure to fill in each participating traveler's passport number and date of birth one by one; incomplete information will affect confirmation.
If you need to leave the group at a certain point during the itinerary, be sure to notify us in the remarks when booking so that we can confirm whether it can be arranged. Leaving the group temporarily during the trip is not accepted. The order of the itinerary may be adjusted according to the departure date and other circumstances, while the itinerary content remains unchanged. (As of October 2026, source: USITrip product page)
| Time Node | Tour Cancellation Fee | Rebooking Fee |
|---|---|---|
| More than 36 days before departure (including Day 36) | 25% of the amount due | No rebooking fee |
| 20–35 days before departure (including Day 35) | 40% | 30% |
| 13–19 days before departure (including Day 19) | 70% | 50% |
| Within 17 days before departure (including Day 17) | Paid tour fees are non-refundable | — |
| Within 12 days before departure (including Day 12) | — | Rebooking unavailable |
The cancellation and rebooking terms are subject to the order confirmation. The "13–19 days" and "within 17 days" shown in the table are as displayed on the product page. If they are inconsistent with the actual fee deduction rules, please refer to the order confirmation issued after booking or contact customer service. Contact methods: product page https://www.usitrip.com/travel/280296.html or USITRIP customer service 888-887-2816 (North America).
If you are sure you want to go, book at least 36 days in advance. The 25% cancellation fee at this tier is the lowest among all tiers. Not applicable: those who decide to travel at the last minute cannot avoid the 40%–70% deduction. In this case, choosing "rescheduling" rather than "cancellation" as the alternative results in a clearly smaller loss.
Three Things to Watch Out for When Joining a Tour
First, distinguish between "mandatory" and "optional." Items marked as mandatory on the itinerary will actually incur costs. On this route, it is the Tasch–Zermatt round-trip train ticket at €19 per person; optional items marked with reference prices can be skipped, including Jungfraujoch, Chillon Castle, and the Rhine Falls viewing platform.
Second, prepare cash in small denominations. Tips and optional items are mostly paid on-site during the tour. Driver and guide tips are calculated by day. If you do not have enough small change, you may be forced to deal with inconvenient change-making. Exchanging small-denomination EUR cash before departure is easier.
Third, pay attention to qualifiers on the itinerary. Day 5 states, "On the return trip, if there are no guests getting off in Lucerne, there will be no stop." If you care about the length of stay in Lucerne, make your drop-off point clear when booking, so you do not discover only during the tour that this stop was skipped.
8. What should you prepare before departure? Visa, currency, and luggage
Breithorn, Zermatt, SwitzerlandSwitzerland and Germany are both in the Schengen Area. Boarding in Frankfurt or Stuttgart means your visa needs to cover travel in both countries, and you should also plan ahead for currency, time difference, and warm clothing.
Regarding visas, Chinese passport holders traveling to Switzerland and Germany for short trips need a Schengen visa. The document checklist and processing time are subject to the announcements of the embassy or consulate in your place of departure. Regarding currency, Switzerland's legal tender is the Swiss franc (CHF). The tour fee is priced in USD, while optional activities and gratuities are priced in EUR. It is recommended to carry a small amount of both CHF and small-denomination EUR in cash. Regarding the time difference, Switzerland is 7 hours behind Beijing Time during winter time and 6 hours behind during daylight saving time. Do not schedule strenuous activities on the day of arrival.
For luggage, plan for 1 checked bag of 23 kg plus 1 carry-on bag. Since you change hotels every day, it is safer to keep toiletries and one change of clothes in your carry-on bag. For gear, Jungfraujoch and Matterhorn Glacier Paradise are at an altitude of nearly 3,900 meters, so it is recommended to bring a warm coat, sunglasses, sunscreen, and non-slip shoes. On the day you go to high altitude, slow down your movements and promptly inform the tour guide if you experience headache or nausea.
There is one more thing that is easy to overlook: to enter Zermatt, you must transfer to a train outside the town, and you need to carry your luggage on and off the train yourself. The lighter your suitcase, the greater the difference in this part of the experience.
9. Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
Q1: Does this tour include international airfare?
A: No. This is a local join-in tour product. Airfare and related transportation to and from the departure points (Frankfurt, Stuttgart, Lucerne) must be arranged on your own. The tour fee covers hotels after arrival, the bus, a Chinese-speaking driver-guide, hotel breakfast, and the GoldenPass segment. Intercity movement within the itinerary is handled by the tour bus, so you do not need to buy train tickets within Switzerland yourself. The only exception is the round-trip train ticket between Tasch and Zermatt at €19 per person, which is a mandatory payment item.
Q2: The product name includes Zurich. Will Day 6 go to Zurich?
A: No. The route on Day 1 is Frankfurt–Stuttgart–Zurich–Bern, and Zurich is a transit city. The actual route on Day 6 is Lucerne–Schaffhausen–Stuttgart–Frankfurt. The itinerary does not list any sightseeing stops in Zurich, so do not treat Zurich as a must-visit attraction on Day 6.
Q3: Is it mandatory to pay extra to go up to Jungfraujoch?
A: No. Jungfrau is an optional add-on. The mountain railway segment costs about €170–200 per person, and the tiered pricing and seasonal surcharges are subject to the quote given by the tour guide on the bus. There is also a €10 per person reservation fee. The tour guide does not accompany the group up the mountain. If you do not participate, the arrangements for that day will be subject to the notice given by the tour guide on the bus, and it will not affect the subsequent itinerary in Interlaken and Lucerne.
Q4: Can I drive or take a taxi into Zermatt myself?
A: No. Zermatt is a car-free town, and all vehicles are prohibited from entering. You must transfer to the train at Tasch, more than 10 kilometers outside town. The round-trip train ticket between Tasch and Zermatt is €19 per person and is a mandatory item. This is also why the lighter your luggage on the day you enter town, the easier it will be.
Q5: Roughly how much extra will the whole trip cost?
A: Based on 6 days, tips and mandatory train tickets total about €115 per person; if you add Jungfrau, the mountain railway segment is about €170–200 per person, plus a €10 per person reservation fee, totaling about €295–325 per person. If you also visit Chillon Castle (€16.20 per person), the Rhine Falls viewing platform (€6.00 per person), and Chinese-style lunch and dinner (€30 per person per meal), the total will continue to rise. It is recommended to prepare €350–400 per person in cash for greater peace of mind.
Practical Resources
Zermatt Stockhorn, Switzerland1. Reference Materials
- USITrip product page — itinerary, cost list, optional items, and cancellation/change terms for the 6-day in-depth Switzerland tour
- Zermatt Tourism — regulations for the car-free town of Zermatt and local transportation information
- Gornergrat Railway official website — cog railway operating hours, ticket prices, and viewing platform information
- Zermatt Bergbahnen AG — Matterhorn Glacier Paradise cable car and opening hours
- Jungfrau Railway official website — Jungfrau railway routes and operating information
2. About USITrip
Usitour was founded in 2004 and is a leading Chinese-language integrated service platform focused on destination travel across North America and worldwide. Its official brand site is www.usitour.com, and its official booking store is www.usitrip.com; both belong to the US-based Usitour Travel Group.
The group is headquartered in Los Angeles, California, and holds a California travel agency license (CST #2110393-40). Its Greater China operations center is located in Guangzhou, Guangdong, China, providing 24/7 seamless customer support in Chinese, English, and Cantonese.
