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I will be traveling from the States to Venice the end of August. From Venice, I’ll be taking the train to Torino, where I will catch the Bernina Express to Chur. Prior to leaving the States, I plan on purchasing a Swiss Travel Pass and reserve seats on the Bernina Express. Based on my research, it appears I can have the Travel Pass validated, if necessary, in Torino prior to boarding the Bernina. Is that correct?
The following day I will be traveling from Chur to Murren by train. Looking at the route, it appears I would go through Zurich, Bern to Interlaken and from there I would have to take a bus to Murren. Is there a better/quicker route to Murren? Where would I catch the bus and how far is it from the train station?
Thank you in advance for any assistance and thoughts.
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Hi carspeel and Welome to MySwissAlps,
You mean Tirano for joining the Bernina Express. There should be no need to validate your Swiss Travel Pass.
To get to Mürren you need to take train from Interlaken OST to Lauterbrunnen. From there you can EITHER go by bus to Stechelberg and cable cars to Gimmelwald then Mürren OR take cable car to Grütschalp followed by cog railway to Mürren.
From Chur you might want to consider going to Interlaken via Luzern. A bit longer journey but more scenic IMHO. Check timetables here http://www.myswissalps.com/ti metable
Happy travels!
Thanks rockoyster!!!! I definitely didn’t want to take the train to Zurich and must have missed the route through Luzern. Will take that route for sure.
Best wishes!!!
Hi Carspeel,
Pass validation is indeed not needed. You can print the pass at home, and that’s basically all you need to do. Take the pass and your ID with you on the trains, and show it on request. You can order passes through http://www.swissrailways.com/ en. After filling out your address, select the “Online Ticket” delivery option. That gets them e-mailed for you to print. You usually receive them within one business day. All purchase options are listed here.
Tickets to Tirano can be found here.
Enjoy the trip. You’re up for some pretty scenic routes!
Thanks Arno for the information and links!!! Looking forward to traveling in and seeing Switzerland. Best regards.
Hi carspeel,
>> I definitely didn’t want to take the train to Zurich and must have missed the route through Luzern. Will take that route for sure.
The scenic route mentioned by rockoyster is between Luzern and Interlaken Ost. The less scenic faster route is between Bern and Interlaken Ost.
In order to get to Luzern from Chur, you will still have to go through either Zürich or Thalwil (which is on the Zürichsee about 10 minutes out of Zürich).
>> to Interlaken and from there I would have to take a bus to Murren. Is there a better/quicker route to Murren? Where would I catch the bus and how far is it from the train station?
If you decide to get to Mürren by taking the bus from Lauterbrunnen to Stechelberg, followed by cable cars to Gimmelwald and Mürren, you will find the bus stop outside a bakery opposite the Lauterbrunnen station.
That bus stop is also adjacent to the cable car that goes up to Grütschalp to connect with the train to Mürren.
With luggage, I think I would prefer the second option described by rockoyster, i.e. cable car Lauterbrunnen to Grütschalp, then train to Mürren, because the queue at the Stechelberg cable car valley station can often be pretty long.
Alpenrose
Hi Alpenrose,
Pity there is not a quicker connection to the Voralpen Express at Pfäffikon (what a wonderful name) otherwise that might be quite a nice Chur to Luzern route. 🤓
Hi rockoyster
>> Pity there is not a quicker connection to the Voralpen Express at Pfäffikon otherwise that might be quite a nice Chur to Luzern route.
I don’t think I’ve ever travelled along that stretch. Is it scenic? Pfäffikon is indeed a wonderful name, and fun to pronounce: both the initial p and f are pronounced!
Another nice route in that area (but too long to incorporate into a transfer from Chur to Mürren) is the PostBus route over the Klausen Pass. That involves changing trains at Ziegelbrücke to get to Linthal, then getting the PostBus over the Klausen Pass to Flüelen, and on to Luzern by train.
I was hoping to do a trip over the Klausen Pass last year when I was in Luzern, but couldn’t fit it in. Still on my list though 🙂
http://www.postauto.ch/en/exc ursion-tips/klausen-pass-route
The main season for this bus is 24 Jun to 24 Sep. After that, there is only one service a day in each direction until 15 Oct, when it closes for the winter season.
Alpenrose
Hi Alpenrose.
I would say the Voralpen route is scenic in the bucolic rather than “wow look at those amazing views” sense. We went from Luzern to St Gallen and it was most pleasant and quite varied.
The Klausen Pass looks good. Thanks for the link, and the pf pronunciation tip. We will definitely include some PostBus action in our next trip.
Hey Alpenrose.
Thanks for the information. I’ve looked at the map and schedule before and after your posted. What is your, and Rockoyster, opinion of Chur – Sargans – Uznach – Luzern then to Interlaken or is it better to go to Thalwil.
Again, thanks for your thoughts and input.
Personally I would take the Voralpen Express connection over going via Zurich/Thalwil. Uznach is a tight connection. Pfäffikon a bit loose – maybe a good spot for a coffee break? 😉
>> What is your, and Rockoyster, opinion of Chur – Sargans – Uznach – Luzern then to Interlaken or is it better to go to Thalwil.
Well, that’s always a personal choice 😉
Here are some things to consider in making a decision:
1. Rockoyster’s suggestion 😉
2. The connection via Uznach only comes up if your timetable search is Chur to Luzern. It doesn’t come up if you search Chur to Mürren.
I don’t know your exact date and time of travel, but my guess is that the reason this connection doesn’t come up for a trip from Chur to Mürren is that there would be a relatively lengthy wait at Luzern for a connecting train to Interlaken Ost: probably around 45 minutes. Trains leave every hour, at 5 minutes past the hour.
If you are happy with this, and you are not spending any other time in Luzern, you could possibly use that time to duck out of the station and do a circuit over the Chapel Bridge, along the river, and back over one of the other bridges to return to the station. Or you could take an extra hour, stash your luggage in a locker, and explore a bit of the old city. It is all close to the station.
3. The route via Thalwil or Zürich goes along the Walensee (Lake Walen) and the Zürichsee (Lake Zürich), and a small part of the Zugersee (Lake Zug) which are all scenic stretches. From Thalwil to Zürich is mostly inside a tunnel.
4. The route via Uznach also goes along the Walensee, a short section of the Zürichsee, and also crosses the Zürichsee. When crossing the Zürichsee, if you look out the left hand side of the train, you will probably see an interesting pedestrian bridge that crosses the lake, which is quite wide, but very shallow at this point. I’m not familiar with the scenery between Pfäffikon and Arth-Goldau, but after Arth-Goldau, the train travels along part of the Zugersee and then part of the Vierwaldstättersee (Lake Lucerne). The view from that side of the Zugersee is not as impressive as from the other side of the lake (from where you have a good view of the Rigi), but is still reasonably scenic.
Alpenrose
Hi carspeel,
I was also going to suggest that depending on how your timetable looks, and depending on the weather, you could stop off at Arth-Goldhau and throw in a quick trip to the top of Rigi and back.
But I would heed Alpenrose’s advice. He is the Master and I, but a lowly, though eager, apprentice. 🤓
>> I was also going to suggest that depending on how your timetable looks, and depending on the weather, you could stop off at Arth-Goldhau and throw in a quick trip to the top of Rigi and back.
It is feasible as part of a very long day! The connection time between regional trains and the Rigi mountain train at Arth-Goldau always seems to be 26 minutes, which is plenty of time to put luggage in the lockers before going up to the Rigi, and retrieve it again later. If this is likely to be the OP’s only chance of seeing the Rigi, it might be worth it, but I think a nicer trip is to go at least one way on the Vierwaldstättersee side, which you could not realistically do if you left luggage at Arth-Goldau.
>> But I would heed Alpenrose’s advice. He is the Master and I, but a lowly, though eager, apprentice.
With Top Member status and 420 posts under your belt so far, I think we have to say that your apprenticeship period is well and truly over 😀 You will be overtaking me soon in terms of the number of posts if I don’t look out 😉
Alpenrose
Thanks Alpenrose and rockoyster for all your insight and suggestions. Looking forward to seeing what I’ve heard to be a very beautiful country.
Best regards
Alpenrose – Apprentice Rockoyster needs HELP! See http://www.myswissalps.com/fo rum/topic/booking-error-zurich-to-chamonix-whats-wrong
Trying to get some last minute (2 weeks out before departure to Italy) details wrapped up. Have purchased a Swiss Rail pass and reserved seats on the Bernina Express. On the day of the Bernina, I will be traveling from Venice to Tirano via train. Do you suggest I purchase that ticket in advance or get it at the station on the day of travel. We’ll be taking a 0625 or 0725 (approximate times as I don’t have the schedule in front of me) train. Thanks for all your input.
Best regards!
Hi Carspeel,
You can get that ticket on the spot or in advance. Personally I’d rather not deal with buying a ticket early in the morning unless I was familiar with the ticketing machines or other options to buy (I’m not in Milan). Since you’re sure you’ll travel that route in any case you can buy it online too: http://www.myswissalps.com/tr aintickets/italy/price. You don’t need seat reservations so tickets are valid for either train.
Thanks Arno!!! That was my thought but just wanted to check with someone that is more familiar with the train system.
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