MySwissAlps.com features ads, commercial and non-commercial Combining visits for 1 day eg Grindelwald area
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I now have a shortlist (well, very long list) of places to visit but am thoroughly confused on how to sort them into groups that are practical to see together. For instance I know I can go from Grindelwald – First on the cable car and then hike to Bachsee/Bachalpsee from there, but I believe there are different options for the return journey to Gr’wald (staying in Wengen). Also there is the First flier/trotti bike combination to consider. What is the best way of combining all these? I read somewhere that the gondola and hike together is a half day trip – what else could I combine while I’m in that area – the Grindelwald glacier? Any other places? Kleine Scheidegg/ Mannlichen?
Likewise the Lake Brienz area, should we take the boat to Brienz and the train back or vice versa? As yet undecided whether to do the Brienzer Rothorn or Ballenberg museum, I presume both would be too much? If we didn’t do either of these would we be better off combining Brienz with Meiringen, Aare gorge, Reichenbach or Giessbach falls.
Is the trip to Lucerne worth doing bearing in mind the travelling time as we will be near lakes anyway – should we add it onto the Brienz day?
We also hope to visit Jungfraujoch (depending on the weather) and the attractions at the top – including the snow/fun park as the children are desperate to try skiing/snowboarding. Will this be a full day by itself or can we tack anything else on?
There will be 5 of us – myself, my husband and our 14,17& 19 year old sons, we will have the half fare card and the JF 6 day pass plus a family card and will be staying for 1 week.
All suggestions appreciated!
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Hi swisscat,
The key to planning day trips in Switzerland is to first check the map for attractions that are geographically close together (it looks like you did that) and secondly check traveling times in the timetable. That should give you an idea about what you can realistically combine. Only decide what you will do on the evening before after checking the weather forecast. There is map here, and there are maps on each of our attraction pages.
You would first travel to Grindelwald by train, take the cable car up to First, walk to the Bachsee and back to First and then go down by First Flyer and trottibike as described here. If time is left you can visit the Glacier Gorge.
How much time to allocate for attractions is hard to say. The Ballenberg open air museum, for example, takes a full day although I suppose one could do it in a few hours too. Do not combine Lucerne with your day in Brienz. It’s too much traveling as you can see in the timetable. There wouldn’t be enough time left to fully enjoy either Brienz or Lucerne. The same applies to the Jungfraujoch: one can spend an hour at the top and just enjoy the view, or many hours. If you start early you could still do something else in the afternoon, like a hike from Kleine Scheidegg to Männlichen, or visit the Trümmelbach Falls near Lauterbrunnen.
I’m not sure if they let you ski or snowboard at the Jungfraujoch if you have never done this before. Normally it’s recommended to start with a week of skiing classes. It’s not something to try for a few hours without guidance, as it’s easy to hurt yourself or someone else. But there will be sledging and other snow activities, so you’ll definately have fun.
Hi Arno…have you been on the First Flyer? How secure do you feel?!! The link you have provided about this gives much better information than I had been able to find thank you but doesn’t make it clear what the fun package, first flyer and scooters (the latter two if taken separately) cost for a child with a family card. Do you know how I can find this information? Many thanks! Mike
Ι haven’t done this myself, but I’m sure that there’s no reason to worry about safety. I mean, they let children do this, and this is Switzerland (everything is checked and double checked). The Swiss Family Card does not apply. The mentioned children’s fare is what it costs.
Hi Arno, prices for the ‘Fun package’ are
First Fun Package Rail journey from Grindelwald to First First Flyer flight (First – Schreckfeld) Rail journey from Schreckfeld to Bort Trottibike ride from Bort to Grindelwald Adults CHF 79.-Half Fare Card CHF 62.-Children CHF 48.-
and under a prices tab it says ‘the junior card is valid’. What it does not say is a) is CHF 48 with or without the junior card? b) isn’t the Swiss family card equally valid?
I have also seen ‘junior card valid’ for the Jungfrau railway – does this mean it is free for children with an accompanying parent and does this also apply to the Swiss family card?
I have also seen reductions under ‘Railaway’ offers for the fun package (and other offers like an upgrade to 1st class on a Brienz boat trip) but I cannot find how to price these if travelling from Lauterbrunnen. Do you have more information about these please?
Hi Mike,
The Junior travelcard and the Swiss Family Card basically offer the same thing: free traveling for children accompanied by at least one parent. They include travel, not attractions. In case of the First package it consists of the cable car ride up (which is free for children with such a card), plus the Flyer and the trotti bike ride, which is considered an attraction and not free. The result is a discounted price of the package. Railaway packages work similarly: the travel portion is free, the attraction portion is not free.
See the links for how the cards work and what’s covered. Indeed the Jungfraujoch is free for children with any of these cards.
Thank you Annika that is extremely helpful.
Are the Railaway offers relevant if one is staying locally as they seem to be priced from major cities. For example:
http://www.sbb.ch”> Does this mean there is a discount to be had if booking the whole package from Lauterbrunnen and how does this work with the half fare and family cards?
The package price is CHF 48 from Grindelwald for children and ‘the junior card is valid’. But is CHF 48 with or without the junior card?
Many thanks again!
Hi Mike,
The Railaway offers are for people who do not have a rail pass or who have a half fare card (either the tourist version of one month, or one for 1/2/3 years). You have purchased a Jungfrau Railways Pass which gives you free traveling to First, so there’s no advantage in getting a package that includes tickets for the cable car ride up to First. In your case, I would travel to Grindelwald and ask there what’s the best option for you, showing them your passes.
HI Annika, I think you have got me mixed up with someone else.
I have the one month half fare card and a family card for my daughter. Can I take advantage of Railaway offers if I am staying in Lauterbrunnen (Sandbach)? Does my daughter travel on the Jungfrau railway for free?
Hi Mike,
Sorry, you are right: I read the original question of this thread, which states the Jungfrau Railways Pass, but that was posted by Swisscat, not by you. With the Swiss Half Fare Card you can make use of the Railaway offers. The “1/2” column on the page you linked to shows the price samples with a half fare card. As far as I know you can get those offers for traveling from any station. Your daughter travels for free everywhere where the Swiss Half Fare Card is valid. That includes the Jungfrau railways, and also the gondola up to First. The Swiss Half Fare Card page allows you to download a map that shows exactly where it’s valid. For Railaway offers, I expect the Junior travelcard prices to apply to Swiss Family Card holders as well. You can ask at the Lauterbrunnen rail station to be sure.
Thank you
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