Geneva-Grindelwald supersaver tickets: buy in advance + connections?
A traveler named Karilynne is planning a train trip from Paris to Geneva and then to Grindelwald with her family. She wants to know if she should book train tickets in advance to secure lower prices and how to handle missed connections along the way. She's also concerned about potential disruptions on the route due to engineering work.
- It's best to book tickets in advance for lower prices, especially for supersaver tickets, which are date and route specific.
- Regular point-to-point tickets provide flexibility, allowing you to hop on and off any train without worrying about missed connections.
- Purchase a Swiss Half Fare Card for adults, and get a complimentary Swiss Family Card for children under 16 to travel free with parents.
- Check real-time updates and disruptions using the SBB timetable on the travel day to avoid surprises.
AI-generated summary-
My family and I are taking a train from Paris to Geneva, where we will then continue our journey to Grindelwald. When the different routes come up on the Swiss rail site, there is a rate at the top right corner for each ride saying % from CHF and a price. Does this mean that in order to secure that price which seems to be lower than some of the others, that you need to book that ticket in advance? And the cost of that journey would include each ride from multiple cities that we need to take to get from point A to point B? I was originally thinking we wouldn’t book the tickets from Geneva in advance in case anything happens along our journey to delay us. Is it recommended to book ahead on these trains? And what would happen if we missed one of our connections? Thanks so much!!
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Hello Karilynne
Welcome to MySwissAlps
When are you travelling?
Whenever you are travelling, Paris to Grindelwald is easier via Basel rather than via Geneva. I have just searched the Swiss electronic timetable (https://www.myswissalps.com/travel/public-transport/timetable/)for a journey being made today, and all the connections it is giving me are via Basel.
In any event if you are travelling between June 28th and August 24th I would strongly recommend going via Basel. Your Geneva route normally involves taking a main line train from Geneva to to Bern via Fribourg. From June 28 to August 24 the Fribourg to Bern line is blocked by engineering work.
Swiss Fares
For a journey being made today from Geneva to Grindelwald, the Swiss electronic timetable is quoting me a second class fare of 43.40 CHF. That however assumes that I have a ‘half-fare card’. The full fare will be 86.80 CHF.
You talk of ‘My family’. For detailed advice on fares and on public transport passes in which you may wish to invest, we need to know the exact age (at date of travel) of family members under 25.
Reservations
You will certainly need reservations for the French TGV train from Paris to Basel or Geneva, as the case may be.
For the onward journey to Grindelwald reservations are not required. If you buy ordinary point-to-point Swiss tickets (https://www.myswissalps.com/travel/tickets/point-to-point/) Basel to Grindelwald or Geneva to Grindelwald, they will be valid on ANY train that day. Missing a connection is therefore an inconvenience, but certainly not a disaster.
Best wishes for your detailed planning.
Roger
Hi Karilynne,
The ticket pricing you see on the Swiss timetable (https://www.myswissalps.com/travel/public-transport/timetable/) denoted with the sign ‘%’ indicates that these are supersaver tickets. These are time, date and route specific so if you missed your connection, you would need to purchase a new ticket. Tickets purchased for Geneva-Grindelwald at the supersaver rate, you won’t be able to hop and off at any of the stations along the way. It allows you to travel specifically for the route Geneva-Grindelwald.
Supersaver tickets can be purchased up to 6 months ahead, if available and are best purchased in advance to secure the cheaper pricing. I’d only buy, if you are sure your plans are fixed, otherwise best to purchase with a regular point-to-point ticket for your train trip (as mentioned in Roger’s reply).
Further supersaver ticket information and online purchase options in the link below.
With a regular point-to-point ticket, you can hop on and off at any of the stops along the way, and if you missed your connection, you can board the next train or any other train later in the day as the ticket would be valid all day.
Regular point-to-point tickets information and online purchase options can be found here.
Kind regards,
Yolanda
Thank you for your reply. I will be traveling with 2 adults and our 14 and 17 year old kids, using the 1/2 fare card. We will be traveling from Paris on 6/28 and we have already booked those train reservations to Geneva as it seemed most important at the time. I believe I explored Paris to other cities in Switzerland and found the cost to be so much more that we decided on Geneva. At the time I was unaware of rail work along the route to Grindelwald. So, given that we are traveling on the date that that seems to take place, I assume that is why there is a bus trip in the middle of our journey?! Other than what seems to be a very annoying need to transfer on several occasions on this route, will this route be disrupted in any other way that you are aware of?
Thank you for this clarification! That is helpful!
Hello again Karilynne.
Thanks for your reply three.
It seems that on the 28th June you are already committed to the Geneva route. That is unfortunate. You will have to change at Fribourg, Bern and Interlaken Ost. If there were not the disruption caused by the engineering work between Fribourg and Bern, there would have still been changes of train at Bern and Interlaken Ost.
The only consolation I can offer is that there is general agreement that in Switzerland (unlike many other countries) rail replacement buses are operated very efficiently. Personal experience last October of an emergency bus service replacing a railway line which had been damaged by flooding confirms this.
When your train reaches Fribourg from Geneva, TEN minutes is allowed to make the transfer to the bus. This should be ample. Just follow the signs pointing to the ‘GARE ROUTIERE’ (‘station bus’). Note that the ‘Gare Routiere’ is underground. It is NOT in front of the station. The replacement buses are going from the stop lettered ‘Q’.
The buses are being allowed 40 minutes to get to Bern, where you will have 12 minutes to get to the platform for the train to Interlaken Ost. It appears that at Bern the buses will finish just outside the main entrance to the train station. The time allowances are, I think, ample. The whole journey from Geneva to Grindelwald will take just over four hours: that is thirty minutes longer than usual.
The fourteen year old
This is a completely different point. As you have got a half-fare card, that entitles you to a free Swiss Family Card for your children under 16. That in turn means that after you have reached Grindelwald all his/her travels in Switzerland will be free, provided you are accompanying him/her.
Best wishes
Roger
Hi Karilynne,
Just to add to Roger’s helpful reply. Yes, having the Swiss Half Fare Card you can apply for your complimentary Swiss Family Card for your 14 year-old and they can travel for free whilst with you.
Further information on both, in the links below.
- Swiss Family Card: https://www.myswissalps.com/travel/tickets/discount/
- Swiss Half Fare Card: https://www.myswissalps.com/travel-ticket/swiss-half-fare-card/
Your 17 year-old would need their own Swiss Half Fare Card, or you may want to look into the Swiss Travel Pass Youth, this would be 30% cheaper than the standard adult price.
- Swiss Travel Pass: https://www.myswissalps.com/travel-ticket/swiss-travel-pass/
I agree with Roger, when there are disruptions to the rail service and there is a bus replacement service organised. It is very efficient.
You can check for disruptions, service situations via the SBB timetable. Search for the “Operations and disruptions” page. However situations such as delays to the route, platform changes, cancellations are provided in real time, so if you keyed in your journey on the day of travel in the timetable, these would be displayed accordingly.More on the Swiss timetable below.
Kind regards,
Yolanda
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