Interlaken to Munich with Swiss Travel Pass
A family of six, including an 18-month-old, is traveling from Interlaken to Munich at the end of October after spending a week in Switzerland. They have Swiss Travel Passes and are seeking advice on how to book their journey effectively. They want to know if they need to book separately to Munich or if their pass covers the entire trip.
- You can use your Swiss Travel Pass from Interlaken to St Margrethen, and then only need to buy a separate ticket for the St Margrethen to Munich leg.
- Use the SBB timetable for planning your journey, as it is the official source for Swiss train travel.
- You don't need to pre-purchase your Swiss Travel Pass, but buying it online can save you time and hassle.
- There's no need to reserve seats for most trains in Switzerland, making travel simpler.
- Children under 6 travel for free with a parent, so your toddler won’t need a ticket.
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My family of 6 people (including an 18 month old) will travel from Interlaken to Munich at the end of October. We will have been in Switzerland for a week and will have Swiss Travel passes. I’m not clear how best to book this part of our journey. Do I use the STP from Interlaken to Zurich and then book a separate leg (without the STP) to Munich or is there a way to book it direct from Interlaken? Just not sure how best to utilize the pass on the way out of Switzerland. Any suggestions are appreciated. Thanks so much.
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Hi Laurashooter,
Welcome to MySwissAlps.
That’s nice to hear you will be in Switzerland in October. For your trip from Interlaken to Munich – as you will have Swiss Travel Passes, you’ll only need a ticket from the St Margrethen to Munich. Your Swiss Travel Pass will cover all your travel within Switzerland.
More information here on travel to/from Germany.
Here’s our handy link for the Swiss Travel Pass – within you’ll find a useful overview, how to use, a coverage map, brief summary of what is included/not included and also purchase options.
Also, just a heads up, you can stay on the train when traveling to Munich, no need to alight at St Margrethen because you have a ticket from there to Munich. You’ll only need to physically change trains if the timetable advises as such. Plan your journey via the SBB timetable.
One final thing, your 18 month old, won’t need a ticket, all children under the age of 6, travel for free when with their parents.
Kind regards,
Yolanda
Thanks so much for the information and advice. Just to clarify…I would use the SBB to plan the trip? We would travel from Interlaken to Zurich and then Zurich to Munich via St Margrethen, correct? Or is there a way to book straight from Interlaken to Munich via St Margrethen using SBB? Must I have the Swiss Travel Passes purchased before I purchase this trip or does it matter? Obviously trying to secure the easiest route (especially with a toddler)and the most cost efficient. Thanks again for your suggestions.
Hi there Laurashooter,
The SBB timetable is the official timetable for Switzerland, it’s pretty much the go-to here for researching and planning journeys.
You don’t need to book Interlaken to Munich via St Margrethen. As you will only need a ticket from St Margrethen to Munich – your Swiss Travel Pass will cover your travel from Interlaken to St Margrethen, no ticket required, just show your pass when asked.
If you were wondering about reserving seats, this is typically not required for Swiss trains (aside a few panoramic trains). More here: https://www.myswissalps.com/train/reservations
Many purchase their Swiss Travel Pass pre arriving – though you can also buy it physically when arriving. Personally I would buy online, just for convenience – no queues and you can download everything onto your phone or print it out, so you are all set when here. Purchase options can be found here:
Kind regards,
Yolanda
Many thanks!
Try not to overthink what is in fact a very simple journey. If you time it right, you can get a direct route IC81 (runs every 2 hours) train Interlaken – Zurich HB, and change there into the regular (also 2 hourly) Zurich – Munchen tilting train. Board the latter train in Zurich and – when or if requested – show your STP (Swiss territory) or the ticket for the portion in Germany which you must buy in order to travel St Margrethen – Munchen.
Interlaken Ost – Zurich HB, IC81 train departs Interlaken Ost every 2 hours at 07.00, 09.00, 11.00, 13.00 etc
IC81 trains arrive Zurich at 08.58, 10.58, 12.58. 14.58 etc
Zurich HB – St Margrethen – Munchen, EC (Eurocity), departs Zurich every 2 hours at 07.33, 09.33. 11.33 etc
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