Waterfalls and alpine flowers near Interlaken in May + best rail pass
A traveler named Shasukhy is planning a trip to Switzerland from May 8 to May 17, staying in Interlaken and looking for day trips to see waterfalls and mountain flowers. They are also seeking advice on whether to get a Swiss Travel Pass or a regional pass for transportation from Zurich to Interlaken and are curious about any available discounts on passes.
- Visit Lauterbrunnen for stunning waterfalls; it's a short train ride from Interlaken.
- The Bernese Oberland Pass does not cover journeys from Zurich to Interlaken; you will need an additional ticket for that.
- Use the downloadable spreadsheet linked in the forum to compare rail pass options based on your planned travel activities.
AI-generated summary-
Hi,
We are planning to visit Switzerland from 8th May to 17th May and would be staying in Chalets in the Interlaken area.
Request suggestions on the best places to visit for seeing waterfalls and flowering mountains which can be covered in a day trip from Interlaken area.
Also – we would be flying in to Zurich and proceeding to Interlaken. Would it be good to take a Swiss Pass or a regional passport in Interlaken which would cover trains, buses and boat travel?
Lastly, are there any running discounts for Swiss Pass?
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Hi Shasukhy,
Lauterbrunnen (https://www.myswissalps.com/town/lauterbrunnen/) is well-known for its many waterfalls. And it’s just a short train ride away from Interlaken. For more sightseeing options, have a look here: https://www.myswissalps.com/town/interlaken/
Are you planning to stay in Interlaken for the duration of your trip? If yes, then consider getting either a Jungfrau Travel Pass (https://www.myswissalps.com/travel-ticket/jungfrau-travel-pass/) or the Berner Oberland Pass (https://www.myswissalps.com/travel-ticket/berner-oberland-pass/). You can find useful tips on how to choose the best railpass here: https://www.myswissalps.com/travel/tickets/compare/
Hope this helps.
Regards,
Anna
Hi Anna,
Appreciate your response. Am in process of going through the various informative links which you have sent and I must compliment all of you for preparing such detailed notes to help travelers!We are planning to stay in the Interlaken area and tour this area extensively during our stay from 8th May to 16th May.
Just a quick question:-
Does the Bernese Oberland Pass cover the to & fro train journey from Zurich to Interlaken? If not, would it be cheaper to take a train ticket for the to & from journey alongwith the Bernese Oberland Pass instead of the Swiss Pass?
Also, can you help me with map of the coverage of Bernese Oberland Pass?
Sorry to ask these questions – maybe they are covered in one of the links which am still in the process of going through.
Thanks
Hi Shasukhy,
Happy to hear you are finding the information on MySwissAlps helpful 🙂
The Berner Oberland Pass would not cover your entire trip from Zurich-Interlaken. You will find a detailed coverage map in the link that Anna provided. Basically, you would either need a ticket from Zurich-Bern or Zurich-Lucerne, depending which route you took. Traveling via Bern would be quicker, traveling via Lucerne would be cheaper but a longer journey.
If your travel plans are going to be focussed within the Berner Oberland area, I’d say, there is probably no need to purchase the Swiss Travel Pass. The only way to be sure is to carry out the maths. In the last link that Anna provided, you will find a downloadable spreadsheet that will help – thereon, the best rail pass will be displayed, all based on your daily activities.
Kind regards,
Yolanda
Thank you, Anna and Yolanda. Appreciate your informative responses. Absolutely love this forum and the immense knowledge and information provided by people like you.
We are planning to be more in the Bernese Oberland area except for travel from & to Zurich
I am finalizing my daily plans soon and will do the Math on the spreadsheet. Will revert in case I need any clarifications.
Thanks
Hi Anna / Yolanda,
We would be reaching Zurich Airport on 7th May evening and plan to stay in a hotel neear the airport for the night.
We would be leaving for Interlaken on 8th morning and thereafter to Bonigen.
On the SBB app, I saw trains connecting from Zurich airport (Flughafen) to Bonigen via Interlaken (only at 7:45 and 10:45 am), Lausanne, Geneve & Brig.
If I go for the Berner Oberland Pass (as we would more or less travel in that region except for for our travel from and to Zurich airport), would we need tickets for the Zurich Airport – Interlaken stretch? Or would the Berner Oberland pass cover this journey?
Among the other options, which are better for using the Berner Oberland Pass and avoiding buying tickets?
If we have no option but to buy tickets, should we take tickets for the entire journey or just a part and use the Berner Oberland Pass for the rest of the journey?
Thanks in advance for your response.
Hi Shashuky,
If you have the Berner Oberland Pass, this would not cover your entire trip from Zurich airport-Interlaken.
Taking the train from Zurich airport, you would need to buy a ticket till you reached the Berner Oberland Pass network.
You have two choices.1. Either need a ticket from Zurich airport to Bern or
2. Zurich to Lucerne.Traveling via Bern would be quicker, traveling via Lucerne would be cheaper but a longer journey.
You can not avoid buying the Zurich airport ticket unless you opted with a different rail pass, like the Swiss Travel Pass which covers all of Switzerland.
I hope this clarifies.
Kind regards,
Yolanda
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