Our 7-day amazing family trip to Switzerland: A detailed experience
A family recently returned from a one-week trip to Switzerland filled with beautiful sights and fun activities, traveling with two toddlers. They spent 4 nights in Lauterbrunnen and 2 nights in Kriens, utilizing a Berner Oberland Pass and a Half-Fare Card. The trip included stunning train rides and memorable adventures, despite a few hiccups along the way.
- Purchase the Berner Oberland Pass and Half-Fare Card online before your trip to avoid carrying paper tickets and for easier access.
- Always check the train route numbers to prevent boarding the wrong train, especially at busy stations like Spiez.
- Make an itinerary in advance, detailing train schedules and activities for each day to maximize your time.
- Watch grocery store hours as many close early, around 6-7 PM, to avoid last-minute shopping stress.
- Consider the scenic ferry rides between Interlaken and Iseltwald for a lovely change of pace during your travels.
AI-generated summary-
We just returned to the UK from our one-week trip to Switzerland. It was an incredible adventure filled with stunning scenery, charming villages, and exciting activities. We travelled with two toddlers, ages 7 and 4, and despite some initial concerns about how they would handle the walking and the mountain treks, they exceeded all our expectations. In fact, the kids ended up having a blast, especially when we stumbled upon playgrounds on the mountains—what a pleasant surprise that was!
We planned our stay with:
- 4 nights in Lauterbrunnen
- 2 nights in Kriens (Lucerne)
We used a 6-day Berner Oberland Pass (https://www.myswissalps.com/travel-ticket/berner-oberland-pass/ )(2nd class) and a Half-Fare Card (https://www.myswissalps.com/travel-ticket/swiss-half-fare-card/) , along with a Family Card (https://www.myswissalps.com/travel/tickets/discount/) , which made traveling much easier and affordable.
Day 1: Arrival in Lauterbrunnen
Our trip began with an early wake-up call at 2:30 a.m., which was the earliest any of us had ever been up for a flight! We caught our 6:45 a.m. British Airways flight from Heathrow to Zurich, landing at 9:30 a.m. The kids, though groggy and a bit confused at first, quickly adapted to the new day’s adventure.
Upon landing, we collected our luggage and made our way to the train station, conveniently located at Zurich Flughafen’s lower level (-2). We took the train from Zurich Flughafen to Bern, then switched to another train bound for Interlaken OST, and finally onto Lauterbrunnen. Thankfully, the SBB app on our phones made navigating the timetables and planning our transfers a breeze. With the Berner Oberland Pass, we only needed to buy tickets for the adult portion from Zurich Flughafen to Bern. A small note of inconvenience: I wish the Berner Oberland Pass included coverage from Zurich Flughafen/Zurich HB to Bern/Lucerne to avoid the need for extra tickets.
The train journey was beautiful, particularly as we approached Thun, where we caught glimpses of Lake Thunersee. At Interlaken OST, we initially made a mistake in finding the correct platform for Lauterbrunnen, assuming it was nearby. Instead, it required crossing from Platform 2A via an underground tunnel, and we ended up missing the train by just few seconds as the doors were closed on our face. Tired and hot (29°C), we waited 30 minutes for the next train and finally arrived in Lauterbrunnen.
Our Airbnb, set amidst majestic waterfalls, was only a 10-minute walk from the station. Despite our plans to visit Harder Kulm that afternoon, exhaustion got the better of us, so we settled for an easy evening stroll from Interlaken OST to Interlaken West. We were lucky to stumble upon a fantastic restaurant, Kashmir Mahal, where we enjoyed a delicious Lamb Karahi for dinner. Afterwards, we quickly grabbed some groceries from Coop, which thankfully was open until 10 p.m., and then headed back to our Airbnb for some much-needed rest.
Day 2: Schynige Platte and Harder Kulm
We woke up bright and early to make up for the previous day’s relaxation. We took a train to Wilderswil, where we boarded the vintage cogwheel train to Schynige Platte (https://www.myswissalps.com/activity/schynige-platte/). The ride offered breathtaking views, and once we reached the top, we were treated to a stunning panorama of the Eiger, Mönch, and Jungfrau mountains. The kids had the time of their lives in the mountaintop play area, especially enjoying the massive slide.
After descending, we took the ferry from Interlaken to Iseltwald on Lake Brienz. The serene boat ride was a lovely change of pace, and we upgraded to first-class tickets to fully enjoy the experience. Due to recent landslides, the train services were disrupted, so we decided to explore the picturesque village of Iseltwald, made famous by its appearance in “Crash Landing on You.” The kids enjoyed another playground there while we soaked in the views of the crystal-clear lake.
Later that day, we queued up to take the funicular to Harder Kulm (https://www.myswissalps.com/activity/harder-kulm/, Interlaken’s local mountain. Although the queue was long and somewhat disorganized (separate lines for ticket holders would have been helpful), the panoramic views of the lakes and mountains from the summit were absolutely worth the wait.
Day 3: Lake Oeschinensee and Brig Mishap
Original plan was to visit Grindelwald First this day but due to train issue we decided to execute Day 4 plan instead. The plan was to visit Lake Oeschinensee and then if we have time visit lake blausee and then go to Gstaad and Saanen (Filming location of all-time best Indian movie DDLJ). I know it was a quite ambitious plan. We set off from Lauterbrunnen, reached Interlaken Ost and then from there reached Spiez. Here we had to change train for Kandersteg and we made a big mistake. We had to catch a train for Kandersteg which was a 10:11 towards Brig with a stop on Kandersteg. When we got off at Spiez around 10am, there was already a train on the same platform with Brig written on it. I thought the train is a bit early but because it said “Birg” we got on the train. I was thinking surely there is only one track which goes from Spiez to Brig and this train must stop at Kandersteg. Once it started moving, I realized I don’t see Kandersteg on the screen but then I thought it may appear after some time. It didn’t! half an hour into our journey I realized something has gone wrong and then I started asking people who said that this is going to Brig and will not stop at Kandersteg. I looked at my wife who was smiling as she did warn me and asked if we are boarding the right train and I confidently said yes, we are! Anyways, the train stopped at Visp and almost 95% of the train got off. We also got off thinking that we will get a train from here back to Kandersteg. As we stood on Visp platform it got deserted quickly as all people disappeared who got off and there was a eerie feeling about this station as there was nothing around except some mountains so we quickly got back on the same train and decided to get off at Brig and then catch a return train. We reached Brig and we had almost an hour before a train towards Kandersteg so we walked around on the streets and had a coffee from the local shop. This, however, means we wasted our time as by now we would have probably been at Lake Oeschinensee. We then catch the train to Kandersteg and this time the right train and we got off at Kandersteg. The visit to Lake Oeschinensee was brilliant! We have never seen such a beautiful lake before and we have been to quite a few places in the world. Kids enjoyed a swim while we prepared lunch right next to the lake. It was quite busy as it was a nice warm day! Make sure you wear good shoes as you will have to walk quite a bit to get to the lake. The original plan was to visit this Lake and then go to Gstaad and Saanen but because we already spent time in Brig that means we could only do Lake Oeschinensee this day! We went back to Interlaken Ost and had our dinner there and then came back to Lauterbrunnen.
Day 4: Grindelwald First and Mürren
Today, we finally made it to Grindelwald First (https://www.myswissalps.com/activity/grindelwald-first/), after a quick bus ride and a gondola ascent. The views on the ride up were spectacular, but the true highlight was the mountain cart ride from Shreckfeld down to Bort. We had watched videos of this beforehand and were excited to try it—it didn’t disappoint! Despite the long wait of about 90 minutes, the ride was an absolute thrill.
After the cart ride, we explored First before heading back to Lauterbrunnen for a quick rest. Later that evening, on a whim, we decided to visit the peaceful mountain village of Mürren. The gondola ride from Lauterbrunnen to Grutschalp was a unique experience, followed by a beautiful train ride through stunning alpine landscapes. Mürren offered some of the most stunning views of the surrounding mountains that we had seen on the entire trip. We then walked towards Murren Schilthornbahn and from there took Gandola to Gimmelwald and then to Stechelberg. From there we hopped onto Bus 141 and back to our Airbnb.
Day 5: Mount Pilatus Adventure
We checked out Lauterbrunnen and travelled towards Kriens (near Luzern). The original plan was to do sigh-seeing in Luzern and do Mt. Pilatus on Day 6 but because we could not do Gstaad and Saanen on Day 3 I decided to shuffle the itinerary. We reached Kriens around 1pm so we quickly freshen up and did our lunch and then prepared to go to Mt. Pilatus (https://www.myswissalps.com/activity/pilatus/) (instead of doing it next day). I used Uber app to get a cab from our Airbnb to Kriens Gandola for M. Pilatus. It cost me 11 CHF but it took me an hour to sort out the cab! First the Uber app kept on trying to find a driver for me and failed every time. I was then given a taxi number by the host so I called that number and booked a taxi. I hung up and my Uber app said the driver is allocated and will be there in 8 minutes. I then called back the Taxi service to cancel the ride and while she got a bit grumpy, I said sorry and cancelled it. When we got in the Uber taxi the driver told me that how hard it is to get a taxi license here in Switzerland and unlike other countries where anyone can do Uber here in Switzerland only qualified licensed taxi drivers can do uber. To get taxi license is also very difficult. This solved the mystery as I didn’t see any Taxi on the road, on the station, near mountains, nowhere! I mean in holiday season you would expect taxis lined up everywhere to take tourists from A to B but not in Switzerland. This also explained why Uber app took 1 hour to sort out my driver! Word of warning if your trips depend on Uber or Taxis. Anyways we took the Gandola ride of Mt. Pilatus and it was like we were dreaming. It was a cloudy day and we were going up in the clouds! Very different experience. We spent some time on Pilatus and then took the Cogwheel train down to Alpnachstad. Amazing experience, out of this world ride. It wasn’t busy at all maybe because of the weather so we took photos and made video comfortably! From Alpnachstad we got on the train towards Luzern and got off at Kriens Mattenhoff. From there our Airbnb was 10 mins walk.
Day 6: Gstaad, Saanen, and Lucerne
Our penultimate day started with a visit to the glamorous villages of Gstaad (https://www.myswissalps.com/town/gstaad/) and Saanen. Both villages are known for their luxurious atmosphere and charming architecture. Saanen also holds a special place for us as it was featured in the iconic Bollywood film “Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge.” We enjoyed walking through the quiet streets and admiring the surrounding scenery.
In the afternoon, we returned to Lucerne (https://www.myswissalps.com/town/lucerne/ ) and visited the famous Chapel Bridge, one of the city’s main landmarks. The kids were intrigued by the old wooden structure and its paintings, while we admired the lovely atmosphere around Lake Lucerne. We ended the day with dinner at Little Istanbul before returning to our hotel.
Day 7: Farewell to Switzerland in Zurich
Our final day we checked out from Kriens and took the train towards Zurich Flughaffen with a stop at Zurich HB. By this time our 6-day BO pass had expired so I had to buy P2P (https://www.myswissalps.com/travel-ticket/regular-ticket/)tickets cost CHF 35. As our flight was at 7pm and we checked out at 11am, we decided to spend some time in Zurich before heading to the Airport. But we had luggage (two suitcases) so we thought we will store our luggage in the lockers and then will go out. When we got off the train, we thought it would be great if we can store our luggage near the platform where we have to get our next train (towards the Airport). It is normally platform 33, 34. So we started searching for these platforms and went all the way down with all our luggage only to find that there are no lockers there! We then started asking people/staff and they said that we have to go up where there is a “big clock” and then we have to go down and it was very confusing. After spending about 40-45 minutes by running around we eventually reached the “big clock” and there someone guided us that the lockers are at -1 level. We got to -1 and were amazed to see the number of lockers there. It was quite easy as you just have to find a locker with green light and then once you put your suitcase in, you pay at the panel and the door is locked and you get a slip with the barcode. When you collect, you scan the barcode and your luggage door will open. Just remember where you stored it as there are quite a few (you will have the location number on the slip).
After sorting that out, we enjoyed a delicious lunch at Kebi, a wonderful Mediterranean restaurant, before making our way to Zurich Airport for our flight back to London. As we boarded the plane, we reflected on what had been a truly unforgettable family vacation.
Tips:
- Most Grocery stores close early around 6-7pm so plan accordingly if you have to buy some stuff otherwise you will regret like us
- The train from Interlaken Ost to Lauterbrunnen or Grindelwald has two parts. Always sit on the front part which clearly says Lauterbrunnen and the back part from Grindelwald as the train splits into two near Zweilütschinen so one part goes to Lauterbrunnen and one goes to Grindelwald. Once you sit in the train see the route on the screen, it clearly states if it is going to Lauterbrunnen or Grindelwald.
- The SBB app normally displays what platform and what carriage to take as when we were catching the train from Lucern to Bern to Zweisimmen, the train from Bern also splits into two and we had to sit in F, G carriage to go to Zweisimmen.
- Buy BO pass and Half fare cards online before leaving for Switzerland and then save all these passes in either iBooks or Wallet and you don’t have to carry the paper ones with you. Buying online has added advantage as you can never lose them as these will be in your email compared to if you buy from a ticket office
- Do not depend on Taxis and Uber as they are less frequent and very expensive
- Make your Day-by-Day itinerary in an excel file with each sheet marked as Day 1, 2, 3 and then for each day plan where you will go and then paste screenshots of train times, things to see etc. This immensely helped us as I uploaded it to Onedrive and the accessed the file whenever I wanted to check some routes or buses etc. This will also help if you missed to visit something on a particular day or due to weather you cannot visit a certain place so you can execute another days plan and shuffle between days.
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Thanks Ash for an absolutely fascinating report!
Swiss Trains Have Route Numbers
I have another tip to add. It stems from your getting on the wrong train at Spiez. Like British BUSES, almost all Swiss TRAINS now have route numbers! The ‘wrong’ train you got on at Spiez was (almost certainly) an IC6 train which runs Basel-Bern-Spiez-[Lotshcberg Base Tunnel] -Visp-Brig. The train you should have caught at Spiez (and did eventually catch at Brig) is an RE1, which goes Bern-Spiez-Kandersteg-Brig (with some continuing to Domodossola.)
These route numbers are now widely used in timetables (both paper and electronic), on platform and in-train information screens, and in loudspeaker announcements.
Kind regards
Roger
Hi Roger, yes I did realize that later. In a rush of moment and finding the train already on the platform I thought this is the train and if we don’t board we will miss it. I was wrong 🙂
Hi Ash,
Thank you. What a wonderful detailed trip report, so happy to hear you and your family had a such a great time. Lots of useful information and tips for fellow travellers.
Another point to add to day 3’s misadventure, the incorrect train that you took via the Lötschberg Base Tunnel. This route is actually not covered by the Berner Oberland Pass. I guess it was fortunate a ticket inspector was not on board, as you would have probably been asked to pay for an additional ticket.
Thanks again for the great report.
Kind regards,
Yolanda
Hello Ash,
A delightful trip report that brings back memories of our past trips, missed trains included 😁
So glad you experienced the beautiful lakes & alps all within a week.
They do have luggage forwarding services which you can think about if ever you visit again. (https://www.myswissalps.com/travel/public-transport/luggage/).
Regards.
Hello Ash,
That was a fun read. It is very descriptive and full of great info and a great sense of humor. I’m glad you had fun and the kids did also. I was surprised that you did not stop on the way up to Pilatus as there are activities there as well. Maybe next time. I only hope the kids will remember the trip. I remember being in Europe as a 9 year old in 1973 and specifically remember Mt Pilatus (as well as other places). So much so that I stayed up at the Pilatus Kulm both in 2018 and a year ago. Great memories. Thanks for sharing.
Regards,
Danielsan
Hi Yolanda, Oh I was not aware of this “Lötschberg Base Tunnel” and you are right the train did pass through some dark tunnel and quite fast, it is when I realized I made a mistake as I was not expecting Kandersteg to be this far from Speiz and I was certainly not expecting a tunnel…
With regards to the ticket I think we got lucky no one asked us but I think even if they had asked they may have let it go after hearing our story 🙂
I forgot to add, during the whole trip and several train journeys, this was the only train we were served with free drinks lol.. we asked for 4 drinks as we were four and she gave us 6 … so not ony we travelled free, we were also given free drinks 😀
Hi Danielsan, the activities at Mt. Pilatus were part of our plan but it was a very cloudy/rainy day (17th August) so even though we stopped at Frakmuntegg and walked around, the Frakmuntegg toboggan was closed! We loved toboggan at Lake Oeschinensee and my son did not stop laughing the whole ride so my plan was to try Pilatus toboggan as well but it was closed 🙁 The only good part of bad weather was that we found everything less busy so the whole Pilatus was standing there to greet us lol
Hi Ash,
What a lovely treat, free drinks 🙂
Yes, agree you were lucky no ticket inspector on board 😉
Kind regards,
Yolanda
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