MySwissAlps.com features ads, commercial and non-commercial Munich, Salzburg, Switzerland – Eurail and Swiss Travel Pass combo?
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Hi,
I’m planning a trip for my son’s HS graduation for my family on June 14 for my husband, myself, and our two boys, 16 and 17 years old. I need our trip to be somewhat active!
This is our tentative plan:
6/15 arrive Munich, Rathaus-Glockenspiel, Hofbräuhaus, etc.
6/16 to Salzburg, salt mine, etc.
6/17 to Fussen, Neuschwanstein Castle
6/18 to Lucerne
6/19 Lucerne–Mt. Pilatus Cable Car, Cogwheel Train & Lake Cruise (would some of this be covered under rail passes so I shouldn’t buy it through Viator?)
6/20 to Interlaken, then River Rafting in afternoon
6/21 Grindelwald first adventure-package then Chocolate class
6/22 Jungfraujoch
6/23 to Chillon Castle, then to Gruyeres
6/24 Gruyeres-Cheese, Chocolate, Castle (Gruyeres/Chillon might be in opposite order and start on 6/22 evening)
6/25 to Geneva and fly out Geneva early afternoon.
First, rail passes–should I purchase Eurorail flex tickets for 4 days for the first part of the trip and then the Swiss Pass for 8 days? Does that make the most sense?
Second, Staying in the Interlaken region with what we are doing…should I only be looking at downtown Interlaken, or is it easy to get to some of the further out hotels on the lakes like in Beatenberg or Grindelwald?
Third, anything you would change or add for an active family?
Many thanks for any insight you can provide!!!!
Jen
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Hi Jen,
Welcome to MySwissAlps.
Thanks for sharing your plans.
With regard to the Eurail Global Pass, please see the link below for lots of information. Within, you’ll find summaries of the Swiss inclusions – that way, you’ll be able to gauge if it’s worth investing in. Some purchase options are listed too.
The Swiss Travel Pass pass is super convenient and will allow you to hop on/off trains, buses and boats. Many travelers opt to go with this pass. Your 16 & 17 year olds will also benefit from the ‘youth’ price, which is 30% off the adult rate. More below:
If you wanted to be extra sure of which pass(es) to purchase, the only way is to carry out some maths. We have a downloadable spreadsheet that you can use. Thereon, your best pass options are displayed. Here’s the link: https://www.myswissalps.com/travel/tickets/compare/
Interlaken is a central base with good access to visit the rest of the Bernese region, including the Jungfrau region. Perhaps use the Swiss timetable so you plan a few routes and see if it’s all feasible for your plans. Here’s the link: https://www.myswissalps.com/travel/public-transport/timetable/
Transportation in Switzerland is very efficient and accessible. You are never far from a rail station or a bus stop. If you’d like to read more about this, you can do so in the attached link: https://www.myswissalps.com/travel/train/how-it-works/
Your itinerary looks good. Nice choices. For more action activities, you can research via each town guide we have on the website. If you search by town, there is always a “What to see and do” section. For example with Interlaken. Navigate to the “What to see and do” section and in the “Activity type” box, click, you’ll find a drop down menu with various activities to research.
Alternatively, how about a hike, there are numerous trails in Switzerland of varying difficulties. More on hiking here:
I hope this helps 🙂
Kind regards,
Yolanda
Also, when I first figured out our trains, there were options to go from Chillon to Gruyeres (though Lausanne). Now RailEurope is saying that isn’t an option. There are no available trains all day from Lausanne to Chillon or v/v even though when I first started planning this trip, it used to be only 36 minutes….(it still says I can get from Gruyeres to Lausanne, but not any further). Is it a RailEurope error? Or is this train no longer running? I’ve checked it probably a dozen times, and most of the time it says it is unavailable, but occasionally it shows one available time at 7:58 am from Gruyeres to Chillon. That’s the only available time all day. If this is the case, I’ll take out probably Chillon Castle….but any thoughts would be appreciated!!!
Thank you so much Yolanda! I appreciate the help and will look into your links!!
Hi Jen,
>> Now RailEurope is saying that isn’t an option.
The RailEurope database is apparently not up to date for some reason – I wouldn’t rely on it.
The SBB timetable is your best resource. You can find it here:
Information on how to use it is here:
https://www.myswissalps.com/travel/public-transport/timetable/
Likewise for your trip planning in Germany and Austria, I would recommend you use the websites of the train operators for the most reliable information:
Deutsche Bahn – Germany
ÖBB – Austria
https://fahrplan.oebb.at/webapp/?language=en_GB#!P
Hope you can sort things out now!
Alpenrose
Hi Jen,
Just a thought, if you do end up opting with Swiss Travel Pass when you arrive in Switzerland on the 18th June. The Swiss Travel Pass covers your travel as soon as you hit Swiss soil. In this instance you’d only need a rail ticket from Füssen to the Swiss border. Thereon the Swiss Travel Pass would take you to Lucerne. More on travel to/from Germany in the attached link:
Kind regards,
Yolanda
Thank you so much everyone. Yes, the actual train sites from the Countries are much better than the raileurope site! I now know we can go where we originally planned. Many thanks!
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