[oshosh]

4 August 2019 at 3:00:42 #823226

Hi all

My family of 4 (with 14yo and 18yo) will be leaving Berlin via nightjet to Luzern. Planned itinerary:

3Dec night Berlin

4Dec Luzern (city)

5Dec Luzern (Rigi)

6Dec morning or early afternoon Luzern to Interlaken (golden pass line). Stay in Murren. Visit Grindewald and Wengen.

7Dec Schilthorn / Jungfrau

8Dec Murren to Zermatt (no fixed timing)

9Dec Gornegrat / Kleine Matterhorn

10Dec night Zermatt to Zurich

11Dec Zurich

I would appreciate help on the following:

1. Is there any difference between booking the Berlin to Luzern train from bahn.de or SBB? I tried both, but I did not get the selection of couchette or sleeper in bahn.de; only seats. Am I missing something here? Any difference between 1st and 2nd class couchette? I don’t think I can afford sleepers – it costs more than a thousand for 1 night for 4 of us!

2. If I get the Swiss Travel Pass, how do I indicate that when booking the Berlin to Luzern train so that I do not need to pay for the Basel to Luzern leg? I understand I just need to present my STC when transferring at Basel.

3. If I have the STC, do I still need to book any tickets for the above itinerary? I plan to take the golden pass line for the Luzern to Interlaken train. Should I reserve seats and if so, how do I do it without paying for the ticket price which is covered by STC. Is there a better side (left or right) to sit for better views?

4. I note that there are super saver tickets. These are what is indicated as “bargain price” when booking on SBB, right? I understand that this are non-refundable if I miss the train.

5. I have decided on Rigi instead of Pilatus as the cogwheel does not work in Dec and that it is also free for STC, but have not decided on Jungfrau or Kleine Matterhorn. Can I know what are the activities on top of Rigi, Schilthorn and Gornegrat (sledding? tobbagan?) We are not into skiing but dont mind short distance hiking (eg 1 to 2km easy trails) – we are in late 40s. Regrettably, I read that the Mannlichen to Kleine Schneidegg is not available in Dec. I read that Jungfrau and KM have ice palaces and thought they may be interesting but I have read more votes for Schilthorn and Gornegrat in general (correct me if I am wrong) – not sure if the former was due to it being free for STC though.

6. I know STC gives free access to 400 museums but we are not into museums. Does buying the half fare card work better (cost wise) if I decide to go to Jungfrau? If so, I may end up staying in Wengen rather than Murren.. Thanks to all who have given good reviews on Eldeweiss and Alpenruh at Murren 🙂

7. Last but not least, is the above itinerary a little rushed? My husband wants to see the mighty matterhorn, and my son wants to see Berlin wall (although we are actually flying into Munich).

Thanks so much!

OSH

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[Arno]

Reply 1 of 5 • 4 August 2019 at 12:58:14 #919301

Hi OSH,

Welcome to MySwissAlps!

1. You’ll be booking the same train regardless of which website you use. My guess is that Bahn.de could be cheaper than SBB. But there are more websites to check if you want to. Please find a list here: http://www.myswissalps.com/tr aintickets/germany/pri ce.

2. You don’t need to do that. You will be changing to a different train in Basel, so you Swiss Travel Pass is not relevant for the Berlin to Basel ticket.

3. What do you mean by STC? I assume Swiss Travel Pass? Just buy a ticket Berlin-Basel as explained under 1. And buy a Swiss Travel Pass from any of the retailers listed here: http://www.myswissalps.com/sw isstravelpass/price.

4. Please find them explained here: http://www.myswissalps.com/tr aintickets/switzerland. Again, SBB offers these tickets but many others too. With a Swiss Travel Pass you do not need these tickets.

5. To decide on these day trips, you can best take a look at our mountain pages. You’ll find details on your mentioned mountains and many others there: http://www.myswissalps.com/ac tivities/naturalsites/ mountains.

6. The best choice depends on your overall itinerary. The Swiss Travel Pass could still be cheaper, and for sure more comfortable. To be sure, you need a detailed itinerary and compare the coverage of both passes:

• http://www.myswissalps.com/sw isstravelpass/validity
• http://www.myswissalps.com/sw isshalffarecard/validi ty
• http://www.myswissalps.com/tr ain/ticketspasses/prac tical/chooserailpass

There are some really interesting museums in Switzerland, which are not at all of the “boring” watching paintings type. This one, for example: http://www.myswissalps.com/mu seumoftransport (50% discounted) and this one: http://www.tinguely.ch/en.htm l (free).

7. It’s doable but a lot of moving around 🙂 The main risk is that you have short stays everywhere, so you need to be lucky with the weather to get good views from the peaks.

[User]

Reply 2 of 5 • 4 August 2019 at 23:26:20 #919302

Re: 3

The Golden Pass rail route:

Current tourist branding can be confusing

The true Goldenpass is just the MOB railway Zweisimmen – Montreux.

The Luzern – Interlaken railway is actually the Brünig Pass line operated by Zentralbahn (ZB), which dubs the regular trains “Luzern – Interlaken Express’. It’s OK but not spectacular scenery

Re Berlin.

Munich – Berlin – Basel is a long way just to see the tiny portion of the Berlin Wall that is kept as a tourist attraction

[oshosh]

Reply 3 of 5 • 5 August 2019 at 13:26:58 #919303

Hi Arno and 1960man

Thanks a lot for both your advice. Yes, I was referring to Swiss Travel Pass (STP, not STC). Now I understand – with STP, I basically just board the train I need, including the Luzern to Interlaken train. 🙂 Will check out the museums and ask my son to re-think Berlin again. I have done the math, having the STP is cheaper than a half fare card. 🙂 I will also apply for the Swiss Family Card when I buy the STP. Cheers!

[Annika]

Reply 4 of 5 • 5 August 2019 at 18:22:57 #919304

Hi oshosh! I think getting the Swiss Travel Pass is a good choie. You’ll find a list of included museums through http://www.myswissalps.com/sw isstravelpass/details. You can buy your Swiss Travel Pass and Swiss Family Card at the same time through any of the resellers listed at http://www.myswissalps.com/sw isstravelpass/price.

[oshosh]

Reply 5 of 5 • 6 August 2019 at 12:41:49 #919305

Thanks Annika