MySwissAlps.com features ads, commercial and non-commercial Trip report Bernese Oberland in June part 1
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Anna, i am on my logged in mobile sbb app, I am at the journey information tab. I do not see any tabs at the top for train formation. See enclosed. What am I missing?
Attachments:Hi Swede4life,
Am I correct that your journey that you searched is not within an hour of your search date? The carriages for 1st and 2nd class from what I know, only shows up on the app on the day of travel about an hour or two before departure.
Could you try searching for the same route using the departure date of your actual search and within one or two hours of departure? Eg. If today is Wed 5 July 10am , search under that same date and within 1-2 hrs of departure.
That’s why we have to keep referring to the sbb app just before and during the journey in case there are changes to platforms before departure or transfer on the day itself.
Give it a try and let us know.
I’m happy that you shared your experiences and providing valuable tips for train travel and activities in Switzerland. It sounds like you had a wonderful time exploring the beautiful landscapes and enjoying the convenience of the Bernese Oberland Pass and Half Fare Card.
Traveljet. Thank you. That did it. Now I understand. Thank you again for your detailed trip report.
Dedicating ample time to fully experience the gorge was a wise decision, and I’, delighted to hear that it exceeded your expectations. It’s wonderful to know that you rate it 10/10 and that the whole afternoon spent there was well worth it.
Hi Swede4life, so glad you managed to sort it out. Remember to turn on notifications for the sbb app in your phone settings. That way, you will also receive notifications when your journey is starting as well as platform changes (if any last min changes). Give it a try as well.
Thanks ktjkrugllc for reading. The aare gorge is wonderful and the only time the experience may be less than enjoyable is if there are too many ppl because the boardwalk is narrow at some places.
Have you visited the gorge?
Having the Pass and Half Fare was really very convenient. It gave us the freedom to hop on and off at the stations and not worry about time buying individual tickets. We also used the Jungfrau Travel Pass when we stayed in Wengen 7N. Such a breeze to simply scan the QR code to enter the mt rides.
Traveljet, thank you so much for this delightful and informative trip report! I just love how you rated the activities you did. We will be in the BO in early October, staying in Wengen for 6N, and in a small village near Spiez for 3N—I hope the summer (and flies) will be all gone by then. We were in Wengen in August 2014, we know how crowded it can be in the summer.
Hi mbrichardson, glad you found the report helpful. I am pretty sure the flies wont be around in early October. If you are still in Wengen on the 1st Sat of Oct, do google to see whether the Grindelwald farmers market is on. It’s only once a year and we managed to catch it on our trip in 2016. Wonderful and interesting array of items with food as well. I can only imagine how crowded and hot it can get in summer and that’s why we never plan our trips during summer time.
Enjoy your stay and feel free with any questions as everyone here is ever so helpful.
Do note that there are autumn holidays for swiss schools although I don’t recall having any issues when we were in Wengen during the first week of Oct in 2016. But that was back then. Hopefully it won’t make much difference during your stays.
school-holidays.info/en/school-holidays-in-switzerland-2022-2023-2024/
Hi mbrichardson,
Here’s the link to the Grindelwald Market on 2 Oct 2023. I am not sure if it’s the same one as the market we attended in 2016 as that one had lots and lots of food products from the farmers. Hope it’s as interesting if you are able to attend it – it’s quite a large once in a year event.😁
grindelwald.swiss/en/winter/product/event/grindelwald-market-2/
Regards
Thank you for sharing this Traveljet.
It certainly sounds like fun.
Kind regards,
Yolanda
Thank you Traveljet! We arrive on that day, so we shall see if we can make it in the afternoon. We love markets in Europe for the fresh produce, cheese and specialty foods.
Thank you for sharing this information – it’s exactly what I need to be reading right now and haven’t been able to find elsewhere. Much appreciated.
Hi Leanne, thanks. I am most encouraged to know the time taken to do the report did not go to waste. All the best to your planning.😁
Hi TravelJet,
Thanks for your detailed travel reports, they are filled with great insights and are appreciated. I realised I have previously read this report in the earlier stages of my planning saga, before we booked accommodation in Wengen. Re-reading it I now have many great tips for our stay.
I think I will cancel the extra night in Zermatt and add 2 nights to Wengen. I’m sure we will find plenty to do from there.
I had to google to find out about Halfboard. I’d seen references to it on hotel sites and had no idea. We haven’t at this stage selected it for our stay but I’m starting to wonder if it’s worth doing. I thought if we are ‘committed’ to the hotel meals we might avoid doing something spontaneous during our daily explorations like enjoying a meal at a random outdoor tavern with an amazing view somewhere. We are also retirees and have recently preferred to eat our larger meal of the day around lunch time so again, not too sure if this is something to let go of during our stay at Wengen.
Cheers, Leanne
Hi Traveljet,
I tried to open a new post but couldn’t complete the task so Here are answers to your questions:
Yes, I do have my flights and hotels booked. I’m heading to Montreux 2n, Zermatt 2n, Wengen 4n, Lucerne 2.5n, and Zurich 2n. (In Lucerne, I am staying 2n in town and one night on top of Mt Pilatus at the Pilatus Kulm, and I can’t wait!) Was there 5 yrs ago and can’t wait to go back. Absolutely beautiful experience, highly recommended.
In Montreux, I want to see the Glacier 3000, walk around some vineyards, and possibly a cruise. In Zermatt, I want to see Sunnegga, possibly Gornergrat, possibly take the new gondola into Italy for some lunch. I’m still in the process of scoping out the best place to go see the Aletsch Glacier from either Bettmeralp or Eggishorn. Its the opposite end of the glacier from the Jungfraujoch, and approx 1.5 hrs from Zermatt. I’ll play it all by ear and see what I can fit in. That’s the beauty of the STP.
I have been to Zermatt. Twice as a kid back in the 1970’s, which was/is what inspired my trip 5 yrs ago, as well as my upcoming trip. It is absolutely beautiful there. Not sure if it will be covered in snow when you’re going or not, but either way seing the Matterhorn is something to behold. There is so much hiking and sightseeing to be done there. However, again, Im not sure what you will encounter when you’re there. It could be either way. Obviously, it would cut off a lot of hiking if it is snow-covered. If you haven’t already picked out a hotel in Zermatt, make sure you choose one that says “Matterhorn view” as versus “mountain view”. Or one that says it is a south-facing room (that’s if you do want a Matterhorn view). They all will say “mountain view”, but they’re all in the valley looking up at 4000m peaks. You may want to reach out to any hotel to see if any construction is going on also. Be aware, too, that many hotels nearer to the train station won’t have Matterhorn views because that side of the mountain blocks the view. It can be hard to tell, but the further away from the station one goes, on the same side of the river, the more it comes into view. So, again, if you do want the “view,” you may want to reach out and ask the hotel directly. There are tons of hotels and chalets there. For an 8n stay, you may want to look at apts or chalets. Plenty of Coops/Migros there as well. Be aware too, that if you venture out of Zermatt for day trips, it’s just over an hour to get to Visp. From there, you can use the SBB app for scheduling. Also you may want to inquire about general maintenance on many of the cable cars, as a lot of that will take place in November. Also, you may want to think about spending a few less days in Zermatt and maybe some in and/or around the Locarno, Lugano (the Ticino region). Just omething to think about since November is basically the shoulder season.
While in Wengen, I’m planning on the Brienzerhorn, Schynige Platte, Oeschinen, and G-wald First. In no particular order, like last time there, I’ll let the weather dictate my direction.
In Lucerne, I’m planning on Stoos and Stanserhorn.
In Zurich, planning on going north. Possibly St Gal, but that’s all up in the air now and a gameday decision, so to speak. Again, hop on/hop off w/the STP.
Is your son joining you on this journey as well?
I have attached a link to my trip report as well if you want to browse through it. It’s a bit more lengthy than yours, but you should enjoy reading it.
I am also interested in the toboggan run you went on a bit south of Meiringen. Gelmerbahn. How long the bus ride is that from Meiringen?
I can’t wait, just about two months from now I’ll be there…
Regards,
Danielsan
http://www.myswissalps.com/forum/topic/part-1-of-triip-report
Hi Leanne,
I understand in regard to the meal situation. I guess it can also depend on your activities during each day. Perhaps after a day’s hiking or sightseeing, it could be nice to have a ‘larger’ meal at the end of the day and also know that there will be a meal ‘ready and waiting’? That said, I am definitely with you on the spontaneous factor though. I’ve done both and personally I prefer to run with the spontaneous route.
Good luck with deciding.
Kind regards,
Yolanda
Traveljet
You mentioned in your first section that if you save your journey on the SBB App., you can see the formation of the train in advance. You can tell if the 1st class car is in the front or the back. I have studied the SBB App and I am not sure how you do that??? Please advise
Joejax
Traveljet,
I am sorry, but I see that this question about the train formation has already been asked and answered. Sorry for the redundancy.
Joejax
Thanks Yolanda,
Im hoping we might be able to do half board for a few days of our stay & leave the rest to chance. We will talk to the hotel and find out what the local practice is and whether it’s OK to mix and match so to speak.
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