Zurich to Jungfrau region – right travel pass
Milliscent89 is planning a trip to Switzerland, focusing on the Jungfrau region over four days. They need feedback on their itinerary and whether the passes they intend to purchase, including the Half Fare Pass and the Top of Europe Pass, are the right choices for their travel plans.
- Consider a well-paced itinerary and avoid too many activities on the first day.
- The Swiss Half Fare Card and the Top of Europe Pass are both good options for discounts on transportation and attractions.
- Hiking from Schynige Platte to First is strenuous, so prepare for a challenging trek.
- Check the weather as plans can change, especially for activities like paragliding.
AI-generated summary-
Hello,
I’ve ready so many forums, Facebook Swiss page advices, I think I am finally getting a hang of the train situation and what I must buy for passes. Here is my itinerary:
Zurich Airport Arrival
Day 1
Train to Interlakken and Cable car to Wengen
Day Trip to Interlakken for dinner and Boat Ride to Lake Brienz
Day 2
Hiking Schiynige Platte – First, Paragliding ending in Grindelwald
Day 3
Jungfraujoch and hike down to Eiger Trail to Grindelwald cable car back to Wengen
Day 4
undecided but Jungfrau area
I will buy the Half Fare Pass, to get discount fares to and from Zurich and the Top of Europe Pass since it includes a trip to Jungfraujoch, the Lake Brien is not included but we can use our Half Fare Pass to get discount fares. I am here to ask if you agree with this plan to purchase the correct passes, if not I’d appreciate all feedback.
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The itinerary looks good.
Two comments
1) the railway routes Interlaken – Grindelwald and Interlaken – Lauterbrunnen – Wengen are not Cable cars. They are century surface old cog wheel railways.
2) Day 1 : probably too much in one day
Not sure where you’re flying into Zurich from, but we flew from California and arrived in Zurich at 7am. Continued on to Wengen where we stayed. Arrived around 2pm. Very nearby was the aerial tram to Männlichen, which we took (rode on top!) and hiked the Royal Walk. Lovely hike with views of Wengen, Grindelwald and beyond. Loved the cows on the trail. Was a wonderful way to start our trip to Jungfrau. When we came down we walked around town and grabbed something to eat from the bakery near the tram (has all kinds of goodies and sandwiches). By that time we were ready to get some sleep. Around 7pm. There were a few nice restaurants in town. If I were you, I’d think about spending the rest of your arrival day in enjoying Wengen. If your flight was from very far you’ll be tired..
Thank you so much, your description sounds so wonderful I might change our Day 1 itinerary to that. We’re flying from Amsterdam, it’s about an hour flight so it’s not far however Mannlichen was not in our radar as a few people told us to go to Interlaken and do the boat tour. Your day sounds so wonderful! I feel in a bit of a pickle now.
With our itinerary, would you agree the best passes to buy are the Half Fare Passes and the Top of Europe passes.
– apologize for getting the name wrong
– I’m not reconsidering the Day 1 now, it sounds like it may be best to stay in Wengen and go up to Mannlichen
Day 4 – Murren , Schilthorn & Trummelbach Falls. The views from Schilthorn are better than those from Jungfraujoch. However, the Top of Europe Pass is not valid on the cable car from Murren to Schilhorn, but maybe you could get a discount. Also, since you seem to like adventure ( having chosen to do paragliding), I think you would also love the via ferrata from Murren to Gimmelwald.
Just a heads up on paragliding– my son had planned on doing it near Murren and it ended up being booked when we called a day in advance. Ended up doing it in Interlaken, which he was thrilled with. We really had to outrun the rain though. Tried to do it again in Zermatt, but got cancelled due to wind and rain. Plans can change due to weather.
I will say that we enjoyed Grindelwald a lot. Went to First and did the Glider, Cliff Walk and mountain carts. We arrived around 2:30 and were told we only had time to book 2 attractions due to their closing time. We also did the Spider Web at Glacial Canyon — fun!
FYI, we went at the end of August. Loved it all!
HI Milliscent89,
Welcome to MySwissAlps.
You have a well-paced and focused itinerary. The Jungfrau region is a fairly small area and there are plenty of things you can see and do in 4 days. You can find more suggestions here: http://www.myswissalps.com/jungfrauregion/activities
Regarding rail passes, the Swiss Half Fare Card is certainly a good option. You can find more information on how to use it here: http://www.myswissalps.com/swisshalffarecard/howtouse
Regards,
Anna
Hi, Milliscent89,
You seem very knowledgeable about Switzerland & the trains. We’ll be flying into Zurich & staying in Beatenburg area, or at least that’s what Google maps says 🙂 Anyway, we are thinking the Swiss Travel Pass would be best from what we’ve read since we are relying on trains, buses, & boats for transportation. We’ll have 4 full days in Switzerland, not including arrival & departure days.
1. Will it be easy to get directions on which trains/buses go to our rental from the train station in Zurich, assuming it’s not a kiosk.
2. Is there a train station close to Zurich airport?
2. What should one wear in late May-heard this Christmas was uncharacteristically warm.
3. Any advice on day trips from our central location? Read something about the Golden Rail being a good option for sightseeing & included in Swiss Pass.
4. Any areas we should avoid due to safety concerns?
5. Are train reservations necessary, or are they just hop on/off?
6. We will be traveling from Switzerland into Italy for another vacation. Which highspeed rail should we use?
Any advice appreciated! Websites are so overwhelming since we have no public transportation in the area where we live.
TravelLife,
It might be a good idea to start a new post for questions related to your specific trip & itinerary. Makes it easier to follow and for people who have been there to find and offer advice. But in response to your questions:
1. The Zurich train station does have a ticket office that can offer advice and provide information. However, the Swiss railway SBB application can provide all the details you need on public transportation – trains, buses, boats, cable cars, etc. – in Switzerland. It is actually very easy to use once you spend about 15-20 minutes with it. I know this website has more information on how to use it.
2. There is a train station at the Zurich airport, on the lower level. It is well marked.
2 again. Think in layers, but not heavy clothing. We visited in October, and long pants, a sweater, and light jacket were all we needed. A rain jacket is also a good idea.
5. Almost all public transportation in Switzerland is hop on/hop off if you have a Swiss Travel Pass. A few of the “special” trains may require reservations, and several of the mountaintop trains/gondolas are discounted but not free with the STP.
Enjoy the planning. That’s part of the fun.
Hi Anna,
Do you think it’ll be worth it to buy the Top of the Europe pass with our itinerary ?
Hi Ioana!
my husband is not keen on heights, I am taking him to Jungfraujoch and have him paragliding and I showed him the Ferreta and that’s pretty much where he drew the line, haha. I love the Day 4 itinerary! We will have the half fare card so we will be able to get discounts, thank you!
We will doing the paragliding at First, we’re starting at 8 am In Schynige Platte – First so I am hoping we’ll have enough time. We’re going to July and I am so excited!
Hi Travel Life,
unfortunately all of my knowledge are from this website, word of mouth from Swiss fb groups and no actual knowledge on these until I visit in July. I suggest creating a new post. I wish I’d be more helpful but I’d be the blind leading the blind.
Hi Milliscent
i assume you have researched the hikes you have planned. But FYI on day 2 the hike from Schynige Platte to First is a strenuous hike with 3000 feet elevation climb over rocky terrain. It’s 9 miles and will likely take 6 hrs due to the terrain and elevation change. I would recommend on the first leg of the hike from SP to take the Panaramaweg route as it is exceptionally scenic and adds very little to the overall distance.
On day 3 I assume you mean to visit Jungfraujoch and get off at Eigergletscher station on the return and Hike from Eigergletscher to Grindelwald. This too is a fairly long hike with quite a bit of steep descent. You can shorten the hike by stopping at the midway Alpiglen station and catch the train down to Grindelwald. The upper part of the hike from Eigergletscher to Alpiglen is by far the most scenic portion.
Enjoy Mark
Hi Milliscent89,
Based on your plans, combining the Swiss Half Fare Card and the Top of Europe Pass is a sensible move. With the Top of Europe Pass, you get a free return trip to Jungfraujoch. You can also travel freely to various destinations within the validity area. I recommend you study the validity map (view the validity map here: http://www.jungfrau.ch/en-gb/top-of-europe-pass-winter) and see which destinations in your itinerary are covered by the pass.
Let us know if you need more info.
regards,
Anna
I agree with Mark’s warning about length of hikes. I have been walking in the high Alps for 60 years but a few years ago I completely underestimated the terrain walking East from SP summit. We set off from Schynige Platte summit on a hot day and didn’t find the paths as well trodden as we had expected, and eventually made our way down to Burglauenen station reaching there much later in the afternoon than I had planned.
Hi Mark,
Yes we used AllTrails to decide which trail to follow on what we were comfortable with. We’re starting early am to make it in time to go paragliding.
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