16 Days Geneva + Bernese Oberland Region in Oct"22

Sinus123
Participant

6 posts

18 September 2022 at 7:54:13 #828365

Hi,

Family trip for 4 (2 Adults, 1 Youth, 1 Child). Will be getting the Swiss Half Fare Card + 6 Days Oberland Pass for my 16 Days in Geneva and Bernese Oberland region. Likely base camp will be at Wengen (Lauterbrunnen Airbnb lodging was taken up). Would Grindelwald be an ideal base camp as well? Haven’t book my lodging yet but will book thru Airbnb again.

Itinerary likely as follows:-

6 Oct – Touch down Geneva to stay for the night.

7 Oct – Geneva to Interlaken early morning train with Gold Pass line to Interlaken. Check-in stay and hopefully can cover some grounds near the place of stay.

8 to 12 Oct – Interlaken, Pfingstegg, Grindelwald, Schilthorn, Niesen, Staubbach Falls, Oeschinen Lake, Rodelbahn Oeschinensee, plus others which I’ve not planned yet. Based on the suggestion by Arno in the Rail thread which I might follow:-

8 Oct – Niesen, Oeschinensee and the toboggan run;

9 Oct – Grindelwald-First and Pfingstegg

10 Oct – Schilthorn and the Trümmelbach Falls.

11 Oct – Interlaken/Lake Thun/Lake Brienz/Lucern/Bern/Harder Kulm or probably the 1-day trip (http://www.myswissalps.com/onedayjungfrauregion)

12 Oct – Cover the unfinished itinerary in the day and take the evening train back to Geneva. Will trains operate till late night?

Any suggested or recommended itinerary for the 6 days is much welcomed. Would like to soak as much of the Bernese Oberland region as much as possible, and to make full use of the Oberland Pass. Seems the Bernese Oberland has much to offer but our days are limited 🙁

13-20 Oct – Geneva and the surrounding areas, Laussane, Montreux, Gruyeres Medieval Village, Annency, Chamonix, etc. This is another hurdle which I haven’t cover yet. Will be using the Half Fare card to these days and pay accordingly to the places stated.

Any advise or suggestions would be much appreciated.

Thanks 🙂

Rgds

Sunny

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Arno
Moderator

15483 posts
18 September 2022 at 11:55:50 #947007

Hi Sunny,

Your itinerary looks good to me. The trip combinations during your time in the Bernese Oberland are all doable. Except maybe for October 11. I’m not sure if you mean to cover both lakes, plus Bern and Lucerne, all in one day. That would be a bit too much. Choosing two or three max would be better For example: Lake Thun (https://www.myswissalps.com/boatlakethun) and a visit to Thun (https://www.myswissalps.com/thun). Or a visit to Lucerne (https://www.myswissalps.com/lucerne), with a boat trip over Lake Brienz (https://www.myswissalps.com/boatlakebrienz) on the way to or from Lucerne.

Both Wengen and Grindelwald are fine as base towns. You can read about them at https://www.myswissalps.com/wengen and https://www.myswissalps.com/grindelwald.

As for October 12: yes, trains run until late night. You’ll find all available connections in the Swiss timetable: https://www.myswissalps.com/timetable. If you want to enjoy views along the way, mind to travel in daylight (https://www.myswissalps.com/time). You could travel via Bern this day and pay a visit to the city; see https://www.myswissalps.com/bern for tips.

The timetable will help you plan your day trips from Geneva too. Please find information about the places you intend to visit, and pay attention to the “Route” sections, for travel details:
Don’t forget to explore Geneva itself as well, it’s an attractive city: https://www.myswissalps.com/geneva.
Danielsan
Participant

634 posts

19 September 2022 at 8:17:41 #947008

Hi Arno, (or any of the experts),

If I understand correctly, with the Swiss Half card, tickets needs to be purchased on a point to point basis as needed. If I misunderstand this as such, please advise. If so, would it not be more advantageous for Sinus123 to buy either an 8 day Swiss Travel Pass, OR an 8 day STP Flex, for the remainder of the trip after the Oberland region? In this way they wouldn’t need to purchase point-to-point tickets each time, and can just hop on/off as needed? (And, if I’m not mistaken, the child/youth would also be included in the, STP/Flex?) Again, please advise I am misunderstanding. Thank you.

Regards,

Danielsan

Danielsan
Participant

634 posts

19 September 2022 at 9:28:34 #947009

Hi Sunny,

I agree with Arno about day 11/Oct. Bear in mind that its approx. 2.5 hrs to Lucerne from Interlaken (Ost). So you’re looking at a 5 hr. ride (round trip) which is the better part of a day. It can be done if you get out early, but again, a long day. Unless there is a specific sight you want to see, I would recommend staying in the Oberland area.

As far as hotels and such go, here is a link to a site that rents out chalets in Wengen that may help you out (http://www.wengenapartments.com/). Wengen is a much more quiet/quaint village than is Grindelwald, Lauterbrunnen, or Interlaken. Mainly since it’s car free. Although, in October you shouldn’t encounter as much crowds as you would in Jun/Jul/Aug.

I’m curious to see the answer(s) from the experts as to which pass may better work for you. I hope you have a great trip.

Regards,

Danielsan

Arno
Moderator

15483 posts

19 September 2022 at 14:55:01 #947010

Hi Danielsan,

Yes, a Swiss Travel Pass (Flex) would be easier and more convenient than the Swiss Half Fare Card and the additional tickets that have to be purchased (https://www.myswissalps.com/swisshalffarecard/howtouse). I agree with you: the ease of use of a Swiss Travel Pass is priceless for many travelers, and in case of a small price difference I’d definitely recommend it (https://www.myswissalps.com/swisstravelpass/howtouse).

Whether it’s also cheaper in this case, is hard to tell. A Regional-Pass Bernese Oberland is discounted for holders of a valid Swiss Half Fare Card or Swiss Travel Pass (Flex). That discount wouldn’t be available with a Swiss Travel Pass that starts after the days in the Bernese Oberland. And it would only be available with a Swiss Travel Pass Flex if a free travel day is used for each day that the Regional-Pass Bernese Oberland is used, so that’s not economical. It’s explained here: https://www.myswissalps.com/regionalpassberneseoberland/price. Having a valid Swiss Half Fare Card during the entire Regional-Pass Bernese Oberland validity duration is easier, as the Swiss Half Fare Card is valid for a whole month anyway.

That might make the difference price-wise for this particular itinerary.

Sinus123
Participant

6 posts

20 September 2022 at 3:27:16 #947011

Hi Danielsan/Arno,

Thanks for sharing your insights and knowledge in this matter. I did some research earlier and seems the best combo for me would be the Half Fare card with the Regional-Pass Bernese Oberland (discount with the Half Fare card), factoring the days I have in Geneva + Oberland region. For the rest of my journey, I will probably limit my trips and use the Half fare card and pay for the tickets. There is a chance where we will go for few day trips to France (Chamonix and such), so the Swiss cards might not be of use there.

For 11 Oct, likely I will just take one of the Lake boat rides or enjoy the Oberland area. Might reconsider Lucerne.

Thanks for all the recommendations ya…

Rgds

Sunny

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