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Hello There,
My husband and I are planning to travel to Switzerland from Paris on October 26th, 2018. This is our maiden Euro trip and due to time constraint, we just have 2 days to visit Switz.Planning on covering only Interlaken. Can you suggest the best way to travel to Interlaken from Paris? Is flying a better option or can we take the train route? As we are not going to be there for more than 2 days, will the swiss pass be a useful option?
Looking forward to your response.
Thanks,
Laksha
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Hi Laksha and welcome to MySwissAlps!
You can use the Swiss railways timetable to plan out your trips. It is a little less than 6 hours with a change of train in Basel to get to Interlaken from Paris.
For only 2 days I doubt a rail pass is any benefit for you – what are your plans while you are here?
At Interlaken you will be at the doorway to the Jungfrau Region (http://www.myswissalps.com/ju ngfrauregion) with plenty to do.
The Jungfrau Hiking and Sledging Pass (http://www.myswissalps.com/ju ngfrauhikingsledgingpa ss) may be useful if you want to take trips into the mountains. I’m just not sure if it becomes available as early as 26 October.
Also have a look at http://www.interlaken.ch/en/i nformation-and-journey-to-interlaken/travel-tips-interlaken/guest-card-and-holiday-passes-interlaken.html
You arrive in Switzerland 26th and depart 29th? Where are you going next after Switzerland?
Hi Laksha,
>> My husband and I are planning to travel to Switzerland from Paris on October 26th, 2018. This is our maiden Euro trip and due to time constraint, we just have 2 days to visit Switz.Planning on covering only Interlaken.
Your visit to Interlaken corresponds with the time when most mountain transport in the area closes for maintenance between seasons, but there will still be enough to keep you occupied for 2 days.
Interlaken itself has the least to offer of any town in the Jungfrau Region in my opinion. It’s a good transport hub and has a lot of shops, restaurants and hotels, but has little charm. Personally, I would give it a miss in terms of sightseeing.
Here are details of what is operating during your visit, and what is not:
Operating
- Train to the Jungfraujoch – operates all year
- Gondola Grindelwald to First – operating until 28 October 2018 inclusive
- Cable car Mürren to the Schilthorn – operating
- Train Wilderswil to Schynige Platte – operating until 28 October 2018 inclusive
- Funicular Interlaken to Harder Kulm – operating until 25 November 2018 inclusive
- Trümmelbach Falls – open
- Boats on the Thunersee (Lake Thun) – autumn timetable, limited departures
http://www.bls.ch/-/media/bls/pdf/fahrpla ene/schiff/fahrplan-sommer-2018.pdf?la=en&vs=1
Not operating
- Funicular Mürren to Allmendubel – closes from 15 October 2018 inclusive
- Cable car Lauterbrunnen to Grütschalp – closes from 22 October 2018 inclusive – but you can still get to Mürren by cable car from Stechelberg
- Gondola Grindelwald to Männlichen – closes from 22 October 2018 inclusive
- Cable car Wengen to Männlichen – closes from 22 October 2018 inclusive
- Boats on the Brienzersee (Lake Brienz) – cease operating from 22 October 2018 inclusive
Alpenrose
Wow, thank you all for the prompt response.
I’m still doing the plans so far here’s my plan :
May take an overnight bus or train from Paris to Interlaken Ost ( to avoid extra day stay in Paris ). But if I am doing this, am I missing any scenic route?
26th morning- From Interlaken Ost – take the train to Lauterbrunnen – make this the base.
26 – 28th noon – to cover the nearby areas – Murren, Wengen, Schilthorn, and any other sightseeing areas.
28th eve – reach Zurich. Fly out or take the train to Venice.
All these are just tentative plans, so appreciate any input on the changes.
PS: We are vegans, so how is the availability of vegan foods there?
Thanks,
Laksha
Hi Laksha,
I think the only part of significance on the route is between Luzern and Interlaken, a nice scenic trip to see in daylight. There isn’t a sleeper train that I know of either for that route.
Interlaken – Zurich to Milan is quite the long haul 10+ hours or so. A flight if priced reasonably might be a better way to go to save time.
Vegan food shouldn’t be a problem in the larger towns/cities. I’m not sure about Lauterbrunnen but nearby Interlaken shouldn’t be an issue. Also Coop and Migros grocery stores can be used to find ingredients or take-away options.
Hi Laksha,
Do you need to be in Zurich the night of the 28th? If not, you can simply take the fast route by train from Lauterbrunnen. The trains put you in front of the canals in Venice in around 7 hours. The timetable link that Lucas gave you in his first post provides all the details. Tickets, prices and schedules can be found here as well: http://www.myswissalps.com/tr aintickets/italy. If you have a train pass for Switzerland you’ll only need a ticket for the Italian part of the trip, typically from Domodossola, the border. If booked in time those tickets cost less than € 30.
Thank you Arno, Lucas , alphenrose666, rockoyster for your inputs.
Its been really helpful in planning with the details given. Cheers!!
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