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Hi
My head is in a bit of a spin about rail passes/costs, etc!
I am coming to Wegen via Basel airport in July. My flight arrives in Basel at around 10.30am and i will need to travel straight to Wengen by train. I will be staying for three nights in Wengen. On Day 2 we plan to hike and on Day 3 we plan to have a trip to the Jungfraujoch by train. We are returning to Basel on Day 4 for flight back to London.
Please can you advise which train tickets/passes i should buy that will be most cost effective? I can see that a standard Jungfruajoch return trip via cogwheel train is very expensive on its own so was hoping there’d be a way to get a dicount on this ticket as well as the ticket from Basel to Wengen.
thanks
Rob
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Hi Rob, and welcome to MySwissAlps,
You should read “How to choose the best travel pass”. A clearly mapped out itinerary is the basis for deciding which pass suits. Based on your itinerary you need to do the sums based on the cost of all your planned trips on trains, boats, cable cars etc.
The page has a spreadsheet to help you. You can use the Swiss train timetable to work out the fares for any trip. When you go to “buy a ticket” the fare you see on the right hand side of the page will normally be the half-fare price. Double it to get full fare. With a Swiss Travel Pass it is free provided it is shown as free on the validity map which you can download here.
Given your itinerary I’d say the Swiss Half-fare Card (http://www.myswissalps.com/sw isshalffarecard) may seem like your best bet. But don’t expect massive savings. You need to buy full fare tickets valued at CHF240 (which saves you CHF120 and just offsets your initial outlay on the Card) before you start to make any real savings.
By comparison a 4 Day Swiss Travel Pass (http://www.myswissalps.com/sw isstravelpass) costs CHF270 (or CHF231 if you are under 26) and offers largely free travel but less discount ( around CHF35) on Jungfraujoch.
Thank you for the information regarding that posted fares are actually half fares. I think I read that a few days ago. Now I know the Swiss Travel Pass will be better for us. I will be posting more questions in the next few days.
thanks for the information everyone.
Yes, it is a pretty light itinerary as we (there are two of us) only have two full days in Wengen. So in terms of using public transport it will be only to travel from Basel to Wengen (return) and probably to use a cable car down from one of the peaks back to Wengen after a hike. Then of course the Jungfraujoch trip as well.
Btw, I use the Trainline.eu website and this posts full fares. It only shows half fares if you input the exact rail pass you have.
Hi robby-
<<“Btw, I use the Trainline.eu website and this posts full fares. It only
shows half fares if you input the exact rail pass you have”>>
In turn, thanks for your information about the trainline site.
I note that they don’t sell SBB tickets.
The SBB website is oriented more toward Swiss residents, which almost always have a half-fare card.
That’s why the prices shown are usually a bout half- fare.
Slowpoke
That, and companies all like to market their “cheapest possible” prices too I think! 🙂
I am planning on doing a very similar trip in June. Landing in Basel in the afternoon of the 19th and staying overnight, then catching an early train to Wengen on the 21st, where I have 2 nights booked before returning to Basel and flying out in the evening of the 22nd. Brief, but its at the end of a long and busy trip. I should have time for some hiking and/or a look in Trummelbach falls on the 2oth, then hopefully the Junfraujoch on the 22nd.
I decided the Swiss Travel Pass was the way to go. It means keeping flexibility if the weather doesn’t play ball for the Jungfraujoch. You have free access to the Schilthorn if the weather is better there (somehow), plus the train back to Interlaken for a day trip and a boat ride or whatever takes your fancy.
One question I do have: Is it worth the gamble to purchase a Jungfraujoch ticket in advance and hope for good weather, or is it still very likely I can get a pass on the day? I am an early riser so I intend to be on the earliest train possible…
Hello mrjones and Welcome to MySwissAlps,
Don’t buy a Jungfraujoch ticket until you know what the weather is like. Tickets don’t sell out.
No worries, thanks for the advice!
Hi Rockoyster.
Do I recall correctly that there is sometimes a discount for the early (earliest) trip up to the Jungfraujoch?
And, I certainly agree with you that there will be no problem getting a ticket in the last minute in June. The region is just awakening from its Winter slumbers in mid-June.
If Mr Jones checks with a local source (Hotel, Tourist Office) on the night before, or even the AM when the hotel can check the weather, he’ll know whether it is socked in.
There are webcams:
en.swisswebcams.ch/suc he/ort/jungfraujoch-8469019/
And, I think he has his dates mixed up in his post.
Slowpoke
Hi Slowpoke,
The Good Morning Ticket is explained here: http://www.myswissalps.com/ju ngfraujoch/tickets
Hi Slowpoke,
From bit.ly/2vf2Aee “With this ticket, the journey from Kleine Scheidegg to Jungfraujoch is only possible at 8.00 and 8.30, and the latest descent from Jungfraujoch is at 13.13.”.
@Arno “explained” might be too strong. 😉 Is the CHF135 Early Bird from Wengen not further discounted by STP? Still cheaper than 25% off regular STP price is it not?
Hi Rockoyster-
<<“…….“explained” might be too strong”>>
Maybe, maybe not.
But, if i have deciphered the dates and expectations in mrjones post, that would fit his preferences, because he wants to head back to Basel after the Jungfraujoch expedition.
Slowpoke
Hey guys, yep dates were mixed up on the post. Working nights is leaving my brain a bit fried…
So I land in Basel on the afternoon of the 19th (Tuesday), catch an early train to Wengen from Basel on the 20th (Wednesday), stay in Wengen from the 20th until Friday the 22nd, then fly out Friday afternoon. Planning to do maybe the Schilthorn and/or Trummelbach falls on the 20th and Jungraujoch on the 21st.
The Friday is basically free for a short hike or quiet morning walk before catching a train back to Basel to meet my flight out.
Sorry for the confusion
Hi mr jones –
<<“Hey guys, yep dates were mixed up on the post. Working nights is leaving my brain a bit fried…
So I land in Basel on the afternoon of the 19th (Tuesday), catch an early train to Wengen from Basel on the 20th (Wednesday), stay in Wengen from the 20th until Friday the 22nd, then fly out Friday afternoon. Planning to do maybe the Schilthorn and/or Trummelbach falls on the 20th and Jungraujoch on the 21st. “>>
Pretty sure that you mean June, while the OP meant July.
There is a world of difference.
The high trails will be open when he is there, and the tourists will be arriving
When you are there, if you are lucky, the high trails will barely have opened. It’s the tail end of Winter at those altitudes. June 15th is the rule of thumb for trails at 2000+meters opening for hjikers…in an average year.. Lots of snow this past winter, so…..maybe later.
Many but not all hotels and restaurants take a break in May +/- and open up in June at varying times.
So, if taking a walk means along the floor of the Lauterbrunnen Valley , or Grütschalp to Mürren, no problem.
<<“The Friday is basically free for a short hike or quiet morning walk before catching a train back to Basel to meet my flight out.”>>
However,it is unlikely that you’ll be able to take this easy and wonderful walk:
http://www.myswissalps.com/hi king/maennlichen-kleinescheidegg
A few of my images are attached. Perhaps they’ll encourage you to come back again. 😉
Still, you’ll have a relatively un-touristed time, which can be relaxing. Hope the weather is sunny.
Slowpoke
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