[Amit_batham]

2 February 2020 at 14:31:04 #825076

Hello Experts,

I will be travelling to Swiss & staying for 3 nights from 8 Jun – 11 Jun. We are 7 Adults + 2 children = 9. We will be travelling by train Entering in swiss via Basel & leaving on 11th morning also via Basel.

Should I buy STP or Half fare STP ? I will be using public transport only for all 3 days. With STP .. i can use it from Basel so I dont need to buy my train ticket till interlaken when coming to swiss & same for return.

I want to stay in Interlaken & using it as my base station.

3 Days Plan :

1 day : Jungfrau region : interlaken – schilthorn – interlaken (visit these beautiful towns in between Lauterbrunnen , Murern, Grindelwald)

2 day : Luzern , Zurich

3 day : Interlaken & around the Lake

Does STP time start from time of day you buy & end after 72 hrs exact ? OR is it by Day/Date ? Like If I buy on 8 Jun morning .. will it be valid till 11th jun morning so I can reach back to Basel & catch train to go out of swiss ?

OR what would be the cheapest option to travel for 3 days?

Is there any discount given on STP ?

Kind Regards,

Amit Batham

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[rockoyster]

2 February 2020 at 21:27:24 #929248

Hello Amit Batham and Welcome to MySwissAlps,

You may find something interesting in this trip report.

From Lauterbrunnen a very nice circuit to do is to Grütschalp (cable car), Mürren (train), Gimmelwald (cable car), Stechelberg (cable car), Lauterbrunnen (bus). From Mürren you can easily visit Schilthorn (don’t miss The Thrill Walk at Birg) and even Allmendhubel if you have time. In between Stechelberg and Lauterbrunnen the bus stops at the Trummelbach Falls. Well worth a look.

A 3-day STP is valid for 3 days. Actually it is valid for trips completed up to 05:00am on the 4th day but I doubt many people take advantage of that feature. See http://www.myswissalps.com/swisstravelpass/howtouse for details. For a short stay it unlikely the Swiss Half-fare Card would be more cost effective than a STP. You may be better with a 4-day pass.

If you have children (>5<16) they will travel free with a Swiss Family Card (http://www.myswissalps.com/swissfamilycard) which is available for free when acquired in conjunction with a Swiss Travel Pass (http://www.myswissalps.com/swisstravelpass) or Swiss Half Fare Card (http://www.myswissalps.com/swisshalffarecard).

Based on your personal itinerary you should read “How to choose the best travel pass” (http://www.myswissalps.com/train/ticketspasses/practical/chooserailpass), download the handy spreadsheet calculator and do the math. The spreadsheet also includes links to the “Where it’s valid” page for all available passes. Be sure to check those pages for each pass you are considering. Study the map AND read all the text on those pages to fully understand what is covered by the respective pass.

For checking timetables see http://www.myswissalps.com/forum/topic/checking-train-timetables.

[Amit_batham]

15 February 2020 at 16:55:12 #929249

Hello Expert,

Thank you so much for writing back !!

Due to time Restriction , my plan is change from 3 days to 2 days.

1st day — Arrive in interlaken by train — Spend day for this ciircle suggested by you : From Lauterbrunnen a very nice circuit to do is to Grütschalp (cable car), Mürren (train), Gimmelwald (cable car), Stechelberg (cable car), Lauterbrunnen (bus)

Question 1 : Do i need to buy ticket for 9 yr old child for above circle trip ?

Question 2 : Gimmenwald (cable car) comewhen going from Murren to Schilthorn OT When returning from Scilthorn ?

2nd day : Walk around in Interlaken & in afternoon take train to Luzern .. & spend rest of the day in Luzern ..

Question 1 : Is there any Day ticket covering all local transport in Luzern so we can cover all place in Luzern ?

Question 2: Is it advisable to buy train ticket in advance from Interlaken to Luzern or Should I buy instant ? Is there any saving in buying advance ?

Final Question : Would you suggest to buy Swiss 1/2 travel pass so we can get 50% discount for Day 1 schilthorn circuit & day 2 train & local transport ?

Kind Regards,

Amit Batham

[Anna]

15 February 2020 at 17:53:05 #929250

Hi Amit Batham,

As you will only be travelling for 2 days, and based on your itinerary, I think a Swiss Half Fare Card would work best: http://www.myswissalps.com/swisshalffarecard

With the Swiss Half Card, you can also take advantage of cheaper Saver Day Passes if you book early. For more details: http://www.myswissalps.com/saverdaypass

For convenience, I would also consider the 3-day Swiss Travel Pass: http://www.myswissalps.com/swisstravelpass

To be sure which railpass works out best, you can download a handy spreadsheet and do the numbers as explained here: http://www.myswissalps.com/train/ticketspasses/practical/chooserailpass

Don’t forget to request for a Swiss Family Card, which will allow your children to travel along for free. The Swiss Family Card is given complimentary with any purchase of the Swiss Travel System railpass. More details here: http://www.myswissalps.com/swissfamilycard.

Additional links that may be useful for your trip:

• Basel: http://www.myswissalps.com/basel
• Interlaken: http://www.myswissalps.com/interlaken
• Schilthorn: http://www.myswissalps.com/schilthorn
• Mürren: http://www.myswissalps.com/murren
• Lauterbrunnen: http://www.myswissalps.com/lauterbrunnen

Regards,

Anna

[rockoyster]

15 February 2020 at 21:53:16 #929251

Are you staying in Luzern on the 2nd night or returning to Basel? If you are returning to Basel the you might want to consider using Basel as a base and doing day trips from there to Interlaken and Luzern. That way you don’t need to cart a whole pile of luggage around with you.

What time are you arriving in Basel on you Day 1? What time do you leave on Day 3?

Your 9-year old travels free with a Swiss Family Card or 50% discount without one.

From Mürren you go to Birg – Schilthorn – Birg – Mürren. Gimmelwald is between Mürren and Stechelberg. Have a look at this map to get your bearings.

On day 2 I wouldn’t waste too much time “walking around” Interlaken. Maybe go to Harder Kulm but that’s about it.

I gave you the links earlier to help you figure out the best pass. Without actually doing all the calculations for you I can’t tell you what’s best for your plans.

The only thing I would add is another option to consider – buy a Saver Day Pass (CHF52 is the best price) for each adult for each of your 2 days. You would then need a Junior Travel Card (CHF30) to cover the kids plus separate full-fare tickets for Mürren to Schilthorn (return). Do the math.

@Anna, could you please stop making gratuitous additions to my posts. Your “Be sure to check this:
All Swiss rail passes How to choose a pass?” was totally superfluous as I had already provided those links. If you want to duplicate information already provided then do it in you own reply, not in my posts. Thanks.

[Amit_batham]

16 February 2020 at 10:48:07 #929252

Hello Expert (Rockoyster,)

Last reply was really helpful for doing all the Maths !! Total 4 adults & 2 kids (9 ,3)

Now I plan to buy 4 * Saver day pass for Adults (for each of 2 days) & 1*Junior travel card (for 9 yr Old) , 3 yr old travels free everywhere.

1 Adult cost = 104 (2 days saver day pass) + 85 (Mürren to Schilthorn (return)) = 190

1 Kid 9 yr old = 30 (2 days for all trains / buses / cable car to schilthorn)

* half fare card 120 + 42 ((Mürren to Schilthorn (return)) + 50% for all train /bus ticket for 2 days (interlaken , Lucerne , & other places) would cost more.

Do I need to buy ticket for Harder Kulm or Saver day pass will cover this ?

We will be reaching to Interlaken on 8th June morning around 8 am by train & plan to stay there for 1 night & next day evening I will go to Lucerne & we have Bus from there to Italy in the night.

Now the only problem I have is to find a stay with Kitchen for 8th June. Because I am reaching at 8 am .. all the apartments/Houses in that area showing check-in not before 2 PM . We are vegetarians so we want to reach at our stay directly when reach at 8 am .. cook/ pack something for whole day for kids & leave / come back in night.

Kind Regards,

Amit Batham

[Annika]

16 February 2020 at 13:10:04 #929253

Hi Amit,

Your numbers look correct indeed. The Saver Day Pass doesn’t cover mountain transortation (with a few exceptions), so you’ll need additional tickets for Harder Kulm. You can check validity at http://www.myswissalps.com/saverdaypass/validity.

It might be difficult to find an apartment or holiday home that suits your needs. Most of them don’t allow such an early check-in indeed. Moreover, quite some apartments require a minimum amount of nights. I think you’d better look for a hotel instead, which is more common for a 1 night stay, and then arrange for dinner elsewhere. You’ll find plenty of vegetarian options in restaurants, and it doesn’t have to be very expensive if you plan well: http://www.myswissalps.com/plantrip/doityourself/savemoney.

Please find hotels at http://www.myswissalps.com/interlaken/hotels. If you need more help finding accommodation, please post in the Accommodation forum as explained at http://www.myswissalps.com/forum/topic/how-to-get-help-finding-accommodation.

[Annika]

16 February 2020 at 13:17:21 #929254

Hi Rockoyster,

Concerning the “Be sure to check this” text, followed by a couple of links: they are automatically added to many first replies after a while (one or two weeks I think). It’s not done by moderators. So indeed links can be duplicate in some cases, because the logic is not as intelligent as a human. Apart from this, moderators may also make small post modifications, like adding links, for various reasons. The goal here is to not only help the original poster, but also the many people who stumble upon threads in the future. I can understand how all of this isn’t always obvious, but it’s with good intentions, and ultimately it’s up to us how we think we can help as many people as possible.

Please be friendly and polite. Our moderators do a great job in providing relevant and helpful information, and do so in a way that’s in accordance with our approach. You may not always agree with this, but that’s the way it is. Thanks :-)!