Day trip from Bern to Jungfraujoch on 27 Dec 2015

Dear Sir/Mdm.

As this is my first experience to Switzerland and I did not do a thorough check and instead booked a 3 nights stay at Bern as my intention is to to to Jungfraujoch to see the beautiful snow mountain.

As I understand that I can purchase a train ticket to go Jungfraujoch and just wondering if it is a direct train? I am on a budget and will be travelling with another 2 adults and 1 child (age 17 years old). Can you assist me which is the cheapest way to go there.

I only intend to go there for only 1 day trip on 27 Dec and back to bern on the same day.

Would appreciate your assistance.

Hi Jenthong64,

Welcome to MySwissAlps! It is not a direct train. You can take a direct train to Interlaken Ost. From there you need to change a few times on the cogwheel train network of the Jungfrau Railways. It's very easy to do. You can find the details of the trip in the timetable.

Most visitors buy a rail pass to save money on their trips. Even if you will only do this trip a Swiss Half Fare Card (one for each of you) will save you a bit of money. If you buy it online you will save more because of lower prices.

If you don't use any public transport in Switzerland apart from this day trip, you may decide not to buy a rail pass and use the Good Morning Ticket or Good Afternoon Ticket. These tickets are cheaper, but you'll be bound to specific travel times. Please see myswissalps.com/jungfr aujoch/tickets for further details about tickets and prices.

Thank you so much for your prompt reply which is very helpful.

As I will be driving from Paris to Bern, I am also thinking of driving to Interlaken instead of taking a train which I think will be more economical . Will it be safe to drive there during late December as in the road condition. Will it be covered with snow. Is there a highway direct to Interlaken as I understand it takes about an hour to reach there.Please enlighten me.

When I reached Interlaken, where should I go to purchase the train/cogwheel train up to Jungfraujoch. Would appreciate your details and also how much is the cost to go up to Jungfraujoch. I am just wondering if this proposal will be more cost effective then taking a train from Bern to Interlaken.

Sorry to ask so much questions as I am totally not familiar on how to go about arranging the tickets as it seems very complicated for me.

Once again thank you for your patience and hope to hear from you soon.

Hi Jenthong64,

You can drive to Interlaken and park the car near the Interlaken Ost station (about CHF 5). The main road to Interlaken is easy to drive under normal circumstances. It will be cleared of snow if necessary, but it can be snow and ice covered during bad weather, so the car should be equipped appropriately and you should know how to drive in such conditions in case it happens. I would just take the train from Bern as it's more relaxed and comfortable. A return ticket Bern - Interlaken Ost is CHF 28 if you have a Swiss Half Fare Card. The rest of the trip is the more expensive part: around CHF 100 if you have a Swiss Half Fare Card, double that amount without any rail pass, or CHF 145 with the time restricted tickets Annika mentioned. Please see the links she gave you for further details.

Tickets can be purchased at any rail station. If you prefer a guided tour, please see www.viator.com/tours/I nterlaken/Jungfraujoch -Top-of-Europe-Day-Trip-from-Interlaken/d5011-3885JUNG_INT.

Thank you so much for your quick response.

As per your suggestions that I get a Swiss Half Fare Card to Interlaken OST and from the station I purchase the cogwheel train direct up to Jungfraujoch. Do I still need to change train or is it a direct train ?

Is there a timetable schedule to head up and also what is the last train back to Bern from Interlaken OST. Thanks!

You are most welcome!

Here's how it works:

1. You buy 3 Swiss Half Fare Cards. In your case you can do so via www.raileurope.com.sg/ pass/swiss-half-fare-card (1-2 days delivery) or www.raileurope-world.com/pass/swiss-half-fare-card (8 days delivery) for the best price.
2. Once you are in Switzerland, the card allows you to buy 50% discounted tickets for all your trips.
3. On the day before your trip, or the same morning, you simply go to the ticket desk of the rail station in Bern and get discounted return tickets to Jungfraujoch. It's an all-in-one ticket for the whole trip, so you can board the next train in Interlaken straight away.

For the timetable please see the link Annika gave you.

Have fun!

Really appreciated your precise information. I will try to work from there. Once again thank you so much. This is the best online service I have used so far.

Best Regards

Jennifer

From Singapore