[Removed user]

15 February 2020 at 16:42:54 #825229

Hi we are a family of 4 2 adults one 11 one 12 visiting in May. We are hoping to travel from Geneva airport (we know you can get a ticket from airport to station) then onwards to Interlaken for 5 nights then back to Geneva for 1 night.

I think once in Interlaken we get a tourist pass for local travel.

We may goto Grindelwald but other than that just enjoy Interlaken. (Not very adventurous!) And the day in Geneva will probably walk round and enjoy the city.

Would we be better getting s half pass then a Swiss pass?

Any trips we definitely should do in area?

Thank you so much

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[Anna]

15 February 2020 at 18:38:31 #930211

Hi Confusedbysw,

Welcome to MySwissAlps!

You are right, for your stay in Interlaken, your hotel will provide a free guest card, which allows free traveling by all modes of transport in the immediate surroundings of the town. However this only applies to a small area and you may still need a rail pass if you plan to travel into the mountains and neighbouring towns. In which case you may want to consider the Jungfrau Travel Pass or the Regional Pass Bernese Oberland.

Of course you can also consider just getting the Swiss Half Fare Card and enjoy up to 50% discounts of regular train fares including your transfers to and from Geneva.

More details from the links below:

• Swiss Half Fare Card: http://www.myswissalps.com/swisshalffarecard
• Jungfrau Travel Pass: http://www.myswissalps.com/jungfrautravelpass
• Regional Pass Bernese Oberland: http://www.myswissalps.com/regionalpassberneseoberland

For things to see and do in Interlaken, a few suggestions are available here: http://www.myswissalps.com/interlaken/activities

In Geneva, I can recommend this short city walk: http://www.myswissalps.com/hiking/geneva

Regards,

Anna

[rockoyster]

15 February 2020 at 22:28:56 #930212

The Panorama Card really just covers local bus routes and discounts on some activities but is of limited value.

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.

Your children can travel free (everywhere!) 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).

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

For some ideas on what to do in the Bernese Oberland, see this trip report. There is so much to do. Don’t be too unadventurous. 😎

[rockoyster]

15 February 2020 at 23:49:23 #930213

Correction: The Panorama Card is the one I got when staying in Thun and has broader coverage than the Interlaken Guest Card which covers bus routes shown on this map. The IGC doesn’t offer any discount on boats or Harder Kulm for example and only very limited train coverage.

[Removed user]

16 February 2020 at 8:38:46 #930214

Thank you all, lots of reading and planning to do!

We are very excited and can’t wait 😊

[JaneEB]

16 February 2020 at 9:50:38 #930215

Hi Confusedbysw

‘We are hoping to travel from Geneva airport (we know you can get a ticket from airport to station) then onwards to Interlaken for 5 nights then back to Geneva for 1 night’.

I am not clear whether you think you need a ticket to get from Geneva Airport to the train station, but would point out that the train station is at the airport. You walk to the station by following the signs from the terminal to the station.

Hope this is of help.

Jane

[Annika]

16 February 2020 at 12:49:04 #930216

Hi Confusedbysw!

You can find information and links concerning the Interlaken guest card at http://www.myswissalps.com/interlaken/travel and http://www.myswissalps.com/interlaken/hotels. Its area of validity is pretty limited, and you’ll need another pass to be able to explore some of the area. Anna already provided some options.

To cover your journeys Geneva Airport-Interlaken and back again, you may profit from Saver Day Passes, which can be a lot cheaper than regular tickets if bought well in advance: http://www.myswissalps.com/saverdaypass/price. You can get the children discounted Saver Day Passes (http://www.myswissalps.com/train/ticketspasses/practical/discounts, http://www.myswissalps.com/saverdaypass/price) or Junior travelcards (http://www.myswissalps.com/juniortravelcard) for the Geneva Airport-Interlaken vv trips.

If you decide on getting the Swiss Half Fare Card (http://www.myswissalps.com/swisshalffarecard), you can buy discounted Saver Day Passes. No need to get anything for your children in that case, as they’ll travel along for free with the Swiss Family Card (http://www.myswissalps.com/swissfamilycard) mentioned by Rockoyster.

[Removed user]

17 February 2020 at 1:28:06 #930217

To get from Geneva airport to Interlaken you take the train direct from the airport to Bern, then a connecting train to Interlaken. All one ticket (or a pass if you choose to buy one)