Help with rail tickets from Interlaken with Eurail

Hi,

My friend and I are travelling to Switzerland for 3 days. We bought a Eurail pass and switzerland is one of the countries covered in it. We are staying at Interlaken all 3 days. We have prepared an itinerary an need help with the best possible tickets:

Day1 Afternoon: Interlaken to St Beatus Caves and back to Interlaken - I read online that I can take bus 21 to reach Beatushöhlen. My eurail pass does not cover the bus ticket. Where do I purchase the ticket and does anyone know the approximate cost?

Day2 afternoon: Planning to hike from Manlichen to Kleine Scheidegg. Questions:

a) How do I reach from Interlaken to Manlichen? anyone with eurail pass traveled this route?

b) we'll be leaving from interlaken around 2:00PM as we are doing hanggliding in the morning. Is this time enough to walk down from Manlichen to Kleine Scheidegg and get back to interlaken by 7PM or so?

Day3: Leaving to Jungfraujoch(top) early morning 6:00AM. Planning to leave from Jungfraujoch around 11:30AM and goto Grindelwald first for 1) First Flyer 2) Cliffwalk

Questions:

1) How do I travel from Interlaken to Jungfraujoch? I have seen tickets here: shop.jungfrau.ch/en/ti ckets/bergbahn

2) Does the above ticket cover:

(a) Interlaken to Jungfraujoch

(b) Jungfraujoch to First (Grindelwald)

(c) First (Grindelwald) to Interlaken

I know these are a lot of questions.. Any help would be greatly appreciated!

Thanks!

ayvid

Hi ayvid, welcome to MySwissAlps!

You can buy bus tickets from machines or staffed ticket desks at train stations (e.g. Interlaken West). Sometimes the driver sells them too, but don't count on that. Buying in advance is in any case more convenient than in the bus.

As for your other questions:

Day 2 a) Regardless of your pass you'd take the cableway to Wengen, then trains to Interlaken. Or, you take the gondola to Grindelwald Grund and trains to Interlaken from there. Schedules are in the timetable.

Day 2 b) That should work, except in winter when it gets dark early.

1) See the timetable please, and the Jungfraujoch page.

2) The page lists many tickets. Just go to the station, show your pass, and buy your return tickets to Jungfraujoch (up via Lauterbrunnen, down via Grindelwald). You'll get a 25% discount because you have a Eurail Pass. You can buy the First tickets on the spot in Grindelwald.

Have fun!

Thanks Arno. If I buy a return pass from Interlaken ost to Jungfraujoch, can I take a different route (Grindelwald to Interlaken) while returning back to Interlaken? or do I need to book separate tickets?

Thanks

Divya

Hi Divya,

You only need one train ticket for your plan. Plus the First gondola ticket.

Thanks Arno. Can I book all the tickets 2 days before my travel at the Interlaken OST station? or do I need to book it much more in advance?

You're welcome Divya! You can buy tickets whenever you want, even a minute before boarding. Only in high season (July/August) it may make sense to buy one day ahead of time. The Jungfraujoch page I referred to explains all about tickets.

Hi Ayvid-

A couple of comments and a question:

1.- Don't forget to look at a map of the region:

map.search.ch/?pos=637920,166944&z=16

In that map, under "points of Interest/Traffic you can turn on an overlay that shows teh locations of public transport stops.

This one has lots of detail, including altitudes:

map.geo.admin.ch/?topic=ech&lang=en&bgLa yer=ch.swisstopo.pixel karte-farbe&layers=ch.bav.ha ltestellen-oev,ch.swisstopo.swiss tlm3d-wanderwege&layers_visi bility=false,true&X=16 6800.00&Y=629260.00&zo om=5

2.- I've never been to the caves, saving them for a rainy day. I have always wanted to spend time looking at or walking in the unique scenery.

3.- The correct spelling is Männlichen

and-

When are you going? Many of the things you want to do may not be possible during the between seasons period from late October until mid-December, for example. Make sure to use the timetable for your specific dates.

Take a look at Kim's post toward the end of this thread with lots of schedule information if you are going in October, November.......

www.myswissalps.com/fo rum/topic/visiting-bernese-oberland-with-young-kids

Slowpoke

ThanksArno.

Thanks Slowpoke for the inputs. The maps are very helpful.

Regarding St Beatus caves, you are correct. So I have decided that if the weather is good, I will rent a bike from flying wheels for a couple of hours. If its raining, we'll go ahead with the caves plan. And in the evening I plan to have dinner at Schuh restaurant. Read good reviews about their cheese fondue! Let me know your thoughts on the plan that I have and if I can add/remove anything to/from my itinerary.

Reg my travel plans, I am traveling end of September.

Thanks.

Ayvid

<<"Reg my travel plans, I am traveling end of September.">>

Good time to go.

Männlichen walk-includes details including timing. If you plan to take pictures (and you should) allow a little extra time.

www.myswissalps.com/hi king/maennlichen-kleinescheidegg

Much better to walk in the direction you have indicated....towards KS.

Attached picture (Eiger and Tschuggen) was taken in late September, 2009.

Others at different times.

Slowpoke

Thanks Slowpoke. Those are beautiful pictures! Looking forward to hiking from Männlichen to Kleine Scheidegg.

Ayvid

Hi Ayvid-

<<"Day1 Afternoon: Interlaken to St Beatus Caves and back to Interlaken - I read online that I can take bus 21 to reach Beatushöhlen. My eurail pass does not cover the bus ticket. Where do I purchase the ticket and does anyone know the approximate cost?">>

If you do go, you can surely buy the tickets on the bus. That always works in Switzerland, at least everywhere I have been. I carry a half-fare card, so tickets typically are discounted but not exactly in half.

The ticket machines at IO probably will sell them to you also... Sometimes they only do trains; sometimes the cover local transit as well. The latter might require a specially marked ticket machine...that is the way it works at Zürich main station. Don't rally know about IO. if the machines don'r sell them, you can ask at the ticket counter, too.

I don't know what the Eurrail pass helps with. With no discount, I'm guessing 3-4 CHF per person.

<<"b) we'll be leaving from interlaken around 2:00PM as we are doing hanggliding in the morning. Is this time enough to walk down from Manlichen to Kleine Scheidegg and get back to interlaken by 7PM or so?">

See attached screen grab from the timetable. It illustrates what you can find out by using it.

Slowpoke

Thanks Slowpoke. that is very helpful. I have decided to buy all the tickets once I reach Interlaken.

As per the timetable you sent, I guess I will try to do the hanggliding a little earlier in the day so that I can leave to Männlichen from Interlaken Ost at 1:00PM or so.

Thanks.

Ayvid

It would probably work at 2PM, althoigh 1 PM would give you more time for the walk.

Check the time table from Kleine Scheidegg back to Interlaken.

Also- it might be faster to go up via Grindelwald... check the time table.

Also, there is a disadvantage to getting all your tickets at at once. The weather changes rapidly in thet region and forcasts are unreliable more than 24 hours or so in advance. Better in late September to get your ticket as close as possible to your departure for Jungfraujoch.

Otherwise, you might spend the money to see the inside of a cloud. Boring.

Slowpoke

<<"Also- it might be faster to go up via Grindelwald... check the time table.">>

You mean look for Interlaken Ost to Männlichen GGM? I did check this route. It takes 30 min extra.

Ayvid

<<"You mean look for Interlaken Ost to Männlichen GGM? I did check this route. It takes 30 min extra. ">>

OK - I was guessing based on the 2 connections needed at LB and at Wengen.

Slowpoke