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Hello,
My wife and I are traveling to Isenfluh in September from the 16th-25th. We are renting a car and driving from Zurich. We are avid hikers, which is the reason for the trip. Once we arrive ideally we’d like to park the car for the duration and hike everywhere.
Been doing research to find if we will be able to hike to peaks like Mannlichen and others without taking a cable car/gondola? Would we be able to hike to summits without purchasing something like Jungfrau Travel Pass? I don’t want to hike for 6-8hrs starting from the bottom and only get half up the mountains/trail.
Advice would be greatly appreciated!
Thank you!
Chris
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Which train pass is good depends on which mode of transport you will be using and how many times you will be travelling
pl make a rough itinerary and hiking plan. Switzerland public transport is the best. Many places are car free and are connected by train / gondola
myswissalps.com has given hiking plans in details and it should help you
Generally Swiss Half Fare Card is usually very useful
Hi Chris and welcome to MySwissAlps.com!
Usually, if you are driving, we recommend the Swiss Half Fare Card as Shroffchetan mentioned. And yes, first you should know your itinerary then you can compare the prices of the different rail pass options. You’ll find a calculation spreadsheet that will help you to do the math. http://www.myswissalps.com/train/ticketspasses/practical/chooserailpass. The spreadsheet also includes links to the “Where it’s valid” page for all available passes, be sure to study it carefully.
Regarding the hiking plans, at http://www.myswissalps.com/jungfrauregion/activities there are plenty of recommended hiking and activity tips. For the regional hiking, suggestions scroll down to half of the page. You can also use the filter there to narrow down the hiking routes list.
As the cable cars and trains can be pricey I definitely recommend you plan your itinerary and hiking routes in advance so you can choose your rail pass.
I hope I’ve answered your questions 🙂
Ildiko
More information:
- Jungfrau Travel Pass: http://www.myswissalps.com/jungfrautravelpass
- Swiss Half Fare Card: http://www.myswissalps.com/swisshalffarecard
- Car vs trains: http://www.myswissalps.com/carversustrain
- CO2 compensation: http://www.myswissalps.com/co2compensation
Having enjoyed this area a few years ago, I wouldn’t recommend renting a car. Trains are fabulous in Switzerland and they literaly go everywhere. I would say that a car, above being expensive (rental, gas, permits, parking), will be useless for the trip you are describing. A train pass, including mountain transportation, will give you access to all of this beautiful area. In many cases, you will enjoy doing your hikes one way and returning by transport. Also, consider that some extraordinary hikes are only accessible by public transport (ex.: Schynige Platte to First).
Hello all,
Thanks for the replies! It gives us a better idea of where to focus the research and planning.
Certainly helped!
One of the things we can’t find with research is if it’s possible to do daily hikes from valley to peak. I will elaborate— will we be selling ourselves short by not taking a cable car or train halfway up the mountains? If we start all our hiking from the parking lots at base of trail is it still possible to hike above tree line etc within the day? An example—can we hike from Grindelwald to First without taking a gondola? We’d like to compete Schynige Trail from Grindelwald to Schynige Platte by foot only?
This might need more of an opinion response then anything. Hope my question makes sense!
Appreciate the help and patience here!
From what I have seen, there is no such thing as parking lots at the base of a mountain as they are accessible by public transport. There are parking lots in town, of course, but in some cases, you may need transport to get to the base. Going all the way up hiking is possible, but from my point of view, you do it for the challenge. The best view and the most rewarding part of the hike are at the top… You also have to consider going back to your car implies a loop while public transport alows you to do it one way! The train passes makes this process much easier…
The Schynige Platte to First trail is 6 hours and is active. Add 2-4 hours to go up and 1-2 hours to go down and you have quite a day… Plus you will have to go back to your car…
Hi Chiltongays,
From Grindelwald to First and back it takes around 6-7 hours and good stamina is required, have a look at http://www.komoot.com/smarttour/1855383.
May I ask if you are an experienced hiker? If you aren’t or if you are not sure, I would recommend starting with easier hiking routes like from First to Bachalpsee and back to First: http://www.myswissalps.com/hiking/bachsee. At http://www.myswissalps.com/hiking you’ll find some useful hiking tips too.
I totally agree with LeVoyageur regarding the car vs Swiss train question. The Swiss train system is truly amazing. I suggest you take the train, as driving can be tricky on the mountain routes if you are not used to it. You should be aware of the speed limits too, as Swiss traffic fines are really high. http://www.myswissalps.com/car/trafficregulations.
Ildiko
Highly recommend you get a copy of Kev Reynold’s “Walking in the Bernese Oberland.” It will help you figure out all sorts of routes (and is a good complement to the hiking sections in this site.) You can order it on Amazon (although am not sure where you are located.): https://www.amazon.com/Walking-Bernese-Oberland-International-Reynolds/dp/1852847964/.
Janice
Hey all,
I’ll be ordering the that book on Amazon, thanks for the recommendation!
While my wife and I aren’t frequent hikers we are very active and take care of ourselves physically. Couple summers ago we traveled to Berchtesgaden, Germany and spent week hiking there. While it was an eye opener we faired well and were able to complete what were marked as strenuous hikes.
We reside outside of Philadelphia so we have nothing at all that compares to elevation of Switzerland.
Appreciate the feedback!
Hi Chiltongays,
at http://www.myswissalps.com/hiking/maps you can read about hiking maps and which ones we recommend if you want to hike in Switzerland.
Happy hiking to you and your wife! 🙂
Ildiko
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