[Removed user]

13 November 2019 at 22:18:15 #824453

We are three people: husband and I and our 12 year old.

So for our itinerary we will be:

Coming into Basel.

Taking the train down to Gsteigwiler where we might be staying. We will get tickets far in advance at $16 per person for us three. (not sure how true this is, but it was written on this site: http://www.thetrainline.com/e n/train-times/basel-sbb-to-interlaken-ostbest)

We plan to do the following hikes while there:

Kleine Scheidegg – wengen

Mannlichen – Kleine S

First – Bachalpsee

Lauterbrunnen to Trummelback Falls (I think this is free along the road really we walk??)

Last two days in Basel. We will get a Baselcard for discounted travel and free travel for kid.

I know that these cable cars and trains going to and from all these hiking spots can add up fast. And I just cant’ find out how much these cable cars are for each of these hikes or how much the trains will be in the Jungfrau area to get to the cable cars for these hikes. It’s very confusing.

So my question is, should we get a half fare card, or would it be better to just get a Jungfrau Travel pass, or none of the above?

Thanks so much for your advice!

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[rockoyster]

13 November 2019 at 23:16:19 #925057

Hello JT and Welcome to MySwissAlps

You don’t say what time of the year you are travelling. That will dictate what hiking is feasible or otherwise.

The Jungfrau Travel Pass may suit you. or maybe the Swiss Half-fare Card (with which you can get a free Swiss Family Card which enables your child to travel free).

Based on your personal itinerary you should read “How to choose the best travel pass” (http://www.myswissalps.com/tr ain/ticketspasses/prac tical/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.

By far the best way to check timetables, find fares* and buy tickets on-line if required is using the SBB Mobile app (bit.ly/2ICIUHi). In the unlikely event you don’t have a device capable of running the app then you can use the timetable on the SBB website (bit.ly/2HH1U7B). If you are not familiar with using the timetable it will pay to first read the instructions at http://www.myswissalps.com/ti metable.

* The SBB website shows half-fare prices by default, the mobile app allows you to nominate whether to show full or half-fares (by editing the passenger details in settings) and is also smart enough to offer you the Saver Day Pass (http://www.myswissalps.com/sa verdaypass) if that offers the best fare. The app also show a platform map (at least at the larger stations) to help you make connections.

[rockoyster]

14 November 2019 at 1:34:16 #925058

Your CHF16 fare from Basel to Gsteigwiler sounds like a half-fare Supersaver fare which means you have to travel on the specific train departure and connections it is purchased for. Regular full fare connection is CHF65.40 for train Basel – Interlaken West and bus from there to Gsteigwiler.

[Removed user]

14 November 2019 at 2:07:17 #925059

Hello

Thank you so much for your reply. We will be there in June next year.

I downloaded this spreadsheet, http://www.jungfrau.ch/filead min/Prospekte_und_Bros chueren/Jungfraubahnen _Fahrpreise_Preisliste .pdf

But I have no idea what I’m looking at. I see the left column has large names in bold letter, but, for example, I didn’t even think mannlichen had a train station. I’m not sure if these are cable cars or train stations or both. Are the bold large names where it’s leaving from and smaller underneath names where the bold name is going? I’ve never been so confused on these sites lol 😀

[Removed user]

14 November 2019 at 2:14:14 #925060

I checked at your link but I feel so silly. I still cannot find what I’m looking for. I seem to be unable to find a spread sheet that shows how much cable cars are in jungfrau.

Also, I wanted to ask, could I purchase a pass for that region in wengen the day of? I don’t want to do ahead for that area in case it rains.

Thanks again

[rockoyster]

14 November 2019 at 2:31:17 #925061

The pricelist you downloaded covers both trains and cableways. The big bold letters are starting points. The smaller bold letter are destinations. But first you need to know where you are going. For example Grindelwald to First (which is a cableway) is shown as CHF30 one-way.

The SBB Timetable would give you the same answer.

Wengen to Männlichen is CHF23 one way. You can also, for example, buy a ticket Wengen to Männlichen plus a train ride from Kleine Scheidegg so you can hike from the top of the cable way to KS then train back to Wengen.

You can buy a Jungfrau Travel Pass in Wengen – sure.

This map might help you visualise where the cabe cars operate.

Still don’t know when you are travelling. 😎

[Removed user]

14 November 2019 at 4:03:20 #925062

Thank you so much for all your wonderful information.

So sorry! 😀 we are traveling in the summer. Late June.

I have two questions. Could I buy just the Saver Day Pass for when we travel from basel to our place in Gsteigweiler? It says it covers any solid or dash lines on map, and all the way until there is solid I think.

Then we could get our child a pass for $30. Can she get this pass if we only get the the Saver Day Pass?

My other question is if my husband and I get Jungfrau passes, does our child also need to buy a Jungfrau pass, or will that first pass cover this?

Thank you so much for taking your free time to help confused people like me!! So appreciated. 🙂

[rockoyster]

14 November 2019 at 5:17:13 #925063

You are most welcome – you’re doing great.

Late June you should be good to hike.

Yes you can use a Saver Day Pass to get from Basel to Gsteigweiler. Your child could use a Junior Travel Card but that is not valid with the Jungfrau Travel Pass. There is a child’s version of that pass and it costs CHF30 – see http://www.myswissalps.com/ju ngfrautravelpass/price (and be sure to check the other tabs on that page).

“It says it covers any solid or dash lines on map, and all the way until there is solid I think“

Solid lines are free with the Saver Day Pass. Dotted lines aren’t covered. Dashed lines are the same as solid lines only they are in tunnels.

My gut feeling says you may be better off getting the Swiss Half-fare Card and the Swiss Family Card but that means you would need to buy tickets as you go – it’s much easier than it sounds.

But to be sure you really need to do the math based on your itinerary.

Enjoy.

ps I’d never heard of Gsteigwiler until you mentioned it – so I learned something. 🤓

[Removed user]

14 November 2019 at 9:54:16 #925064

Hi JT2020,

I am not sure you have seen this, but you can find good hikes at http://www.myswissalps.com/hi king. Here you can find the details of First – Bachalpsee (http://www.myswissalps.com/hi king/bachsee/route), Männlichen to Kleine Scheidegg (http://www.myswissalps.com/hi king/maennlichen-kleinescheidegg/route) and also Lauterbrunnen to Stechelberg, where you can see the waterfall too (http://www.myswissalps.com/hi king/lauterbrunnen-stechelberg/route).

Basel Card is very handy: http://www.myswissalps.com/ba sel/travel.

Rockoyster’s right, buying ticket with the Swiss Half Fare Card (http://www.myswissalps.com/sw isshalffarecard/howtou se) is not that difficult at all. Just do not forget about it 🙂 You can buy the tickets at the station, or online in advance (where you have the chance to get SuperSaver Tickets) or even via the SBB mobile app.

[Removed user]

14 November 2019 at 19:06:19 #925065

My partner and I were in Switzerland last month for a week. We flew into Zurich, travelled by train to Grindelwald, and the explored the Jungfrau area using trains, trams, cog railway, etc. We did most of the hikes you listed and also the Eiger hike that took us up to Kleine Scheidegg. We then travelled back to Zurich for a few days and also took a day trip from there to Lucerne.

We did buy the half-fare pass but did NOT get the Jungfrau pass as we weren’t there long enough to justify both. One important tip: you can download the Swiss Rail App to your phone and that will allow you to see the price of the tickets in advance for your research. As you’ve seen, you can buy tickets in advance (at least a day before) and get the “Supersaver Fare” but then are committing to being on a particular train at a particular time We did this for one of the tickets between Grindelwald and Zurich but otherwise we liked to be able to adjust our timing on the fly. We also found we were able to use the Swiss Rail app for buying tickets in the Jungfrau area (even up to First) but the tram operators are not always set up for it and sometimes just wave your through when you show them the electronic ticket.

I did the calculation and found that we didn’t break even on the upfront cost of the Half-Fare Card until our return ticket to Zurich. Had we not done the day trip to Lucerne, the Half-Fare Card would not have been worth it. Now we didn’t go all the way up to Top of Europe (Jungfraujoch) but I calculated the Half-fare Card WOULD have been worthwhile if we were to go all the way up there since that ticket is crazy expensive. So, unless you are staying in Jungfrau area 4 days or more, taking other longer trains around Switzerland, or going to Top of Europe, I wouldn’t recommend the Half-fare card or other discount card (like Jungfrau pass). The half-fare card is a bit of a pain as you have to get it scanned along with your ticket each time they check you for a ticket. I will say that the Half-fare card reduced our stress over taking trains since it brought the ticket into a reasonable price range. But you could accomplish that by committing to trains each day and using the Supersaver fares. If you are on a trip of a week or more where you are taking trains every day, it probably is worthwhile to get a pass.

Hope that is helpful. The SBB app is GREAT! There were multiple times where we were running for a train, jumped on the train, and THEN bought the ticket as the train was leaving the station.