[Anonymous]

30 March 2022 at 16:51:19 #826749

Hi, could you please advise if it is practical/possible to visit Lauterbrunnen, Wengen and Grindlewald in one day by train? And also in which order would be best? I am also still struggling to decide between the Swiss Travel Card and the Half Fare Card, given that we are a family of 3 and travelling to Switzerland by car.

Thank you so much for any advice. 😊

[User]

Reply 1 of 6 • 30 March 2022 at 18:10:32 #939954

Hi Debr4taylor,

yes, totally possible to visit Lauterbrunnen, Wengen and Grindelwald in one day. The order depends on where you are staying before. If you are staying in Interlaken for example, I would go like Lauterbrunnen, Wengen then back to Lauterbrunnen and go to Grindelwald by funicular. OR you could also go from Wengen to Grindelwald via Mannlichen, using cable cars.

And here’s another example itinerary: http://www.myswissalps.com/onedayjungfrauregion

So you have more opportunities, I do not think there is any wrong way 🙂 It is a wonderful area, so you cannot go wrong actually.

Usually we recommend the Swiss Half Fare Card for drivers: https://www.myswissalps.com/swisshalffarecard. But if you are unsure which Swiss rail pass to choose, use our calculation spreadsheet, which helps you to do the math and so you’ll be able to compare your options. You’ll find it here: http://www.myswissalps.com/train/ticketspasses/practical/chooserailpass.

Are you 3 adults? or are you traveling with your child? Children under 6 do not pay anything for train trips. From 6 to 15 years old you can get a Swiss Family Card for them for free if you are having a valid Swiss Half fare Card or Swiss Travel Pass. More about this: http://www.myswissalps.com/swissfamilycard

Ildiko

more about the Jungfrau region: http://www.myswissalps.com/jungfrauregion/activities

[User]

Reply 2 of 6 • 30 March 2022 at 18:44:12 #939955

Thank you for this great advice. We are 3 adults travelling through France by car and staying in Thun. The plan was to drive to Interlaken for each train journey, over 3-4 days, and leave the car at the station each day. It seems to be working out more economical for us to buy the half fare pass. We want to take a boat ride and visit Lucerne and Jungfraujoch too.

Thank you again. This is such a great and helpful site. 😊

[User]

Reply 3 of 6 • 30 March 2022 at 22:52:23 #939956

You are correct. The Swiss Half fare card is the best option if you arrive in Switzerland in your own car *. It gives the freedom to drive to the most convenient station for your day trip and go from there.

It is a good way of doing it especially if you are staying in a fairly remote village and self catering.

(* I have been doing that for the past 60 years or so, and for about 10 years I visited Switzerland frequently enough to warrant having an annual Swiss half fare card which meant that whenever I decided to hop over to Switzerland the card would be of immediate use whether I was having a main summer holiday with my wife or I was flying in for a quick visit to relatives.)

[User]

Reply 4 of 6 • 30 March 2022 at 22:58:38 #939957

Remember Switzerland is a small country and the immediate Jungfrau region is a small part of a small country… As such Lauterbrunnen, Wengen and Grindelwald are all within a stonesthrow of each other. The minimum time in which you can do the circuit Interlaken – Interlaken via Lauterbrunnen, Wengen, Kleine Scheidegg – Grindelwald – Interlaken is just 2 hours 50 min.

My favourite circuit option is Interlaken – Lauterbrunnen – Wengen – Kleine Scheidegg. Then we walk up into the fields north of the station for picnic, before walking down as far as Alpiglen station to pick up the train the rest of the way down to Grindelwald, then back to Interlaken. The last time I did this was in 2017 when we drove to a campsite near Interlaken

[User]

Reply 5 of 6 • 31 March 2022 at 5:32:52 #939958

Hi Debr4taylor,

Thun is a nice place to stay. You can find a list of recommended accommodation here: http://www.myswissalps.com/thun/hotels and http://www.myswissalps.com/thun/rentals.

With the Swiss Half Fare Card, you get also boat tickets with 50% off, so you can travel by boat on Lake Thun or even or Lake Brienz.

Ildiko

More about driving in Switzerland: http://www.myswissalps.com/car

[User]

Reply 6 of 6 • 31 March 2022 at 21:56:31 #939959

Fabulous! Thank you both. This is very helpful information/advice. We are setting off from England tomorrow. We can’t wait to get there. 😊