Munich to Bern to Jungfraujoch, which pass/ticket?

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    72625 posts
    5 July 2017 at 18:23:55 #812529

    Hello All… looking for help on best rail options. I am traveling with my wife, aunt and 3 children (16, 13 and 11 years old). We are traveling to Bern from Munich on the 16th of this month and returning on the 19th. During one of the days in Bern we want to head to Junfraujoch and I was thinking the best option for that is a Bern to Interlaken ticket and then booking for Jungfraujoch from there. Questions that I have are several and I’ll list them:

    1. Should I book Munich to Bern completely on DB? Is that even an option? And if so.. is it cheaper?
    2. If I travel Munich to Friedrichschafen by train and then take the ferry to Romanshorn… is that ferry covered by the various Swiss Passes (half fare or the full pass)?
    3. Is it best to go to Interlaken and then book Jungfraujoch from there or is there another destination from Bern that makes more sense?
    4. Since we plan on staying put in Bern for a day, we are really only traveling on 3 days. So a flex fare 3 day ticket might make sense but.. again.. we are really looking at border to Bern and back plus a 1 day excursion at this point. So 120 CH for a half pass and much more for a flexi might not make as much sense as the return and just booking the one day to Jungfrau. Are there other options?

    I’ve been reading this site in detail and it is great. I am putting together an itinerary to check on pricing but depending on the best choice from and back to Munich it seems like the best options might change. Rather than pulling the hair out of my head more… thought I’d see if anyone could possibly save me a few iterations of check and re-check.

    Thank you so much.

    Joe

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    Arno
    Moderator
    15471 posts
    6 July 2017 at 5:55:56 #866308

    Hi Joe,

    Welcome to MySwissAlps, I’m glad you like our website!

    1. You can book it on DB (bahn.com) but there are other option too, all listed here. There’s a good chance DB will be the cheapest but you will have to compare for your travel date and time to be sure. Note that if you decide to buy a 4-day Swiss Travel Pass, you only need a ticket to the Swiss border. The rest is covered by the pass. The border is mostly Basel or Schaffhausen, depending on your route.

    2. The ferry is discounted (50%) in both cases. Please find coverage maps at:

    3. Splitting tickets is not needed. Jungfraujoch basically is a train station like all others, so you can simply buy a ticket from Bern straight to Jungfraujoch. If you have a Swiss Travel Pass most of the ride is free, but even then you can buy the additional ticket in Bern. Just show your pass and they’ll get you the discounted ticket.

    4. I think you either need a Swiss Half Fare Card or a 4-day Swiss Travel Pass. In both cases you can use it for your incoming and outgoing trips too. Doing the math is the only way to tell which option is cheaper. I think the Swiss Half Fare Card might be cheaper here, but the Swiss Travel Pass is more convenient as it does not require you to buy tickets, except on routes that are only discounted.

    I hope there’s no more need to pull your hair out?

    Removed user
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    72625 posts
    6 July 2017 at 10:20:47 #866309

    Thanks Arno. A few quick follow-ups if I may?

    1. My 16 year old does not ride for free I believe. I need a jr/youth ticket for him correct?
    2. Is the idea of a ferry to Romanshorn not a good idea as opposed to a train all the way to Schaffhausen?
    3. If I do take a ferry from Freidrichschafen, can I buy the rail passes there? I guess the real question here is whether the pass allows for a discount going from Germany to Ch?

    Thanks again. Great to have your advice.

    Joe

    Arno
    Moderator
    15471 posts
    6 July 2017 at 13:19:57 #866310

    Hi Joe, sure, no problem!

    1. Yes, you either need the cheaper Swiss Travel Pass Youth (see here for purchase options) or the Swiss Half Fare Card like the adults (see here to purchase).

    2. Yes, that certainly makes for a more varied trip!

    3. You will get the discount regardless of the direction of travel. Whether you can buy the pass right there I don’t know. In either case it is easier to simply print your passes at home so you’re ready to travel, and one thing less to arrange for en route. See my first link for the options please.

    Removed user
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    72625 posts
    6 July 2017 at 14:04:14 #866311

    Thanks Arno. One last question. My son turns 16 4 days before we head to Switzerland. If we were to claim him as 15, how would anyone find out otherwise? Do they ask for passports/ID for children traveling with parents?

    Thanks again!

    Arno
    Moderator
    15471 posts
    6 July 2017 at 14:36:11 #866312

    Hi Joe,

    Yes, passport numbers need to be filled out while ordering, and they’re printed on the passes. Passports will be checked on board occasionally as well. There is only one way around this: if he’s still 15 on the start date of your passes he can travel for free for as long as the passes last. So that would require you to buy at least one adult pass for 4 extra days. I’m not sure if that makes sense, money wise.

    Removed user
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    72625 posts
    6 July 2017 at 17:58:21 #866313

    Thanks Arno. Actually an 8 day pass is less – 376 CH vs. a total of 480 for an adult 4 day pass plus a youth 4 day pass . But that raises two further questions for me (sorry about all of this). First, how would I activate the 8 day pass on time? Second, can I do the same thing with a 4 day flexipass?

    Removed user
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    6 July 2017 at 18:22:52 #866314

    One more thing Arno… I found info on activation and have concluded that so long as I buy a flexipass 4 day that is valid on the 11th (day before my son turns 16) then I am OK. Do you agree?

    Arno
    Moderator
    15471 posts
    6 July 2017 at 18:41:21 #866315

    Hi Joe,

    While ordering a pass you’ll be asked a start date. It does not matter whether it’s a Swiss Travel Pass or Swiss Travel Pass Flex, as long as your son is 15 on the start date you can order along the free Swiss Family Card and that gets him free traveling wherever you go. Various websites sell those passes. The Swiss Travel Pass can be printed at home, the Flex pass needs to be shipped (which is free to any address in the US, Switzerland, Germany and various other countries via http://www.happyrail.com/en/p ass/europe/switzerland /swiss-travel-pass-flex). You’ll find further options here:

    Removed user
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    72625 posts
    6 July 2017 at 19:11:10 #866316

    Thanks Arno… very last question… does the same hold true for the half fare card? If I go that route and start it on the 11th does he travel free for the month also?

    Arno
    Moderator
    15471 posts
    6 July 2017 at 19:19:22 #866317

    Yes, absolutely! Please see myswissalps.com/ swisshalffarecard/ price.

    Removed user
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    72625 posts
    6 July 2017 at 19:56:08 #866318

    Hi Arno. I just tried to purchase two half price passes online and it looks like the age limitation for children is based on the year of birth. When I tried to enter a 2001 birth date the calendar limited me to Jan 1 2002 or later. Perhaps I’m in the wrong spot but I did this at swissrailways.com. Oh well… looks like I’ll have to pay half price for him everywhere!

    Thanks again for your help.

    Arno
    Moderator
    15471 posts
    6 July 2017 at 20:02:01 #866319

    Hi Joe,

    No, that’s a glitch in their website, but you can get around that. The website http://www.swissrailways.com/ en is correct. You need to select the Online Ticket shipping option. After that they’ll ask for passenger names and birth dates. The birthday calendar indeed does not show years prior to 2002, but if you just click the date box you can manually change 2002 to 2001.

    Removed user
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    72625 posts
    6 July 2017 at 20:03:09 #866320

    Awesome!

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