[Removed user]

15 October 2018 at 18:06:39 #818702

Dear friends,

My name is Patrick from Malaysia & I am travelling to Switzerland between Saturday 20/10 – Saturday 27/10. I have some questions to ask regarding itineraries & such. Appreciate if you guys can help me. My plan is as follows:

Saturday 20/10

1. Arrive Geneva Airport at 2pm local time from Singapore

2. Buy Salt Sim card, buy Half Fare Card

3. Take train to Interlaken

4. Buy Jungfrau travel pass (6 days)

5. Spend night in Interlaken hostel using Interlaken as base for next 2 days

Sunday 21/10

1. Start using Jungfrau travel pass

2. Begin tour in Lake Briens – take lake cruise

3. Take Brienzer Rothorn Railway

4. Come down the railway & continue to Spietz castle & Romanesque church

5. Visit Iseltwald village

6. Across to Lake Thun, cover the medieval town

7. Visit Oberhofen Castle & Thun Castle

Monday 22/10

1. Visit areas in Interlaken town

2. Visit Harder Klum by train

3. Visit Schynigge Platte

4. Visit Interlaken Monastery & Castle

5. Hohemate Park, Hohewegg,Unterseen

Tuesday 23/10

1. Use Wengen as base for next 2 days

2. Take train all the way to Jungfrau Peak

3. Come down Kleine Scheidegg

4. Spend evening walking in Wengen town

Wednesday 24/10

1. Visit Schiltorn & Piz Gloria

2. Come down to Birg, do the Skyline Walk

3. Explore Wengen town & do a hiking trail if time/weather permits

Thursday 25/10

1. Use Murren as base for next 2 days

2. Visit LauterBrunnen , Gimmelwald

Friday 26/10

1. Spend time in Murren

2. Hiking from Murren to Gimmelwald

2. Winter sports

4. Cover any other area that was missed out in earlier days

Saturday 27/10

1. End of Jungfrau travel pass & travel in Interlaken region

2. Purchase Golden pass from Interlaken to Montreaux

3. Train / lake Cruise from Montreaux to Geneva city or direct to airport

4. Arrive to Geneva Airport

5. Departure from Geneva airport at 5pm local time

The questions I have for you is as follows:

A. Transport

1. When I travel from Geneva to Interlaken by using Half fare card, do I need the 1 day travel pass ?

2.Similarly on the last day, I plan to travel via Golden pass from Interlaken to Montreaux, Do I need the 1 day travel pass ?

3. While in Interlaken, I plan to purchase the 6 days Jungfrau pass. Is this sufficient?

B. Lodging

1. Using Interlaken as base for 1st & 2nd day. Or stay in Thun / Briens for 1st 2 days ?

2. Pls suggest where should I base myself & how many days at each base to maximize my trip.

3. How do swiss hotels operate? Can I leave my bag in the morning 1st & then come later in the evening to check in ? Otherwise, how can I cut short my trip in the afternoon just to check in & go back to continue my travel ?

C. Nightlife / activities

1. What are the available activities in interlaken region at night ? Are there night skiing or other interesting activities to do at night ?

2. Can I come down from Wengen / Murren to Interlaken & go back same night ? What time is the last cable car / train from Interlaken to Wengen / Murren at night ?

3. Are there snow activities during there dates when I visit ? Can go toboggan / snow sledge when I visit ? If yes, where ?

D. Itienery

1. Pls view my itinerary for day 1 & 2. Is it cramming too much ? Should I skip some activities ?

2. I love castles. Do I have sufficient time to visit all 3 castles on day 1? Are they beautiful or any of them can be missed ?

3. On the last day, do I have sufficient time to go from Interlaken to Montreux & then to airport if flight is 5pm assuming I leave Interlaken at 8am to do the Golden Pass route?

4. Do I have time to do a lake cruise when I arrive at Geneva / Montreux?

5. What is best way to go from Montreux to Geneva Air port ?

6. Will there be any train / cable car closure when I visit on these dates in the Interlaken region?

Pls excuse me for asking too much. This is a 18 year dream for me – to visit Switzerland & 25/10 is my birthday. So I really want to make the most of this trip. Appreciate all your opinions & feedback on this matter.

Thanks in advance

Regards,

Patrick Raj

Effortlessly learn from the questions and answers in the forum. Receive a daily e-mail with new discussions. Sign up

[Removed user]

16 October 2018 at 7:45:06 #897961

Hi Patrick and welcome to MySwissAlps!

Just a note that the 21st and 22nd, while doable, looks pretty busy. Have you planned out the trips to make sure it isn’t too long of a day for you? http://www.myswissalps.com/ti metable

What winter sports are you looking at in Murren on Oct.26?

Do note that Wengen, Interlaken and Murren are all fairly close to each other. While your accommodation is probably all booked and set, I don’t think I’d move between Wengen and Murren at least if possible and just stay at one location instead.

A

1. No you don’t need the one day travel pass. You can use the Swiss Half Fare Card to get 50% off the ticket when you buy it in Geneva. Do note also that you can buy the Swiss Half Fare Card online here: http://www.myswissalps.com/sw isshalffarecard and have it emailed to you to print at home (saving time at Geneva station and having an electronic back up in case you lose it).
2. No, as noted above
3. I’m not sure what you mean by sufficient….You may or may not need the Jungfrau Travel Pass. Have you done the math to see if buying the Swiss Half Fare Card and Jungfrau Travel Pass (http://www.myswissalps.com/ju ngfrautravelpass) saves you the most money? http://www.myswissalps.com/tr ain/ticketspasses/prac tical/chooserailpass

B

1. Thun (http://www.myswissalps.com/th un) is a nicer town I think, but Interlaken (http://www.myswissalps.com/in terlaken) has better train connections to destinations.Pros and Cons for both. 🙂
2. I’d probably choose between Interlaken or Wengen (http://www.myswissalps.com/we ngen) for your time in the Jungfrau region (http://www.myswissalps.com/ju ngfrauregion).
3. I’m sure your hotels will hold your bags if you arrive before your room is available. I’ve never had a hotel anywhere say no to holding bags

C

1. There is no skiing at Interlaken (day or night) in the winter. Certainly no skiing in October. As mountains tend to close around 18:00 each day, you may find Interlaken has more restaurants and night life than the smaller villages if that is what you are looking for. But night life isn’t something I think about in most towns in Switzerland (other than Geneva or Zurich).
2. You can check all train schedules between towns and mountains here: http://www.myswissalps.com/ti metable
3. No, you are too early for snow activities. The snow park on Jungfraujoch closes mid-October and then the ski season starts up in late November or early December.

D

1. Noted at top of my post
2. You can check travel times on the timetable to see what works for you. 3 in 1 day might be too much but that is up to your schedule.
3. You’ll need to plan that out on the timetable
4. See above
5. Train would be the normal way of traveling there
6. It looks like you are getting to the mountains you specify just in time before seasonal closures. You can always pick the mountain you want here: http://www.myswissalps.com/ac tivities/naturalsites/ mountains and click on the route tab to see date information

[Danielsan]

16 October 2018 at 15:51:41 #897962

Hi Patrick,

I just spent 3 nights in Wengen last month as my base. For months I had trouble deciding where to stay. I had multiple reservations in both Wengen and Lauterbrunnen. I ultimately decided on Wengen and couldn’t have been happier. Interlaken is less than an hour away, by train. For your first two days, Interlaken is probably better to stay, and I think the night life is probably better there as well, though I can’t swear to it. I don’t really think it matters if you stay in one place for the next 4 days or split between Murren and Wengen. Be aware that Murren is the furthest in the valley though. You can still do the many activities in and around Murren from Wengen. Your choice, obviously, but I’m pretty partial to Wengen since I was just there. Also, The Schilthorn is accessible from Murren, so no deed to spend a day going there from Wengen, if you are already there. I stayed at the Hotel & spa Victoria Lauberhorn, which Is just across from the train station. Beautiful hotel. Hope all goes well, as it seems you have done quite a bit of research. I also was fortunate to have spent my birthday in Switzerland, ( between Zermatt and Montreux). Have fun and have a happy birthday.

Danielsan

[Removed user]

17 October 2018 at 18:56:18 #897963

Dear Lucas,

Thanks for taking time to reply. I am sure I must have taken a lot of your time to go through my requests & reply them 1 by 1. I have decided to heed your advise & from Daniel to make Wengen as my base from day 3 to 7. It’s a pity that the Jungfrau Pass will not be in use from 21/10. I just saw that on Jungfrau.ch link. It appears that chances of me doing winter activities i.e. toboggan, sledge & etc are close to nil. Hence, can you pls suggest a few hiking trips that are easy & below 1 hours. I already have the walks between Murren to Gimmerwald & Lauterbrunnen areas in mind. Can you pls suggest any other easy hiking walks which is not too difficult for me. Apart from that, can I know is it easy for me to find money changer in Interlaken area ? Or should I change my money in Geneva itself before travelling to Interlaken ? I will be changing Singapore Dollar (SGD) to CHF. Is it a common currency which will be accepted by money changer’s in the area ?

Thanks again

regards,

Patrick

[Removed user]

18 October 2018 at 10:28:17 #897964

Hi Patrick,

For hiking ideas (and details on duration, difficulty etc) in the Jungfrau region have a look here: http://www.myswissalps.com/ju ngfrauregion/activitie s – for hikes around Switzerland in general, have a look here: http://www.myswissalps.com/hi king

Yes, you’ll be able to exchange money in Interlaken without much difficulty. I also use bank machines to withdraw cash in countries I visit as well.

I don’t think you’ll have any issue changing Singapore dollars, but you might want to consider buying Swiss Francs before leaving Singapore.

[Removed user]

18 October 2018 at 11:13:28 #897965

Dear Lucas,

Thanks for the input. I have 1 last question before I leave. How much should I budget for daily expenses in Switzerland. I have the train / travel expenses accounted for & lodging paid. So, how much do you think I should budget for food, etc. I plan to eat out in a restaurant / cafe once a day & make the most of Coop / Migros at other times.

Regards,

Patrick

[Danielsan]

18 October 2018 at 11:25:42 #897966

Hi Patrick

Glad I could help with your decision where to stay. You’ll love Wengen. I was in Switzerland for two weeks and I basically figured on 200 FR per day between food, cable cars, etc. I didn’t need that much, but it was a number I went with. I do have some extra money to now put into my next “Swiss Fund” for my next visit. You probably won’t need as much if you get thing’ s at Coop. But it was a good amount to work with. If you come home with extra, all the more better. I hope you have a great trip.

Danielsan

[Removed user]

18 October 2018 at 16:01:42 #897967

Here is some practical information you might find useful, including tips on saving money: http://www.myswissalps.com/ab outswitzerland/practic al

I’d budget around 20chf per meal, on average, (for average) restaurants. A Pizza is around 20chf for example.

Grocery stores would be closer to 10chf or thereabouts.

A starbucks latte starts around 6chf; local cafes will offer a smaller “cafe creme” for around 4.50 chf as an example.

[Removed user]

20 October 2018 at 4:30:54 #897968

Hi Lucaas,

Is it safe to rely on credit card (I have one with no international transaction fee) for all/most of the payments while visiting Switzerland? Or should I carry some CHF in case of any store/place not accepting credit card?

Thanks

[Removed user]

20 October 2018 at 7:45:21 #897969

Hi phxtraveller,

No you will almost certainly need Swiss Francs in Switzerland. A fair few smaller shops and restaurants (and some larger ones) are cash only. Also there is often a minimum spend on small purchases under 5 or 10chf sometimes where they won’t accept cards.

http://www.myswissalps.com/sw issfranc