Staying in Murren and Wengen & would like thoughts

This blog and Kim's guide together are a tremendous help in our preparation.

My daughter is traveling through Hungary down to meet us in Zurich. Her husband waited 2 hrs to get train tkts! We got the 2nd class Swiss Transfer Ticket with 1/2 fare card. We will be starting at the Zurich airport and headed to Murren the first week. The sbb.ch site shows not many people in 1st class but crowded in 2nd class. Of course, we do not wish to wait in line for 2 hrs either but think we will need to just to have our Transfer tickets validated? …..in the beginning of July will we see that great number of people buying tickets at every stop?? We do need to have our tickets validated in Zurich, is that the only place we need to validate and then after that just get on every stop (Berne, Interlaken Ost, Lauterbrunnen to Murren BLM?). I am thinking after that, we don't need to buy any tkts til the next day if using the mtn transport to go up further the mountain.Could you clarify the process for me? If we need to expect 2 hrs waiting to get our tickets validated then we need to prepare with snacks for the children! ALso, will we be sure to be able to get on any of the trains? Do they fill up to capacity often? We will be looking to get on the 12, 12:40 or 1:13pm trains after arriving about 10:30

Thanks so much for your expert advice,EileenThanks,Eileen

My other daughter and husband and baby will be traveling to Frankfurt from Wengen for a couple days while we are staying. I had told them not to buy tkts in advance but now I am rethinking and maybe they should? Can you advise me on that as well? They have the 1/2 fare card for Switzerland but nothing yet for the portion in Germany. Do you recommend first or 2nd class for the German part…..thanks in advance for your thoughts

Hi Eileen,

Swiss Transfer Tickets need to be validated one time only: before you board your first train. Please see the Swiss Transfer Ticket page for how this works. In some cases you can do it yourself. All subsequent trains can just be boarded. You can always board and don't need to book seats. You can have your luggage transported for a more relaxed journey if you wish.

For trains to Germany seats are either required or recommended, so it makes sense to buy those in advance. They can buy a discounted ticket for the Swiss portion to Basel at any station in Switzerland. The ticket from Basel to Frankfurt can be purchased from any of the websites listed here: myswissalps.com/ traintickets/germany/ price.

Thanks Arno!

I missed that page…..Thanks….the Germany info I will pass on to my daughter

TicketsYou do not need further tickets. You can just start traveling with your Swiss Transfer Ticket.There are a few cable cars that allow free traveling on the first and last day. In such cases you may need to get a ticket as access gates require a specific ticket type. You can get a free ticket upon presenting your Swiss Transfer Ticket.

In regards to this paragraph…do you know if any of the cable cars out of Murren/Wengen allow the free traveling on the first and last day?? That would be great to do one the day we arrive if so

Regards,Eileen

Hi Eileen,

The Lauterbrunnen to Grütschalp cable car is free on your first and last day because you need it to reach Mürren. Other than that there are no free rides.

Hi Arno,

We are having a wonderful time here! We are thinking of doing the Eiger Station to Wengen hike tomorrow. Can you tell me about how many miles that is? I also know we can shorten it to go to Kleine Scheidegg and wondering the mileage on that one also.

THanks,

Eileen

Also, I know there was a debate as to which was the better routing…..Mannlichen to Kleine Schedigg or the other way around. I know this is a stroller friendly trail as well. How long is it in comparison to the others I asked about.

Thanks

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The milage is not so much the problem. Eiger Glacier to Wengen is a descent of 1050 m. Very tough on the knees unless you do this more often. Eiger Glacier to Kleine Scheidegg and Kleine Scheidegg (the best direction) to Männlichen are much easier and shorter.

Thanks Arno…..we did Eiger to Wengeneralp today. It was gorgeous and most definitely steep but we loved every minute of it! We take quite a bit longer then the posted time but we take lots of photos, rest stops and the kids love to hike. We definitely would not have lasted down all the way to Wengen! What a gorgeous area this is and we have loved every one of our hikes.

<<"Kleine Scheidegg (the best direction) to Männlichen are much easier and shorter.">>

There are differing opinions on this point.

I seem to be in the minority on this forum, although all my Swiss friends agree with me, FWIW.

I advise to hike from Männlichen to Kleine Scheidegg. There is an important (to me) psychological effect to having the Eiger keep growing over you as you approach it.

Slowpoke

Good to hear that Eileen! It would be great if you could post a trip report of your vacation, with some pictures, once you're back home.

Enjoy your time in the Jungfrau region! The weather is wonderful right now, although very warm.