[Removed user]

16 May 2018 at 4:45:19 #816002

We are a group of 12 people, will be staying at Isletwald from 15th August to 20th August this year. Our train tickets from Paris to Basel are already booked. We need to arrive at Zurich airport on 20th August. So which train pass would be ideal for us?

Is staying only at Isletwald for the entire duration of Switzerland trip a good idea? We intend to see as many major scenic spots in 5 days as possible, so would we be missing out on any good spots by staying only at Isletwald? Hiking is not much on our menu.

I would really appreciate your help in charting out an apt itinerary along with the suitable train pass. Thanks in advance.

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[rockoyster]

16 May 2018 at 4:52:14 #885364

Hello Dinesh Jain and Welcome to MySwissAlps,

Isletwald is an almost 30 minute bus ride to and from Interlaken Ost.

Interlaken Ost is really the transport hub of the Jungfrau Region.

As well as the Swiss Travel Pass (http://www.myswissalps.com/sw isstravelpass) there are many regional passes (http://www.myswissalps.com/re gionalpasses) which can work depending on where you are based and how much travel you plan within or outside that region.

A clearly mapped out itinerary will provide you with the basis for deciding which pass (if any) suits.

Using your itinerary you need to do the sums based on the cost of all your planned trips on trains, boats, cable cars etc. You can find the fares for any trip using the SBBTimetable (http://www.myswissalps.com/ti metable). If you are not familiar with the timetable it will pay to first read the instructions on that page.

When you go to buy a ticket the fare you see on the right hand side of the page will normally be the half-fare price. Double it to get full fare. With A Swiss Travel Pass it is free provided it is shown as free on the Area of Validity map ( PDF downloadable from http://www.myswissalps.com/sw isstravelpass/validity).

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.

[Removed user]

16 May 2018 at 17:20:34 #885365

Hi Dinesh,

Iseltwald is a bit out of the way to explore the region for sure. Any reason why you chose it to stay? Interlaken or Lauterbrunnen are better bases if you will be taking trains every day around the region/country.

[Removed user]

17 May 2018 at 12:37:01 #885366

Hi Rockoyester,

Thanks for your reply. We are yet to figure out the itinerary as we need some expert help to decide on which spots to visit in Interlaken region. We are not too much into hiking, so all the spots with great natural beauty would be preferred. If you could suggest some places, then maybe we can draw up our itinerary accordingly.

[Removed user]

17 May 2018 at 12:47:22 #885367

Hi Lukas,

Thanks for your reply. The reasons to choose Iseltwald were 1. One of our friends had suggested it as a very beautiful place 2. We don’t want to hop from hotel to hotel 3. We thought it’s not too far from Interlaken, around 10 km, but maybe you are right, it may be 30 minutes by bus 4. Interlaken hotels were more expensive. Can you suggest some better alternative? Maybe we can break it up as 3 & 2 nights in two different locations.

[rockoyster]

17 May 2018 at 20:36:14 #885368

Have a look at http://www.myswissalps.com/be rneseoberland/activiti es for some suggested activities.

Maybe consider Lauterbrunnen or Wengen as a base for a few days.

If you get to Lauterbrunnen a very nice circuit to do is to Grütschalp (cable car), Mürren (train), Gimmelwald (cable car), Stechelberg (cable car), Lauterbrunnen (bus). From Mürren you can easily visit Schiltorn if you have time. You can also take a funicular to Allmendhubel. In between Stechelberg and Lauterbrunnen the bus stops at the Trummelbach Falls. Well worth a look. All these places are searcheable on the MySwissAlps website.

[Removed user]

17 May 2018 at 21:36:53 #885369

Hi Dinesh,

I don’t doubt Iseltwald is beautiful but there are no shortage of beautiful places in Switzerland. 🙂 It isn’t too far from Interlaken but it adds time at the end of the day which may or may not be a big deal depending on your day’s plans. Just something to be aware of.

Use the timetable to plan your commutes by bus or train in the area when you are there and see what they are like – ask yourself, are they too long for you or no problem?

Any of the towns listed on our Jungfrau region may be a little more central for you as another consideration for a base: https://www.myswissalp s.com/jungfrauregion

[Removed user]

18 May 2018 at 1:43:00 #885370

>> We thought it’s not too far from Interlaken, around 10 km, but maybe you are right, it may be 30 minutes by bus

Is your accommodation close to a bus stop or to the wharf?

Iseltwald is served by the #103 bus, which runs from Interlaken West railway station via Interlaken Ost railway station to Iseltwald, Dorfplatz (village square). The trip takes almost half-an-hour.

The bus runs at hourly intervals. The last bus back to Iseltwald in the evenings leaves Interlaken West station at 20:57 and Interlaken Ost station at 21:04, arriving at Iseltwald, Dorf at 21:26.

There is also an hourly boat service on the Brienzersee (Lake Brienz), which takes about half-an-hour Iseltwald to Brienz or about 45 minutes Iseltwald to Interlaken Ost.

The first departure from Iseltwald to Brienz is at 9:51, or to Interlaken Ost at 11:10.

Last departure from Interlaken Ost is usually 16:07, but there is also a 19:07 departure on Saturday.

From Brienz, the last departure is at 17:40, but there is also a departure at 20:40 on Saturday.

As already suggested, use the Swiss Timetable to plan your trips to and from Iseltwald.

Alpenrose