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Planning a switzerland trip

Hi there,i am staying in Munich and would like to know which is the cheaper option to travel to Switzerland,Grindelwald?And approximately how long will it take?I am familiar with the Bla Blah Car service and will be downloading the app soon.I donot mind travelling with train,shared car or bus.I just need to know how to get there.I am currently at Unterchaching,Fasanenstrabe.

Posted by
19637 posts

if you look at www.bahn.com, I see you can get a Super Sparpreis Europa ticket now for 44.90 EUR starting 5:57 am on Wednesday July 31. S-Bahn to Munich Hackerbruecke, then IC bus to Zurich Hbf Sihlquai, then train connections via Bern and Interlaken Ost. Takes 7 hours and 11 minutes with an extra train change at Spiez. You could also take an earlier S-Bahn to Hackerbruecke to get the bus.

Posted by
5 posts

ok great,i see that there is quite a few connections one has to take in order to get to Switzerland,There isnt a direct route?What is the main local train and bus station called in Germany,and what is your advice on how to obtain the best travel card for in and around germany aswell as Austria ?

Posted by
32512 posts

No there isn't a direct route. Lakes and mountains get in the way.

In Germany the main bus station is called ZOB (abbreviation of Zentraler Omnibus Bahnhof which is unlikely to be spelled out). The main train station is called Hauptbahnhof. A minor train station is called Bahnhof. A minor bus stop is called Haltestelle.

It is a little different in Switzerland.

Your last question - nobody can know unless you specify your entire itinerary. Do you mean that you are resident in Munich now? When are these trips? Have you been living in Germany or the EU more than 6 months?

Posted by
19637 posts

A more direct way? No. Grindelwald is a small resort village in the mountains. It takes a few connections from Zurich (or anywhere else) to get there. Plus the rail connection between Grindelwald and Interlaken Ost is by a narrow gauge railroad. Regular trains cannot operate on it, so that connection is a must. You need to change trains at least once between Zurich and Interlaken Ost, either at Bern, Spiez, or Luzern.

Posted by
5 posts

Yes that is fair enough,well let me give you a rough idea of my travels.I am a tourist not living in Germany,and will arrive in Munich on Aug 06.(I stated Unterchaching Fasenenstrabe before because thats exactly where i will travel from)On Aug 07 i have booked accomodation in Grindelwald Switzerland for 3 days and then in another city Ticino in switzerland and then i head back to munich where i will reside with a mate of mine,until i head off to Austria for 3 days.Thereafter i return to Munich.So that is what is planned out so far,i will also go to Stuttgard and perhaps a few other cities in Germany but the dates have not been confirmed yet.Also,how long does it take to register a new sim card?as i wish to purchase one for the use of wifi whilst touring.

Posted by
32512 posts

20 minutes, but you don't need a SIM for wifi. You do need it for 5G/4G/3G data.

Ticino is a province (Canton in Swiss language). Is that what you mean or have you made an error typing - perhaps Tirano or Tirana (all different places)?

You probably mean Stuttgart?

Posted by
5 posts

to my understanding wifi is only available at cafes and restraunts.How will i get wifi for the times when i will be for example hiking in switzerland?Or hiking in Bavaria alps?So in Ticino i will be staying in Lugano-Switzerland.

Posted by
8889 posts

wifi is only available at cafes and restraunts.How will i get wifi for the times when i will be for example hiking in switzerland?

I think you are confused as to what WiFi is.

Normally when you are accessing the internet on your phone, you are going through the phone system, same as making a phone call.
This is provided by your phone company. The "SIM card" in your phone provides the connection to the phone company, verifying you are who you claim to be, and ensuring any costs are billed to you (and nobody else's phone can bill to your account).
This is not WiFi

The alternative, for example at home or in a restaurant or café, is WiFi. This is a connecting via a WiFi unit, at home or on a wall in the building. It only has a rang of a few metres. Here you are routing through your home (or hotel/restaurant/café) internet connection. This is normally free (apart from your home internet charges).

If you are travelling you have 3 options to connect to the internet:
1) Continue to use your home phone company. This is in many cases expensive.
2) Buy a new SIM card for a local phone provider. Usually cheaper.
3) Use WiFi. This is (usually) free, but requires you to be near (same building) to a WiFi service.

(1) and (2) will work when you are outdoors, WiFi generally will not.

Posted by
8889 posts

Anusha, you have mangled your place names. "Unterchaching,Fasanenstrabe" does not exist.
I guess you mean "Unterhaching", which is a suburb of Munich. And it has a road called "Fasanenstraße". Note the penultimate letter is a ß, which is a German double-s, so it is alao spelled "Fasanenstrasse".
Click for map.

If you mangle placenames you will confuse people, and internet searches will not work.

Posted by
135 posts

"Unterchaching, Fasanenstrabe" Mind the spelling. Correct is Unterhaching, Fasanenstraße (or: Fasanenstrasse). Unterhaching is a suburb south southeast of Munich (München). The letter ß is a German peculiarity. It's a double s. Many foreigners that don't know any German think it's a b. It's only used after vowels that are spoken long. It plays quite an important role in the German written language. Example: Ich habe Bier in Massen getrunken vs. Ich habe Bier in Maßen getrunken. I drank masses of beer vs. I drank beer
moderately.

Posted by
5 posts

oh ok,i didnot know about the penultimate letter,thanks for the tip.And i meant to have said that i require Internet connectivity,not wifi,sorry about the confusion.As i will be on hiking trails alot,i prefer to have internet connectivity during this time aswell.So just wondering which is the best service provider for a sim card and where to purchase one?