Traveling from Florence to Gimmewald. Tricky train connections.

Okay, of course now I see on the Maninseat61 site, that he recommends getting a ticket from Florence to Spiez. Question still, should I get this now, or the day of travel?

This route confused me until I took it! There's a lot of transportation involved, and lots of changes!
The route is Florence - MIlan - Spiez - Interlachen - Lauterbrunnen - Stechelberg.

Buy these two segments now for discounts thru Trenitalia. You will have reserved seats.
Florence - Milan -- Frecciarossa
Milan - Spiez -- Eurocity

Buy in Spiez the Spiez to Interlachen segment. Just a commuter.

In Interlachen buy a Swiss Pass (at the TI) to cover your days in the Lauterbrunnen area. This will include most trains and lifts in and around the valley including the lift to Gimmelwald. Plus you will get discounts on the Jungfraudoch and Piz Gloria.

From Interlachen you will take a train to Lauterbrunnen. From Lauterbrunnen you will take a bus to Stecheberg, and from Stechelberg the lift to Gimmelwald.

laura,

As Laurel mentioned, that's actually a very straight forward and easy trip. In the same situation, this is likely the method I'd use....

Firenze SMN to Spiez - departure at 09:00, arriving at 13:53 (time 4H:53M, 1 change at Milano Centrale). The first leg will be via Freccia high speed train, and the last via EuroCity, as Laurel mentioned. You should be able to pre-purchase those on the Trenitalia website, and if you buy early you'll be able to get one of the discounted tickets. However, keep in mind that will "lock" you into travelling on a specific train at the departure time listed. The premium trains have compulsory reservations, and you MUST travel only on the train listed on your ticket, or you'll face hefty fines which will be collected on the spot!

I normally buy P-P tickets in Italy, and have found that the agents in Italy are only able to sell tickets to the first stop in Switzerland (which is often Spiez when going to the Berner Oberland). It's very easy to just go into the station there and buy the tickets to Gimmelwald (or other destination).

Are you clear on the route you'll need to take to reach Gimmelwald? It's a bit "unconventional". Here's the easiest method....

• Travel from Spiez to Interlaken Ost (east)
• Transfer to the small Berner Oberland train which looks like THIS for the short (20 minute or so) ride to Lauterbrunnen.
• When you arrive in Lauterbrunnen, walk across the street and look for the Post Bus (bright yellow, can't miss it), and use that for the short (20 minute or so) ride to Stechelberg and the Cable Car station.
• When you arrive at the Cable Car station, walk up the stairs and board the car for the short but spectacular ride to Gimmelwald, which is the first stop (DON'T board the next car which is going to Mürren). Be sure to have your Camera ready!

NOTE: When you buy your ticket from Spiez to Gimmelwald, it will include all modes of transport.

Again as mentioned, one of the Swiss Passes might save you some money, but you'll have to do some number crunching to determine which pass will be most suitable, based on the transportation you'll be using in that area. Switzerland is very expensive, so having one of the passes is often a good idea. You could consider one of the Swiss Railpasses, a Swiss Card or one of the regional passes such as the Berner Oberland Pass or the Jungfrau Pass (check their websites for more details).

I wouldn't suggest using Rail Europe as they tend to be overpriced and the choices are sometimes "limited". If you decide to buy one of the Swiss Passes, you may find it helpful to have a look at http://www.ricksteves.com/travel-tips/transportation/trains/switzerland-rail-passes. If you decide to buy one of the Regional Passes I mentioned above, you can do that online.

I've never checked to determine whether discounts are offered by the Swiss rail system for pre-purchased tickets, as I usually just buy tickets when in Europe. You might want to check the sbb.ch website for more information.

Hope you have a great time!

When you arrive in Switzerland you will quickly see that EVERYTHING is timed perfectly and that your Swiss portion of travel will be probably be your easiest and most enjoyable. Buy your Italy tickets on the Trenitalia website. Buy your Swiss tickets on the SBB website.

So from Trenitalia purchase Florence SMn -> Brig
From SBB purchase Brig -> Gimmelwald

Don't worry about all of the myriad of train changes because once you get to Interlaken Ost the trains are tiny and the platforms small. Your connections will involve stepping off the train and walking about 15 feet to a smaller train or getting off one gondola and walking 10 feet to get on the next awaiting gondola. Swiss train people are always standing on the platforms in Interlaken (and everywhere else) ready to give advice.

Thank you all for the information. I bought our tickets using Trenitalia tonight, going to Spiez. Your advice saved me about $70 tonight, and a lot of stress. I think we'll get the other tickets later since it sounds like that won't be a problem. It will be a long day of travel. But from what I've read about Gimmewald it will be worth it! Can't wait to see that beautiful valley and get to the Pension for a few days of hiking in the alpine air! Happy traveling!

Laura, the Trenitalia system cannot see Lauterbrunnen or anyplace in the valley on their screens. You used to be able to see and buy tickets to Interlaken Ost but it can no longer see that station either. You've done the best by buying your ticket from Florence to Spiez. Very easy to go into the station and buy your tickets for the remainder of the journey. It's a 20-minute ride from Spiez to Interlaken Ost. It's a 22-minute ride on the Berner Oberland Bahn from track 2A into Lauterbrunnen. You then walk across the street to the bus stop and catch the bus to the Stechelberg gondola station. Then, up you go to Gimmelwald on the gondola. These trains don't sell out and there are no discounts on these local trains. You'll love the experience and the scenery. Wait until you see the angle of ascent on the gondola.

Two hints while at the Spiez train station. 1) if you are going to the two mountain tops, you might want to purchase a Swiss 1/2 fare card for 120CHF. You'll save a bit overall if you go to the mountain tops. If no trips to the mountain tops, you may not need any type pass. 2) Walk around the back of the station and use the ATM there to withdraw Swiss Francs. Many places in the Berner Oberland will accept Euros but the hidden exchange rate is not good. They really like their Swiss Francs

Thanks for the great tips Larry! I'm so looking forward to this trip! Just 3 months to go....

By the way, if you need a meal while waiting in Spiez at any time, the restaurant in the station is quit good. It fills up with locals for Sunday lunch!