Budget train travel in jungfrau region

I would first ask why you want to move locations within the region. Gimmelwald is very accessible from Grindelwald and vice versa.

msa,

I don't think the term "budget" fits well in Switzerland. The best you can hope for is to minimize the costs, but it's going to be expensive regardless.

The topic of "which pass to buy in Switzerland" is a complicated one, and something I always have to spend a lot of time working on (even to the point of formatting an Excel spreadsheet). I've found the best method is to simply do the number crunching by comparing the prices of each trip with and without each type of pass. It's a lot of work! If you're only going to be touring within that area, one of the regional passes may also work for you, such as the Berner Oberland Regional Pass or the Jungfrau Regional Pass.

I have the same question as Tom regarding spending time in both Grindelwald and Gimmelwald. Both places are only a short distance apart. A more efficient method is to use one "home base" location in that area and do day trips.

Just to clarify, your trip to the Jungfraujoch will be via train to Kleine Scheidegg and then train to the top. The trip to the Schilthorn will be via cable car. For the trip from Lauterbrunnen to the Schilthornbahn, you'll travel by Post Bus (bright yellow, you can't miss them).

A few final tips - it's a good idea to check the local webcams for status of the weather on the Jungfrau. If it's completely fogged in at the top, you won't see much. Also, it's about 12,000 ft.+ at the top so if any in your party have altitude-related issues, something to consider.

You may find this website helpful.....

https://www.ricksteves.com/travel-tips/transportation/trains/switzerland-rail-passes

I have made many spreadsheets (4 to be precise) to answer pass questions for myself. For our time in the Berner Oberland, I have always found a Berner Oberland Regional Pass to be a great value. If we travel more outside of that area, I get a Swiss Half Fare Card. The HFC also gives you a discount on the BO Reg Pass. The Swiss Pass has never worked out for us financially as we tend to spend more time on mountain trains and lifts that are only partially covered with a Swiss Pass.

It will take a couple of hours to do a spreadsheet, but it is worth it. PM me if you want an example spreadsheet.

I agree with the others and use one as a base. I prefer Wengen to Grindlewald. I have also stayed in Gimmelwald. Pick one and stay there. You can day trip to the other.

Thanks all for the replies. We are moving between two spots because we originally booked gimmewald for 3 nights and later decided to extend our time. Our hostel wasn't available for the first two nights, so we found an affordable hostel in grindlewald. It seems that the regional pass or the half fare card will fit best. Does anyone have links they can share so I can understand these passes and their prices correctly? Also when I look into prices for jungfrau, I am seeing different rates. In order to do the spreadsheet how much does the jungfrau trip cost? Schilthorn? Thanks in advance

ms,

The Hostel you're using in Grindelwald wouldn't be the HI Hostel, would it? If so it's a nice Hostel but it's a somewhat arduous uphill hike from the train station. Something to consider if you're going to be making frequent trips while there. You could also have a look at the Valley Hostel in Lauterbrunnen, as it's much more central and has easy access to transportation. You also might be able to find a reasonably priced room at the Horner Hotel.

The website that I linked earlier for the Rick Steves Swiss passes provides good information on the various passes available. You can check costs for each of the trips on the SBB.ch website. Be sure to select the "No Passes" option at the bottom (or whatever it's called) to see the base price for each trip. It's impossible to tell you the cost for each trip unless you indicate your starting point.

It will be easiest to visit the Schilthorn when staying in Gimmelwald, as it's on the same side of the valley. The unreduced fare from Mürren to the Schilthorn is SF 82.20 return. The Schilthornbahn website should provide some answers.

Have a look at the Jungfrau Regional Pass to see whether that might work for you. The 3-day version would provide a lot of your transport, and it provides a 50% discount from the Eigerglacier to the Jungfraujoch. You could also consider the Berner Oberland Regional Pass.

As alluded to by Ken, the default fares shown on the SBB website assume that you hold a half-fare card. You need to select "Fare/Buy" for your chosen departure time, then change the pull-down box on the next screen to "No Reduction" in order to see what you will pay without any sort of travel card or pass.

The Jungfraujoch excursion used to offer a discount for early morning trips. Does anyone know if this is still true? It does not appear to be so when I play with sbb.ch, as the 7:24 departure from Wengen is the same cost (88 CHF) as the 10:54 departure.