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Interlaken to Munich Train or Flight

I'm spending 3 nights in Berner Oberland late May

It takes about hour or so to get from Gimmelwald or Murren( haven't decided where exactly I'm staying in Berner Oberland) to Interlaken then,

a 2.5 hr train from Interlaken to Zurich airport then,
1 hour flight to Munich

or

same hour train to Interlaken then,
2hr SBB train via Basel to Zurich via ICE then,
4h45m train to Munich city center

If I decide to fly from Interlaken to Munich, my best swiss airport has to be Zurich, right? Its largest, most options, and well connected in Switzerland?

Posted by
27093 posts

I'd check Skyscanner.com. Origin: Switzerland. Destination: Munich.

I checked a random date in late May and found non-stops from Geneva, Zurich and Basel. Geneva was the cheapest. That doesn't necessarily hold true for every day.

I haven't checked the train times to see whether there's a significant difference to the various airports starting from the Interlaken area.

Posted by
20072 posts

I think your train from Interlaken to Munich is via Basel and Karlsruhe, taking 7 1/2 hours.

You have to factor in the waiting time and boarding and transport time into Munich from the airport.
BY air: 2 1/2 hours from Interlaken to Zurich airport, plus you should arrive 2 hours before your plane departs, 1 hour in the air. 1/2 hour to get off the plane to the airport train station, 1 hour to Munich Hbf equals 7 hours travel time.

BUT the quickest way is to take a train to Zurich then the IC bus to Munich. That can be 6 to 6 1/2 hours. It does drop you at Hackerbruecke Bus station, which is 1 S-bahn stop from the Hbf.

Posted by
32201 posts

mex,

On that route, I'd suggest using ground transportation rather than a flight. As the others have mentioned, you'll first have to get to Zürich airport, then go through the usual routine of check-in, security, waiting, boarding and deplaning, flight times (with possible delays) and then transportation into your destination city. You'll also have to contend with cramped seating, expensive and restrictive baggage limits and the usual air travel hassles. It will be a grueling trip that will take the better part of a day.

As Sam mentioned, one of the easiest solutions will be a train/bus combination. Using Interlaken Ost as the departure point, the quickest trip will be a departure at 07:29, arriving Munich at 13:29 (time 6H:00M, 3 changes, last leg via bus). The train changes in Bern are very straightforward. The transfer to Bus in Zürich is also easy although there's a short walk..... the Carpark Sihlquai is visible from the station, across from the entrance to the Hotel Walhalla. You should be able to walk there within five minutes.

As I recall, the Hackerbrücke central bus depot is close to the Munich Hbf, but behind the main entrance. It shouldn't be difficult to get from there to your hotel. Depending on the location of your hotel and as you'll have luggage, you may want to use a taxi.

If you're going to be using the Hbf during your visit, I believe there's some construction going on there at the moment, so there may be barricades or other activity in certain parts.

Posted by
374 posts

I decided on taking the train. From interlaken to Munich.

Should I book my train ticket now or wait till I’m there. I’m still kind of confused on which train tickets I should book ahead of time or not.

Posted by
8889 posts

2hr SBB train via Basel to Zurich via ICE then,

Going from Mürren to Munich it is either/or, not both
Route 1 (northerly route): Mürren - Interlaken - Basel - Karlsruhe - Stuttgart - Munich
Route 2 (Easterly route): Mürren - Interlaken - Zürich - Bregenz - Lindau - Munich
Beware on the Zürich route, some options are actually a bus from Zürich to Munich, not a train.

I would buy this ticket now, you will save money by buying early, from the DB (German Railways) website: https://www.bahn.com/en/view/index.shtml
Except DB will only sell you a ticket from Interlaken, you need to buy Mürren to Interlaken locally.
I looked for a random date in May, and saw tickets for €47.90 on route 1, and € 29.90 on route 2.

And, BTW, Gimmelwald is just an add-on to Mürren, doesn't make any difference to your route which you stay in.