Schilthorn tickets in Murren?

You can buy tickets right at the lift station, south end of town, the Schilthornbahn. No “seats” no reserved times but we have found it useful to go early if the day is clear.

You can buy from a live person or from a machine at the lift in Murren.
The ticket is not time specific. The ticket is stamped where you board at each point roundtrip. Noting that the sky was clear the first time I went I bought my ticket the day of and went up around 8am from Lauterbrunnen.

Laurel, what do you mean by no “seats” in quotations? Are there benches? Is there any seating between Mürren & the summit of the Schilthorn?

I don't recall any seats on there. But you'd want to stand anyway to look down on the scenery.

You would WANT to buy your tickets in Murren, because right at that ticket office is a monitor that shows the weather at the top. You'd hate to buy a ticket and get up there only to find out it's all in the clouds.

I also don't remember any "seats" in the Schilthornbahn cars - https://images.app.goo.gl/XTS4Xv5WsWkhj2GR6 . Each of the four segments is a relatively short trip and passengers need to change cars several times, so seating would slow things down. If you want a good view, try to be one of the first to board so that you can get a good vantage point. Otherwise you're going to be crammed into the centre in the "sardine" section of the car.

As the others have mentioned, you can indeed buy tickets at the Schilthornbahn station in Mürren. I usually buy at the staffed ticket office, as the agents speak English and the process is quick and easy. One point to note is that if you're using one of Swiss passes, the prices will be cheaper. You'll have to do the number crunching to determine if a Swiss pass will be cost effective for your trip.

I remember them telling us that they often used the gondolas to transport cattle up and down the mountain, so its made for max capacity, not comfort.

They transport more than cattle on the cable cars. On one of the trips I made in the Schilthornbahn, there was a full-sized concrete hopper in the centre of the car (the type seen at construction sites for high rise buildings, usually at the end of a cable from a hammerhead crane).

Also, on some (all?) of the cars there's a rectangular metal structure, which is used (if I remember correctly) to bring water and other supplies to the top. The same is true of the Grütschalp cable car. There's a cargo compartment under the cable car, and a very clever mechanism in the Grütschalp station for unloading heavy cargo, and transferring it to the flat cars of the BLM railway. The mechanism has been described as "a complicated machine, part fork lift truck and part funicular". The Swiss have some very clever engineering!

FYI There is just a bench on the back part of the lift seating for a few it is designed for standing up not like a train.

Glad to hear there is a bench if I choose to see the Schilthorn.

There is indeed a bench - but don't think you're guaranteed a seat on that bench.

Completely understand. Thanks.

Thank you for the info........ Can a ticket purchased one day be used another day? ( say if weather gets bad )

thanks for any info

@Continental - Some of the cars have side benches as well, but not all of them so it just depends. Almost all, I think, have the bench at the front near the driver or operator or whatever they are called. None have seating in the middle of the car.

You can tell the operator you need to sit if the bench is taken and I think they would clear a space for you. They are very accommodating. (I have fear of heights so on the way down in an almost empty car was sitting with my eyes closed. The operator came over to me and asked if I was feeling sick. I said no just fear of heights and he said many do feel sick at the top due to the elevation and he just wanted to make sure I was OK. Probably wanted to make sure I didn't throw up in his car, lol!!)

. Can a ticket purchased one day be used another day? ( say if weather gets bad )

No. There is no need to put yourself possibly in that in situation as there is no advantage to buying a ticket in advance.
It is better to buy lifts or gondolas up to the mountains the day of.

Credit cards like Visa from US accepted at machines at gondolas?
thank you

Pam, thank you for that idea. I will talk to the operator.

Assuming the weather is good, I really am thinking of going to the Schilthorn and especially stopping at Birg to walk around and grab something to eat at their cafeteria.

I am curious about whether credit cards (Visa) are accepted at the gondola ticket machines as well as at the cafeteria in Birg and the Coop in Mürren.

I used my Costco VISA card successfully everywhere I tried it in the BO last summer; worked at all the Coops, other stores, restaurants, ticketing offices, and yes, the cafeteria at Birg.

I did not have any experience with ticket machines. We had BO passes that covered everything except the lift up to the Schilthorn, and I purchased those tickets from the manned ticket window at the station in Muerren.

In any case, before purchasing a ticket to Piz Gloria (the top), be sure and check the weather to make sure it is clear. It can look bad from below and be fabulous at the top. You can check the official webcam at:

https://schilthorn.ch/en/Infos/Live

If I recall correctly, there are monitors displaying current conditions for Piz Gloria at each cable stop. There were limited bench seats in the cars I have ridden in.

Thanks Deb for that thorough confirmation and thanks Davey for the link. I have now bookmarked this thread for that link.

Our experience with credit cards was that they were accepted at ticket machines but required entering the PIN. When buying tickets at a manned ticket counter PIN was not required. I’m not sure if it’s always like this but do recommend knowing your PIN just in case.

I bought a ticket from Lauterbrunnen roundtrip to the top of the Schilthorn with a Visa Credit Card without a pin in 2017.
I bought a Swiss Travel Pass in Switzerland at the ticket office in Geneva Airport with a Visa Credit Card without a pin in 2019.