Sep Trip for six days, overwhelmed with info and pricing! Any advice appreciated

brooke,

Not to worry, the group here will be able to help you get this sorted.

To begin with, my suggestion would be to stay in Lauterbrunnen as it's the transportation hub and therefore convenient for travel to both sides of the valley. Some complain that it's in the valley and therefore doesn't have the spectacular mountain views that Mürren offers, but it's plenty scenic for me. While Gimmelwald is also somewhat scenic, it doesn't have much happening in the evenings (might be boring for the kids). Mürren will probably have more "kid friendly" activities.

As I always advise for those planning to visit Switzerland, bring money as it's an expensive place to travel. Are you also planning to visit the Schilthorn?

This website might help in deciding which rail passes might be most appropriate.....

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

The Half Fare Card is a good solution for many situations, but you may find that the Berner Oberland or Jungfrau Regional Passes are also a good option......

• http://www.regionalpass-berneroberland.ch/en/pass-and-infos/the-ticket/
• https://www.jungfrau.ch/shop/en/tickets/bergbahn/angebote/jungfraujoch-top-of-europe/jungfrau-travel-pass-3-days

The issue of which Swiss rail pass to buy is something that many here have difficulty with, and I've even resorted to formatting an Excel spreadsheet to try and make some sense out of it. I'm not sure what the ticket details will be for the children, but hopefully one of the others can help with that part.

The best idea for clothing is to pack with the concept of layering in mind. That will be especially useful on the mountain tops. With the trip to the Jungfraujoch, it's a really good idea to check the weather before venturing up there, as if the weather is bad you won't be able to see much.

One other important caution to mention is that the Jungfraujoch is at an elevation of almost 12,000 feet / 3575 metres. You'll have to watch the children in case they develop any altitude-related issues.

Thanks for your quick reply Ken, that's so kind of you and this is a really lovely and well-travelled group, makes me feel a little more at ease with planning :)

Thank you, I will look into those locations.

We are preparing for our own trip to Switzerland. As our family includes children under 18 we included the free Swiss Family Pass that you can obtain when buying one of the Swiss Travel Passes. Your children may be so young they would travel for free anyhow, but you will want to be sure to read about the family pass.

This website gives a lot of details and good information. It will take some reading, but they even have a section that will give you advice on which pass to buy based on your specific plans.

http://www.myswitzerland.com/en-us/transport-travel/transport-travel-passes.html

And, if you haven't yet, make sure you read Rick's book on Switzerland. It has a lot of helpful information.

Ages 1 and 2 travel free without any additional passes or tickets. BTW - the free Swiss Family Card is for kids < 16...not <18

And I would NOT stay in Gimmelwald. Too Too Too remote, isolated and rather boring after the initial look around the village. At least stay higher up in Murren which has an ATM and a grocery store. Check with Denise at the Chalet Fontana and see if she has any openings. The Chalet has a private apartment attached and Denise also has another apartment that she rents - it's VERY nice.

"Reasonably priced" and "Switzerland" do not belong to the same post. If you want to see Alps at reasonable prices, Austria or Italian Tyrol are better priced than Switzerland.

I have camped in the Alps once, more than fifty years ago. I was only 3 years old, but still I remember the misery of rainy days in a roulotte (let alone in a tent) in the alpine climate. Actually, it is the very first memory of my life (the second being the big 1966 flooding in Florence). In the end, we moved to an hotel and it was a good choice as it was it a very rainy August and in a particular bad storm, the camping area was washed away. Even the most basic hotels are way more reliable than camping grounds.

brooke,

You may also want to have a look at this website, as it's the definitive authority for train (and other) travel across the world.....

https://www.seat61.com/Swiss-trains.htm

One point to mention is that while Mürren is a good place to stay, any trips to the opposite side of the valley will add time and money. Have a look at the photo on this webpage, as it provides an idea of the layout.....

https://lauterbrunnen.swiss/en/summer/#see-and-do

Lauterbrunnen is in the valley floor, while Mürren / Gimmelwald are on top of the cliff on one side, while Wengen is on the opposite side.