Short Itinerary Review and Swiss Travel Pass Opinion Needed...

Posted by pradeep.mirchandani on 05/12/24 09:44 AM

Hi,

Me and my wife are travelling to Switzerland for the 1st time. We have limited days in our itinerary, eagerly want to visit the valleys/alps and require some help to get a review done by you since you are the expert here. We also want get some insights as well on which travel pass would suit best as we are confused with multiple online articles. Thanking you in advance

August 2024

Day 1 – Land at Geneva early morning. Take a train to Montreux. Then take the golden pass line to Interlaken. Take another train to Lauterbrunnen. Check in at hotel. Sightseeing in Lauterbrunnen in evening.

Day 2 – Visit Grindelwald & Grindewald First. Hike to Lake Bachalpsee.

Day 3 – Take an early morning train to Jungfraujoch via Kleine Scheidegg.

Day 4 – Visit Wengen for sightseeing – Hike to Leiterhorn. Leave for Zurich by train in evening and spend the night there.

Day – 5 Leave for Zurich Airport.

Posted by Kim

Paris

05/12/24 10:27 AM

10285 posts

Hi, just so you know, Rick Steves himself does not review the questions posed by travelers on this Forum. He provides this Forum for the exchange of information, and those who respond are fellow travelers like yourself, volunteering their time to provide advice.

Posted by pradeep.mirchandani OP

05/12/24 10:30 AM

2 posts

Yes I know that!

Posted by wanderweg

Nashville, TN

05/12/24 12:22 PM

618 posts

Definitely the half fare card and you can price it out to see if the 4 day Berner Oberland pass might be worth it for you. It gives you the convenience of hopping on/off included routes without purchasing those tickets. Prices on SBB.ch default to half fare card pricing.

I’d make a couple adjustments to your itinerary…

Day 1 – Geneva > Montreux > Interlaken Ost > Lauterbrunnen

Day 2 – Lauterbrunnen > Zweilutchinen > Grindelwald > Grindelwald First/Bachalpsee (be prepared for this to be very crowded in August) > Zweilutchinen > Lauterbrunnen

Day 3 – Lauterbrunnen > Kleine Scheidegg > Jungfraujoch > Kleine Scheidegg > Wengen (explore village) > optional Mannlichen for great views > Wengen > Lauterbrunnen — prepurchase a Seat reservation for Jungfraujoch to avoid massive lines - it’s insanely busy in August. Then you can spend your afternoon in Wengen/Mannlichen to open up more options for the next day…

Day 4 – Lauterbrunnen (store your luggage) > Grutschalp > Murren > Allmendhubel > North Face Hike counterclockwise from Allmendhubel or shorter Bluemental Trail > Murren > Gimmelwald > Stechelberg > Lauterbrunnen > Interlaken Ost > Zürich

Day 5 - Depart Zurich

Posted by Sam

Green Bay

05/12/24 01:21 PM

21218 posts

If you want the lowest price, buy Half Fare Cards for each of you for 120 CHF.

Go to the Jungfraujoch at the first opportunity in the morning with good weather, either Day 2, 3, or 4. It is expensive no matter what, and not worth it if the weather is bad. The weather can turn bad in the afternoon, so earlier is better.