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Switzerland in February- need itinerary help and train help

Posted by on

Hi all! So thankful to have found this page. Read through several of the threads on the travel forum and they have been very helpful! Coming to Switzerland for the 1st time with my husband and 2 daughters. Arriving in Zurich around 12 noon on 2/27/24 and flying back to the US on 3/3/24 (leave Zurich around 1pm)....so 4 full days and (2) 1/2 days with flights.

Itinerary help:
-2/27 Was going train from Zurich Airport to Interlaken (would love to do the Golden Pass through Lucerne but can't figure out how to get that route on the SBB site). night 1 in Interlaken
-2/28 Interlaken (Harder Klum? is that open in Feb?) and/or possibly a mid-day trip to Lauterbrunnen or Schynige Platte or Schithorn??; night 2 in Interlaken
-2/29 go to Grindlewald and do Jungfraugoch (sounds like that is an all day thing);night 3 in Grindelwald
-3/1 snowboard in Grindlewald for the day; night 4 in Grindelwald
-3/2 Grindlewald (cliff walk, sledging?) or explore the village and then train back to Zurich (not crazy about doing this but feel like its too risky to train back from Grindelwald the next morning before our flight?) night 5 in Zurich??
-3/3 fly back to US around 1

Thoughts? Is this too much/hectic? Have read lots of stuff here on Murren and Wengen and how much people love them!! Hate to miss them but know we can't do everything in this short amount of time. Really want to see and do as much as we can but don't want it to feel like a race either.

Also, re the train tickets.

-Do we need to buy those online in advance? If so, what website is the best? SBB, Eurrail, Trainline, Rail Europe?

-The Swiss Rail Pass - would that cover ski passes in Grindelwald? Since our youngest daughter is 15 she travels free via the Junior card? Would the Golden Pass be covered with SRP? Am I correct in thinking the Jungfraugoch and Schnique Platte and Schithorn would be discounted with the SRP?

Thanks in advance for your thoughts!!!
Shannon

Posted by
7300 posts

Hi!
It does not really make sense to split your stay between Interlaken and Grindelwald. Stay the whole time in Grindelwald instead!
Schynige Platte is summer only, and Harder Kulm is only mildly interesting. The Schilthorn and Lauterbrunnen valley are not hard to visit from Grindelwald.

Ski passes cover Schilthorn, and I think they discount Jungfraujoch too but check the Jungfrau region website. I am not sure a Swiss Travel Pass pays off here. Maybe a Half Fare card does (120 CHF card that discounts every ticket including 95% of mountain railways by 50%), but you have to do the math.

In any case, train tickets do not need to be bought in advance in the country. The only ticket you could buy in advance on SBB is the Grindelwald-Zürich ticket, for which you could get an advance discount fare, useful if you do not have any rail pass.

Posted by
3 posts

Thank y'all so much for your replies!! They have been so very helpful and insightful!!
Have some decisions to make and might be back with more questions:) but until then, really appreciate this forum and the thoughtful feedback!!

Posted by
2493 posts

You do not have to decide about passes now. You can buy either the Half Fare Card, or the Swiss Travel Pass easily at the SBB travel centre at the airport (follow the signs to the train station and you will see it). Like in most of Europe in Switzerland it is not necessary to buy train tickets in advance.

If you get the HFC or STP you get the free family card, and so your daughter goes free. Even on expensive trips like the jungfraujoch.

Alternatively you could get ski passes for the time you are in Grindelwald, and just buy a Saver Day Pass for your arrival day, and a supersaver ticket for the day you return to Zurich. (get a Junior Card for the youngest in that case).

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