Train Friedrichshafen to Lauterbrunnen

You did not mention the 3rd way, starting with a ferry to Romanshorn. There is a direct train from Romanshorn to Interlaken if you want to minimize connections. Going to Wengen, you will have to change trains at Interlaken Ost and Lauterbrunnen no matter what.

Sam- thank you for the reminder! I forgot about the ferry to Romanshorn - it’s been years since I took it last. That might be a better solution and I always have loved bidding farewell to Friedrichshafen by ferry!

I would look not just at the number of connections, but the connection times that seem doable with limited stress. Use the SBB app. It will tell you the platforms. If you have a short connection (5 minutes or so), look at the platform numbers. If you arrive at platform 2 and depart from platform 3, no problem. If you depart from platform 9, you probably have to go down stairs, walk a ways, and go upstairs. I’d rather have a longer connection in that scenario vs the stress of rushing to make that train that WILL leave on time.

Don't sweat the connections at Interlaken Ost and Lauterbrunnen, they are designed that way. You will have to use the underpassage at Interlaken Ost because you are changing to a narrow gauge train.

Thanks ! - looks like there’s a stop in Zurich as well - but still like the idea of leaving from Romanshorn .

The IC 81 departs Romanshorn at 48 past the odd hours (9:48, 11:48, etc) and is direct to Interlaken Ost, so if you time the ferry right you can skip a Zurich connection. Give yourself at least 15 minutes from ferry arrival to train departure to walk from the dock to the station. SBB says it is 160 meters and a 6 minute walk.

Thanks you’re right - I was looking at Sunday vs weekday. Thank you again for the info. Much appreciated!

Changing trains is a normal and expected feature of train travel. So do not be put of by it. Missed connections are rare in Switzerland, and a minute is a lot longer than you think.

Note that we do not talk about "stop" when talking about transfers. Trains make lots of stops en route. And also be aware that you can get end-to-end tickets for any origin-destination pair. So if you go to Wengen you buy a ticket to Wengen. One trip, one ticket. You do not need a separate ticket for each train.

If you intend to spend some time in Switzerland look at getting the Half Fare Card. Gives you 50% off on all transportation, also on mountain railways and cable cars. Costs 120,- for a month, and usually pays itself back rather quickly.

Thanks wengen for the reminders! Will look into the half fare. spending one week in Switzerland splitting time between wengen and kandersteg areas before continuing on to northern Italy but may be worth it. Assuming I purchase on the SBB app. Much easier than it used to be.

Also look at the Berner Oberland Pass. You get a discount with the Half Fare Card. If Kandersteg is your last stop in Switzerland, the pass is valid all the way to Domodossola, Italy.
https://www.berneseoberlandpass.ch/

Sam thanks for the link!

Follow up question -
After purchasing the half fare card and Berner Oberland pass can they both be applied at time of rail ticket purchase?
For example I’ll be using train travel from kandersteg to Milano centrale, and BO pass would apply to part of the route as I understand it.
Thanks !

Since the Berner Oberland Pass covers you as far as Domodossola, it is free. Beyond that neither the Half Fare Card nor the B.O. Pass have any benefit in Italy.

Be aware that you can use the BO pass to Domodossola only on the mountain route. But from Kandersteg you would be indeed taking that. Then just book Domodossola - wherever on Trenitalia.

Thank you both for the clarification-
Then I assume - on my way in - I will book only Romanshorn to interlaken (instead of all the way to my destination - wengen) and use my BO pass on the train interlaken to Wengen. Are there usually seats available so no need for reservations interlaken to wengen?

Actually, you only need to book as far as Bern. The train (assuming IC 81) will continue on to Interlaken Ost, but the B.O. Pass kicks in at Bern. Seat reservations are not usual for Swiss trains, and you will be boarding at the point of origin, so the train starts empty when you get on.

Great , thank you for the info!