Hello,
We recently booked our train tickets throughout Switzerland and France, a couple of which only have short interchanges (15 or so). Is this too short for the smaller train stations? The one I'm concerned about the exchange in Geneva. Is this enough time at the Geneva station? (I've only been to Italy, and trains are notoriously late there.)
Also, any recommendations on places to stay in Interlaken or Lausanne?
Any help is appreciated--thank you!
Instead of staying in Interlacken which is a transit hub, stay up in the mountains at Grindelwald or Wengen. You can drive to Grindelwald but must take a cog wheel train from Lauterbrunnen to Wengen. Grindelwald has more places to stay and to eat than Wengen and has fabulous views of the Eiger.
Swiss trains are marvelously efficient and on time- almost to the second. We have done 6-7 minute train transfers in that country, with time to spare. Be ready with your luggage to jump off the train as soon as it stops. Know your platform #'s, and MOVE! Hard to find elevators so be prepared for steps- lighter luggage makes life easier. If you would miss a train, there's another coming soon, altho it looks like you don't have the Swiss Travel Passes- you bought individual tickets?
PS
We just had a three-minute transfer on our recent trip to Germany!
Thank you for the responses! Very helpful!
Is your connection in Geneva between a French train and a Swiss train? If so, 15 minutes is not very generous because unless things changed, there can be a walk through the usually-empty customs area. But still doable, no problem unless you or your party is mobility-impaired.
15 minutes is not a short connection, it is rather long for Swiss standards. Connections here can be as short as 3 minutes. You can assume that those connections are doable. I change trains in Geneva from the French to the Swiss sector regularly and never need more than 2 minutes for that.
I you miss a connection because a train runs late you just take the next one. On most lines in Switzerland trains run every half hour.
