Train Tickets

Let me be the first to say, why Interlaken? Go 20 more minutes and stay in the Alps! Second, congrats on your trip. Third, download the SBB mobile train app and you can buy your ticket through that or just get one at one of the machines at the Airport before you board the train. Look for one of the direct trains so you won't have to change in Bern or Luzern.

Thanks! Interlaken because it's a central place to visit all of the Alps areas.

Have you compared the Berner Oberland Pass with the Jungfrau Travel Pass? If you're staying in Interlaken as a base for regional convenience, you may find the BO pass covers more of what you want. Also, depending on how long your trip is, you may benefit from the Half Fare Card in addition, as it gives you a discount on the pass + discount to/from the airport. Possibly not worth it in your scenario, but worth checking.

Don't ever pre-purchase tickets, there is no benefit, unless you're trying to get a Saver Day Pass. Depending on your dates of travel, the SDP may be cheaper for you if you purchase it far enough in advance.

Thanks! I'll compare the two. I was going to do the half fare card, but I'm leaning toward hiring a car to head out of Switzerland for the next leg of our trip in France, so I'd only have one regular train ride (Zurich to Interlaken) and then use the pass to explore the area. It didn't look like it would be beneficial to add the half fare.

I'll compare the two regional passes.

What do you consider the Alps area? Being in Lauterburnnen, Wengen, Grindelwald etc really does make more sense if that is the area you are focusing on.

Look for one of the direct trains so you won't have to change in Bern or Luzern.

These trains go at 46 past the even hours (8:46, 10:46, etc). At other times, there are trains requiring you to connect in Bern every 30 minutes, so just take the first one available after you get your luggage.

You can also go via Luzern with hourly connections. The train from Luzern to Interlaken is quite scenic, so may be worth it. Since it goes over a mountain pass, it takes a bit longer than going via Bern, even though it is a shorter path as the crow flies. And because it is a shorter path, the train ticket is just a little bit less than going via Bern.

If you don't intend to loop back to Switzerland at the end of the trip, picking up a rental car in that country and dropping it off in France is likely to be shockingly expensive. The international-drop surcharge is usually at least hundreds of dollars. You might opt instead to take the train to Basel or Geneva and rent the car from an agency physically located in France.

If you rent a car in Switzerland it will have the Swiss Vignette, but it will not have a French environmental sticker so you won't be able to drive in several areas and cities in France.

And the international drop charge should be explored while you are sitting down, or you may fall down.

The best ticket to get for your arrival day is the "Saver Day Pass". This is a discounted day pass that gives you unlimited travel on all public transit in Switzerland. So that will get you to Interlaken, or wherever it is you intend to stay.

However this pass must be bought in advance, and gets more expensive the longer you wait. So buy it as soon as you have booked your flights:

So go to www.sbb.ch, search for "Zurich Airport" to Interlaken, and you will usually see it as one of the offers.

The other offers will be:
-- Point to Point ticket. Also fully flexible, but only valid on the route you bought. Is refundable until the day before travel.

• Supersaver ticket: Cheaper. Not refundable. Not flexible. Avoid if you are arriving by air. If a delayed flight makes you miss your train you will need a new ticket.

Thanks for all the good help and suggestions. For our trip, we are doing three days in the Jungfrau region and using Interlaken as a base. The thought is there would be more restaurant/dining options and a central location to the small villages/towns with easy access via train and cable cars. For this we would use the Jungfrau train pass as allegedly it goes almost everywhere except Jungfraujoch, which (this should get folks talking!) we are going to skip.

At the end of the trip we are going to hire a car to drive us to Annecy for the next part of the adventure. There are four of us, so while a bit pricey, it saves a lot of time. I appreciate the thoughts on rental cars. That confirms what I found which is that you really can't rent a car and go one way.

so, given the above, *jtwgriffin", will you return the car in Annecy?

or......?

No. There is no rental car! I’m hiring a car with a driver. They will pick me up and drop me off !

There are 2 schools of thought when it comes to selecting a place to stay in the Jungfrau Region.

1. Convenience - For this, people select interlaken or sometimes Lauterbrunnen.
   Pros - centralized for day trips
   Cons - bustling, lacking charm & views

2. Experience/Immersion - For this, people select Wengen, Murren or sometimes Grindelwald
   Pros - you are already amidst the mountains with epic views right out your door, so you have a more immersive experience for your entire time
   Cons - a bit more time required for day trips to the region

Personally with only 3 days, I'd want to be IN the mountains the entire time, but if you already have a place in Interlaken, you can make it work, it's just that every day you leave the mountains you'll likely be a bit bummed to be returning to a transportation hub that feels removed from the peaceful, alpine experience of the mountains.

The Jungfrau Pass does include a lot, but it also doesn't include the Schilthorn if that's of interest to you. The BO pass does.