Wengen to Grindelwald First- best route and advice for Wengen area?

I will probably not use any applicable Swiss travel "discount" in spite of the other train tickets I've purchased because I doubt I've been that savvy in planning and i'm just barely managing the itinerary as it is (lol).

Not sure I am following you here. I hope you did not buy any train tickets in Switzerland yet. If you get a Half Fare Card, then you can get the free Family Card and the kids travel with you free all the time you are in Switzerland.

You can also get a 3-day pass for you and hubby to cover all the lifts in the Berner Oberland region.

So what is your itinerary while in Switzerland?

oh gosh... I am so dense about these things and I appreciate any advice you have. I am planning alone and trying my best to understand and make sense of the best routes. We are coming from DC... to Munich then Salzburg, then Wengen to Lucerne and then flying out of Zurich. So the train tickets I've bought so far have been Salzburg to Wengen, Wengen to Lucerne, and Lucerne to Zurich the morning of our departure date. I guess i did not buy any tickets within Wengen or surrounding area yet. I've only bought the "Grindelwald First Adventure Package" tickets for August 23rd... I'm not sure what else I should buy in advance vs. buy there. I would love to experience the cable cars at least one direction - i dont know if this is likely to sell out/etc.

eek. Thank you in advance for your guidance!

Cable cars and trains in Switzerland do not "sell out", any more than trains in the DC Metro sell out. Now cable cars do fill up, they have a maximum number of bodies they can hold, and they count them through the turnstile, but if that is the case, you're next in line to get the next one 10 or 15 minutes later.

Trains do not sell out, but you may have to stand until a seat opens up. Buying a ticket a month in advance gives you no more rights to a seat than someone who just bought his ticket while standing on the platform with his app. Some trains do sell seat reservations, like the train from Interlaken Ost to Luzern.

So when you think about transport in Switzerland, think DC Metro. It is a nationwide mass transit system.

Have you bought full price tickets for your Swiss segments? In that case you have probably overpaid.
Especially with kids getting the Half Fare Card is a no brainer, as the kids now go free. Even on expensive cable car rides.

There is no need to buy any tickets in advance in Switzerland. Even the "adventure package" you could have bought here. Buying those trips when you are on the ground here also has the advantage that you can more easily change your plans if the weather throws a spanner in the works. Which I can assure you it will. No trip plan survives contact with the Swiss Weather.

So if you are challenged buy the whole ticket purchasing thing the solution is easy: Do not buy anything till you are here. Once here you can go to a ticket office and explain what you want. Note that if you do the First adventure package you will experience a cable car ride.

Hello @katsoh,

First of all, you are not being dense. It's clear you are working hard to create a memorable experience for your family. Taking in the advice shared with you so far will help you save money and hopefully show you that there's less pre-planning needed than you think. It works well to have a list of activities you want to do and then switch them around based on the weather and your group's energy level each day.

Don't worry about having already purchased some tickets. When you arrive, visit an SBB train office and explain what you have done and what you need. We've mistakenly purchased train tickets within the country before, and since they were full-price tickets and not Super Saver ones, we received a full refund.

Your Adventure Package for Grindelwald First will be cheaper with the Half Fare Card, so you can go to the wicket before your gondola ride and explain the mistake you made, perhaps they will give you a refund on the difference.

This is a side note, but do be prepared for MASSIVE lines for Grindelwald First. There have been 3-4 hour long lines for the flyer and mountain scooters for the last couple months. I hate to give you this discouraging reality since you already purchased tickets, but just be prepared for a long day of lines. For example, it’s 9:30 am here right now and I just checked and the line for the flyer is already sold out for today. Your adventure package doesn’t allow you to skip the line.