Hello,
We are a family of 4 with two children ages 7 & 5.
Our plan is:
Day 1: Take TGV Lyria from Paris to Interlaken and onwards to Wengen.
Day 2,3,4: Take trains and cable cars in Jungfrao region. Include visit to Schilthorn. Not planning Jungfraujoch.
Day 5: Take trains from Wengen to Geneva airport. Include break in Interlaken for lake Breinz cruise.
Please suggest the optimal rail passes for my family and above plans.
Thanks in advance!
Without doing the maths i would suggest you buy the Half Fare Pass valid for one month (120chf each) for the adults and ask for the family card for your children which I think is free when buying passes then the children travel free all the time even when going to Jungfraujoch
When you book your ticket from Paris make sure you say you will have yhe pass and then you only pay as far as Basel.
Use the Swiss Rail Website to check train times etc
You normally change trains at Basel, anyway, so you can just buy the TGV ticket that far. There's no longer a direct Paris-Interlaken train. You can buy your Swiss travel products at Basel train station, or can buy in advance online; see https://www.ricksteves.com/travel-tips/transportation/trains/switzerland-rail-passes.
The one-month Half-Fare Card for visitors is a safe bet and still allows you to get a free Swiss Family Card to cover your older child. Kids under 6 are free on Swiss trains, but for French trains it's under 4.
The main problem with choosing a Swiss Travel Pass is that you can only choose 3, 4, or 8 travel days, whether consecutive or spread out. You most likely need 5 days of coverage and discounts, but that's not a choice unless you "overpay" for an 8-day pass.
Also, if the TGV/Lyria via Basel is booked, we got a good price on Paris>Lausanne, then used HalfFare Card within Switzerland (bought HFCs at the Lausanne station, only took minutes to get the cards and Swiss rail tickets to Mürren via Interlaken and Lauterbrennen)
Thank you all for the great suggestions.
Will taking just the Half fare passes be better than trying to buy either the Berner Oberland RegionalPass or Jungfrau Travel Pass (supplemented with Swiss Transfer ticket or something else)?
Thanks.
