Florence to Grindelwald

More information in the question yields better, more accurate information in the response. You don't say how many, of what flavour, in your party. You don't say when the trip is. You don't say what day of the week. You don't say what time of day other than that it is after "a few hours in Florence". That doesn't help a whole lot since I don't know when those "few" hours start nor how many is "a few". I'm guessing more than 2 and less than several. If you leave Florence SMN station at 3pm (1500) you can be in Interlaken Ost by 20:28 from whence you can catch BOB up to Grindelwald. You will change trains at Milano (45 minutes), Brig and Spiez. I don't know a faster way bar personal helicopter or personal jetpack.

Fair enough Nigel. Sometimes we just get excited and forget to add the basic info for travelers to help. We (4 of us) would like to leave Florence around 2 pm or after for Grindelwald. Probably second class is the best price to go. We plan to do the Cog train to the "top of the world" the following morning, so we want to be stationed in Grindelwald the night before and then spend another day and night in the area.

Thanks for the additional information. I take it that this trip will be during the months of longer days (June to August)? You don't say. I hope that you have an extra day in the mountains incase the weather doesn't cooperate. You will be able to see the weather at the top (and for many other tops, too) complete with oom pah music on the TV in your hotel. There are also screens at the Grindelwald station. The 1500 train I mentioned earlier is the best choice for time. There isn't a good connection between noon and 1500. You want to reserve Frecciarossa ES 9532 which only stops in Bologna (coming from Napoli) on the way to Milano Centrale. You will have 45 minutes in Milano to catch the 17:25 EuroCity 36 to Geneva. You will call at Stresa and Domodossola before arriving at Brig at 1916. Now this is the tricky part. All 4 of you need to be ready, with luggage, to get off as soon as the train stops at Brig. You will be on platform 3 and you only have 4 minutes to cross the platform to platform 4 and get on your next train. So there is no time for dawdling, visiting the vending machines on the platform or having a cigarette in the smokers area. If you don't dawdle it will be easy. See http://www.sbb.ch/content/dam/infrastruktur/trafimage/bahnhofplaene/plan-brig-a4.pdf for the official map of Brig station. You will getting on the 19:20 Intercity #1090 to Basel which will be waiting on platform 4 (it starts there). You will pass through Visp and get off at the next stop of Spiez. You'll arrive at 19:53 on platform 2/3. You need to get to platform 1 in 10 minutes for the train to Interlaken Ost. It will be Intercity 1085 at 20:03, for a 20:28 arrival. ... more ...

.... more ... The plan for Spiez station is at http://www.sbb.ch/content/dam/infrastruktur/trafimage/bahnhofplaene/plan-spiez-a4.pdf. At that time of evening the service to Grindelwald is only hourly so you will have plenty of time to buy your tickets for that day and the next at the window in Interlaken Ost before the 21:05 train which gets you to Grindelwald at 21:35.