My husband and I are taking our two daughters (8 and 11) to Germany/Switzerland this summer. We are spending the first 5 nights outside of Munich and taking day trips to various destinations in Bavaria. We are flying home from Zurich and would like to spend the last 3/4 days of our trip in Switzerland (possibly in the Berner Oberland region). What is the best way to travel from Munich to this area in Switzerland? I had originally planned to take an overnight train but I have not found a direct train with no stops to Zurich. Even though I know it would be scenic, I prefer not to spend an entire day on the train. I have considered traveling by plane as well. Any thoughts?
Posted by
Elk Grove, CA, USA
6898 posts
I see a train run right now in June with no train changes from Munich to Zurich HB. 4.5hrs. You don't indicate the actual date that you will be traveling. Discount fares as low as 49Euro for this run. You can buy these tickets online right now. It's the 7:17am departure. Arrives Zurich HB at 11:44. Here's a link to what I see: http://gyazo.com/554d0c578056ca08952bc3b6a4a7faf0 Within 30 minutes or so, you can be on a train to Lauterbrunnen (2.5hrs). Note that in Switzerland, your two daughters ride free with the Swiss Family Card as long as they are with at least one parent or grandparent with a valid ticket. Just buy the tickets from Munich to Zurich HB online from www.bahn.de. For the Swiss tickets, you can buy from www.sbb.ch. When you buy, request the Swiss Family cards for the two daughters. If you just intend to visit the Berner Oberland and not go to the mountain tops, you should be able to get by on point-to-point tickets and no Swiss Pass or Card. If you intend to visit the Jungfraujoch or Schilthorn, you might look into a 4-day Swiss consecutive pass (or the 2-for-1 saver pass if its available) or the Swiss 1/2 fare card. Both cost money but they can save you some money overall if you are going to the mountain tops. Don't buy any type of Eurail pass for Berner Oberland. It's not that useful there.
Posted by
Vernon, Canada
32351 posts
Meg, If you're planning on spending 3/4 days in the Berner Oberland, I'm not sure why you'd need to take a train from Munich to Zürich (except of course for your flight home)? If the Berner Oberland is your preferred destination after Munich, I'd suggest taking a train directly from Munich to Interlaken. Unfortunately, it will be somewhat of a "full" travel day. The easiest trip is a departure from Munich Hbf at 08:48, arriving Interlaken Ost at 15:57 (time 7H:09M, one change at Karlsruhe, reservations compulsory for the first leg). Once you get to Interlaken, you can easily get to whichever place you want to spend a few days (Lauterbrunnen makes a good "base" for touring both sides of the valley). Air travel on that route is not a good option, as flights will be limited and probably expensive, and may in fact take as long (or longer) than rail travel, when all is considered. Happy travels!