My daughter and I will be in Europe in May. Starting in Amsterdam, we go to London, Paris, Murren, Venice, Cinq Terre and Rome. I have to book train tickets soon but am wondering what a reasonable time to book the morning trains so that we will have time to eat the hotel breakfast and travel to the train station, esp. from Murren and Venice. Someone on another post mentioned the vaporetto ride takes time. How early do they run? Same question with the gondola down from Murren? Any suggestions please.
Posted by
Scotland
505 posts
Greetings
It takes several trains/cable cars to get down out of Murren, so you main limitation will be when the first cable car or train leaves from Murren.
I would used the Swiss Railways site to search for your complete itinerary out of Murren because you will need to go train-cablecar or cablecar-cablecar-bus to Lauterbrunnen, then another train to Interlaken Ost where you can connect to intercity/country trains. And the timings are set so that you book this trip all as one - so you need to plan that way.
I'd suspect you want to start out of Murren no earlier than 9am so you can get breakfast, check out and get your luggage to either the train or cablecar.
Kate
Posted by
Elk Grove, CA, USA
6898 posts
There are two ways up and down from Muerren. The quickest is the short cog-train run to a gondola. This gondola goes down to the Lauterbrunnen main street which is just across the street from the Lauterbrunnen train station. This system's first run in the morning is about 6:06am according to the Swiss rail website. You have six minutes to catch the Lauterbrunnen train to Interlaken Ost. From Muerren to Interlaken Ost takes 48 minutes (assuming you don't miss the train connection).
If you want an early run to Venice, the 6:06am gondola down gets you to Interlaken Ost at 6:54am. There is a nice train run leaving Interlaken Ost at 7:29am. Or, you can catch another run at 8:01am if you want to take a slightly later gondola down. The train run from Interlaken Ost to Venice will be just under 7.0hrs. You will change trains in Spiez and most likely Milan.
Posted by
OP
Langley, B.C., Canada
103 posts
Thank you so much. that will help in picking a train time.
Posted by
Scotland
505 posts
Greetings
I wouldn't worry about missing a connection in Lauterbrunnen - the schedule is specifically timed for you to make the trains.
From the cog train to the gondola, your luggage will be transferred for you (if it's like the old system, it goes in a big metal pannier on the outside which is mechanically transferred).
Kate