We are going to travel from Munich to Interlaken West in July and then spend 4 days in Switzerland. We will buy the Swiss Pass to cover our travels there as it will break even on mountain trains and boat trips. Should I book a train from Munich to Basel SBB, and start the use of the Swiss Pass there? Basel Bad Bhf is cheaper, but I assume I would have to walk across the river to SBB to start the Swiss Pass. Or is Schaffhausen a better transfer point. We will be using P2P and regional day passes in Germany. Any tips for handling this changeover are welcome. P.S. We will be leaving Switzerland through Basel as well.
Posted by
Lakewood, Colorado
19274 posts
There are trams (Nos. 1 & 2) run by the Basel transit district ( BVB) that run from Basel Bad Bhf to Basel SBB Bhf. The adult BVB fare is 3,40 CHF (about 2,80€). You can get advance purchase, Saving Fare tickets from Munich to either Basel Bad or Basel SBB bahnhofs, but the lowest price to Basel Bad is 29€ and to Basel SBB is 39€, so using the streetcar is probably you least expensive option. The walk is about 3.1 km (2 milies). There are trains going between the stations, but I don't know if the BVB fare covers any of them, or if it is a higher SBB fare.
Posted by
Northamptonshire, England
33842 posts
I'm not your man for passes - other know better. I do know about getting around Basel. It would be a bit of a walk from Basel Bad Bhf to Basel Hbf. It is between 3 an 4 km depending on the route you choose, There are regular SBB S6 S-Bahns which connect the two stations in about 5 minutes. There are also frequent trams connecting the two. If you are staying in Basel you will likely have a free transit pass from your hotel. There are SBB counters at both stations so it will be easy to validate your pass.
Posted by
Seattle, WA
17433 posts
You could simplify things by eliminating the transfer on the way to Basel, and the change from Basel Bad to Basel SBB, by taking the direct train from Munich to Zurich, which takes 4 hours 11 minutes. The Sparangebot for that one is 49 euros, so a bit more. The travel time to Interlaken is the same from Zurich as it is from Basel. You could buy that ticket on SBB for 60 CHF, which is about the same. Unfortunately you cannot claim credit for the portion of the trip within Switzerland with your Swiss pass. this is from the Swiss Travel System FAQ section: " When booking an international rail ticket to Switzerland you will be entitled to free travel once you cross the Swiss border – if already in possession of a valid Swiss Pass. On purchasing your international rail ticket, please specify therefore that you are in possession of a "GA" General Travelcard (the Swiss Pass equivalent for residents of Switzerland). This means you will be required to pay only for the part of your journey outside Switzerland – and can then travel on your Swiss Pass from the Swiss border to your holiday destination. Please note however that you cannot benefit from this reduction on connections from Germany and Austria. . . ."