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Swiss Saver Pass vs. Half Fare Card

Hi everyone, My husband and I will be travelling from Munich to the Berner Oberland to Paris over two weeks. Here is our rough itinerary: Day 1 - Arrive in Munich Days 1-3 - Munich Day 4 - Rent a car and drive to Rothenburg,stay overnight in Rothenburg Day 5 - Drive back to Munich,train to Interlaken Days 5-8 - Stay in Lauterbrunnen Day 8 - Train to Paris Day 8-13 - Stay in Paris
Day 13 - Depart Paris In looking at train times and costs, it looks like it will be approximately $410 USD for the two of us from Munich to Interlaken and then Interlaken to Paris. Looking at our stay in Lauterbrunnen,I was trying to see if it was worthwhile to get the Swiss Saver Pass or just the Half Fare Card. Realistically, we will be arriving in Interlaken at 4pm on Day 5. By the time we get settled and to our hotel,there will be no real sight seeing this day. That leaves us with two full days for sightseeing (Days 6 and 7). There is a direct train that leaves Interlaken to Paris at 6am on Day 8. We will probably try to do just one major mountain lift (probably Jungfrau) and spend the other day hiking and checking out the small towns of Murren and Wengen. (Post continued below)

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With that info, here are my questions: 1. Is it worth it to get the Swiss Saver Pass for really only two days of Swiss sightseeing/travel or is the Half Fare Card a better option? 2. Will either of these cards cover the Swiss portion of my train trips from Munich and to Paris (both trains pass the border at Basel Bad Bf)? If so, how does that work? 3. The only direct train (in the morning) from Interlaken to Paris is ridiculously early at 6am. Are trains from Lauterbrunnen to Interlaken running at this hour? If not, what are my other options for transit? We are staying at Hotel Stabbauch,not sure if they offer any transportation? 4. Finally, any tips on finding discounted train tickets for the Munich - Interlaken (right now $89 USD per person) or Interlaken to Paris (right now $115 USD per person for the really early train)? Sorry for such a long post - I appreciate any thoughts or tips! Thanks!
Amanda

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32805 posts

I'm sure that others will have better or more comprehensive answers than I, but to kick things of.... 1. Is it worth it to get the Swiss Saver Pass for really only two days of Swiss sightseeing/travel or is the Half Fare Card a better option? Dunno, don't have the figures in my head and haven't worked it out. When Lola rolls up you will probably get the right answer. 2. Will either of these cards cover the Swiss portion of my train trips from Munich and to Paris (both trains pass the border at Basel Bad Bf)? If so, how does that work? A train to Paris won't be passing through Basel Bad Bf. The one from Munich will. Lola will know about the passes. If it is valid to the Swiss border then you can take trains to and from other countries and have through tickets. You just need to take into account the bit covered by the pass when you buy the tickets and it will be priced accordingly. 3. The only direct train (in the morning) from Interlaken to Paris is ridiculously early at 6am. Are trains from Lauterbrunnen to Interlaken running at this hour? If not, what are my other options for transit? We are staying at Hotel Stabbauch,not sure if they offer any transportation?
3a. Why do you need to be on a train that is through without changing? Changes are easy either at Bern, for connections via Lausanne, or Basel, for connections to trains which run quickly via Dijon into Gare de Lyon in Paris. There is a very frequent service from Interlaken via Spiez and Bern to Basel where easy connections can be made. There are all sorts of possibilities. Where are you getting your train info? Not RailEurope I hope? ... to be continued ...

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32805 posts

... more ... 3 . The only direct train (in the morning) from Interlaken to Paris is ridiculously early at 6am. Are trains from Lauterbrunnen to Interlaken running at this hour? If not, what are my other options for transit? We are staying at Hotel Stabbauch,not sure if they offer any transportation? 3b. Yes. The first train from Lauterbrunnen is at 5:34 and arrives at Interlaken Ost at 5:54 which would give you 6 minutes to get onto you 6:00 train. The timetable can be found at http://www.jungfrau.ch/en/tourism/travel-information/timetable/jungfraujoch-via-wengen/return/. 3c. Maybe you could book a taxi, although I've never noticed any in Lauterbrunnen. 3d. I doubt it, but see 3c. The bigger question, as asked above, is why not go after breakfast making a simple connection or two on the way? If you consider that there are several people here who will guide you through that process including myself. 4. Finally, any tips on finding discounted train tickets for the Munich - Interlaken (right now $89 USD per person) or Interlaken to Paris (right now $115 USD per person for the really early train)?
4. I think in Euros or CHF so can't equate in dollars. Lee or Tim will wander by at some time and can give you the way to get special deals from Germany into Switzerland. Probably something with a name like <Sweitzer-Spezial>. When will this trip be?

Posted by
16330 posts

Where did you get a price in dollars for Munich to Interlaken? Not RailEurope, I hope. If you book far enough in advance on Bahn.de, you can get the ticket for 39€. Two changes, one in Zurich andonein Bern. If you are certain you are going up the Jungfrau, a Half Fare cArd will almost pay for itself with that one journey. A Swiss Saver Pass only gives you 25% off the journey above Wengen, so is not a good option for you.

Posted by
3 posts

Thank you all for your helpful replies! To answer a few of your questions - I have not been looking at Rail Europe for train info, I have been looking at the sites you all suggested: www.sbb.ch for Swiss transport/ticket info (train to Paris) www.bahn.de for German transport (train to Interlaken)
www.jungfrau.ch for Jungfrau regional transport - thanks for this! My travel dates are August 31 through September 12. To answer the question regarding the 6am train out of Interlaken, I am not opposed to stops (although I would prefer no more than 2 on a journey). The reason here is the drastic difference in price on this route. The 6am train is 108 CHF vs. 148 CHF or 160 CHF for the next three trains. We prefer to get to Paris on the earlier side, so I don't want to wait until the train at 13:00, because it will get us in too late - that is when the prices drop to 110 CHF. Knowing there is a train out of Lauterbrunnen that would allow us to catch the 6am train is making me lean in that direction. For the Munich - Interlaken route, there are three possibilities I would consider - trains at 8:48, 12:33 or 12:47. For the train changes, is 6 minutes enough time to transfer? I am no stranger to trains, but this seems like a short time when I have to figure out where I am going. Finally, in looking at passes, I agree with Lola that the Half Fare Card probably makes more sense for me. My question is how I handle getting a ticket for the parts of my two longer journeys (from Munich and to Paris) that are outside of the Swiss border and pay half price for the part that is in Switzerland. I am gathering I should book these trains beforehand to secure the best deals on pricing, but I can only purchase the Half Fare Card in Switzerland or via the sbb.ch website. Any guidance here? I greatly appreciate all the help! Amanda