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Traveling the Berner Oberland, Switzerland

Posted by on

Greetings,

My husband, parents and I are planning a three night stay in Swiss Berner Oberland in mid October. Our aim is to stay in either Gimmelwald or Mürren. We will be traveling from Salzburg or Innsbruck by train and then, from the Berner Oberland, to Turin, Italy for a conference. While there, we'll likely want to partake in at least one of the higher altitude lifts/trains (Schilthorn or Jungfraujoch).

My questions are:

  1. Are we crazy to be visiting the Swiss Alps in mid October and still hope for clear days with good visibility and bearable weather (we're from Chicago))?

  2. What is the smartest, most economical way to travel by train and/or lift from
    a) Austria to Interlaken,
    b) around the Berner Oberland and
    c) from Interlaken to (or near) Turin?
    -- Is the Swiss Pass advisable (and am I likely to need reservations with this pass in October)?

    --Or a combination of the Berner Oberland Regional Pass (for travel around the Berner Oberland) and singularly purchased tickets (Austria-BO, BO-Turin)?

    --finally, is it better/more economical to purchase these ahead of time from the USA or wait to purchase in a Swiss train station?

Any advice is most welcome. Thanks in advance!!

  • Sarah
Posted by
16895 posts

I recommend the Swiss Card to fully cover your train travel days between the Swiss borders and Muerren, plus 50% off all other transportation you take during your stay there.

From Austria to Chur, you can buy advance-discount tickets at http://www.oebb.at/en/Tickets/SparSchiene/index.jsp, or buy in the station at regular prices. Your Italian tickets are also cheap to buy as you go, including at a Swiss station, or you can get an advance discount on the Milan-Torino portion at www.trenitalia.com. Tickets go on sale about three months in advance of the travel dates.

Posted by
6898 posts

Weather is a tough question to answer for the Alps. There could be early snow or everything could be just beautiful. Normally, no snow yet. For transportation questions, it's an 8.5hr-10hr journey with 3 to 7 transportation changes from Salzburg to Muerren. You actually can purchase tickets up to 90 days in advance from the German train website www.bahn.de They sell tickets for train journeys originating in Austria. Here's a snapshot of what I see http://gyazo.com/846c768e40b77e55f0ad5f9f102e88ef The 39Euro fare is quite a bargain. The tickets are non-refundable but the regular fare can be as high as 176Euro. For fewer train changes, you will pay more. You can see this on the snapshot above.

While in Muerren or Gimmelwald, the only way up or down is by gondola. They are frequent and wonderful to ride. While there, you can travel all around the Berner Oberland. The Schilthorn is just above Muerren. For the Jungfraujoch, you will need to get back down to Lauterbrunnen and then take the two trains up to the Jungfraujoch. About 2hrs. each way.

For a Swiss Pass or Card, I suggest that there are two to consider. 1) The Swiss Card. The cost is 199CHF and it's good for 30 days. This card covers your transportation fares in full from the Swiss border area, in this case Basel or Zurich, to Muerren or Gimmelwald and it covers your transportation fares in full as you exit Switzerland to the South. While at your destination in Muerren or Gimmelwald, the Swiss Card acts as a 1/2 fare card. 2) The Swiss 1/2 fare card. It costs 120CHF and is good everyday for 30 days. It does what its name implies. 1/2 fare on all Swiss transportation.

It would really be nice to have one of these cards in hand before you purchase tickets from Austria but if are able to get the 39Euro fare above from Salzburg to Muerren, it is so ridiculously cheap, you can forget any need for a Swiss card until you get to Muerren or Gimmelwald.

For Muerren or Gimmelwald to Torino, it's a 5.5hr-9.0hr train journey with 4-5 transportation changes. The journey time is dependent on the run you choose and the transfer time between trains on the different runs. You can buy these tickets in Switzerland. Show your Swiss Card or 1/2-Fare Card to the ticket agent and they will make the adjustments.

Posted by
32353 posts

If you're definitely planning to visit the Jungfraujoch, you could also consider the Jungfrau VIP Pass which includes one "free" trip to the Jungfraujoch. Since the pass has a "shelf life" (three days?) once activated, you'll have to choose the best day to make that trip, as weather can be an issue at the top.

Which Swiss Passes to buy will depend to a great extent on which places you plan to visit while there. If you're only planning to go to the Schilthorn, there's no reason to buy a Jungfrau Pass.

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