Tips for Traveling in Switzerland - I will keep adding
- The SBB App is Your Best Friend: Even if your trip is a month away, download the SBB app and get familiar with it as soon as possible.
- Swiss Pass and System Map: The Swiss Pass and the system map available at the SBB office are the best visual planning guides.
- First and Second Class on Trains: SBB is the train company in Switzerland. We found second class to be perfectly comfortable. Make sure you sit in the right compartment.
- Tickets: Always have your ticket ready. Fines for not having a valid ticket are steep, and inspectors will check your passport and travel fare card. We kept a screenshot of our pass just in case. We did see conductors checking in most of the trains, specially the long distance ones.
- Join Facebook Groups: to understand the bests and the worsts. have your questions answered by fellow travelers.
- Cost-Effective Calculation for Travel card: Visit the SBB office staff for assistance in planning cost-effective travel routes.
- Check Gondola/Cable Car Schedules: Always verify the operating times for gondolas and cable cars to avoid missing your ride. You don’t want to wait another 30 mins for the next cable car. At Every cable car/Gandola tickets are checked in.
- Carry one Tote bag/grocery bag always in your bag- Grocery stores sometime charge you for a bag, Switzerland discourages waste in a big day. A foldable grocery bag and some Ziplocks. That half eaten cheese and chocolate will thank you later.
- Coop -You best friend in Switzerland - my to go place for everything needed and the best part- they are right outside almost every station.
- Information Centers: Make good use of the information centers; they are incredibly helpful for tourists. They have some wonderful maps.
- Keep Track of Time: Many shops and attractions close early. For example, shops in Gruyères close by 5:30 PM.
- Sundays: Sunday is family day in Switzerland, and many places close early or are closed. Plan accordingly..
- Carry a Water Bottle: Bring your own water bottle and fill from the fountains. And always carry a bottle of wine. You can drink publicly.
- Check Events: Look out for local events. We were in Interlaken during the busiest weekend in June, expensive accommodations and too busy..
- Carry some coins - Stations and many places charge 1.50 Chf for use of restroom. Not always but often enough.
- Charging Essentials: Carry a charging strip or multi-charger adapter. Buy one adopter and it will work for various devices.
- Weather: Don’t stress too much about the weather; it can change anytime .
- Essentials: Sunglasses, comfortable shoes, Raincoat and layers are all you need to be prepared for various weather conditions.
- Punctuality: Be punctual. Swiss transportation is known for its schedules.
- Guest Card: Don’t forget to get the Guest Card from your hotel, which offers free bus rides in the local area.
- Weather App: Don’t rely on the iPhone weather app. Use MeteoSwiss for more accurate forecasts.
- Connectivity: You can reach anywhere in Switzerland in a very short time. Lucerne and Interlaken have the best connectivity.
- Train Travel: There’s no need to book or plan your train travel in advance. We usually bought tickets at the station right before boarding the train, using the app. Unless it is Bernia or Glacier Express. Some trains have special coaches for children to play.
- Payment Methods: Cash is rarely needed as cards are widely accepted. Check your bank charges though; Apple Card doesn’t charge any fees. We used Capital One Visa and Apple Card.
- App Connectivity: Make sure your travel pass and credit card are connected to your app. My husband and I both had the same accounts on our phones.
- Use Lockers - Wish I knew lockers were this easy to find and affordable. https://www.sbb.ch/en/travel-information/stations/services-station/lockers/lockers.html
- Car Travel - Many towns are car free so if you are driving check first - Zermatt and Wengen are two towns I know don’t allow cars.
- Make plans according to weather, have back up plans . Be flexible, leave early and enjoy. Always check the webcam for any mountain trip
When planning it is important to understand the geography and key locations and make a list of what is important for you.
If you want Cities then Zurich, Geneva and Luzern are your places. If you want real Switzerland then Jungfrau is your region.
Interlaken east and Luzern are the best stations for accessing various regions efficiently.
If you want alpine scenery, outdoor activities, hiking, skiing, mountain villages. Then Stay in Jungfrau Region:
You can choose any accommodation depending upon your budget.We stayed in Interlaken west, full of tourists and busy area. Next time I will stay in Lauterbrunnen, Grindelwald, Mürren or Wengen.
Costs - I dont think Switzerland is off the chart expensive. I live in Boston and can compare the costs of lodging and food. I am not commenting on travel cost, we took the Half fare card and didn’t think twice for travel expenses. Didn’t drive ( Thank goodness- those narrow roads and hills- So glad we didn’t even think of it). We are so spoiled by train system that I would prefer that over driving anyway in Europe.
The food sticker price may be shocking at first but always remember you pay what you see. We pay variety of taxes and minimum 18% tip here in Boston.
To give you an example - Here in Boston.- we can pay anywhere from $50-$100 for two people depending on kind of restaurant you are going, Drinks add up pretty quickly again depending on your drinks.
We had breakfasts in hotel or ate at the local cafes ( Such an experience) bought sandwiches ( CHF 10-12)/ Salads (CHF 8-10) from Co-op/Migros and a meal out in restaurant. That was usual plan but changed the order sometime. The Hot sandwiches bought in local cafes were some of the best I have ever eaten.
Fondue meal is 30CHF per person usually and you must buy for two. In Wengen we could request Fondue and Raclette , ordered two wine and asked for water ( mistake :) we paid around 100 including 10% tip. Tip is usually not expected.
But in average I found it to be very comparable to Boston costs.
We bought wine and carried with us. Usually our lunch was a picnic sandwich/cheese and wine. It was an experience as we cannot drink in public here in Boston. I found wines to be very light and refreshing, they were easy to drink and I didn’t get any acid reflex which I usually do . I don’t like drinking in the evening so that kept the restaurant costs down. I found everything fresh and preservative free. I only wish they were calorie free too.
I strongly recommend carrying your snack and wine for the day trips.
Some sites to check
https://lauterbrunnen.swiss/en/
https://www.myswitzerland.com/en-us/destinations/interlaken-1/
https://www.myswitzerland.com/en-us/
https://www.jungfrau.ch/en-gb/corporate/jungfrau-railways/jungfraubahn-holding-ag/wengernalpbahn-ag/
Trains
Italian Border - Trenord https://www.trenord.it/en/
Southwest Switzerland - MONTREUX OBERLAND BERNOIS - https://journey.mob.ch/en/
Local Trains Transports MVR -Montreux–Vevey–Riviera - https://www.montreuxriviera.com/en/Z12461/access-transport
Boat rides -https://www.cgn.ch/en/
Train BLM in Murren to Lauterbrunnen area
We didnt do many hikes, will go back again- this is my wish list. suggest your favorites.
Wengen to lauterbrunnen Wengernalpbahn walk 2.2 mi. Walk. 41 min
Murren to Lauterbrunnen - 4.5 mi. Walk. 1h 25m.
Train SBB app - for example I searched train from Luzern to Interlaken for Sunday 7 AM
It showed me all the trains The PE trains are 6 minutes by the every hour. IR trains are 3 minutes faster and use different route. You can see the platform numbers shows on the apps too.
Dont forget to check the advance search option, you should choose all the options to get the best travel option.
Interlaken Area Map - things to see
Our ticket to Schilthorn - It can be a loop travel. We got the ticket from information center, she printed the whole itinerary, it was very helpful.
If you see carefully you will know every bus/train/cable car has just enough time for transfer,
Murren - a beautiful town - When you come from Lauterbrunnen to Murren to go to get the cable car to Schilthorn - you cross through the town. Take some more time in hand and walk leisurely. There are only two roads but worth every minute you spend there.
We dint stop at Gimmelwald on the way to Schilthorn and I regretted it later. we were returning from Schilthorn, We should have just plan a day only for these 3 towns.
We used Locker only in Gstaad station and it was so liberating. The locker in Gstaad was big enough to keeps our bags and some more. Not sure if it is the same everywhere.
In Lauterbrunnen There are few attractions,
Staubbach Fall - we could go up to this, go slow and enjoy the hike. It gets crowded in the end because people take pics. You come back the same way.
Trummelbach Falls - Waterfall inside the ,mountain
The waterfall walk/ area - Closes by 4.30 and it’s a 2 hour walk , no car or uber so plan on walking a lot that day. We missed because we reached Lauterbrunnen after 3.30
Grand train tour - Have a look at the website and make sure you choose PE trains on the SBB apps for the better view.
We didnt plan for Bernia express or Glacier express -found it to be very expensive
We travelled Luzern to Lugano PE express
Locarno to Luzern Voralpen express
Luzern to Interlaken
Interlaken to Montreux Golden Pass Express
Bus Stop in Interlaken East
Watch out for the correct number and ask the drive. All these buses are free if you have a local hotel/AirBnb Pass.
Day 1 we were very tired took various buses to just drive around and see the town.
