Trying to plan stress free travel from paris to Murren
Jun 21st, 2015, 09:09 AM
#1
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Trying to plan stress free travel from paris to Murren
Hi Everyone,
In August, my husband, two teens and I are planning to spend an active week in Paris seeing many sights and museums and then want to spend the second week of our vacation in a more bucolic and even-paced space up in the Swiss Mountains in places like Gimmelwald. Although I have found some posts about the train from paris to Switzerland, I have a few questions I hope someone could answer so I feel more confident in my planning.
Should we buy our tickets from Paris (Gare de Lyon, I believe) to Interlacken (via Basel, I believe) ahead of time from our sofa in the US, or is it easy to just go to the train station in Paris and buy same day tickets? And either way, if our destination is up in Murren, should we say that when we buy the tickets from Paris or just go to Interlacken and figure out how to get up to Murren when we get there?
Also, I don't speak French or German.
Thanks for your help
In August, my husband, two teens and I are planning to spend an active week in Paris seeing many sights and museums and then want to spend the second week of our vacation in a more bucolic and even-paced space up in the Swiss Mountains in places like Gimmelwald. Although I have found some posts about the train from paris to Switzerland, I have a few questions I hope someone could answer so I feel more confident in my planning.
Should we buy our tickets from Paris (Gare de Lyon, I believe) to Interlacken (via Basel, I believe) ahead of time from our sofa in the US, or is it easy to just go to the train station in Paris and buy same day tickets? And either way, if our destination is up in Murren, should we say that when we buy the tickets from Paris or just go to Interlacken and figure out how to get up to Murren when we get there?
Also, I don't speak French or German.
Thanks for your help
Jun 21st, 2015, 09:43 AM
#2
Here's ONE way you can do it at home:
go to the Swiss Fed Railways site: www.sbb.ch/en
Put Paris (just Paris, NO station; the system will default for you to the correct station) as the Departure point and the date
Put Murren BLM as the arrival point Choose a date. Generally you may be restricted to buying these tickets (I think no more than 60 days out)
Hit enter; choose the timing. Notice this trip involves several changes. You should be able to print the tickets out at home.
go to the Swiss Fed Railways site: www.sbb.ch/en
Put Paris (just Paris, NO station; the system will default for you to the correct station) as the Departure point and the date
Put Murren BLM as the arrival point Choose a date. Generally you may be restricted to buying these tickets (I think no more than 60 days out)
Hit enter; choose the timing. Notice this trip involves several changes. You should be able to print the tickets out at home.
Jun 21st, 2015, 10:03 AM
#4
You will pay a lot more if you buy long distance tickets the day of travel. You can make it to Interlaken with one change in Basel. I believe you then take a cable car up to Murren (I think it was a funicular when I did it), no need to buy that ticket ahead of time, but any good guidebook will have the details.
You will find lots of info on buying tickets here:
http://www.seat61.com/Europe-train-tickets.htm
You will find lots of info on buying tickets here:
http://www.seat61.com/Europe-train-tickets.htm
Jun 21st, 2015, 10:09 AM
#5
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The name of the village in Berner Oberland is Mürren, not Murren. Use the correct alternative spelling if you cannot type the ü, and enter "Muerren". Computers do what you write, which is not necessarily not what you want...
Jun 21st, 2015, 11:23 AM
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If you want to move around a bit in your second week, it may make sense to buy a rail pass. Check Swiss Travel Pass, Swiss Travel Pass Flex, Swiss Half Fare Card and Bernese Oberland Pass.
You will then get either free ride from Basel or Berne resp half fare from Basel. In these cases, it might be better to buy a ticket from Paris up to Basel only.
Trains between Basel and Muerren run about every 30 min (3 hrs ride, last departure 18.59).
http://ch.voyages-sncf.com/en/
You will then get either free ride from Basel or Berne resp half fare from Basel. In these cases, it might be better to buy a ticket from Paris up to Basel only.
Trains between Basel and Muerren run about every 30 min (3 hrs ride, last departure 18.59).
http://ch.voyages-sncf.com/en/
Jun 22nd, 2015, 02:47 PM
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Thanks everyone for your help. When I went to www.sbb.ch/en, I put in Murren and it gave me the option of Mürren (Shilthornbahn). I figured that that was the right one?
Also, in response to "neckervd" we will be hiking for a few days and then only use the train again to go to Zurich to fly home. Do you still think it is worth getting passes for that small amount of train travel?
Also, in response to "neckervd" we will be hiking for a few days and then only use the train again to go to Zurich to fly home. Do you still think it is worth getting passes for that small amount of train travel?
Jun 22nd, 2015, 03:13 PM
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The Swiss Transfer Ticket may be of interest to you - gives a train trip from any border station, like Basel to anyplace in Switzerland, like Murren and then a ticket from Murren back to any airport - like Zurich - fully flexible hop any train anytime.
You may find fares to Basel from Paris cheaper simply because there are more trains there than most other Swiss TGV terminals - check www.voyages-sncf.com or www.capitainetrain.com for great discounts on Paris-Est to Basel SBB TGVS - then use the Swiss Transfer ticket to go onto Murren via any train (includes the funicular Latuerbrunnen-Grutschalp too) and with the ticket you can buy a Half-Fare Card at half-price or about $65 and then get 50% off just about everything that moves in Switzerland in between your first and last train trips in and out.
For loads of great stuff on Swiss trains and passes check not only www.seat61.com mentioned above (forte is discounted tickets) and www.budgeteuropetravel.com and www.ricksteves.com; www.swisstravelsystem.com.
You may find fares to Basel from Paris cheaper simply because there are more trains there than most other Swiss TGV terminals - check www.voyages-sncf.com or www.capitainetrain.com for great discounts on Paris-Est to Basel SBB TGVS - then use the Swiss Transfer ticket to go onto Murren via any train (includes the funicular Latuerbrunnen-Grutschalp too) and with the ticket you can buy a Half-Fare Card at half-price or about $65 and then get 50% off just about everything that moves in Switzerland in between your first and last train trips in and out.
For loads of great stuff on Swiss trains and passes check not only www.seat61.com mentioned above (forte is discounted tickets) and www.budgeteuropetravel.com and www.ricksteves.com; www.swisstravelsystem.com.
Jun 22nd, 2015, 04:20 PM
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"Thanks everyone for your help. When I went to www.sbb.ch/en, I put in Murren and it gave me the option of Mürren (Shilthornbahn). I figured that that was the right one?"
No, I don't think that is the right one as it should come up as "Mürren BLM" as destination. From Interlaken the fastest way to Mürren is to use "Mürren BLM" as destination which will route you to Lauterbrunnen and then you can walk over to the cable car that takes you up the mountain and then you hop on the train to Murren (you have to take your luggage from train to cable car but then they handle it between the cable car and train).
Shilthornbahn typically refers to another way to get from the valley floor from Stechelburg to Murren and then on up to the top of Schilthorn.
You can either buy the ticket in advance all the way to Murren or you can easily buy the ticket between Interlaken and Murren at the Interlaken station (the ticket booth people are used to tourists speaking English).
On the swiss pass, I always do the math between half fare card vs a pass and see how it works out best given my travel plans....
No, I don't think that is the right one as it should come up as "Mürren BLM" as destination. From Interlaken the fastest way to Mürren is to use "Mürren BLM" as destination which will route you to Lauterbrunnen and then you can walk over to the cable car that takes you up the mountain and then you hop on the train to Murren (you have to take your luggage from train to cable car but then they handle it between the cable car and train).
Shilthornbahn typically refers to another way to get from the valley floor from Stechelburg to Murren and then on up to the top of Schilthorn.
You can either buy the ticket in advance all the way to Murren or you can easily buy the ticket between Interlaken and Murren at the Interlaken station (the ticket booth people are used to tourists speaking English).
On the swiss pass, I always do the math between half fare card vs a pass and see how it works out best given my travel plans....
Jun 23rd, 2015, 01:44 AM
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If you stay the whole week at Muerren (doing several times more or less the same hikes) and don't daytrip to other places (even if it rains continously during the whole week) and if you leave Switzerland from one of the 5 nearest airports (BRN, BSL, ZRH,GVA, MXP), point to point tickets will be the cheapest solution.
Jo is right, it's Muerren BLM. You have to use Muerren Schilthornbahn if you want to go to Gimmelwald instead of Muerren or if you arrive from Interlaken late in the night, however. The 2 Muerren stations are not far away from each other.
Jo is right, it's Muerren BLM. You have to use Muerren Schilthornbahn if you want to go to Gimmelwald instead of Muerren or if you arrive from Interlaken late in the night, however. The 2 Muerren stations are not far away from each other.
Jun 23rd, 2015, 09:26 AM
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On the swiss pass, I always do the math between half fare card vs a pass and see how it works out best given my travel plans....>
If close though go for the pass - you may use it more than you think - like in Interlaken area going on a whim for a relaxing boat ride on say Lake Thun in late afternoon - or to day trip if rain sets in to say Bern.
If close though go for the pass - you may use it more than you think - like in Interlaken area going on a whim for a relaxing boat ride on say Lake Thun in late afternoon - or to day trip if rain sets in to say Bern.
Jun 24th, 2015, 11:58 AM
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On the swiss pass, I always do the math between half fare card vs a pass and see how it works out best given my travel plans....>
but this person only going to one place from outside the country may find the Swiss Transfer Ticket with a half-off Half-Fare Card the best ticket to ride IMO. If just going to one region and staying there it is often a better option than a Swiss Pass - or investigate the Jungfraubahn Pass which covers more things in full in the Jungfrau region - sold locally but it all depends on what they will actually do - again the Swiss Transfer Ticket or Pass or Card or whatever they call it with a half-off Half-Fare card IMO may be the OP's best option.
but this person only going to one place from outside the country may find the Swiss Transfer Ticket with a half-off Half-Fare Card the best ticket to ride IMO. If just going to one region and staying there it is often a better option than a Swiss Pass - or investigate the Jungfraubahn Pass which covers more things in full in the Jungfrau region - sold locally but it all depends on what they will actually do - again the Swiss Transfer Ticket or Pass or Card or whatever they call it with a half-off Half-Fare card IMO may be the OP's best option.
Jun 24th, 2015, 01:34 PM
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I meant to stress that the Swiss Transfer Ticket for many with the half-off Half-Fare Card will be a better deal, depending on how far the two covered train trips are of course than the striagjht-up Half-Fare Card - always take into account the Swiss Transfer Ticket and not automatically just think pass vs Half-Fare Card.
Jun 27th, 2015, 10:32 AM
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For tickets from Paris to Switzerland book early from Paris to Basel. Then get the next train to Interlaken. You can book the Paris-Basel train on capitainetrain.com The earlier you buy, the less expensive it will be. The swiss trains do not need to be booked in advance. If you do plan on a swiss transfer ticket however that must be purchased outside the country.
Jun 29th, 2015, 11:50 AM
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If you do plan on a swiss transfer ticket however that must be purchased outside the country.>
That's always been the case for some reason and I can't figure out why - www.budgeteuropetravel.com and www.ricksteves.com are two RailEurope (which part owned by the Swiss Railways is the wholesaler of Swiss products in the U.S.) RE agents with IME much better service and same prices - and have someone you can actually talk to and ask questions and get some expert advice - not so from RE phone jocks who only know prices IME.
That's always been the case for some reason and I can't figure out why - www.budgeteuropetravel.com and www.ricksteves.com are two RailEurope (which part owned by the Swiss Railways is the wholesaler of Swiss products in the U.S.) RE agents with IME much better service and same prices - and have someone you can actually talk to and ask questions and get some expert advice - not so from RE phone jocks who only know prices IME.
