First time to Switzerland...Yipee!
 

I will be traveling to Switzerland in two weeks to visit my boyfriend who is working in Geneva. I have about a week there, and plan on taking in the city and making day trips to Vevey/Montreaux/Lausanne while he's at work. Over the weekend we plan on visiting the Berenese Oberland region. I'm thinking of staying in Murren or Grindelwald. I have several questions regarding the BO and would appreciate any other comments or suggestions you may have.

1)What is the weather like there during mid-Oct and is it still possible to see the magnificent views of the Schlithorn / Jungfraujoch? Does most everything shut down then?

2)What is the train route from Geneva?

3)Do you suggest buying one of the Swiss Passes? I will be flying into Milan (visting his parents first) and thought I could use the pass from Milano Centrale to Geneva, the whole time I'm in Geneva with daytrips, and while I'm in the BO. I'm trying to calculate the point-point trips but can't seem to figure out how to get the prices on the Swiss rail site. Do I need to pretend to buy the tickets?

I'm sure I'll get plenty of comments regarding the pass as it seems to be a volatile topic on this board. Thanks very much for your kind assistance.

MPT

You pose a good question. Let me answer the easy one first. The Swiss Federal Rail website gives you prices quite easily. It is a 3 hour, 25 minute trip from Geneva to Lauterbrunnen. And a few more minutes on to either Wengen or Mürren.
For a short stay, Mürren offers great views. So does Wengen. I am not sure which to pick; both are winners.

You can see the cost of the trip if you go to the website scheduler. There is an English version if you need it. It can be flashed up by clicking on the English words Swiss Federal Railways at the top of the page on the right side.
Once you have the timetable in front of you, click on the number under the column headed Details.
That will take you a layer deeper and show the connections and changes you will need.
Below that is a fare listing.
Click on that to see how much it costs, point to point. The full fare for Geneva to Lauterbrunnen and return is 129.20 chf. That converts to more than $90.00
There are many passes to consider.
Basically there is the Swiss Pass and the Swiss Card. The Swiss Card is half off of just about eveything, plus a free ride from the border to your destination and return.
In your case the ride the Swiss part of the ride from Milan to Geneve would be free. That part of the trip is about 105 chf round trip. (Educated guess using Brig - Geneva as a basis.)

The Swiss Card has an advantage if you do a lot of riding in the Berner Oberland region. For example, the trip from Interlaken to the Jungfraujoch is
167.80 chf. With the card you get it for a 50% reduction.

The Swiss Pass comes in several flavors and varieties. The 8 day second class pass is 340 chf. It, however, yields only a 25% discount in the Berner Oberland whereas the Swiss Card yields a 50% discount.
The rides on the Swiss Federal system are of course free whereas with the Swiss Card you pay half.
There is also the Swiss Flexi Pass, but it is fairly pricey. For 5 days travel within one month's time period you pay 340 chf.

It is hard to know what to do unless you can plan exact trips.
The train to the Jungfrau operates in October.
So does the Schilthorn trip, which is a combination of rides.
The easiest way is to take the train to Lauterbrunnen, the bus to Stechelberg, and the Lufseilbahn from Stechelberg to the top. You change cars on the cable lift. It is a pretty ride, particularly after the cable car cabin lifts above the tree line and the Jungfrau looms into view to your left as you face uphill.

You can also take the lift from Lauterbrunnen and ride that one or two car train to Mürren and then walk to the cable lift station for the rest of the trip. Either way gets you there.

There are five scenic blockbusters in the area of the Berner Oberland south of Interlaken Ost. (There is also an Interlaken West station as well.)
Wilderswil to Schynige Platte. Take the train from Wilderswil up the mountain.
Grindelwald to First on the gondola
The Schilthorn trip as described above
The Jungfraujoch as described above
The Männlichen, which is the ridge that separates Grindelwald from Lauterbrunnen. It can be reached by a long gondola ride from Grindelwald Grund (separate station) or from Lauterbrunnen. Take the train to Wengen, walk a short distance to the Luftseilbahn station, and ride up to the crest of the ridge from there.

Which one is best? I have taken them all and cannot answer because I like them all.

In many respects the First gondola ride is the most bang for the buck because on a clear day the north face of the Eiger greets you as you rise above tree line. Other, and higher giants of the Berner Oberland are in full view as well.

From the Mannlichen ridge you get a good view of the Jungfrau and the Mönch as well as the north face of the Eiger.

The view from Schynige Platte is also awesome. From one viewpoint you get a good look at the lakes on either side of Interlaken.

If I can make any more suggestions, let me know. I know that region fairly well, and love going there. You may use the email address above.

Thank you Bob Brown for your extensive reply.

Can you please comment on the weather in mid-October for the BO region?

Also, I failed to mention that the trip from Milan to Geneva would only be one-way, so maybe the Swiss Card would not be such a good deal. However, if I were to use it, would I have to purchase a seperate ticket for the Milan-Brig portion? I'm a bit confused as I would like to just take the direct train from Milan to Geneva. Also, is it correct to say that I must purchase the Card before leaving and would it be possible to get before next Friday?

Hello MPT

Of course no one knows how the weather will be in 2 or even in 1 week. In general, you can expect day temperatures between 12 and 20 ?C in Geneva. In the mountains, from 1500 m above sea level, there will be snow.

For the train from Milano to Geneva, it's the best to buy a regular one-way-ticket in Milano Centrale. For travelling around in Switzerland, you'll have a discount pass, as regular fares are exprensive (you can check this here: http://www.rail.ch/pv/index_e.htm, check the timetable first and then click on "fare quotation").

I'm quite sure that the Swiss Half Fare Card will be the best for you. This costs CHF 99.-, is valid for 1 month and offers you 50 % reduction on all sorts of public transport in Switzerland (trains, buses, trams, steamers, mountain railways).

The Swiss Pass won't be worth the money, as you will do some short distace trips. As a holder of the Swiss Half Price Card, you can buy "Tageskarten" for CHF, which are good for free transport on trains, buses, trams, steamers (but NOT mountain railways) all over Switzerland for one day.

When travelling to the Berner Oberland, I suggest you go one way via Montreux - Gstaad - Zweisimmen - Spiez - Interlaken, the other way via Interlaken - Bern.

If you have more questions, you may contact me by typing my name @ livenet.ch

I think you need to take a look at the horses mouth so to speak on the passes.
If you will go to this url and do some drilling down, you will get a load of pertinent information.
http://www.sbb.ch/pv/sts-offer_e.htm

I do not think you have time to get a Swiss Card because it is sold in a limited number of places. I bought mine over Internet and had it sent by Fed Ex. You don't have time for that I fear. The Card is sold only at airport rail stations and border stations like Basel. I know I could not buy one in Bern. I did buy one one year at the Zurich airport. But that does not help you.

In Milan, you might be able to buy a Swiss Pass at one of the following agencies:
Agenzia Girasole, Milano
e-mail: [email protected]

TEE Rail Alliance Italia, Milano
www.dbitalia.it
[email protected]
[email protected]

Email them and ask is my advice. Someone will know enough English to reply. Perhaps the rules have changed somewhat and you can get a Swiss Card.

As to whether or not the pass is worth it, you need to calculate the break even point. That point is reached when the cost of the pass equals the cost of the point to point tickets.

The Swiss pass will have have no status on the Italian section of your trip, so you will be required to pay for that section of your trip. Once you reach the border, the Swiss Pass will apply.

But search the Swiss Federal Rai website. It has a lot of information.
And ticket prices are available on the scheduler. Drill down and you will see the pricing information. It is readily available.