mitra906

Hii...We are travelling to Germany and Switzerland for the first time with our 4 year old daughter. We are in Europe for 8 days between the 22nd of September till the 30th of September. Flying into Munich and flying out of Geneva. We are spending 2 days in Munich and then plan to take the train to Zurich for 3 nights. Then take another train to Interlaken and spend a night. After Interlaken leave for Geneva taking the train. Ideally we want to take the train from Interlaken directly into Geneva airport for our flight. Is it a good idea? Flight is at 12 pm on the 30th.
I am a little confused about train tickets. I have heard that one can purchase 2 country rail passes for a week. Is that more economical? Can somebody advise me whether it's a good idea to purchase train tickets while i am there instead of booking it from the US? And where to book it online? Any comments and help would be appreciated.

nytraveler

Often just buying point to point tickets in cheaper than a pass - but you would need to check details

I strongly suggest less time in Zutich (primarily a business city) and more in the mountains (which you really don;t have any of). Lucern has more for tourists as do the small vilages up the mountains from Interlaken.

swandav2000

Hi mitra906,

Yes, I also think you should spend the bulk of your Swiss time in the mountains. I personally love the small mountain villages, and there are enough walks, hikes, and cable car rides to keep normal folks busy for weeks at a time.

It's a shame you are posting this so late, as you can get discounted tickets for the München-Zürich trip if you buy early. The discounted fares go on sale about 90 days early, but they do sell out. You should take a look to see if there are any cheap fares left. Go to

www.bahn.de

You can print your tickets on your own computer.

The trip from Interlaken to Geneva will be around 3h. So if your flight leaves at noon, you should be at the airport at nine, and that means leaving Interlaken at 6 am. I wouldn't want to do that.

You can check all the Swiss train fares and schedules at

www.rail.ch

Have fun!

s

DalaiLlama

For a 12 noon flight from GVA you have these two train options from Interlaken-Ost (Ost = East, one of the two stations in Interlaken):

Lvg 06:26 arr. Bern on platform 6 at 07:23 change to platform 4 for IC708 train lvg Bern 07:34 arr. Geneva airport 09:24

Lvg 07:01 arr. Bern at 07:52 change to platform 3 for IC2510 train lvg Bern 08:04 arr. Geneva airport 09:59

I recommend taking the earlier one because you're supposed to check in no less than two hours before an international flight, preferably a bit sooner, and even though the train conveniently gets right to the airport, there is still quite a bit of walking involved to get to yuur check-in counter.

You can buy the train tickets the day before - tell the agent it's for tomorrow so the correct date stamp will be on the tickets. No need to reserve seats or anything, just be on time and wait in the sector of the platform where your class (second is plenty nice!) will depart from - look up at the A-B-C-D markers and listen to the announcements or study the train-composition diagram on display.

About getting train passes - I doesn't sound to me like you'll be travelling enough distances to pay for a pass. Your daughter travels free (because she's under 6 years of age and travelling with you), at least in Switzerland (don't know about Austria).

DalaiLlama

Never mind Austria, I meant Germany. Check www.bahn.de

DalaiLlama

Just saw swandav advising a 3-hour check-in. I've never had to be that early, Geneva airport is not that big, but maybe he knows something I don't. In that case:

Lvg 06:01 arr. Bern on platform 6 at 06:52 change to platform 3 for IC708 train lvg Bern 07:04 arr. Geneva airport 08:59

Hey - you can sleep when you're old, and then you'll say "...when you're dead" - but you knew that ;-0

mitra906

Thanks so much for all this information!

@ nytraveler...We had booked at Swissotel in Zurich today but after reading up a li'll bit more, cancelled the reservation.

Plan to spend more time in Central Switzerland. So if we stay in Interlaken, can we still go to the neighbouring places as day trips? And are they accesible via trains? Trying to avoid renting a car.

@ swandav2000...Planned this trip pretty late and wish i could have booked cheaper train tickets!

@DalaiLlama...Thanks so much for the info. I was under the impression that i'd have to pay for my daughter!
Btw,Your last comment cracked me up

Any ideas about other places we could visit while staying in Interlaken? How is the weather around that time?

DalaiLlama

From Interlaken you have a whole bunch of choices. Here are just a few of them:
www.niesen.ch
www.niederhorn.ch
boatrides at www.bls.ch/schiff
www.brienz-rothorn-bahn.ch
www.giessbach.ch (waterfall, garden restaurant, access from Brienz via boat on the way to Interlaken)
www.brienzersee.ch
www.wengen.ch
www.muerren.ch
www.myjungfrau.ch
for hiking trail info:
www.myswitzerland.com/en/interests/hiking1.html
www.wanderland.ch/en/page.cfm/318235
www.wanderland.ch/en/welcome.cfm

swandav2000

lol DalaiL -- I'm quite the worry wart. I always get to the airport three hours early. Just in case!

s

kybourbon

Three hours for international travel is stated by some airlines. Here's Delta's check-in requirements.

Security Check-in Requirements for International Travel To/From Non-U.S. Cities

The recommended arrival time at the airport prior to departure of International Flights is 3 hours. When traveling to/from a destination outside the United States, you must be checked in at least 60 minutes before your scheduled departure time. This minimum requirement applies to all customers checking-in, with or without baggage. Customers who fail to complete the check-in procedures by these deadlines will not be able to travel on desired flights and change fees may apply.
For international flights, you must be at the boarding gate at least 45 minutes before your scheduled departure time.

mitra906

Thanks all for suggestions!Booked train tickets on eurail. Used the saver pass option since 3 of us are travelling together. A li'll shocked at the train ticket prices! Got the germany-switzerland pass for 8 days! Our itinerary is Munich for 2 nights, Interlaken for 4 nights and Montreux for 2 nights. Will be taking the train from Montreux to Geneva airport. I believe it's a 2 hr train ride to Geneva airport. Have heard Montreux is prettier than Lausanne. Hoping everything turns out fine!

Dukey1

There's more top see and do in Lausanne than in Montreux but they are less than 30 minutes apart by rail. As to check-in in Geneva...I just flew out of there on an international flight and you do NOT need to check in 3 hours ahead...no more than 2 hours if that even is PLENTY of time

kybourbon

>>>As to check-in in Geneva...I just flew out of there on an international flight and you do NOT need to check in 3 hours ahead.<<<<

Each airline has their own check-in requirements, not the airport. Check with your airline for their time requirements.