NormaB

Will be staying in Murren on June 17th, 18th. Want to do it all but not break the bank. Two years ago took the cog railway to Wengen. Loved it! Want to take our friends who are on their first trip to Switzerland. We are arriving by car. Want to see Schlithorn as well. Now the question How can I spend the least to do all this over two days time. Is there a regional pass to use the whole system for the period or should we buy individual tickets. Where should we park?

Ursula

Norma,<BR>M&uuml;rren and Wengen are car free. You will have to leave your car in Lauterbrunnen. No problem. Large parking lots.<BR>Explore Wengen one day (go up to M&auml;nnlichen or Kleine Scheidegg).<BR>Explore M&uuml;rren one day (go up the Schilthorn).<BR>As for costs and what pass to buy, I suggest you enquire once you're in Lauterbrunnen what's the most economic way. The staff will be the best informed to let you know.<BR>Tell them exactly what plans you have for the two days.<BR>

Ursula

Norma,<BR>You might find it useful to read about all details on the official web site of the Jungfrau Railways:<BR>http://www.jungfraubahn.ch/english/pages/RE/RE.htm

swandav2000

Hello NormaB,<BR><BR>There are two passes in the area.<BR><BR>The Regional Pass costs 195 chf for 7 days of travel in the area (including Inerlaken), but on the private rail up to the Jungfraujoch and Schilthorn, it only offers 50% reduction. You can see it at www.regiopass-berneroberland.ch.<BR><BR>The Jungfraubahn Railways pass costs 165 chf for 5 days of travel and includes the peaks of Jungfraujoch &amp; Schilthorn. You can see it at the website Ursula provided (go to their &quot;special offers&quot; page and then use the drop-down menu to find this info).<BR><BR>This one question has generated a lot of questions -- it's a confusing rail system up there.<BR><BR>But I wonder why you posted the same question with a different header?<BR><BR>s

NormaB

I don't know what the system is doing. But all this morning I have been trying to get back to my message and it would not come up. The only way to find was to go to another mesage I posts to get some more information elsewhaer and click on my screen name. So I reposted.Perhaps the system is having problems today.

bob_brown

Looks like it is time to rerun my cost analysis of the regional pass. I don't think it is all that confusing, just do a little arithmetic. Getting the cost figures is the hard part. Here they are from last summer. <BR><BR>The Berner Oberland Regional Pass costs 195 chf for the 7 day version. From the group of 7 days, you can designate 3 of them as &quot;free days&quot; subject to some limitations. The ride from M&uuml;rren to the top of the Schilthorn is never free; at best it is 50% off. The same is true of the Kleine Scheidegg ride to the Jungfraujoch; at best it costs you 44.40. On the other days you get 50% off of most of the routes in the area. <BR><BR>There is no point in buying the pass unless you reach the breakeven point. You do not know ahead of time what you will do because most of those rides are weather dependent. E.g. it does little good to ride to the top of the Schilthorn when all you see is clouds.<BR>Here are some comparitive prices, in chf.<BR><BR>46.60 Lauterbrunnen -Kleine Scheidegg <BR>99.00 Kleine Scheidegg Jungfraujoch <BR>60.40 Lauterbrunnen to Schynige Platte <BR>19.60 Lauterbrunnen - M&uuml;rren <BR>62.20 M&uuml;rren - Schilthorn <BR>46.00 Grindelwald - First <BR>If you rode to the top of the Jungfraujoch on a &quot;free pass day&quot;, and took the Grindelwald First, and the Schilthorn trips as part of the 3 free day package, your costs without the pass would be:<BR><BR>46.60 + 99 + 46.00 + 62.20 = 253.80<BR><BR>With the pass for the same trips you have costs of<BR>195 + 44.60 + 31.10 = 270.10.<BR>(cost of the pass, plus half of the cost KS to the Jungfraujoch, and half of the cost to the top of the Schilthorn)<BR><BR>You would need to about 18 chf more of savings on riding before reaching the break even point. <BR><BR>It would be hard to cram all of the trips into 3 days, thus making reaching the break even point more difficult.<BR><BR>In your case, if you went from Murren down to Lauterbrunnen round trip, you would just about do it.<BR><BR>But the point is, you have to ride a lot and spend money to save money. That is a paradoxical statement, and I think therein lies the secret of success. The Swiss are wizards with sales figures and I think they understand full well that selling the pass leads to even more sales revenue. People think they are getting something for nothing, when in reality they are not.

NormaB

Thanks for the analysis. Saw something about the Jungfrau Top Ski Pass 2 day for 118sf and have sent off an inquiry to see what that is all about. Don't know if they offer in Summer.<BR><BR>Our friends who are going with us have asked if they still have sleding that time of year. Do they? I didn't see any indication when we were in Wengen two years ago but we were just there for the day, down from Zurich.

bob_brown

I don't recall the Jungfrau ski pass as having anything to do with the Jungfraujoch trip. Given that the ski lifts do not operate in the summer, I doubt if the pass is sold. Knowing the Swiss, if someone was adamant about buying it, I think someone would be happy to sell it. <BR><BR>As for sledding, yes, you can, for a fee, be pulled about the area around the Jungfraujoch by a team of sled dogs.<BR><BR>The activity never struck me as being worth the cost. But, if being pulled by a dog is your thing, then they have the doggies there to do the pulling.<BR>They even bark for you.<BR>

bob_brown

Slight correction. Grindelwald First Gondola ride is 48 chf according to the price table currently provided by the Jungfraubahnen.<BR>

NormaB

I got the feeling from what I saw that the pass included the trip to Schilthorn. By sledding I meant tobogganing. Thought it probably was not done because of slides but friend is asking. We did last winter close to Zurich and I hurt for 5 days. But later I found I had two Miniscus tears in my knee which caused a lot of problems. Have since had surgery.

swandav2000

Folks,<BR><BR>The skipass is not valid after May.<BR><BR>s

Ingo

Norma, s is correct.<BR><BR>Considering that you are visiting other regions in Switzerland as well and travel around by car, I recommend to buy a Swiss Half Fare Card. It is valid for one month and costs 99 Sfr. This SHFC gives you a reduction of 50% on all fares of railways, buses, boats, cable cars, mountain railways etc. <BR><BR>I don't think it is reasonable to buy a Regional Pass or so in the Murren area if you stay for two nights only.<BR><BR>BTW, have a look where your accommodation is located in Murren: if on the northern edge of the valley then park your car in Lauterbrunnen and take the funicular to Grutschalp, then the tram to Murren.<BR><BR>If on the soutern edge of the village, then park your car in Stechelberg and take the cable car up to Murren.<BR><BR>Ingo

NormaB

Thanks Ingo!

BillJ

Hi, NormaB. There's a lot of noise about this pass thing, so let me just tell you what we did last July '02. We arrived at Interlaken by car a little before noon, drove to Grindelwald. Shopped, had fondu lunch, drove back to Lauterbrunnen. Covered car park. Bought 5 day Jungfrau pass for 165 chf each. Rode up to Murren from Lauterbrunnen, stayed 3 nights at Alpenruh, south edge of town, adjacent ot tram up to Schilthorn.<BR>Day two: Up early, rode train down to Lauterbrunnen, then next train up to Kleine Scheidegg. To go from there up to Jungfrauhoch, we paid 50% of normal fee, or 48 CHF (regular rate 96 chf).<BR>After coming back down to Keine, continued by train to Grindelwald, shopped some more. Different train from Grindelwald back to Lauterbrunnen, then back up to Murren.<BR>Day 3: Alpenruh hotel has some kind of connection with Schilthorn, but no break on ticket price. You get a certificate for a continental breakfast up top. You pay for regular menu items. If you get to the Schilthorn early (before 9am as I recall) the ticket is about 50%. We barely made it and paid 46.50 chf round trip.<BR>Next day, checked out, and train back down to Lauterbrunnen. I didn't write down what the carpark cost, but I remember thinking it was reasonable.<BR>Hope this helps. <BR>I think I'll put this on Bob Browns other post just for the fun of it. I think I saved $, but. . . ? You bet on the weather allowing you to make the train rides.

DanB

Well I can't offer much help here since I'm not familiar with the area. However I can vouch for the advice of Ursala, Ingo and bob_brown as they all helped me greatly with my trip to Chateau D'oex and Kandersteg last year. I haven't been back here since making my trip because it's tough reading about places I won't be able to afford for a while, but I'm glad to see they're still giving out great advice. Hopefully next year I can pump them for some tips on an Austrian Alps vacation.<BR>

Ingo

Nice to hear from you, DanB! And many thanks for the kind remarks. Feel free to ask about Austrian Alps. I'll be glad to be of any help.<BR><BR>Ingo

bob_brown

For DanB. Are you saying that having the Jungfrau area pass provided for no discount on the Schilthornbahn?<BR><BR>I never investigated that pass in detail because it never seemed beneficial to me. <BR><BR>I have purchased the Swiss Card and the Berner Oberland Regional Pass in prior years. <BR><BR>I can sum my Austrian Alps experience quickly. I stayed in an apartment in L&auml;ngenfeld - Astlehn for a week two years ago. It is in the &Ouml;tztal about midway. Solden is a little farther south, and the Timmelsjoch is at the end of the valley. We drove the Gletscherstrasse from Solden and visited &Ouml;tzidorf, a recreated village based on the Iceman and his times. Very well done, complete with genetically akin livestock of that era.<BR>(Real pigs.)<BR>The apartment was really nice.<BR><BR>Last summer we stayed in Landhaus Christof in Heilgenblut on the southside of the Grossglockner. Great fun driving over the road. If you traverse the Hochalpenstrasse more than once, you can get a multi day ticket that decreases the cost per trip drastically. We went over 4 times I think. Beautiful scenery.<BR>

bob_brown

PS, here is a statement that I think may explain about the Jungfrau Railways pass and what it covers. <BR> <BR>Fantastic Five Days Travel<BR>Jungfrau Railways, the Wengen-M&auml;nnlichen Aerial Cableway (LWM), the Grindelwald-First Mountain Transport Company (BGF) and the Grindelwald-M&auml;nnlichen Aerial Gondola Cableway (GGM) are getting together to offer a Jungfrau Railways Pass.<BR><BR>Notice that the Schilthornbahn is specifically not included because it is a separate company. <BR><BR>The link from Kleine Scheidegg to the Jungfraujoch is sold for 50% off. As in the case of the Berner Oberland Regional Pass, no travel on the KS - JJ section of the rail line is free to tourists. <BR><BR>That explains why I was not interested in it the year I bought the Regional Pass. I was going to ride the train to Bern, take the lift to the &Ouml;schinensee in Kandersteg, take the Luftseilbahn up to the crest of the range that leads to the Gemmi Pass and the Daubensee, and go to the top of the Schilthorn.<BR>Those rides were not covered, so the pass was not cost effective that summer.<BR><BR>Last year, we entered from Paris and exited to Munich, so the Swiss Card was much better for us. <BR><BR>The various Swiss Passes yield only a 25% discount on the BOB and Jungfrau area rides as compared with 50% with the Swiss Card. Those passes are beneficial in the Berner Oberland only if you are doing an extensive amount of train travel in other parts of Switzerland. Even then it is hard to reach the break even part. <BR><BR>I might add, that I found nothing about the Jungfrau Regional Pass with my web searches. No page came up that listed the price.<BR>

bob_brown

top for info