Fodor's Travel Talk Forums - Switzerland's trains

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Switzerland's trains

We will be using Zurich as a base for 4 nights, five days. In reviewing posts about day trips from Zurich, many Foderites recommended train trips to Interlaken and Luzern. Anyone know the round trip prices of those trips from Zurich? Is there a web site we can search? Thanks

www.rail.ch No fares there for south of Interlaken. You'll find 'representative' fares for some at www.twenj.com/swissrail.htm Prices of mountain excursions at www.twenj.com/swmountaintrips.htm Rome.Switzerland.Bavaria www.twenj.com

The web site address for the official Swiss rail system is www.sbb.ch The sbb stands for Schweitzerische Bundesbahnen. The site is in 4 language, German, French, Italian, and English. To access the English version, locate the word Federal in the upper right corner of the scren and click on it. You can get schedules for almost all of the trains in Switzerland, both federal and private, as well as post bus listings, and schedules for some of the mountain cable systems. Ticket costs are also available when you select a schedule for most listings. However, don't ask too far into the future if you want the prices for tickets that include private rail lines. There is also a good section on various type of Swiss rail passes. To find those, just put in Swiss Pass in the search window and click. A list of relevant pages will appear from which you can select the one that seems most appropriate. I used it in 1998 and last year to a great deal of planning. It comes in very handy. Some international trains are also listed, but if you want a comprehensive international schedule, I think the German rail site is a little better. It is: http://bahn.hafas.de/bin/detect.exe/bin/query.exe/e This should drop you down at the English version. For the record: Zurich to Luzern costs 38 chf second class, round trip. Trains are frequent and the trip takes about 50 minutes. Interlaken can be reached via Bern or via Luzern. The trip via Luzern is a little shorter in terms of distance. The route leads over the Brunig Pass. I would be very tempted to get out and look around Sarnen. It sits on a beautiful lake. From Sarnen the train descends the Brunig Pass to Meiringen before going on to Interlaken Ost. The route via Bern comes in via Thun and Spiez with a lovely view of the Thuner See. I have done both and like both. The trip via Luzern takes 3 hours; via Bern it takes about 2:17. I would however ask why you would want to visit Interlaken. It is a nice town, but does not have the features of Luzern or Bern. If you continued on to Grindelwald you would be in a position to view the giants of the Berner Oberland range. Grindelwald is aboout 34 minutes down the line from Interlaken Ost with hourly connections right now. I think the schedule is more frequent in the summer. If you go directly to Grindelwald, the whole trip takes about 3 hours and 10 minutes via Bern. The cost is about 139 francs. (the private BOB rail line gets into the picture here)

M & J, If you haven't gone on your vacatioon you might check out raileurope.com. I found the official sbb.ch somewhat difficult to navigate. You might consider a Swiss Saver Pass for 4 consecutive days of train travel at $208-1st class and $136-2nd class, or Flexisaver Pass for any 3 days in a month @ $198-1st or $132-2nd class, 4 days @ $234-1st & $155-2nd, and 5 days @ $270-1st & $180-2nd. It also includes either free, half or 25% off other transports, like cables, lake steamers, mountain top excursions and buses. Check out the specifics. Telephone is faster if you are short on time. Good luck! Sunny

Good afternoom, M @ J Couple of day trips out of Zurich for your consideration. 1. the Rhinefalls and Schaffhausen. www.rhinefalls.ch/ 2. by rail to the Benedictine Abbey of Einsideln. www.einsiedeln.ch/ 3. To Luzern, it is worth a day in itself for the old town, Lake Lucerne and the Swiss Transport Museum.. www.stadtluzern.ch/ www.lakelucerne.ch/indexen.htm/ www.rigi.ch/ www.pilatus.ch/ www.titlis.ch/ www.verkehrshaus.ch/ go up mountains only a clear day, or may be up in the clouds. Lunch in Luzern at the Stubli in the Hotel Wilden Mann.... Have a good trip, Richard of La Grange, IL...