Trip to Lauterbrunnen, Murren, Wengen and Grindelwald
 

Suggestion from an experienced traveller is solicited on the following:

In case weather is not good on the top of Jungfraujoch, we are planning to go to Lauterbrunnen, Murren, Wengen and Grindelwald. Are our swiss passes valid on the train to these destinations? Is it possible to do all of them in a single day?

Motumotu,

Yes, the Swiss Pass will cover your trains and lifts into the Jungfrau region up to Mürren and Wengen; further up from there, your Swiss-Pass offers 50% discounts.

I highly recommend Rick Steves' Switzerland guidebook, especially for travelers focusing on the Bernese Oberland.

, we are planning to go to Lauterbrunnen, Murren, Wengen and Grindelwald. Are our swiss passes valid on the train to these destinations? Is it possible to do all of them in a single day?>

Yup as chick says Swiss Pass valid in full to all of these places - including the new aerial cableway Lauterbrunnen to Grutschalp - then train along the cliff's edge to Murren and aerial gondola down to Gimmelwald and from there an absolutely hair-raising aerial cable car that awesomely plunges back down to the Lauterbrunnen Valley at Stechelberg from where postal buses take you the few miles back to Lauterbrunnen. All conveyances, including the aerial cableways covered 100% by Swiss Pass - and this loop Lauterbrunnen-Murren-Gimmelwald-Stechelberg-Lauterbrunnen for my money is the finest excursion in the Jungfrau region - at least it's my favorite.

For lots of dope on Swiss trains and passes i always highlight these superb sites - www.swisstravelsystem.com - links to sbb.ch or Swiss Federal Railways, lake boats (great to do on either of the lakes bookending Interlaken - Lake Thun and Lake Brienz) - scenic rail routes like the Golden Pass you can take into or out of Interlaken, etc; and www. budgeteuropetravel.com; www.ricksteves.com and www.seat61.com.

If you do the loop Lauterbrunnen-Murren-Gimmelwald-Stechlberg-Lauterbrunnen here are some other things you could do en route

From Murren take what has been called the longest aerial cableway in the Alps to the icy remote outpost The Schilthorn - a vista point on a spit of rock surrounded by ice and snow and yielding 360 degree views all around, including down to Interlaken, bookended by its lakes, far far below.

Schilthorn is Uber famous because it was in a James Bond movie - On Her/His Majesty's Service i believe - the revolving restaurant was in the movie.

Anyway a thrilling cable car ride in itself.

And Swiss Pass gives you 50% off the pricey fare from Murren to Schilthorn and back.

ah just love to talk about that Lauterbrunnen-Murren-L'brunnen Loop that i have done several times and am always awed - to me the best views in the whole Jungfrau Region are from Murren and Gimmelwald - frontal views of Jungfrau ice mass just across the deep narrow valley.

tweeks - put a little hiking into this day - it's a short few-mile downhill walk from Murren to Gimmelwald - on a paved path that while it does not go right along the cliff's edge does parallel the edge from a safe distance.

and once down in Stechelberg, instead of hopping the postal bus back the few miles to Lauterbrunnen do a few-mile flat walk along a gurgling Alpine stream instead - you walk by Trummelbach Falls just before Lauterbrunnen - one of the oddest and weirdest waterfalls in the world - it is inside the cliff and is said to be the sole drain of the Jungfrau Massif on the north side - water cascading down inside the rocks and you view it all from catwalks!

I think it may be better if you bought the 1/2 Fare Card instead of the Swiss Pass because you get 1/2 off the trip to the Jungfraujoch or the Schilthorn with both the 1/2 Fare Card and the Swiss Pass. However, the 1/2 Fare Card One Month is 99CHF and the Swiss Pass 2nd class 8 day is over 300 CHF.

I looked at train fare from Wengen to Lauterbrunnen and it is about 6CHF. That is not high enough for me to buy a Swiss Pass.

Something to think about.

Thin