Guete Morge, My wife and I are planning to visit Switzerland and France during December. So, we're carefully quoting all the most expensive stuff, that includes transportation. That's why I want to ask your help on how to quote the following itinerary: From: Closest station to hotels at Bern Expo (Marriott) // To: Interlaken OST. From: Interlaken OST // To: Closest station to hotels at Bern Expo (Marriott). From: Closest station to hotels at Bern Expo (Marriott) // To: Paris, CDG Airport. From: Paris, CDG Airport // To: Switzerland, Zurich Airport. I've read about the Half-Day and Swiss-Pass, although I'm not sure if those apply for inter-country train travels such as from Bern to Paris? - also I didn't found any SBB train service from Bern to Paris. Your help would be highly appreciated.

Guten Tag @"Roalloophoull18"#p102125 When both stations are in Libero, you have no other choice as to buy return tickets as day passes, but you can also buy two one way tickets. They have however a limited time of validity, you should buy the ticket for the return journey in Interlaken when you know which train you take. Some machines have on older interface and the timetable is not displayed. Are you arriving at Zurich Airport and do you continue on the same day to Bern? In this case it is a bad idea to buy tickets in advance, you flight could be late and Supersaver Tickets are not exchangeable and not refundable, you must take the selected trains. In worst case, you could arrive with a delay of 24 hours and point-to-point tickets were also no more valid. You could check if a travel insurance would covers this case and refund new tickets. Zurich Airport has an own train station and it were possible to buy direct tickets from Zurich Airport to Bern (or Bern Wankdorf). With the Bern Ticket, you could buy all your tickets from and to Bern (main station) and travel with this ticket from your hotel to the main station. I think that this ticket could be activated in advance and already valid on the day of your arrival: https://bern.com/en/inform/tickets-offers/bern-ticket/ Yes, you have a bus from the main station of Lucerne to Kriens, you must walk about 10 minutes from the bus station to the cable car station, an example of the timetable: [upl-image-preview url=https://static.community.sbb.ch/2024-09-08/1725788274-409610-capture-decran-2024-09-08-a-111822.png]

@"Roalloophoull18"#p97047 Guten Tag Do you mean the Moxy Hotel in Bern? The closest station is Bern Wankdorf. You have often trains to Bern (main station). If you make a day trip to Interlaken, I think that a Saver Day Pass could be a good idea, Choose the full price and not the half price. https://www.sbb.ch/en/tickets-offers/tickets/day-passes/saver-day-pass.html If you stay in Interlaken more as one day, Supersaver Tickets could be available, search the timetable to find the prices and the conditions. To and from Paris, it is better to travel via Basel. You will also find discounted prices with some restrictions in the timetable. Please note that tickets and reservations are probably not available now for December, you should try later if you get an error message. Kind Regards Danhiel

Why would you want to travel just to Interlaken, and not beyond? What do you expect to see there in walking distance from the train stations?

@"Danhiel"#p97050 Guten Tag, I am learning along the way while I plan for this trip, so your help and detailed response are really appreciated! I can see that distance between Bern's Moxy Hotel and Bern Wankdorf station is just about 2 miles, this hotel is in a good spot! Now, regarding the Saver Day Pass (Full-Price), I've found it for 39.00 CHF, and it last from one day till 5am of the next day. What are the benefits of getting one of this Saver Day Pass? - like does it allow me to hop into any SBB train and buses as needed, or is it just a discount? The plan is growing as days go by, but initially it would be one day at Interlaken, one day in Bern and then taking a train to Paris. However, per your advice, it seems like for going to Paris it would be better off for us to take a train to Basel and from there to Paris, right? Also, does the Saver Day Pass give me benefits for traveling from Bern to Basel to Paris? Last but not least, as you may noticed, I'm handling this trip really carefully, and there are many reasons, and one of them being budget, so if you could share some details on what are the pros and cons of the Saver Day Pass vs SuperSaver Tickets, then who knows?, we might go one more day to Interlaken, but need to carefully assess if it's budget-friendly! Thanks for your help!

@"RedBaron"#p97053 Guten Tag, Thanks for your reply. I've seen many different forums about the natural wonders and scenery of Interlaken. Plus, as I've mentioned before, budget is a variable I always take seriously, this trip not being the exception, even more after reading the Switzerland is among the most expensive nations in the world. Now, given that we're shaping the plan for this trip as days go by, and since it seems you have good proposals beyond Interlaken, if you could share some of them with me that would be appreciated. I would like to stay in Bern's Moxy Hotel, and from there use public transportation to move around (like going to Interlaken) - taking advantage of Switzerland's famous public transportation service - so given those conditions, could you please share some other places we can visit in a span of 3 days? Thanks for your help.

@"Roalloophoull18"#p97078 Guten Tag The hotel is near the station Bern Wankdorf, not 2 miles away. You can be on the platform in 5 minutes. You have also an Ibis Hotel who could be cheaper as the Moxy Hotel, 15 minutes walk to the station Bern Wankdorf, 4 minutes with the tram. You can also take the tram directly to the main station (16 minutes). I suggest to stay in Bern and to buy Saver Day Passes for the days between your arrival and your departure. With these passes, you can hop into any train and bus as needed in Switzerland, not only SBB, except some mountain excursions. With a Supersaver Ticket, it is not possible to use other trains. With a Saver Day Pass, you can change your plans, for example you can choose another destination if the weather is bad in the Alps. Yes, it would be better to take a train to Basel and from there to Paris. You have also some relations with local trains until Neuchâtel and Frasne, but I think that it easier to change in Basel. The station of Frasne is very "rustic". Some relations could be cheaper, but you must take a regional train from Basel to Mulhouse or Strasbourg and change again. It is also possible to travel via Lausanne or Geneva. On sbb.ch, you can find global prices between Bern and Paris who also include a discount in Switzerland.

@"Roalloophoull18"#p97080 First of all, you won't find any natural wonders IN Interlaken (maybe excepted Harder Kulm, the local mountain peak accessible via funicular), they're located AROUND Interlaken and it can take up to another 2 hours to finally get there. Second, December is not the best season for the Bernese Oberland area, unless you're an avid skier and the snow conditions are already permitting that. In other words, everything related to hiking (free of charge!), wildflowers, green sceneries, animals or waterfalls/gorges (ice on footpaths) will be closed or not accessible then. What will be operating with a high probability are destinations like Jungfraujoch or Schilthorn (= typical reasons why most tourist are getting to Interlaken as a hub or accomodation), but they're a) pretty expensive (up to 4x more expensive than your regular Bern-Interlaken ticket) and b) weather dependent (snow storms, clearing of tracks, avalanche risks, or simply the peaks covered in clouds so you'd only see some very expensive fog up there). So you should first decide about your final destination given the conditions to expect. Lots of websites and Google will help you with that. Maybe the Harder Kulm might be not the worst idea given the weather related and "financial" risks. However that particular peak at 1320m altitude might also be completely covered in a clouds/fog layer while the sun is shining higher up, which is a quite common "inversion" weather situation during winter. Addendum: Forget about Schilthorn, the "James Bond" cable car up there is getting replaced between october and march and therefore not operating this particular winter season.

@"Danhiel"#p97087 Guten Tag, Thanks for your guidance. The Moxy Hotel I picked up because of a loyalty points program - using points helps a lot saving some money. Even before this forum I thought on Bern as an strategic point for our eventual stay in Switzerland, but having you advising this makes it sound even more as good choice. I'm going to be honest, I'm starting to feel a bit discouraged about going to Switzerland or Europe during December, and pretty much any month except between May till October, due to most of the comments I've read aren't any favorable, beyond skiing. Despite of that, for deciding on move forward with the trip or not, I wish if you could provide your advice on the following: 1. I'm a bit confused with what is the advantage of buying a Swiss Pass (Full-Price) with respect to buying standalone one-way tickets from Bern to say Interlaken or going downtown in Bern?, I just know that the Swiss Pass (Full-Price) costs 39CHF, but by buying it does it mean I get a discount on the whole price of the normal cost of a ticket, if so then what percentage of discount I get?, or it is that I can hop on as many trains and buses of any of Switzerland's public transportation (excepting tours) for just 39CHF? 2. I'm assuming that Switzerland's public transportation (SBB, etc) are used to moderate to heavy snow and that the service is reliable, of course with qualified exceptions such as very adverse climate conditions, is this accurate?, I mean if there are 4 train travels to/from Bern/Interlaken those 4 train travels have a great chance of being met? 3. Do you consider Interlaken being a good place to visit during December? - despite of snow and mist? - are there restaurants, stores, Christmas shops and so on open or are most of them expected to be closed 24/7 during December? 4. If the climate is adverse in Interlaken, are there any good outdoors hiking with nice landscapes - of course snowy - if we decided to stay at Bern that day? 5. In case of snowy weather, do museums and art exhibitions and other indoor places remain open at Bern or Zurich? - Zurich being where we would be spending our last vacations day. Your help is highly appreciated!

@"RedBaron"#p97088 Guten Tag, Thanks for your reply. Now I'm starting to feel a bit discourage about visiting Switzerland. I read that kind of comments from a bunch of forums, that's why I came here to ask to the extend of stressing out our on-develop plan to visit Switzerland. I didn't expect to see wildflowers, green sceneries or wild animals on December since winter season is starting, although I did expect to be able to found places where we could have a relax hiking while seeing a nice landscape (covered in snow, certainly). As I've just mentioned on this post, I know what to not expect, although what I was at least expecting may not be likely to occur. And before reaching here naturally I went to Google, that's why I built up some questions, which you guys helped me working around them. I'm not giving up on this trip, yet, but I'm going to keep learning as most as possible to take the best decision. Thanks for all your help!

Hello @"Roalloophoull18"#p97184 Sorry, but I think that you have a false idea of Switzerland. This is not a postcard with sunny snowy landscapes everywhere. The weather is unpredictable, you have sometimes too much snow or sometimes not enough. It were better in January or February. It can happen, but it is rare, that train lines are closed due to bad weather. Stores are generally closed only on Sundays, museums only on Mondays. You can find a lot of Christmas Markets in December. In the big cities, most restaurants are also closed on Sundays, but you can always find fast food… The Saver Day Passes are only available in advance and are not exchangeable and not refundable. The prices and the availability are unpredictable, they could change every day. Alternatives are the Swiss Travel Pass or the Swiss Travel Pass Flex: https://www.sbb.ch/en/tickets-offers/tickets/guests-abroad/swiss-travel-pass.html

@"Danhiel"#p97202 Guten Tag!, I started to realize my perception of Switzerland might be somewhat influenced by television and books!, appreciate you guys helping out to give a more realistic view of this wonderful country and caveats related to weather. This is going to be a nice adventure that my wife and I are looking forward to do! There are plenty of alternatives, ranging from museums, Christmas markets, etc, not to mention other great stuff which I would definitely like to try like Jungfrau rail train (which includes cable-car commute of about 15 minutes), and going to other nice places by using the great benefits of the Swiss Pass Travel - very likely buying a couple 3-days tickets. Now, about Jungfrau, do you know if the 139CHF that costs the tickets starting from Interlaken OST covers a roundtrip?, my guess is yes but I wouldn't want to reach the "Top of Europe" to realize that we need to pay another 139CHF/each for going back to Interlaken OST and from there to our headquarters in Bern! - I'm also guessing that the cable-car commute is relaxed and 15-minutes long and that the winds doesn't make the car swing heavily? (not a huge fan of feeling unstable!) And last but not least, about the Glacier Express, for buying tickets the webpage prompted to the Tickets for Switzerland Public Transportation, does that mean that a Saver Day Pass and Swiss Travel Pass include the benefit of traveling on the Glacier Express, no extra charges, by just paying for the Pass fare? - for instance, as of today, 244CHF is the cost of the Swiss Travel Pass for 3 days for a single ticket, so I can board without any other charge the Glacier Express and take even the whole route of 8 hours long? Thanks for your help!

Itinerary advice / quote

RomanoS

Hi Roalloophoull18

I’m the SBB Community Manager and I would like to thank you for interacting with us. A special thank to @Danhiel and @RedBaron for giving such a great interaction with you and for all the information given. That’s just awesome!

@Roalloophoull18 can you please mark the best aswear from the 40 posts within this discussion, in order that other can profite from?

Please, tell us if everything has been good 😊 perhaps you could also leave a little résumé of your trip. What has been great? What surprised you? What was disappointing? What was unbelievable?

Would be great.

All the best from our side and take care!

BR
Romano

Roalloophoull18

Hi RomanoS !,
I hope you’re doing well.

I really wanted to add kind of a thanks post for all the support given in this forum, particularly to Danhiel.
However, for some reason it seemed like I couldn’t add any other post unless a reply was expected from me, which wasn’t the case for I was the last one who commented out; but this changed thanks to your post!

I wanted to say that both my wife and I never experienced such a fantastic journey as the one we had in Europe on our 10 days vacations!

It was an intensive planning during the few spare time I’ve found available after family and work - Danhiel was incredibly supportive, his advice narrowed down all my options, right in the spot.

We started at Zurich Flughafen, went to the SBB train station on the other building of the airport, get our 2 Half-Fare Travelcards and our two tickets to Geneva - attention was great by the young lady that even provided timetables with the 3 upcoming options we have to travel.
From there we went to Gleis 4 and our journey continued to Geneva airport - awesome view to the Rhone River as well!

Special recognition to the SBB train service, they are like Swiss Clocks, right in time, awesome looking, railways everywhere across the country, definitely worth the prize!

Arriving at Geneva we took a flight to Rome - found a great option that saved us time in our packed vacations days at the same prize as going by train with ITA Airways.

Rome was fantastic, taxi service was indeed very good, they are everywhere.
Coliseum, Vatican Museums, Piazza Venezia, Piazza España, Fontana di Trevi, everything was one after another!

Then we head back to Fiumicino Airport to go back to Zurich and from there to Berna - people at Moxy Bern Expo were incredible hosts.
Now, let me say this, Berna was by far the best on our trip, no discussion, the old town from Berna, the Light Spectacle at the Parliament (Rendez-vous Bundesplatz) was amazing, the feeling of safety was pretty good in general in Europe but was unmatched by Berna - people can walk either in group or alone at midnight at the old downtown.

Then we went to Jungfraujoch, by Interlaken - Grindelwald - Eigergletscher - no words can say how moved we were by such a beautiful experience we had that day.

Then we head back to Zurich for taking a flight to Paris - we stayed at Moxy CDG.

Then we went to Paris downtown, where Danhiel advices on RER trains were really useful!
The Louvre was awesome, Tour Eiffel at night was incredible and a ride at the Seine River rounded a great night.

Next stop was at Disneyland Paris where despite the chilly weather, thermal feel of 3C, we had an amazing time and were able to get into all the rides for the first time! - pretty much impossible at Disneyland California!

Our last stop was Zurich where we head to Zurich Main Station and experienced the Illuminarium and the main station markets - couldn’t imagine it could be that huge when going downstairs on the station!

Then we head back to our home in Costa Rica with all the precious memories, thankful to God with that amazing experience and looking forward to go back at some time, sooner than later! - if we have to chose one of the three places, that would be Berna, wordless experience!

Thank you so much for all the kind support given here, initially both by Danhiel and RedBaron, and from beginning to ending to Danhiel, my deep appreciation for his help - this trip was huge, and having his guidance to assess my proposals and inject his inputs helped a lot in finding the best way possible in the least amount of time.

The people was great as well, and food also provided nice stories to us!

Thanks for asking us about our experience - glad to have the chance to share this with you!

Have a wonderful day and week - and Thanksgiving as well!

Thanks,
Sebastian and Karen.

Danhiel

Hi Roalloophoull18

Thanks for your message, this is the best reward for my work. I’m happy that everything was OK, sometimes we have also delays, cancellations due to bad weather or strikes in Europe… but I prefer not to talk about that.

Kind regards
Daniel

RomanoS

Roalloophoull18 Just awesome.

Many thanks for your reply and all the best to you.
Best Wishes to Costa Rica !!

Best regards,

Romano

Roalloophoull18

Guten tag, Danhiel !,

Thanks for your words!,

I understand what you’re saying, though gladly everything went amazingly during our vacations!

Looking forward to visit Europe, and particularly Switzerland, and more particularly Berna soon!

Have a fantastic week!

Thanks,
Sebastian.

Roalloophoull18

Guten tag, RomanoS !,

Thanks for your words!,
Best wishes to you as well in Switzerland!!,

Have a fantastic week!

Thanks,
Sebastian.

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