Hehe..to answer my own post..I found

http://www.ncstravel…

is it worth it?

is there such thing as a 1-2 day excursion package?

A normal return ticket 2nd class Interlaken Ost to Jungfraujoch and back is CHF 172,60.
There is also a Good Morning Ticket for 148,60 where you have to start in Interlaken Ost at 06:30 or 07:20.

As an Eurail Pass holder you’ll get a discount of 25%.
Thus the normal return ticket is with discount CHF 129,45.

The group ticket price (>= 10 persons) is CHF 138,20. I guess this is the price offered by the www.berninfo.com site (maybe the one of last year?).
[url=‘http://www.jungfraubahn.ch/english/pages/SE/SE_KrTg.htm’]Jungfraubahn[/url]

It’s worth it, but ONLY on a clear day. Your best bet is in the morning — the earliest train. Also, Interlaken train station has live TV feed from the top of Jungfraujoch, so you can see how the weather is out there. Of course, in the 3 hours it takes to get to Jungfraujoch from Interlaken, the weather can change, but there is nothing you can do about that. All you can do is minimize the risk. Make sure to check the weather forecast the night before.

thanks for your help

I try to tell myself that it’s about 100 US for the whole day and I’ll be seeing beautiful scenery for ~6 hours..but I can’t help thinking, is there anywhere else in Switzerland that offers similar sights of the Alps besides Jungfraujoch..and cheaper?

My friend and I plan to go to Zermatt, Interlaken, Gimmelwald, Grindlewald and Lucerne in early August.

I also want to see Rhone glacier and Trummelbach Falls

Happy travels, Monica

There is no reason to go to both Gimmelwald and Grindelwald. Just go to Gimmelwald. You’ll love it there. While there, you can hike to the top of Schilthorn, which offers a spectacular panorama of Eiger, Monch and Jungfrau (www.gimmelwald.com/s…) and it won’t cost you a dime if you hike (about 4-5 hours from Gimmelwald). In a way, it’s a better perspective than being on top of Jungfraujoch.

Trummelbach Falls is an easy hike from Gimmelwald too.

Thanks for your advice. Another related question – I have hostel reservations in Zermatt and Gimmelwald and will soon book Lucerne and Interlaken. But, what if it rains or the mountains are cloudy? Is it better not to make reservations so I am free to see other sights? I’ll be there from August 3-6.

In Gimmelwald, I don’t believe you need to provide a credit card to make a reservation. At least last year this wasn’t the case. Usually a day in advance is all you need in August in Gimmelwald, particularly for the days you listed. The reason for that is August 1st is Swiss National day, which is a big party day at the hostel. Many folks who arrive in end of July just stay and extra day or to to be there for August 1st. Afterwards, the hostel clears out. And it starts to incrementally fill up again in the following days.

It is a very good question about what to do if the weather is bad. That’s why I never advise people to plan to stay for less than 3 nights in Gimmelwald — just in case it rains for a day or two. There are a few rainy day hikes you can do (Trummelbach Falls is one), but obviously it’s a world of difference when the sun is out.

Btw, why even go to Interlaken? Unless you plan to spend some major $$$ doing sports-activities (i.e. canyoning, paragliding, etc), which are offered in abundance out of Interlaken, I would just skip Interlaken all together and go straight into the mountains — Gimmelwald where hiking is free. Lucerne, I understand, a very pretty Swiss city.

Don’t try to squeeze everything in Switzerland in a short period of time. I’m not a big fan of Rick Steves, but I do agree with him that Jungfrau Region (Gimmelwald as the base) is the best of the best Switzerland has to offer, so don’t compromise your experience there by stretching it too thin just to see other places. When I stumbled upon Gimmelwald in 2000, I was backpacking in Europe and I had bought an 8-day Swiss Pass because I was planning to move around a lot trying to see as much as I could of everything. Then I got to Gimmelwald and never left until my plane back home (I didn’t care that I wasted money on that Swiss Pass and I didn’t care that I didn’t get a chance to go to other places in Switzerland). Now, having been to Switzerland 6 times in the past 5 years and having seen most of the country, I still consider Gimmelwald the place to go.

Wow..just telling me about your experience with Gimmelwald is amazing. I can’t wait to go! I’ve been reading guidebooks on Switzerland for the past month deciding how to spread my time..and your advice puts things into perspective. I really can’t wait..the Swiss Alps!!

I believe that the best scenery in the Jungfrau area is available for free from Gimmelwald. Just walk up the hill to Murren and along towards Grutschalp, this has the view of the Eiger, Monsch and Jungfrau. For a slightly improved view go up one station of the cable car from Murren to Birg and sit on the terrace at the back of the station.

For a magnificent waterfall walk down to the valley from Gimmelwald and then along to lauterbrunnen. The Staubbach falls are on the same side of the valley as Gimmelwald.

For really rural surroundings walk from Gimmelwald through Murren and along to Grutschalp. Then follow the signs to Isenfluh. Return as you came or catch the mini bus back to Lauterbrunnen.

For different views walk down to Lauterbrunnen, then walk up the other side to Wengen.

All of these except the cable car and mini bus are free, and all simple walks, nothing difficult.

quote:
Thanks for your advice. Another related question – I have hostel reservations in Zermatt and Gimmelwald and will soon book Lucerne and Interlaken. But, what if it rains or the mountains are cloudy? Is it better not to make reservations so I am free to see other sights? I’ll be there from August 3-6.

Wow. I hope there is no rain or not too much cloud cover. My wife and I will be making a brief stay in Zermatt as well the nights of August 2 and 3.

Here is a site I’ve been frequenting to see how the weather was last year during the same time frame. Go to the Archive and select your date. ;oP Keeping my fingers crossed.

http://bergbahnen.ze…

- Steve

The train ride up to the Jungfrau Glacier is incredible. At one point, the train stops inside the mountain and you can exit the train to look through a man-made window in the mountainside to see a Swiss village thousands of feet below.

It was a cloudy day when I went but I’d do it again in a heartbeat. The cloud cover offers an interesting perspective, and you can still see down the glacier.

Bring warm clothes!