Want to bring your family to Switzerland? Children under 16 travel for free

The pint-sized mountain train that runs between Grütschalp and Mürren in Switzerland’s Berner Oberland offers incredible views of the Eiger, Mönch and Jungfrau peaks.

Yes, you read that correctly. Children under 16 travel for free on the Swiss Travel System when accompanied by a parent. Here are the details: 

Children under 6 years of age always travel for free if no reservation is required. 

Children from 6 to their 16th birthday travel free of charge when accompanied by at least one parent (including step and foster parents) holding a Swiss Travel System Rail Pass (Swiss Half Fare Card, Swiss Travel Pass, Swiss Travel Pass Flex) and a Swiss Family Card. The Swiss Family Card, which is free of charge, is available upon request and valid for one month. Seat reservations, which are not always required, are additional, and some mountain top and special excursions may incur a surcharge. 

Traveling with someone else’s kids?

Children from 6 to their 16th birthday but not accompanied by at least one parent receive a 50% discount on the gross rate of Swiss Travel Pass and Swiss Travel Pass Flex.

What is the Swiss Travel System? 

We’re glad you asked! The Swiss Travel System (STS) is Switzerland’s public transportation network, and it’s the envy of the world. High speed InterCity trains, express regional trains, cog wheel mountain trains, street trams, and the world’s most scenic panoramic trains carry passengers anywhere they want to go throughout Switzerland. When the tracks end, a finely woven network of Swiss PostBuses, motor-powered passenger boats, paddle-wheel lake steamers, arial tramways, and funiculars continue the journey, penetrating even the remotest destinations. The entire network is seamlessly integrated by a perfectly synchronized scheduling system. The Swiss Travel System is a fun, safe, comfortable, convenient, and incredibly easy way to travel through Switzerland. There’s no need to drive. The Swiss Travel System is really that good! 

Would you like to bring your family to Switzerland? It’s our speciality! Inn-to-inn hikes in Switzerland; village based hikes; ski and snowboard vacations; cheese tasting; chocolate tasting; wine tasting; scenic trains. We can do just about anything you’d like in Switzerland, so please do give us a shout.

Climb a Castle Tower in the Swiss Lakeside Village of Spiez

The village of Spiez offers one of the prettiest lakeside views in Switzerland, but surprisingly, a great number of visitors to the Swiss Alps have absolutely no idea that this spot exists. Many visitors just cruise right through Spiez on the train, or they pause in the Spiez rail station just long enough to switch trains on their way to Interlaken, Bern, Zermatt, or other destinations in Switzerland. The fact that so many people just whiz right by is a shame because the castle tower where this photo was taken is just a 15 minute walk from the rail station and it offers incredible views along with a fascinating cultural experience. 

Like so many places in Switzerland, the evidence of human history in Spiez dates back thousands of years. A wealth of artifacts unearthed in Spiez date to the Bronze and Iron Ages.

The Romanesque church that stands today, and is the main subject in the above photo, is over 1,000 years old. Less is known about the exact build date of the adjacent castle (Schloss Spiez), but archeologists are fairly certain that some form of fortification existed during the Bronze Age, and they know with certainty that the current castle keep and portions of the walls are 800-900 years old. 

There’s an outstanding little museum at the castle where visitors can visit the medieval castle kitchen, stroll through an early-baroque ballroom, or climb up the castle tower for 360 degree panoramic views of the Bernese Alps, Lake Thun, and the neighboring vineyards. And, if you look closely, you can see tournament graffiti etched into the upper level of the tower that dates from around 1300 A.D. Intricately sketched scenes of local tournaments offer an outstanding glimpse of everyday life for wealthy barons in the Bernese Oberland during the High Middle Ages. 

If this sort of thing interests you, then check out our previous post titled Traveling From Zürich To Interlaken? Visit A Swiss Castle And Ride A Historic Lake Steamer During Your Trip.

You can visit the church and castle in Spiez and then hop on a historic Lake Steamer to continue your trip to the Jungfrau region of the Berner Oberland. The midday steam ship departs Spiez at 01:28 pm for arrival in Interlaken at 02:49 pm. 

This is an outstanding addition to one of our Berner Oberland inn-to-inn hiking tours!  

See you in Spiez!

Switzerland in Photos: The Traditional Ticinese Village of Lavertezzo

The idyllic stone village of Lavertezzo in the canton of Ticino, Switzerland.

This is the idyllic Swiss village of Lavertezzo in the canton of Ticino. Like so many Swiss villages, Lavertezzo has a long history. The village was first documented as Laverteze back in 1327, and for centuries the inhabitants lived a remote, migratory lifestyle. Nestled roughly 12 miles up the rugged Valle Verzasca from Locarno, we can imagine that travel to the village by mule and/or foot in bad weather was both peaceful and tough. Today, a comfortable Swiss bus makes the journey in about 30 minutes. Lavertezzo can be busy in the summer. The nearby double arch stone bridge, (built over 400 years ago), attracts visitors from all over the world. Typically, the visitors snap photos of the bridge, dip their toes in the refreshing Verzasca river, have lunch at a local osteria or ristorante in the village, and then return by bus or car to the south. That said, there are some really wonderful hikes in the area, and it’s easy to escape the crowds. One of our favorite hikes connects some really idyllic hillside villages in the valley. Plus, the bridge and the village of Lavertezzo are worth the trip. The visually stimulating buildings huddled around the 18th century church are made of stone. The hillside paths are romantically narrow and winding, and the language of the region is Italian.

Would you like to hike in Ticino, Switzerland? We can set up a village-to-village hike in Ticino. We also have a Swiss Alps Rail + Hike that samples Ticino and two other delightful regions in Switzerland. Check it out.

Thinking About Visiting the Top of Europe? The New Eiger Express Shaves 40 Minutes Off Your Trip!

The Jungfraujoch, also known by its moniker the “Top of Europe”, is the highest rail station in Europe and one of the premier touristic destinations in Switzerland. You can see photos from the Jungfraujoch by clicking our previous posts here, here and here. In the old days, a journey from the village of Grindelwald to the Jungfraujoch took about 90 minutes by cogwheel train. With the newly opened Eiger Express cable car, visitors can be happily snapping photos on the Top of Europe in 45 minutes.

This is a substantial time savings for visitors to the Jungfraujoch, but it’s the snow-lovers and hikers in Grindelwald that will really benefit. In the past, it took skiers and snowboarders about an hour to access the slopes at the base of the Eiger. Now, thanks to the Eiger Express cable car, they can access the same slopes in about 20 minutes.

Hikers, too, can now access the trails above Kleine Scheidegg in around 20 minutes. This is all part of the 470-million-Swiss-franc V-Cableway project which includes two new state-of-the-art cable cars and hyper-modern terminals at Grindelwald, Eigergletscher and Männlichen.

Would you like to experience the Eiger Express for yourself? Please contact us. It’s our pleasure to arrange your ski, hike or sightseeing vacation in Grindelwald. It’s our speciality!

Photo credit: Jungfrau Railways

Traveling From Zürich to Interlaken? Visit a Swiss Castle and Ride a Historic Lake Steamer During Your Trip

The historic Swiss city of Thun with the snow capped mountains of the Berner Oberland in the background.

Here’s a Swiss travel tip for exploring the Berner Oberland region of the Swiss Alps. When you’re traveling from Zürich to Interlaken, consider hopping off the train in Thun, exploring a castle or two, and then riding a historic lake steamer the rest of the way.  

Thun Castle (Schloss Thun) built in the late 1100s, keeps watch over the Rathausplatz.

Details: 

One of the fastest and most convenient ways to travel from Zürich to Interlaken is by train. At the time of this writing, the transfer from the Zürich Hauptbahnhof (main station) to Interlaken West takes 1h 49 min with one change in Bern. From Bern, the train heads southeast toward the town of Thun and then scoots along the southern shore of the Thunersee before arriving in Interlaken. 

To add style to your trip, consider hopping off the train in Thun, visiting a castle or two, and then riding a historic paddle wheel steam ship the rest of the way to Interlaken. There are two castles in Thun—Schloss Thun and Schloss Schadau. Feeling like royalty? You can dine and spend the night at Schadau Castle. We recommend it!

Schadau Castle (Schloss Schadau) built in the mid 1800s on Lake Thun.

Here’s a sample itinerary. 

Depart Zurich at 08:02 am.

Arrive in Thun at 09:24 am (Direct connection with no changes!)

Stash your luggage and walk over to Schloss Thun (Thun Castle). 

The castle is open every day during the summer at 10:00 am. 

After visiting the castle…

Hop on the historic paddle wheel steamer Blümlisalp for a 12:40 pm departure. You’ll arrive in Interlaken West at 02:49 pm.

The Blümlisalp paddle wheel steamer (built in 1906) has a restaurant on board so you don’t have to worry about lunch. The views of the mountains, castles, and lakeside villages will knock your socks off while you eat! There are five fairy tale castles on Lake Thun which you’ll get to see as you ply the turquoise waters.

You’ll also pass by quintessentially Swiss villages with picturesque church steeples. There are 12 churches on Lake Thun that are 1,000 years old! 

Oberhofen Castle (Schloss Oberhofen) on Lake Thun dates to the early 13th century and houses a living history museum. The lake steamers dock at Oberhofen, passing directly in front of the castle and affording incredible views.

Oberhofen and Spiez are two of my favorite stops along the way. The castle in Oberhofen is delightful to photograph, and Spiez is one of the prettiest lakeside villages in Switzerland. If you can’t make it to Thun, then consider hopping off the train in Spiez and visiting Spiez Castle and the historic church there instead. The midday steam ship departs Spiez at 01:28 pm for arrival in Interlaken at 02:49 pm.

Spiez, one of the prettiest lakeside villages in Switzerland. The church is 1,000 years old and portions of the adjacent castle walls and the keep are 800-900 years old. This is the view looking down from the castle tower.

Are you a romantic type? How about a sunset cruise on Lake Thun? We’re happy to help you arrange it. Photo credit: BLS Ltd.

Note: This is the summer 2021 schedule (assuming no COVID shutdowns). Other boats depart somewhat hourly throughout the day from 08:40 am to 6:40 pm. Please contact us for the most up-to-date schedule and options.

This excursion pairs well with our Berner Oberland Inn-to-Inn Hike. 

Tschüss!