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Basel / Bâle to Grindelwald by train
How to take the beautiful rail journey from Basel to Grindelwald
If you will be heading to Grindelwald on a combination of plane + train, the fact you will need to make the transfer by bus from Basel/Mulhouse airport to Basel SBB station, is offset in terms of convenience, by the fact that Basel is the only key entry point into Switzerland, which has direct trains to Interlaken.
The train on to Grindelwald will depart from Interlaken Ost station, so this is a route with only one transfer between trains.
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Routes
From Basel SBB/Bâle CFF to Grindelwald
Journey Summary
2hr 37min - 2hr 40min
Daily
Travel Information
Interlaken Ost station is where the network of mountain railways in the Bernese-Oberland connect with SBB's national rail network.
You will often have around 8 mins to make the connection between trains at Interlaken Ost station, but again the connection is virtually guaranteed; in terms of the arrival and departure times of the trains.
You can be sure of making this connection, if you book tickets that are valid for the end-to-end journey.
Eight minutes may not be enough time to buy a ticket for the BOB train on to Grindelwald from the staffed ticket desks at Interlaken Ost station.
Though if you will be travelling with any type of rail pass, including Saver Day Passes, you'll need to go into the ticket office, to buy a discounted ticket for the train to Grindelwald.
1 x connection per hour
Change trains in: Interlaken
Tickets
Booking Tickets:
Tickets can be purchased online for end-to-end journeys which involve taking a SBB train + the BernerOberlandBahn train on to Grindelwald.
‘Individual tickets’ can be used on any train(s) on your travel date, but they tend to be comparatively expensive.
'Supersaver' tickets are cheaper, as the portion of the journey by the SBB train can be discounted by up to 50%, but these tickets are train departure specific.
So if you book a Supersaver ticket and a flight delay etc, causes you to miss a train you are booked on to, you will have to book another full-price ‘Individual Ticket(s).
You can then apply for a refund of the Supersaver ticket, but the application costs CHF 10.
Hence it’s worth comparing the ticket price of a journey with the price(s) e of Saver Day Passes (see below) they might save you money and can also allow for a less stressful journey.
Using Saver Day Passes:
Now that the Swiss Transfer tickets have been discontinued a Saver Day Pass may save you money, if you can book at least a couple of weeks ahead (usually), so that you can obtain the pass at a discounted price.
They can be cheaper than tickets for the end-to-end journey, though they are more likely to be a money saver if you will be making a day return trip.
But this journey to Grindelwald can be an exception.
They can be used for free travel on the trains between Basel and Interlaken Ost
But between Interlaken Ost and Grindelwald they only provide for a 25% discount and the balance for the journey from Interlaken Ost and Grindelwald, needs to be paid prior to boarding the trains, in the ticket office at Interlaken Ost station.
Though a plus of the Saver Day Pass is that they are not train specific, so can still be used in the event of a journey to Switzerland being delayed.
As they’re only valid for one day’s travel, the clue is the name, you’ll need to purchase another Saver Day Pass for your return journey at the end of your stay
Though if you will be making a day return trip from Basel to Grindelwald, it's likely that that a Saver Day Pass will be cheaper than booking tickets for the outward and return journeys.
Additional Information:
More general info is available on our GUIDE to taking the train to Swiss Ski Resorts.
Where to book
| Ticket Provider | Approximate Cost | |
|---|---|---|
| SBB | * | |
| Trainline | * | |
| Happyrail | * |
Train 1
Travelling On
Journey Features
Good to Know
This is now route IC 61
The single deck IC trains are typically used for these journeys, but three late afternoon/evening departures are by ICE trains, which will have commenced their journeys in Germany.
Final Destination: Interlaken Ost
Optimum onward connections at Interlaken Ost:
The timetabling of the trains from Basel to Interlaken doesn't follow a set pattern.
Trains depart from Basel at either 31 or 59 mins past each hour; in some hours there are departures at both these times.
Typically it is the trains which depart Basel at 59 mins past each hour during the day have the optimum connections with the other trains on from Interlaken Ost.
So if you will be travelling on from Interlaken try to target the trains which leave Basel at 59 mins past the hour, particularly if you will be travelling with a ticket valid for the end-to-end journey.
Though if on arrival on in Interlaken, if you'll need to buy a ticket for your onward connection, you won't have to purchase it against the clock, if you can take the trains which depart Basel at 31 mins past the hour.
Switzerland doesn't have any high speed lines on which trains travel at more than 250 km/h, but south of Olten the train will race at 200 km/h for around 25mins on a fast railway until shortly before arrival in Bern
The train will reverse direction at Bern and then south of Thun there are some fabulous views to be enjoyed over on the left.
(This video was taking on a train travelling in the opposite direction, but it showcases how fine the views can be on a sunny day)Then for the final 15 mins of the journey, after departure from Spiez, the train descends down to travel right by the shore of the Thunersee.
You need to be sat on the left in a backward facing seat to make the most of these views between Spiez and Interlaken; so because of the reversal at Bern, take a forward facing seat on the right hand side when boarding the train in Basel.
Train 2
Travelling On
Journey Features
Good to Know
Final Destination: Grindelwald
At Interlaken Ost station the train heading to Grindelwald will be joined to another train heading to Lauterbrunnen for the first part of the journey.
So take care to join the right part of the train, on the newer BOB trains, the destinations are on the outside of the coaches.
Don't be overly concerned about this as the conductor will pass through the train to check tickets and they will tell you if you need to move coaches.
All trains also call at: Wilderswill for connection into the SPB trains to Schynige Platte.
This is a delightful journey, particularly after the train has departed from Wilderswill - sit on the right (when facing the direction of travel) for the best of the views.
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