There are two rotes which can be taken when taking the train from Zurich to Interlaken.
(1) travelling via Bern
(2) travelling via Luzern.
The route through Bern now has direct trains, but in the hours when they are not available, straightforward connections can be made in Bern station.
When travelling between most cities by train there is only one logical option, though on other journeys there is a choice between different trains or alternative routes. If different options are available you can use the info to decide which is best for you.
1hr 56min
Daily
7 x direct trains per day
The usual departure times from Zurich HB station are at 06:02; 08:02; 11:02; 13:02; 15:02; 17:02 and 19:02; note that there is a three hour gap between departures between 08:02 and 11:02.
SBB is the main national rail operator in Switzerland, but tickets for journeys by the other significant operators including BLS and SOB can be be booked on the SBB website.
SBB also sells tickets for journeys to many destinations which involve a combination of SBB trains and services provided by the many independent operators who serve the Alpine resort towns.
However, if you will be making a long-distance return day trip, look out for he possibility of SaverDay passes being cheaper than tickets.
Though if you download the SBB app, booking tickets on SBB's mobile services can be simper than using the website.
Also watch out for the fact that booking international tickets can be comparatively quirky.
Final Destination: Interlaken Ost
All trains also call at: Spiez (connect for Zweisimmen) and Interlaken West
If your final destination is in central Interlaken, book tickets to and leave the train at Interlaken West, this station is much closer to the town centre.
Connect at Interlaken Ost for the ZB trains towards Luzern or the BOB trains to Grindelwald and Lauterbrunnen.
From Zurich Flughafen/Airport
All but the first of these daily direct trains to Interlaken also departs from the station at Zurich airport.
These trains typically depart from gleis (platforms/tracks) 31-32 which are in the lower level of Zurich's main station.
This is a journey of four distinct parts:
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.
Book early and save: Yes - If you book Supersaver tickets.
You may need to search through the departures to find them using the ‘earlier’ and ‘later’ buttons; so try and be flexible with your departure and arrival times.
Online bookings open: up to six months ahead of the travel date
Seat reservations:
Seat reservations are optional on Swiss IC trains, so seats won't be assigned when booking online.
You can book reservations online for journeys by these IC trains, AFTER you have booked a ticket, by using the SBB (Swiss national railways) seat reservation service
Travelling with a rail pass:
Rail pass users can jump on any train, without having to make reservations.
1hr 55min (approx)
Daily
ShowMeTheJourney earns a small commission on Trainline ticket sales. It can be a particularly good option for: Comparing different train services; Booking international journeys with connections; Travelling between the UK to destinations beyond Amsterdam, Brussels and Paris - and for international travellers who don't reside in western Europe.
SBB is the main national rail operator in Switzerland, but tickets for journeys by the other significant operators including BLS and SOB can be be booked on the SBB website.
SBB also sells tickets for journeys to many destinations which involve a combination of SBB trains and services provided by the many independent operators who serve the Alpine resort towns.
However, if you will be making a long-distance return day trip, look out for he possibility of SaverDay passes being cheaper than tickets.
Though if you download the SBB app, booking tickets on SBB's mobile services can be simper than using the website.
Also watch out for the fact that booking international tickets can be comparatively quirky.
Happy Rail is a Netherlands rail ticket agency which sells tickets for both national and international journeys within a range of countries including Belgium France, Germany, Sweden, Switzerland.
HappyRail doesn't charge booking fees in the conventional sense, but if you're not Dutch you can expect to pay additional transaction fees, which will be added to the total cost.
That's because the most common form of online payment used in The Netherlands is 'iDEAL' and HappyRail doesn't charge a transaction fee for 'iDEAL' payments, but only Dutch residents can sign up to 'iDEAL'.
Other forms of payment include Visa debit cards will incur a fee.
Omio is an online ticket agency which offers tickets for rail journeys in France, Germany, Great Britain, Italy and Spain.
The three key advantages of using Omio are
The disadvantage of booking with Omio is that it often adds a booking fee to the final price; therefore when it does so without offering a price advantage, SMTJ doesn't tend to offer Omio as a booking option.
1 or 2 x connections per hour are available in the hours when the direct trains are not available.
Change trains in: Bern
On this routing the connecting time between trains in Bern station is around 6 mins, but the connection can be virtually guaranteed.
On arrival at Bern station, the easiest means of transferring to the platform/track/gleis, that the train on to Interlaken will be departing from, is to use the bridge which spans the station.
If at Zurich you board the train around three - six coaches back from the front of the train, you will be adjacent to this bridge when you disembark from the train on arrival at Bern.
The alternative route:
If you will be travelling with a rail pass SMTJ recommends taking the slower, but more scenic route via Luzern.
These are the express IC trains which are non-stop from Zurich to Bern, they also se the 'higher' speed line between Olten and Bern.
Final Destination: Geneve-Aeroport (on route IC 1) or Brig (on route IC 8)
The double deck SBB IC trains are used on this route; the brand new LD/Twindexx trains should now be operating on some departures that are heading towards Geneve.
From Zurich HB station:
These IC trains usually depart from gleis (platforms/tracks) 31 and 32 in the lower level part of the station.
Note that these trains should arrive in Zurich HB station around 7 mins before they are due to depart, so keep an eye on the departure time and don't rush to board by the nearest door (if you don't have to)
From Zurich Flughafen/Airport:
These trains depart from Zurich Flughafen/Airport station 11 mins before they depart from the city centre station - Zurich HB.
Final Destination: Interlaken Ost
All trains also call at: Spiez (connect for Zweisimmen) and Interlaken West
If your final destination is in central Interlaken, book tickets to and leave the train at Interlaken West, this station is much closer to the town centre.
Connect at Interlaken Ost for the ZB trains towards Luzern or the BOB trains to Grindelwald and Lauterbrunnen.
The single deck IC trains are used for these journeys, along with some ICE trains that will have commenced their journeys in Germany
This is a journey that saves the best until last!
There are lovely views over Lake Thun from the left of the train, when facing the direction of travel, between Thun and Spiez stations.
... this video was taken from a train travelling in the opposite direction.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.
Book early and save: Yes
If you book Supersaver tickets, you may need to search through the departures to find these 'Supersaver' tickets using the ‘earlier’ and ‘later’ button, so try and be flexible with your departure and arrival times.
Online bookings open: up to six months ahead of the travel date
2hr 51min
Daily
SBB is the main national rail operator in Switzerland, but tickets for journeys by the other significant operators including BLS and SOB can be be booked on the SBB website.
SBB also sells tickets for journeys to many destinations which involve a combination of SBB trains and services provided by the many independent operators who serve the Alpine resort towns.
However, if you will be making a long-distance return day trip, look out for he possibility of SaverDay passes being cheaper than tickets.
Though if you download the SBB app, booking tickets on SBB's mobile services can be simper than using the website.
Also watch out for the fact that booking international tickets can be comparatively quirky.
1 x connection per hour
Change trains in: Luzern
The connecting time between trains at Luzern is around 15 mins and it is an exceptionally easy station in which to change trains, so a stress-free transfer is virtually guaranteed
If you will be touring Switzerland by train and in possession of a valid rail pass, then this is a more spectacular option for making a journey between Zurich and Interlaken.
Or if you don't have a rail pass and time is on your side and you want to see more than an hour of stunning scenery then seek out this routing on SBB's ticketing service and book an end2end ticket.
Final Destination : Luzern
From Zurich Flughafen/Airport:
There are now direct trains between the station at Zurich Flughafen/Airport and Luzern
You no longer have to change trains at Zurich HB station; though if you board a train at the airport, it will reverse direction on departure from Zurich Hb station.
The brand new Twindexx trains are now used on some departures.
From left of the train (when facing the direction of travel) there are views over Lake Zurich and Lake Zug, so it can be worth ascending up to the top deck of the double-deck trains used on this route.
Final Destination: Interlaken Ost
All trains also call at: Meiringen and Brienz - connect for BRB trains
When joining the train at Luzern sit on the left (when facing the direction of travel) for the best of the views.
From this side of the train no less than four lakes can be seen - the train will reverse direction on departure at Meiringen, so you won't need to switch to the other side of the train for the views over the Brienzee.
Book early and save: Yes
If you book Supersaver tickets.
You may need to search through the departures to find these 'Supersaver' tickets using the ‘earlier’ and ‘later’ button, so try and be flexible with your departure and arrival times.
Online bookings open: up to six months ahead of the travel date
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