Genève / Geneva to Grindelwald by train

Change trains in: Bern and Interlaken

There are no direct trains between Genève and Interlaken; where you connect for trains on to Grindelwald.
The simplest and fastest option for the part of the journey between Geneve and Interlaken is to make only 1 x change of train at Bern.

In most hours the trains heading to Luzern from Geneve have good connections in Bern on to Interlaken.
Though in a few hours the optimum connection is instead available when taking the trains from Geneve that are heading to St Gallen.

In a few hours during the day both options are available; hence some hours have 2 x options available when setting off from Geneve.

Changing trains in Bern:

The optimum connection in Bern between trains is only around 8 mins, but the connection is virtually guaranteed.

Changing trains at Interlaken Ost station:

You will 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.
Though eight minutes may not be enough time to buy a ticket for the BOB train on to Grindelwald from the manned ticket desks at Interlaken Ost station.
However, if you will be travelling with any type of rail pass, including Swiss Day Passes, you'll need to go into the ticket office, to buy a discounted ticket for the train to Grindelwald.

Booking Tickets:

Tickets can be booked online for this end-to-end journey.

Online bookings open: up to six months ahead of the travel date

‘Point-to-Point tickets’ can be used on any train(s) on your travel date, but they tend to be comparatively expensive.

Supersaver tickets are cheaper, 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 Point-to-Point.
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) of the Saver Day Passes, they might save you money and can also allow for a less stressful journey.

Using Saver Day Passes:

If you will be booking last minute tickets for a train journey to Grindelwald a Saver Day Pass may save you money.
If they are cheaper, the SBB booking service should automatically offer them as a default option.

They can be cheaper than tickets for the end-to-end journey, particularly when the discounted Supersaver tickets aren't available; and are often cheaper if you will be making a day return trip between Geneve and Grindelwald, even if you can book in advance.

They can be used on;

• the trains between Geneve-Aeroport and Bern
• the trains between Bern and Interlaken Ost
• the trains between Interlaken Ost and Grindelwald

They are not train specific, so can still be used in the event of a journey to Switzerland being delayed.
Though as they’re only valid for one day’s travel, the clue is the name, so if you will be travelling back on another date, you’ll need to purchase another Saver Day Pass for your return journey.

However, they need to be booked at least a day ahead of your travel date, so won't be an option if you book tickets at the station on arrival in Switzerland.
They're also (much) cheaper the further ahead that you book.