How to take the rail journey from Zurich to Wengen

Changing trains in: Interlaken and Lauterbrunnen

Interlaken is where the network of mountain railways in the Bernese-Oberland connect with SBB's national rail network.

Changing trains at Interlaken Ost station:

You will have around 8 mins to make the connection into the train on to Lauterbrunnen 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 journey on to Wengen (via Lauterbrunnen) from the ticket desks at Interlaken Ost station.

Though if you will be travelling with any type of rail pass, including Swiss Day Passes, you'll also need to go into the ticket office, to buy a discounted ticket for the journey on from Interlaken to Wengen.

Then the connection at Lauterbrunen into the train on Wengen is a simple as can be.

Changing trains in Bern:

In the hours when no direct trains are available from Zurich to Interlaken, there will be trains from Zurich heading to Brig which will connect in Bern for trains on to Interlaken.

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 you board the train to Bern around three - six coaches back from the front of the train, you will then be adjacent to this bridge when you disembark from the train on arrival at Bern.

Booking Tickets:

Tickets can be purchased online for this end-to-end journey which involve taking a SBB trains to Interlaken + the trains on to Wengen.

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

‘Point-to-Point ’ 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.

Though 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.

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.
However, this journey to Wengen can be an exception.

These passes allow for free travel on;

• the trains between Zurich and Bern
• the train trains between Bern and Interlaken Ost
• the trains between Interlaken Ost and Lauterbrunnen

However, unless they have purchased with a Half-Fare card , they can't be used for the part of the journey between Lauterbrunen and Wengen
So tickets for the final section of the journey will need to be booked prior to boarding the trains, in the ticket offices at Interlaken Ost or Lauterbrunnen stations.

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 Zurich to Wengen it is likely that that a Saver Day Pass will be cheaper than booking tickets for the outward and return journeys; despite the need to buy separate tickets for the part of the journey between Lauterbrunnen and Wengen.

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.

Though they also 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 cheaper the further ahead that you book.

However, if you will be making a day return trip from Zurich to Wengen, it's likely that that a Saver Day Pass will be cheaper than booking tickets for the outward AND return journeys.

The alternative route via Luzern:

If you have a valid rail pass, an alternative, more scenic, but longer option, is to travel to Interlaken from Zurich via Luzern.