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Guidebook Updates for Switzerland

When we learn of critical changes to the information in our guidebooks on Switzerland, we post them here. (Of course, it's still smart to reconfirm critical transportation and sightseeing details locally.) Armed with a Rick Steves guidebook and these late-breaking updates, you're set for a great trip!

Across Switzerland

  • The 24-hour toll phone number for the Swiss Federal Railway (SBB) is +44 848 44 66 88.
  • A new scenic train, the Golden Pass Express, runs direct between Interlaken and Montreux in just over three hours.

For books printed before May 2020, the following may also apply:

  • Eurail Select Passes are no longer being sold (but similarly priced Global Passes still are) — see our 2019 rail-travel update.
  • The Swiss railway no longer offers same day, station-to-station luggage delivery service. Service will now take two days and applies to a reduced list of stations.

For books printed before April 2017, the following may also apply:

  • The William Tell Express excursion package (between Luzern and Flüelen) has been renamed the "Gotthard Panorama Express." Seats are now available in both first or second class for the whole package (steamboat ride, reserved seat on panoramic train, infotainment called "The Gotthard Myth"). Since the new, longer, Gotthard Tunnel is now taking passenger trains, choosing one of these departures (even without the boat ride) is an easy way to ensure that you're not taking the faster, less scenic tunnel route.
  • The Glacier Express and the Brig–Zermatt route are now fully covered by the Eurail Global Pass (but the Glacier Express still requires a paid seat reservation).
  • The Eurail Global Pass now grants a 50 percent discount on most lake boats, rather than covering the full fare (but boats on Lakes Thun and Brienz are fully covered by the Global Pass). Swiss Travel Passes still cover all lake boats in Switzerland.
  • With the Swiss Travel Pass, discounts on high-mountain lifts and trains are now only available on one of your flexipass travel days (whereas Eurail-brand passes still let you take advantage of discounted train and boat rides at any point within the pass's validity window). As always, any ride fully covered — rather than just discounted — by any kind of rail pass does require use of a travel day.
  • The Swiss Half-Fare Card can no longer be combined at a special rate with a Swiss Travel Pass or Swiss Transfer Ticket.

Appenzell

Bern

  • Denise O'Gorman Abersold is no longer offering walking tours.

Berner Oberland

For books printed before April 2023, the following may apply:

  • Train fares for ascending all the way to the Jungfraujoch have jumped a bit since our last edition: Full-fare round-trip rides in high season (June–Aug) in 2023 cost 239 CHF from Interlaken Ost, 228 CHF from Lauterbrunnen, 214 CHF from Wengen, and 156 CHF from Kleine Scheidegg. The last train down now departs from the Jungfraujoch at 16:17 and from Kleine Scheidegg at 17:14 (still runs one hour later in July–Aug). Between Kleine Scheidegg and the top it's now a 45-minute ride, and you no longer need to change trains on this top stretch.
  • While you can indeed buy tickets on board the Lauterbrunnen–Wengen–Kleine Scheidegg–Jungfraujoch train for a 10-CHF surcharge, previous editions of our books hadn't clarified that it's important to approach the conductor to buy the ticket, rather waiting for them to find you (which could land you with a hefty fine).
  • The Lauterbrunnen Valley Folk Museum is now only open three afternoons a week (Wed and Fri 14:00–16:00, Sat 15:00–18:00, closed entirely Oct–mid-June).
  • The Airtime Café in Lauterbrunnen is now only open on weekends (Fri–Sun 9:00–17:30).
  • The Coop grocery in Lauterbrunnen now has longer summer hours (July–mid-Sept daily 8:00–19:00).
  • The Restaurant Bären in Wengen no longer serves lunch.
  • Pension Gimmelwald is no longer the only place to eat in town: The Mountain Hostel now has a restaurant that welcomes nonguests (daily in summer but only on weekends in winter). They specialize in pizza (served 12:00–21:00; bar stays open till at least 23:00) and also offer breakfast (7:30–9:30). The hostel itself, including the restaurant, is now closed not just in November but through mid-December and for about a month after Easter (and is no longer run by longtime owner Petra Brunner).
  • Gimmelwald's Hotel Mittaghorn, run by Walter Mittler from 1970 until his death in 2019 and one of Rick's long-time fond favorites, is slated to reopen under new ownership in 2024.
  • The Schilthorn Explore app, which had included an audio tour of Gimmelwald, is no more.
  • Expect some disruption around Mürren's cable-car station while construction is underway to replace a good share of the Schilthornbahn line (the cable car should still be running normally until late 2024). If you find the walking path blocked between the station and Hotel Alphenruh, simply look for signs to Gimmelwald, as there are several ways out of central Mürren that end you up on the paved road down to Gimmelwald.
  • Mürren's nightlife options are now a bit more limited: The Eiger Guesthouse no longer has a game room, Hotel Blumental's cellar bar has closed, and the summer folkloric performances are only held about once a month.
  • The Mürren tourist information office is now closed on weekends in the off-season (May and Nov–mid-Dec).
  • Denise Fussell's yoga classes at the Sportzentrum in Mürren are now held on Wednesdays (not Tuesdays; now €15 but discounts offered to Rick Steves readers).
  • The Pop-Up Lodge Mürren is ceasing operations after the first week of April 2023; their Sport Lodge has already closed (Hotel Alpin Palace is finally moving ahead with renovations).
  • Hotel Blumental in Mürren has a new phone number: +41 33 855 8856.
  • Previous editions of our books had not listed prices for the two ways to connect Interlaken with Brienz (for reaching the Swiss Open-Air Museum at Ballenberg) without a car; as of 2022 the train was 8 CHF, and the boat was 32 CHF.
  • The Interlaken tourist information office now has shorter hours, though they may change during the season (daily generally 10:00–16:00, closed Oct–May).
  • Interlaken's Flying Wheels bike rental is now open daily 9:00–19:00 (in good weather), and has a new phone number: +41 76 453 1464 (WhatsApp messages also answered at this number). Their guided e-bike tours now include a three-hour tour around Interlaken (119 CHF); their six-hour tour of the Lauterbrunnen Valley is now 219 CHF.
  • The St. Beatus Caves no longer offer guided tours to individual travelers (but you can easily follow the self-guided route, which takes about 45 minutes). In summer the caves are now open daily 9:00–18:00.
  • The Harderbahn funicular to Harder Kulm now runs until 21:40 in summer (until 17:10 in winter), and now costs 40 CHF.
  • Adventure-sports operator Outdoor Interlaken, know going as simply "Outdoor," has a new phone number: +41 224 0704. (Similar outfit Alpin Raft is no longer operating.)
  • Interlaken's K44 indoor-climbing facility has closed.
  • Most restaurants along Interlaken's Rugenparkstrasse have closed, and Jungfraustrasse now has primarily Indian restaurants. The nearby Biryani House has closed as well. In Interlaken's Unterseen neighborhood Restaurant Bären is now closed on Tuesdays (as well as Mondays), Città Vecchia is now closed on Tuesdays and Wednesday afternoons, and Benacus has closed entirely.

For books printed before January 2023, the following may also apply:

  • The Schilthornbahn cable car no longer runs later in the day in July and August.
  • The Lauterbrunnen tourist information office now closes at 17:00 in season and on Tuesdays (as well as Mondays) in Oct–May (otherwise open daily 8:30–12:00 & 13:15–17:00).
  • It's now a little more expensive to reach Mürren from Lauterbrunnen via the valley-floor bus and Schilthornbahn cable car (15.60 CHF total) than via Grütschalp cable car and clifftop train (11.20 CHF total). From Lauterbrunnen to Gimmelwald, however, it's cheaper via the valley floor (10.40 CHF total) than via Grütschalp and Mürren (17.20 CHF).
  • Mürren no longer has an ATM.
  • Stäger Sport in Mürren is now a branch of Intersport, and now closes for an hour at midday (12:00–13:00).
  • The via ferrata in Mürren now costs 149 CHF, and should be booked either online or through Outdoor's new phone number (see below).
  • Bus #151 between Brienz and the Swiss Open-Air Museum at Ballenberg (now slightly more frequent at 1–2/hour) now stop running from the Ballenberg Ost (east) entrance at 17:15 (after that, buses only run from the Ballenberg West entrance).

For books printed before May 2020, the following may also apply:

  • At Kleine Scheidegg, Restaurant Bahnhof hostel is now Bergrestaurant Kleine Scheidegg lodge and restaurant.
  • Hotel Blumental in Mürren is now owned and operated by Schilthorn Cableway Ltd.
  • The Stägerstübli restaurant in Mürren is now open Thu–Mon 11:30–20:30 (closed Tue–Wed).
  • The Swiss Travel Pass no longer covers the entire Schilthornbahn ride; with this pass the ride between the valley and Mürren is completely covered, but for any rides above Mürren (to Birg and the Schilthorn) Swiss Travel Pass holders must now pay half-fare.
  • The Schilthorn cable car no longer offers discounts on early or late departures.
  • You can now reserve a time for Schilthornbahn cable car lifts online 24 hours in advance (for 5 CHF extra). This means committing to the ride you before you know the weather, but you can use the ticket itself (without the reserved spot) at any time.
  • The refurbished Grindelwald–Männlichen gondola is now running, as is the new Eiger Express cable car. The Eiger Express cuts about an hour off the time needed for the Jungfraujoch experience for anyone coming from Interlaken (or Grindelwald), but travelers from the Lauterbrunnen Valley still do better by taking the slow, scenic train via Kleine Scheidegg.
  • The Happy Inn Lodge in Interlaken has a new email address: info@brasserie17.ch.
  • Sunny Days B&B in Interlaken is under new ownership and is now called Adventure Guesthouse.

For books printed before May 2018, the following may also apply:

  • The last train trips of the day to the Jungfraujoch no longer receive a discounted rate.
  • The Jungfraubahnen Pass and the Jungfrau VIP pass have merged into a three- and six-day version of the Jungfrau Travel Pass. It no longer completely covers one trip to the Jungfraujoch but offers the trip from Kleine Scheidegg to Jungfraujoch for 61 CHF.
  • The main tourist information office in Interlaken has moved to a new location by the post office.
  • Sunny Days B&B (now called Adventure Guesthouse) in Interlaken has a new phone number: +41 77 456 2338.
  • Olle and Maria's B&B in Gimmelwald has a new website: www.olleandmarias.ch.
  • Camping Jungfrau has a new website: www.campingjungfrau.swiss.
  • Hotel Bellevue in Mürren has a new website: www.bellevuemuerren.ch.

For books printed before October 2017, the following may also apply:

  • Liesi's Heart Place in Gimmelwald no longer rents rooms.
  • You can intensify your Schilthorn visit with a stroll along the new Thrill Walk suspension walkway, which links the Skyline Walk viewing platform to the restaurant terrace.

Gruyères and Diablerets Region

For books printed before May 2020, the following may apply:

For books printed before May 2018, the following may also apply:

Lausanne

For books printed before May 2020, the following may apply:

For books printed before May 2018, the following may also apply:

  • Hôtel Régina, under new management, offers a discount to Rick Steves readers.
  • Le Barbare pub has closed.

Lugano

  • Shuttle buses no longer run between Lugano to Milan's Malpensa or Linate airports, but a handy train now connects Lugano with Malpensa (hourly, 1.5 hours), and Linate is easily reached via train to/from Milano Centrale and a shuttle bus between Centrale station and the airport.

Luzern

Murten

  • The Roman amphitheater in Avenches is undergoing a major renovation through 2028.

Zermatt

For books printed before May 2020, the following may also apply:

Zürich