Interlaken Ost — Local services in Interlaken

We have bought supersaver tickets from Zurich HB to Grindelwald for 16/06 and back for the next day, each connection with 3 changes. We do not speak German and have been in Switzerland for the first time. We have used travel options suggested on SBB website, with about 6 minutes given to change between trains (which includes changing platforms). Our train from Grindelwald to Interlaken Ost was a few minutes late, but we were prepared and followed from platform 2B to platform 5 as per schedule to change to the next train. We have arrived to platform 5 just 1 minute before the next train departure, but the train wasn’t there! The schedule that was presented by SBB said platform 5, and the printed schedule on the platform itself included the train we were waiting for. However, nothing arrived. It was too late before we could check the platform number online and realised the platform was changed! There was no announcement, no message or email or anything to inform us on this change, despite we have bought our tickets 2 days in advance. They also didn’t let us use our tickets on another train, so we had to buy the most expensive tickets and have lost a lot of time trying to find where to buy them (the railway office closed at 18:30).

It was a horrible experience. We have paid just 20 franks less for the supersaver tickets as compared to normal tickets (unfortunately, we are not millionaires), just to pay twice more at the end! The railway worker said our supersaver tickets are not valid and we had to buy other tickets as we have missed our train. It is just heartless and rude. Again - we have received zero information about the platform change, not to mention that it is extremely hard to run between the platforms in 5 minutes time, especially when you haven’t ever been there before. If they at least suggested reasonable breaks between the trains, we would have at least some time to orient ourselves to the right platform.

Supersaver tickets are just the way to make even more money from you. Nobody cares and they just make you pay for their own mistakes/poor job. We are going to drive next time, and will consider going to French...

I will say that in general, our experience with the Swiss Train and system was very positive. However, we did have issues with the station here in Interlaken. There are not enough lockers. We arrived around noon and there were no lockers available. People were standing around waiting for lockers to be available. None did in the 1-hour that we waited. One employee appeared to be aware of this issue, but most employees didn't know much of anything. We asked anyone who would listen if there was a way to store our bags with "left luggage", but they didn't appear to offer this service on the day that I visited. We ended up leaving our bags with Bounce, which was one bus stop from Interlaken Ost station.

For our vacation, we purchased a 15-day Swiss Travel Pass. This pass allowed us to get on almost all transportation modes such as trains, buses, ferries, and some gondolas. Many of the gondolas were half-price with the Swiss Travel Pass.

I wasn't sure how the process would work, but you just board the train, or bus, and the SBB folks come by during the ride and check your ticket. The SBB app has a QR code and they scan it. You can also purchase tickets at the station, and they scan those tickets while you are on the train or bus.

We had our tickets checked about 1/3 of the time. We rode about 30 times and I would say they asked for our tickets about 10 times.

Very good experience with the trains and the SBB in...

Interlaken (German pronunciation: [ˈɪntɐlakn̩]; lit.: between lakes) is a statistic town and municipality in the Interlaken-Oberhasli administrative district in the Swiss canton of Bern. It is an important and well-known tourist destination in the Bernese Highlands region of the Swiss Alps, and the main transport gateway to the mountains and lakes of that region. The town is located on the flat alluvial land called Bödeli between the two Lakes of Brienz to the east and Thun to the west and alongside the river Aare, which flows from one to the other. Transport routes to the east and west alongside the lakes are complemented by a route southwards into the near mountain resorts and high mountains, e.g. the famous high Alpine peaks of Eiger, Mönch, and Jungfrau, following upwards the Lütschine. Interlaken is the central town of a Small Agglomeration with the same name of 23,300 inhabitants. The official language of Interlaken is the Swiss variety of Standard German, but the main spoken language is the local variant of the Alemannic Swiss...