Guidebook Updates for Switzerland

For books printed before July 2025, the following may apply:

• Tickets for the Gotthard Panorama Express train-and-boat journey are available on its official website, as are seat reservations for the train journey. If you don't have a first-class travel pass, you can save a little money by buying your boat ticket separately, either on the SBB Mobile app or at train station kiosks (rather than through the official website). This allows you to choose a cheaper second-class ticket for the boat (even though a first-class ticket for the train is required).

For books printed before July 2025, the following may apply:

• The Appenzell Folklore Museum is temporarily closed.

For books printed before July 2025, the following may apply:

• English tours of the parliament (only available when parliament is not in session — usually from mid-July to mid-Aug) are no longer offered on Thursdays. Tours are offered on Wednesday and Saturday at 16:00 (less frequently outside summer; reserve up to 3 days ahead).
• Hotel Goldener Schlüssel no longer offers a discount to Rick Steves readers.

• The Schilthornbahn's new direct line between the valley floor (near Stechelberg) and Mürren is up and running, and the Piz Gloria restaurant has reopened (though some construction is still ongoing).
• Gimmelwald's Hotel Mittaghorn, run by Walter Mittler from 1970 until his death in 2019 and one of Rick's long-time fond favorites, will not reopen before 2027 (if at all).
• Wengernalp (a gorgeous 30-minute walk from Kleine Scheidegg) is, contrary to what's printed in our book, a rather steep one-hour hike from the Allmend train stop (which is indeed another 60 minutes' walk from Wengen).

For books printed before July 2025, the following may also apply:

• Mürren does currently have an ATM (in the Schilthornbahn station).
• Eurail Global Passes now cover trains between Interlaken and Lauterbrunnen, and even trains from Lauterbrunnen/Interlaken to Grindelwald (not Gimmelwald!) and up to Wengen. Unlike the more extensive Swiss Travel Pass, however, the Global Pass (still) doesn't cover travel between Lauterbrunnen and Mürren. (For more on this, see our Switzerland Rail Passes and Train Tips page.)
• Hotel Bellevue in Mürren is now Drei Berge Hotel, and under new management ([email protected]).
• Doris Schmied is not longer working as a hiking guide.

For books printed before April 2023, the following may also 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 2024 cost 250 CHF from Interlaken Ost, 240 CHF from Lauterbrunnen, 228 CHF from Wengen, and 166 CHF from Kleine Scheidegg. 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. Before heading up, be sure to check last-departure times from the Jungfraujoch and Kleine Scheidegg stations.
• 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 14:00–16:00, Fri 17:00–20:00, Sat 15:00–18:00, closed entirely Oct–May).
• 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).
• The Schilthorn Explore app, which had included an audio tour of Gimmelwald, is no more.
• If you find the walking path from Mürren to Gimmelwald blocked by construction work 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 and its Sport Lodge are no longer operating (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 2024 the train is 8.60 CHF, and the boat is 35 CHF.
• The Interlaken tourist information office's 2024 opening hours: July–Aug Mon–Fri 8:00–18:00, Sat–Sun 10:00–16:00; June & Sept Mon–Fri 8:00–18:00, Sat 9:00–16:00, closed Sun; April–May Mon–Fri 8:00–12:00 & 13:30–18:00, Sat 9:00–16:00, closed Sun; closed Oct–May).
• Interlaken's Flying Wheels bike rental is now open daily 9:00–19:00 in summer (in good weather), till 18:00 April–May and Sept, and till 17:00 in early Oct (after which they're closed until April). They also 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 an hour). In summer the caves are now open daily 9:00–18:00, Fri–Sat until 21:00.
• The Harderbahn funicular to Harder Kulm now runs until 21:40 in summer (until 17:10 in winter), and in summer now costs 44 CHF.
• Adventure-sports operator Outdoor Interlaken, now 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 July 2025, the following may apply:

• The regional tourism office in Bulle has moved to Place de la Gare 3 and has a new phone number: +41 26 919 8500 (daily 9:00–18:00).

For books printed before July 2025, the following may apply:

• The bus to the Collection de l’Art Brut from Lausanne's city center is now the #2, not #87.
• Montreux's tourist information office has moved to Avenue des Alpes 45.

For books printed before July 2025, the following may apply:

• The Lugano tourist information office has moved to Via Magatti 6.

For books printed before July 2025, the following may apply:

• At the Luzern train station, luggage lockers are now along track 14 (not track 3).
• Schluessel Hotel has reopened with new owners and a new email address: [email protected].
• ABC Taxi Niwalden near Fortress Fürigen is no longer in business.

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

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

For books printed before July 2025, the following may apply:

• Hotel Dufour Zermatt has closed.

For books printed before July 2025, the following may apply:

• Samedan's tourist information office has moved up the street to Plazzet 21 and has a new phone number: +41 81 830 0001.
• Grond Café has changed ownership and is now Bun Di Café and Restaurant, serving pastry, sandwiches, salads, and beer and wine (long hours daily, +41 81 842 8040,).

• The correct email address for Hotel Adler is [email protected].