Murder on the Overnight Train from Zurich to Vienna

The overnight train is a convenient way to cover huge distances in Europe

Jeremy was glad we took the night train from Zurich, Switzerland to Vienna, Austria - so he knows to never do it again.

Waking up, Jeremy asked me: 

"What are you going to write on the blog? Are you bummed all that content happened in one night?" 

"I slept great!" was my chipper reply. (6 1/2 hours of sleep is pretty good by my standards.) 

"You take that back," growled Jeremy, already somehow getting 4 standing hours on his watch, even though he never left his top bunk.

Complacently, Kate retorted, "Still better than the felucca," in reference to our overnight on the Nile in Egypt two years ago.

For the record, we raised our kids camping in tents. Sleeping on a boat or train is hardly any different.

Trying to get from the platform onto the train was immediately frustrating. Although I've been on a night train before, I immediately regretted my decision to add it to our itinerary. The small compartments are nearly impossible to squeeze into with 6 people and our small packs. We had 4-person compartments and still were perplexed how to get in. I kicked them all out so I could make the beds up and shove luggage under and over the beds.

"This is like the Harry Potter bus," Vivian texted her best friend.

Here's a quick run-down of our torturous night:

• Our train car (#305) had only one working bathroom for 60 passengers. (We snuck into the premium sleeper train.)
• There is no dining car.
• Asked for our breakfast order, Kate requested cream and sugar. No. "There's no coffee machine," the conductor flatly replied. (The black coffee is served with a creamer container but nothing fancy like sugar.)
• Only one slot of our compartment's two charging ports worked.
• The heat in our compartment didn't work. Kate slept in her winter coat.
• And last but not least - to top it all off - our cabin light wouldn't turn off. "Sorry" the conductor said, in her limited English.

Honestly, once I was in my bunk, as long as the train was moving and swaying (it has some brief stops along the way), I slept like a baby in a cradle.

Greg and Chris shared their compartment with a young German couple who crawled into their top bunks when they boarded and crawled back out after we arrived in Vienna.

Packed in like sardines 

It was a little better once I stowed our luggage and made the beds

Crime scene evidence: how you "sleep" with the lights on while earning 4 standing hours

Our tickets included a breakfast of 2 rolls, butter, jam, coffee - and no sugar

Having lived through the horror of the night train, they can now tell the tale

Note: While our train felt like it was built eons ago, OBB (Austrian train line) has updated its cars on other night train routes. Those might have a better experience.

Logistics:

Getting night train tickets was the bane of my existence every day for four months.

Vloggers Nate and Kara - who inspired our Christmas market trip - originally planned their itinerary to cover huge distances to the different countries overnight on night trains. However, for them the night train tickets were well-past gone. They sell out fast.

My go-to website for information on trains in Europe, The Man in Seat 61 says:  "I love travelling by Nightjet, a real treat - kids of all ages love bunk beds on a train."

Particularly challenging for train travel after mid-December is what is called the "December Timetable Change": for trains after Dec. 1, sales are no longer available at the normal booking window 3-6 months in advance. Planning our itinerary a year in advance, I hinged our expensive trip on getting the cheap night train tickets. So just in case, I started checking 6 months out, which is when they would normally go on sale. I checked every day, and in the end checked 3 times per day. Finally on October 16, at 4:45am PDT, I got our tickets - two hours after OBB updated their facebook page announcing the release.

Less than the cost of the day trains, and saving us on a night of hotel expenses, the 10-hour overnight train cost us €60 each for a "couchette" bunk in an upgraded compartment for four. Roomier "sleeper" compartments are available for a lot more.

At time of publication (12/29/24), today's 8-hour day ticket costs €215 with one train change. If you want the guaranteed ticket without a concern for cost, third party website (thetrainline.com) pre-sell the overnight ticket for $150.

One day after I bought our tickets, the price had already increased by €32. Two weeks later, by 11/1, they were already up to €180 each. I stopped checking but by 11/27 only regular seats were left; no sleeping options.

Lovely Lucerne, Switzerland

As we left the Lauterbrunnen chalet, owner Trudi said we are lucky people for getting such perfect weather during our stay. Yes, and we are very thankful!

Today was primarily a travel day.  We had 12 hours until we needed to get on the night train in Zurich so we made the best of our time by spending a chunk of it in Lucerne. Having been twice before, I think Lucerne has enough charm for another visit, which turned out to be a wise choice over Zurich.

On our 2 1/2 train ride from Lauterbrunnen to Lucerne, checking our train tickets, the conductor switched between the common languages spoken here: "one, zwei, merci".

Stopover in Lucerne

Trying to figure out the lockers at the Lucerne train station.  All of the big ones were out of order and we had 6 packs to store.  The sign sent us to the SBB office that charges 12 CHF per pack (minimum charge for 6 hours).  We crammed them into 3 working medium lockers instead.

Lucerne is best-known for its wooden Chapel Bridge (Kapellbrucke) built in 1333, one of the oldest bridges in Europe

The best way to see Lucerne is on foot, going along its lakeside quay, across its old squares, and through the streets of its Old Town

One of my favorite teenage memories is visiting Lucerne's Lowendenkmal (Lion Monument) with my mom when I was 16

Musegg wall and its nine towers are closed during the winter

Had it been a sunny day we would have taken the funicular to Chateau Gutsch for its view over Lucerne

View from Lucerne's other, lesser-known wooden bridge (Spreuerbrucke)

I spy the Zytturm medieval clocktower from the Old Town

Jeremy and Vivian broke off the pack to have a romantic 3-course dinner overlooking the Reuss River at Fondue House du Pont.  The rest of us had pizza at La Bestia.

Walking down Zurich's Bahnhofstrasse during our two-hour layover.  Thousands of twinkling lights hung above our heads for as far as we could see.

Charming cobblestone Augustinergasse, lined with beautiful historic guild houses. The 17th century shop owners competed to have the best facade.

Across from the train station, Zurich's Landesmuseum keeps its Christmas market open past December 23.

Our experience on the night train deserves it's own post.

An Epic Experience at Grindelwald First

"Fog," Jeremy said, looking out the kitchen window. Uh-oh, had our good fortune come to an end? I was hopeful our plan for the day would bring us above the thick layer. It sure did! As we rode the gondola up to the top of Grindelwald's First mountain at 7,000 feet, the snow literally sparkled as the bright sunshine reflected off its layer of ice crystals.

We started with a compulsory picture on the Sky Bridge, the end point of the complimentary First Cliff Walk. You can get in the bridge line most directly by walking through the gondola station's restaurant.

First Cliff Walk viewpoint with jaw-dropping views of the Eiger and Wetterhorn behind us

The walk to Lake Bachalpsee, about an hour each way from Grindelwald First's gondola station, was filled with incredibly picturesque epic views. The uphill part, in the snow, takes a bit of effort at which point Vivian realized that "leisurely", when found on my itinerary, can be a relative term. (Not that she minded.)

Surrounded by ski runs and off-piste tracks to explore, Chris was a bit tortured by the walk : "I wish I had my skis. This looks like so much fun."

These cool 'snow rollers' are an entirely natural phenomenon that occur when there's a combination of the right temperature, moisture, wind, and of course, snow

Dwarfed by the gigantic rock face

Stunningly blue Lake Bachalpsee was covered in a thick layer of white snow and ice, blending it into its white surroundings

Done with the hike, we did the short First Cliff Walk - a suspended metal walkway taking you along the edge of the mountain

Enjoying views and our super hiker prize

Near the restaurant, we went to the launching point to watch the paragliders take off. The guides were instructing their tourist to "run run run" to jump off the cliff. The daughter passenger didn't move fast enough so basically the tandem duo fell ungracefully off the cliff. Over my shoulder I heard a guide's causal "Don't worry" to the mom, who was going next. LOL!

"That was fun," Vivian said on our way back down. Having spent 4 1/2 hours at the top, we enjoyed our surroundings - arguably one of the most beautiful regions on the planet.

Greg didn't make it out with us today, staying back in Lauterbrunnen to tend to his cold symptoms. "It's been ugly cloudy all day."

About to be engulfed by the thick fog bank suspended over Lauterbrunnen valley

Greg's dark, foggy view all day in Lauterbrunnen valley

Logistics:

For 61 CHF you can buy a region "hiking and sledging" winter pass that includes traveling on most of the trains and gondolas (excludes the biggies: Top of the World and Schilthorn). We bought online tickets on our way out the door but never got the confirmation email. At the station we had to convert the website confirmation to paper passes.

A Glorious Christmas Day in the Swiss Alps

When you're sitting in the comfort of your home on another continent, where you've lived all of your life having snow in the local mountains in December, it might not occur to you that a White Christmas in Switzerland is no guarantee. We lucked out. I didn't fact check this, but a local guy says it has been 13 years since they've had snow like this in December.

Skiing in the Swiss Alps was on the agenda today. Unfortunately I put in motion a change to that two weeks ago when I determinedly ran a marathon with a pulled groin muscle. Unable to walk for a week before our trip, I'm grateful I can now hobble without a walker or cane. But definitely no skiing for me. Instead, Greg and I went up to Wengen, the other car-less village on the opposite side of Lauterbrunnen valley.

On Christmas morning, the heathen children went skiing …

… while Greg and I went to church - for a picture of the church.  Kirche Wengen has an amazing view of the valley below.

Wengen is a quintessential ski village above Lauterbrunnen valley. There's something to be said about walking through the snow-filled pedestrian town wishing cheerful strangers a Merry Christmas!

I can't decide if I prefer the Swiss Alps in the green summertime or snow-capped winter.  Both are glorious!

Walking around in snowy Switzerland with its small huts gives us 'yoo-hoo' vibes reminiscent of Oaken from the movie Frozen.

Yoo-hoo! I smelled-out the adorable Swiss bell-ringing cows that seasonally dot the hillside. They're in this hut!

We went one mile beyond Wengen village to Hunneflue. Though the 35-minute uphill walk is accessible all year round, if there's a layer of fresh snow, you might need snowshoes to get to the vantage point. We had come this far and were so close! "Kristi, don't be stubborn," Greg said, refusing to follow as I tried to forge my way along some wild animal tracks. 

"See, nobody has gone through there," detered Greg when the trail disappeared. I think he is the stubborn one!

Where there's a will there's a way!

The Hunneflue vantage point offers a view towards Interlaken

We ate our picnic lunch on a bench with a plaque that said: It doesn't get any better than this.  Yup!

Just outside of Wengen towards Hunneflue is this fabulous panoramic view of the Lauterbrunnen valley

We took a break to watch the skiers come down the mountain

You don't have to be skiing in Wengen to have a fabulous day

Chris and Jeremy are going on their fourth season of being obsessed with skiing - and want everyone they know to be obsessed with it too. I knew it meant that our winter itinerary in Europe had to include a detour.  Shockingly, skiing in Switzerland is cheaper than California. This week, Palisades Tahoe is $289 for a day pass; here it is only $88 (yet a gouging ~$100 for the rental).

The Jungfrau region is one massive ski resort with many more ski runs than you could possibly ski in one day. We decided that its Grindelwald-Wengen area had the best variety with its 64 miles of ski runs to enjoy. They rented their equipment from InterSport in Lauterbrunnen (InterSport has shops all over the area), caught the train up to Wengen, and then the gondola up to Mannlichen.

Jungfrau region ski map 2024 - you can ski this entire area for only 79 CHF

My boys in a state of ecstasy 

It surprised the boys that skiing in Tahoe is at a higher elevation than here. But this scenery - the numerous majestic peaks - is unbeatable! Being the overprotective mom, I made them promise not to ski off piste or practice their jumps … I want to continue this trip together!

It was Kate's third time succumbing to the pressure of joining her brothers in their passion.  

Carb loading is an important part of any ski day

Back safe at our chalet, Jeremy told me: now is an ok time to tell you an Olympic snowboarder on a closed black diamond run died in an avalanche in the Swiss alps yesterday

When I showed Jeremy a picture of our picnic lunch, he joked, "Wow did you get yelled at?" At the chalets along the ski slopes are 'no picnicking' signs. Kate and Vivian were accosted by a worker for relaxing, having already finished the beer they purchased there.

Lauterbrunnen church sits prominently in the center of the village

Returning to our chalet in the serene village of Lauterbrunnen 

Lauterbrunnen: Two Times Still a Charm

Today we ended up in God's country: Lauterbrunnen, Switzerland. The Bernese Oberland in Switzerland is one of the most beautiful places I have ever been to. It was the perfect place to slow down and settle in for Christmas.  Lauterbrunnen has remained one of our favorite trips and I wondered if we would have an opportunity to visit again.

View of Lauternrunnen valley from the cable car up to Grütschalp

My favorite hike from Mürren in summer 2015

Our morning started when Jeremy and I left for the bakery at 7am to discover a line of 25 people waiting for it to open at 7:30am. "Well, that was crazy," I commented an hour later - having expected our outing to take maybe 15 minutes. "But fun," replied Jeremy. Easy going, he appreciated absorbing the local life for a minute before we rushed off to the next place.

The line of locals in Saint Louis waiting to stock up on their freshly baked Christmas treats.

Traveling again by train, when we crossed over to Switzerland, the bright sun blinded us. "What is that," exclaimed Greg. "I've never seen it before," Chris jested. Sunny skies are a welcomed change for us from the wet and gray we've had so far.

On the train, watching the beautiful winter wonderland fly by, Jeremy looked like he was doing everything he could not to burst. I think for the past year he has been anticipating this part of the trip the most. And now that we were actually getting closer, the snow-covered majestic peaks were screaming his name. He has some feet itching to get themselves onto some skis and down those Swiss alps. In fair warning, he has already decided he wants to invest in a home here; if you get an email pleading for money, it's real.

Jeremy in his happy place 

Having purchased an all-day Swiss train ticket, after dumping our bags at our chalet, we got our money's worth by going on a snow hike. Taking the cable car up from Lauterbrunnen, the plan was to walk 2.7 miles along the trail from Grütschalp to Mürren but Mother Nature had better plans in mind. Yesterday's 24" of snow meant half of the trail was closed.  We were still able to take the BLM (train) to Winteregg and complete the remaining half of the hike from there.

The makings for another cool jigsaw puzzle on the cable car up to Grütschalp

At the Grütschalp station posing in front of Jungfrau's three famous peaks: Eiger, Mönch, and Jungfrau (cut out)

I expected stunning panoramic views of the mountains along our walk but this forested section's views were only at the beginning and end.  Still beautiful!

I'll trade the powder for the open trail segment any day!

It is so cool to me that you can literally ski through the car-free mountain village of Mürren

Mürren sits on the cliff overlooking the valley

The brand new cable car, just opened December 13, connecting Stechelberg - Mürren is claiming to be the world's steepest. It climbs 2500 feet up in only four minutes - at an incline of 159%!

Dropping straight down into the valley on the new cable car, I was hoping the Swiss engineers had perfected their craft and we weren't the guinea pigs.

It is Christmas Eve. We are getting texts from family about their delicious homemade meals, like Salmon Wellington and ravioli and meatball, while we are appreciating our jarred marinara spaghetti sharing stale crumbs of a baguette. And beer.

Too lazy to go to the fridge

Logistics:

Mürren ski and trail map

We walked along the purple trail lining the rim of the valley

I don't know if anyone out there agrees with me, but I think Switzerland's network of transportation and hiking and skiing are challenging to figure out. I wish someone would just send me a personalized, detailed guide instead of having to decipher everything myself.

Our train tickets for today were cheapest in advance, and it was cheaper to buy the day pass rather than the point-to-point pass. But when we leave in a few days, though cheaper in advance, the point-to-point pass costs less than the day pass.

Our travel time took 30 minutes longer because we couldn't figure out the train to Lauterbrunnen, even though it is supposed to be obvious. We didn't get on since the cars were labeled Grindelwald. However, there is a stop after Interlaken where the train cars disconnect; you have to be in the last few cars in order to continue to Lauterbrunnen.

Later we saw this obvious sign during our stop at the middle transfer station (Zweilutschinen).  

Watch Chris's TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/t/ZP8NKjQCb/