From Interlaken: Private Tour Jungfraujoch and Lauterbrunnen

DON"T book this one ! total waste of money

Misleading and extremely overpriced-- Transportation only tour. I booked this tour because the description appeared to include visits to Jungfraujoch and Lauterbrunnen. Based on wording , I believed the gondola and Cogwheel train tickets were included. They WERE NOT. The driver provided very little information, dropped us at Grindelwad gondola station and left. I then discovered that the booking barcode covered only transportation...not the gondola or railway. we had to purchase return tickets separately for aprox 300$ for three adults and one kid was free since I already had Swiss half fare travel card. Later, the driver took us to Trummelbach falls but gave us no guidance about what to expect or do. the entrance line was so long that we couldn't even enter since our pickup was 1:30 hr later. we walked through the valley using Google as our guide instead. The advertised scenic photo stops also did not happen. In total, I spent nearly 1400$for what was essentially a private driver with minimal guidance. I also wasted more than 30 mins contacting Viator (international call for me) because I couldn't find the cable car/railway tickets which I thought was included in the barcode sent to me stating " this is barcode to show to complete this activity. " The Tour description was misleading, the itinerary was poorly managed, and the service did not justify the price. I have previously booked Viator torsion several countries without problem, which makes this experience especially disappointing. I wouldn't recommend this tour and believe compensation is warranted. I hope to hear back from the tour operator and Viator for appropriate reimbursement.

Response from the operator: Thank you for your feedback. However, we would like to clarify several important points for future travelers reading this review. The tour clearly states what is included: private transportation, an English-speaking driver-guide, photo stops, bottled water, Wi-Fi, and an air-conditioned vehicle. At no point are Jungfraujoch train, gondola, cable car, or attraction tickets listed as included. Jungfraujoch tickets can cost approximately CHF 240 per person depending on the ticket and travel conditions. For four passengers, this alone can represent close to CHF 1,000. Therefore, it would not be reasonable to assume that these tickets were included in the price of a private transportation and driver-guide service unless they were specifically listed as an inclusion. Regarding the service itself, the driver provided the necessary information and options throughout the trip. Our guests are also asked whether they would like to make the available scenic photo stops. In your case, these stops were offered and declined. As there are normally only one or two such stops along the route, and because your time at Jungfraujoch was important, the recommendation was to use the available time to enjoy the mountain experience rather than unnecessarily reduce your time there. Regarding Trümmelbach Falls, waiting lines are unfortunately outside the control of the tour operator, particularly during busy periods. We understand that discovering that attraction tickets needed to be purchased separately was disappointing. However, an additional expense for something that was never advertised as included should not be confused with the quality of the transportation and driver-guide service that was actually booked and provided. We therefore believe that describing the entire service as “misleading” or as merely “transportation only” does not accurately reflect either the published inclusions or the service provided.

via Viator