Hi! We leave for Europe on Saturday and I've just realised that I should have looked into travel cards earlier. We arrive in Murren on 20th July and are staying 4 nights. I've booked our hire car into car parking station and am hoping we won't need to use it whilst in the mountains. Can anyone recommend a travel card/pass that would suit us? We'll be basically hopping around the mountains- Schilthorn, Gimmelwald, Lauterbrunnen, Stechelberg...probably the furthest we would go would be to take a cruise on either Lake Thun or Brienz. I'm assuming it's quite expensive catching all the cable cars without some sort of pass. Can anyone shed some light here? I've read RS's guide in the Switzerland train tips section, but the Berner Oberlander pass covers a much wider area than we'll need. Any tips?? Thank you .
Posted by
Chicago
8164 posts
Look into the discount benefits of the Swiss Half Price pass for all the excursions you plan to do.
You can read these on the raileurope site and buy the pass when you get to Switzerland.
Posted by
Knoxville, TN, USA
7209 posts
The Swiss Half Fare Card is typically the most beneficial in terms of value for your money:
https://www.swissrailways.com/en/products/swisshalffarecard
The HFC is valid all over Switzerland. Can you rid yourself of that rental car and just use the HFC during your entire Swiss Trip?
Posted by
OP
Sydney, Australia
13 posts
Thanks Tim. We'll be using our hire car on either side of our stay in Murren, and it was cheaper to keep it than return the car before Murren and hire after Murren. I'll look into the Half fare card. Thanks for your tips. :-)
Posted by
Forest Grove, OR
11775 posts
We always (4 trips) get a Berner Oberland Regional Pass and find it a great value. For us, well over 100% of the face value each time. (I track it each trip. I am obsessive about tracking so I have decision data for future trips.)
With the pass, you do not have to think about out-of-pocket expenditures and you do not have to stand in line (some are long) to buy tickets each time. (The exception is, of course, paying a bit of a premium to go to the Schilthorn and Jungfraujoch.) Yes, it covers a wide area but it still will pay for itself if you plan to be busy in your 4 days. (It will not pay off greatly if you do not use it for a day.) It covers the buses, too, which will be handy for you between Stechelberg and Lauterbrunnen, going to Trummelbach Falls, etc.
On one trip we made an error and bought a Jungfrau Region Pass and found it did NOT cover the lift between Stechelberg and Gimmelwald (at least it did not 3 years ago), so do not make that mistake as you'll want to use that lift.
When we are using the rail system beyond the Berner Oberland we also get a half-fare card which gives an additional discount on the BO Reg Pass, but it doesn't seem as though you will need that.
Posted by
OP
Sydney, Australia
13 posts
Wow, thanks so much Laurel. That's really helpful. Because we leave Saturday, I won't be able to buy them until we get there. I'll ask about whether the Half fare pass or the Berner Oberland one is better. Do you just buy from a train station? Or do you need to go somewhere special to buy? Thanks again.
Posted by
Forest Grove, OR
11775 posts
Jane, You can buy the pass at any station in the Bernese Oberland. Check your itinerary against this map and buy at the first station possible. Perhaps that will be Bern, Spiez, or Interlaken?