I'll be taking the train from Stresa, Italy to Wengen in early September, and staying in Wengen 4 nights, using the mountain lifts, gondolas, etc for hiking. I plan to buy the Berner Oberland Pass. It also covers travel ranging from Brig to Bern to Luzern, so I can use it for a significant amount of my train travel. My dilemma concerns the fact that it can't be bought except in Europe, which makes it difficult to use it to cover the train ride from Brig to Wengen when we travel from Stresa. Does anyone know if you can buy the Berner Oberland Pass in Italy so I can use it for the eligible portion of travel from Stresa to Wengen? Otherwise, it appears I will have to get off the train in Brig to buy the BO Pass? Thanks very much for your advice!
Posted by
Basel, Switzerland
8889 posts
You can buy the Berner Oberland Pass online at the website ( https://www.regionalpass-berneroberland.ch/en/ ). This will get you a "print-at-home" version.
It is only available from March, see here: https://www.regionalpass-berneroberland.ch/en/pass-and-infos/buy-ticket/
Posted by
Grand Rapids, MI
768 posts
Seems to me you could just stop in Brig and buy one there. I would think they should sell it and if that station is too small for such things, then the next major stop at Spiez should sell it.
One thing I did find out (going south, the other way) is that the pass covers the slower train from Spiez to Brig, and you'd probably have to pay some extra to take the faster train. Another reason to stop in Brig and check for the right train. (The slower train didn't seem that slow to me.)
Posted by
Basel, Switzerland
8889 posts
Brig is a major station, bigger than Spiez, and they should sell the pass there. But that would mean getting off the train, missing the connection, and getting a later one onward.
Between Spiez and Brig, it is not a matter of fast and slow trains, it is which route the train takes.
If the train takes the old Lötschberg tunnel you are OK. This is actually the more scenic route. Sit on the left leaving Brig for the best views. If the train takes the new longer Lötschberg basis tunnel, you are not covered.
There are some trains which will get you from Stresa to Spiez direct, without changing tarins in Brig. These all use the new tunnel - hard luck.
See map here: https://www.regionalpass-berneroberland.ch/assets/pass-und-infos/geltungsbereich/Geltungsbereich-2019.pdf
Posted by
OP
2 posts
Thanks so much for your speedy and helpful replies! Now I see that you can indeed buy the pass at home, which solves my dilemma. And I appreciate the information about which trains are covered from Brig—I prefer the scenic route anyway. Thanks again!