Ideas for route planning in Berner Oberland

I like the flexibility of the berner oberland pass so I think I'll do that again but noticed that Zermatt isn't on the map (given this is one of the key destinations, does anyone know why it isn't covered out of curiosity?)

The Berner Oberland is the mountainous region in the canton of Bern. The BO pass covers this area and also a bit more, into Luzern, for example, but it does not also cover the Valais, which is where Zermatt is, or the canton of Vaud, where Montreux is.

For my last couple of trips, I flew into Zurich and immediately took the train to Montreux to start my trip there. One time I went from Montreux to Wengen then to Lucerne. This year I went from Montreux to Zermatt then to Murren and Wengen and Lucerne. I always get the Swiss Travel Pass because I do not limit my stays to the BO.

As mentioned, Zermatt is not part of the Berner Oberland region, so it’s not covered by the B.O. Pass.

I used a Swiss Travel Pass b/c I travelled in several regions outside the B.O.

Taking a train from the Zurich Airport to either Montreux or Zermatt would make sense if you don’t arrive too late in the day. You could spend several days there; then head to the B.O.

If you’re arriving later in the day and don’t relish a 3 or 3:30 train ride after a long flight, you could take the train to Bern or Thun (about 1:30) to spend the first night. Both are good places to walk around and enjoy sights as you recover from the flight. Thun also has great views of the Alps from the lakefront.

If your flight out of Zurich isn’t too early, you could spend your last night in Lucerne, Bern, or Thun and take the train from there to the airport.

Depending on how much time you plan to spend in Montreux/Zermatt area vs. B.O. you might get a Swiss Travel Pass for the first part, and a B.O. Travel Pass for the second part.

The Swiss Travel Pass is available for 3, 4, 6, 8 or 15 consecutive days.

The B.O. Pass is valid for 3, 4, 6, 8 or 10 days.

All the best,

Raymond

Just a note that the BO Pass is changing its coverage for next year. Many things that were covered at 100% this year, will only be covered at 25% or 50% next year.

Details can be found here:

https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/switzerland/fyi-changes-coming-to-the-berner-oberland-pass-for-2025

Thank you all for that.

I didn't realise that Zermatt and Montreux were not part of the bernese oberland. Thanks for clarifying. And thanks for pointing out the change in coverage on the BO pass. I learnt about that earlier and felt it was a shame they are downgrading the pass.

I don't think I will go back into wengen/murren/lauterbrunnen area but concentrate more in the Zermatt/Montreux area. What other spots should I include while I'm there and how many days do you think to do it justice? I guess the swiss travel pass is minimum 3 days so that will probably be where I'll start. I must admit I haven't done extensive research on the area yet, just teasing out the possibilities to see whether doing this is an option.

As for the Glacier Express, how comparable is the experience/views with the Bernina Express? I'm kind of on the fence about whether to include this or not or spend the day in the regions instead.

On our trip last month we did both the Bernina and Glacier Expresses. We did the Bernina in First Class and the Glacier in Excellence.

I thought that both were very good, but the Excellence Class on the GE was amazing, albeit very expensive. The service, food and matched drinks were incredible, very similar to a good quality business class flight. I highly recommend it if it is in your budget.

We spent two nights in St. Moritz before the GE (after getting off of the BE from Tirano, Italy). We then spent three nights in Zermatt, which we thought was probably enough, although if the weather had been better an extra night might have been handy. Luckily we had one perfect day for seeing the Matterhorn from Gornergrat.

After being in Wengen, we then had six nights in the Montreux area. Again could have filled another couple too. There are plenty of things to do. For us we visited Vevey, caught to paddle steamer from there to Chillon Castle. Another day we did an excursion to Gruyeres for visit its castle. There is also a chocolate factory and a cheese tour, but we didn't bother with those.

We spent some time wine tasting in the Lavaux area and also a day in Geneva before flying home.

A very enjoyable day was spent in Yvoire, on the French shore of the lake. We got there by train and boat from Montreux. We just had a half fare pass for this portion of the trip, but it would have all been covered with a Swiss Pass.

There is also a pass for the Montreux area but we didn't feel it was worth it to us, as we already had the Half Fare.

https://journey.mob.ch/en/stories/leman-alpes-regional-pass

Thank you for that. Between wengen and montreaux which did you like better?

I loved Wengen and wonder whether montreaux gave off the same vibe.

I loved Wengen and wonder whether montreaux gave off the same vibe.

Not even close! If you love Wengen, you might want to just go back. Perhaps stay in Murren next time. I’ve been 3 times and will keep going back.

I have been to Montreux twice and I find it a nice place to start my trips. But if I had to pick one or the other, it would always be Wengen (or Murren).

I haven’t watched this one, but here’s a video of Montreux.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v6B-9SRsr4Q

I love walking along the lake with all the flowers and I find it a nice contrast to the mountains, but it’s certainly not a replacement. At least not for me.

Thanks Carrie. Yes I loved Maureen too! Both give me a very relaxed vibe that I didn’t get elsewhere.

Ok I trust your view, I loved the hike down murren you suggested last time, was one of the highlights of my trip! :)

Montreaux from the YouTube looks more like one of those skiing villages (perhaps it is ), not a lot of greenery.

Montreux is a city on a lake. You can take a train up to the mountain rochers de naye, which has great views. But it’s not the same as actually staying up on the mountains.

I can’t remember when you were in Switzerland. Was it when the männlichen to kleine Scheidegg trail was closed? That would be one to take if you decide to stay in Wengen or Murren next year. That is another favorite of mine. I also did (from Murren) the funicular up to Allmendhubel and then a trail back down to Murren. That was another good one.

You really can't go wrong staying anywhere in Switzerland. It just depends on what you are looking for.

Have you considered adding Mont Blanc and Chamonix area? If you like the mountain views then it is a better choice than Montreux.

BO is a special place and can't rate on it scale to the Matterhorn. I can tell you I was impressed with the Matterhorn. Zermatt was busy but fine as I stayed the night in Tasch. Weather is the wild card for the Matterhorn.

I used the half fare card to get discounted fares for the Gornergrat and Sunnegga Rothorn. There are single and multiple day passes for the Chamonix area.

Ok thank you both.

Yeah I was there mid-late june when mannichlen was still snowing and the hiking trail wasn’t opened. So I took your advice and did the murren hike down. I liked it so much I took the cable car back up when I reached grimmelwald( I think it was grimmelwald), then when in murren walked to the end where the train station was and took the train back down to soak in the views once again. lol

Need to come back one day and do that all over again