Lol Help! So confused by transportation options and cost for 5 days in BO

...a place like Mannlichen has several options (like Mannlichen GGM, Mannlichen LWM, Mannlichen Parkplatz, Grindelwald Mannlichen Bahn)

Use Google Maps or similar to find out where these places are. You also need to get a basic phrase list of German place terms or use Google Translate.

Mannlichen GGM = gondola lift station
Mannlichen LWM = a different gondola lift station

Parkplatz = Parking place (probably the parking lot for the mountain access point)
platz = place
dorf = village

Bahn = train
Bahnholf = train station

A guidebook like Lonely Planet Switzerland or Rough Guide Switzerland may be better at identifying access points, options and how to get there.

1. You can drive yourself nuts trying to figure out exact point to point costs and compare to a pass. Even if you could get it exact, you could have a day of rain that wipes out those calculations. I think this way: the Swiss know what they are doing, and most passes come out about the same as point to point for the AVERAGE person. So even if you guess wrong and you have a normal trip, it won't be a big deal.
   
   That said, here's a quick calculation: You are going Zurich to Lauterbrunnen. That's around $75. When you leave for Italy, it will be Laut. to Spiez to Brig (border town to Italy). That's about another $75. Total so far is $150. You can buy a Swiss Transfer Ticket for that (at Raileurope.com, perhaps elsewhere, but must be outside Switz., in advance), PLUS that ticket gives you half price for all tickets in between. You are already ahead of the game, regardless of where you go in the middle of the trip. If you don't get the Swiss Transfer ticket, then my second favorite is Berner Oberland Pass, which you could purchase in Bern or Lucerne.

2. You can't get from Piz Gloria directly down to Almendhubel. You have to go Piz Gloria to Murren, then take Almendhubel funicular back up the mountain, part way. See this map: http://www.gimmelwald.ch/e/activities/summer/hiking.htm

3. You will be hiking Kleine Scheidegg to Mannlichen the wrong way! You would have your backs to the beautiful mountains the whole way. Instead, go Lauterbrunnen train to Wengen, then cable car up to Mannlichen, then 1.5 hike on the best trail in the region, which brings you to Kleine Scheidegg, then train down to Wengen, then Lauterbrunnen. In general, try to take all your hikes TOWARD the snow-capped mountains, and trains back.

Shoe is spot on with his/her advice regarding the Piz Gloria/ Alllmendhubel combo, and hiking from Mannlichen to K S rather than the other way around. However, I believe that the Swiss Transfer ticket gives you no benefit between the day you enter Switzerland and the day you leave. In particular, it offers no discounts. The regional Berner Oberland pass, or the more focused Jungfrau pass are your best bets for your time in Lauterbrunnen, with point to point tickets on the way in and out. The Berner Oberland pass is more expensive than the Jungfrau, but offers a discount on the lift to Piz Gloria, which the Jungfrau pass does not, and will even get you to Bern or Luzern . With the Swiss Half Fare pass, you likely won't be buying enough tickets in five days (at half price) to recover your initial investment. Plus, you have to buy a ticket each time you want to take a lift or a train- that can be a bother.

As for the route to Piz Gloria, if you are staying in Lauterbrunnen, you can take the lift to Grutschalp (across the road from the train station), then the train to Murren, and walk to the Gondola station to ride to P G. Or, you can bus from Lauterbrunnen along the valley floor to Stechelberg, and take the same gondola from its base. It stops in Gimmelwald, then Murren on the way up. I'd recommend going up by the first method, and returning by the second. Then, if time and your energy level permits, you can get off the bus at Trummelbach Falls (or even walk there) on the way back to Lauterbrunnen.

First, I realize that figuring out the logistics and geography of the Berner Oberland is confusing when you haven't been there. Once you are there, it is all much clearer. So, don't worry about finding your way - once you're "on the ground," it's almost impossible to get lost or confused.

To get from Lauterbrunnen to Piz Gloria, you have to go through Mürren. There are two ways: 1) bus from Lauterbrunnen to Stechelberg, cable car from Stechelberg to Mürren, and second cable car from Mürren to Piz Gloria. In Mürren, you don't change stations, but you do have to change cable cars. 2) cable car from Lauterbrunnen to Grütschalp, train from Grütschalp to Murren BLM station, walk 10 minutes (mostly level) through Mürren to the Mürren Schilthornbahn station, and cable car from Mürren to Piz Gloria. Again, this is all very straightforward once you're there. You may want to go up via one route and down back to Lauterbrunnen via the other, just for variety.

Yes, little Mürren has three "stations." There's Mürren BLM, with a single train line; it goes to Grütschalp with intermediate stop in Winteregg, and connects with the cable car down to Lauterbrunnen. There's the Allmendhubel station, with the funicular up to Allmendhubel (and nowhere else). And there's the Schilthornbahn station, with cable cars up to Birg and Piz Gloria, and down to Gimmelwald and Stechelberg. It's only a 10 minute walk between the first and the third stations; the Allmendhubel is in between, on the higher road.

It's great that you've planned specific activities for specific days, but do heed the standard advice to look at webcams and ask at your hotel before doing anything. If the weather's not so great, don't do the expensive Schilthornbahn, but save it for another day. The Allmendhubel is much cheaper, if the weather is iffy. If the weather is not good, that's the perfect time to fit in the Trümmelbach Falls, or go to the lakes.

Edgar- Those translations help immensely- thank you! It’s my first trip to Europe and it’s a biggie (23 days between Switzerland and Italy) so I have a lot of learning to do between now and the end of June!

Shoe and Ottawanderer- Thank you for the easy-to-follow advice- I think it’s so easy to get caught up with all the calculations and the minutia of every little stop and itinerary possibility, it can end up giving you vacation-planning overload (at least I know my brain is fried lol!). Upon your suggestion, I looked and they don’t have the Transfer and Half-Price ticket as one combo anymore (apparently it’s a recent change), but the BO regional pass looks perfect- it would actually be free for me to go from Bern to Lauterbrunnen (so I would really just have to pay Zurich to Bern), and it would be free to go from Lauterbrunnen to Thun or Brig, where I can then get one of the discounted tickets from Trenitalia (right now, my husband and I can get to Milan from Thun 2 smart tickets for 78 total, or from Brig 2 regular tickets for 78 total). Plus, after looking at the BO pass map, it looks like I can even get a lot of the other transportation options (cable cars, funiculars, etc.) for free- and the few that I can’t are still discounted. I don’t know how I didn’t even see that this pass was an option- Thank you so much!

PS-I will definitely follow your advice about hiking in the right direction- I was just thinking it was better going downhill hahaha :) , but you’re right- I totally want to see those mountains!

Harold- Thank you for clearning everything up with Piz Gloria and all of the Murren stations. I’m definitely up for interchanging what days I do things, depending on weather, and having some spontaneity and flexibility in the schedule- knowing that that the area is easier to navigate “in person” once I’m there is a big relief! Thank you for
Thank you all- I don’t know what I would do with your kindness and help!

I would like to send luggage ahead to Lauterbrunnen.

SBB has a luggage transport service: https://www.sbb.ch/en/station-services/services/luggage-and-flight-luggage/luggage.html
I have not used the service but observed passengers retrieving luggage at staffed stations. Lauterbrunnen luggage service hours are: 7:00 to 19:00. https://www.sbb.ch/content/internet/sbb/en/bahnhof-services/bahnhoefe/bahnhof.7384.html

The SBB timetable website is: https://www.sbb.ch/en/timetable.html
Zurich Airport train station has a staffed counter. If you show the agent your train itinerary, the agent may advise you as to the best value. (It seems that everyone in front of me had complicated travel plans and the agents were very patient in helping them).

What is attracting you to Thun, and doing the Thunersee by boat rather than the Brienzersee and visiting Brienz and or walking under a waterfall at Giessbach?

Unsolicited, I much prefer Brienzersee (Lake Brienz) over Thunersee.