Pass and hotel suggetion

Don't stay in Interlaken.. try Murren or Wengen.. - much better view and closer to many mountain hiking area as well.
YOu are cutting it very close w/july 22 arrival and you don't have hotel settled yet? - many hotels probably already sold out..
I would skip Luzern and just go straight to B-O area..... buy 1/2 fare card + B-O pass..
don't stay in Zurich.. stay in Bern before your flight out..

I see your itinerary is based on riding the Glacier Express from Zermatt to St. Moritz. Do you have reservations for that train already? They are required. If you do have them, I will proceed to talk about possible adjustments to your itinerary with that in mind, and hotels. But since you are questioning which pass is best, I am thinking you do not have your reservations yet. Or maybe you made “seat reservations only”, planning to buy the appropriate pass later.

If you do not have reservations on the glacier Express yet, I would like to suggest some changes in your itinerary that would have you travel on a different date. And point out how your choice of travel pass will apply to the Glacier Express. Here is the website for reservations:

https://www.glacierexpress.ch/en/

The website will show how many seats are available (I just looked at 2d class). July 26 is sold out, but there is a reasonable number of seats available July 27, 28, 29, and 30. Right now your itinerary has you riding the GE on the 30 (I think) so that is fine, but so would be a day or two earlier. I am going to suggest a change in your itinerary to put Luzern last, and go to the airport from there (unless your flight from Zurich is earlier than mid-morning). So a few days earlier would be OK too—-IF you do not already have your reservations.

As for which pass to choose, I looked at the cost for the GE with various passes. A seat reservation fee of 49 CHF applies no matter what pass you have. Without any pass, the ticket is 159 plus 49 for the reservation, so 208 CHF. Half Fare Card brings this down to 128 CHF, including the seat reservation. With a Swiss Pass, the total cost is the 49 CHF reservation fee. Your 13-year old will be free if you request a Family Card with the Pass, but will still pay the 49 CHF reservation fee.

Maybe this information will help you choose your best option for a pass—-It may well be the 15-day Swiss Pass.

So. . . . Please return and answer the question about your Glacier Express reservations, and then we can talk about your itinerary and hotels.

Since you need to decide on a pass before you make your GE reservations, that is the first step.

Thanks for all info Lola.

I did that reservation already thinking that i will buy pass later and based on that i came up with this plan. there wasn't any other day reservation was available for all parties together. Actually I planned this reversed but that didn't work out for reserving seats.

OK, good. So all you need do for that is buy your Swiss Travel Passes (and request Family Card for the younger teen) and you are “good to go” for your train travel (and boats and some lifts).

I am going to agree with the person above who suggested you stay in one of the Alpine villages above Interlaken (Wengen or Mürren) instead of in the city. With only 3 nights in the Berner Oberland, and active teens, you are going to want to spend your time around those villages anyway. And by staying in the village you have those beautiful views from your room or balcony every morning and evening.

These villages are popular, and many hotels will be booked up, but not all. And I have seen family apartments available around your dates. For example, this 2-bedroom, 2-bath apartment in Mürren is available on your dates (scroll down to Chalet Oberdorf B). I know the apartment and location very well, as we stayed 5 nights in the apartment just upstairs (Oberdorf C) with our family a few years ago. The apartment is nice and modern, and the views are really nice.

https://www.topapartments.ch/en/4-persons

Note that the 7-night minimum is for winter season. You should be able to book it for your 3 nights, but you have to send them a request on the website.

I won’t suggest any more options unless you confirm that you like the idea of spending there 3 nights in the mountain village instead of Interlaken.

I will be back later with thoughts for Zermatt and Luzern.

Thanks Lola for this suggestions. I will certainly look at that apartment.

I might change 4 nights around Interlaken and reduce to 2 nights in Zermatt if it make sense. Only reason why we were looking to book in city because we can be steps away from restaurants for dinner especially we will be looking for Vegetarian restaurants only.

Also let me know if this is the case which pass combination is good for us ?

OK. Most restaurants in Switzerland will have a few vegetarian dishes on the menu, using eggs and/or cheese, so they are not vegan. This will include salads, pizza, pasta, and Swiss Rösti (a large potato cake like hash-brown potatoes). But a dedicated vegetarian restaurant is harder to find. Even the Asian and South Asian/Indian restaurants will often have meat dishes on the menu.

Years ago the Swiss tourism bureau produced a brochure directed to the Indian filmmakers who came to Switzerland to produce movies with scenes of the snowy Alps. The brochure used to have a list of restaurant recommendations in various places, including the restaurant “Bollywood” up at the Jungfrau (which was not good at all when we were there 20 years ago). But now the brochure omits the restaurant lists, and just says “In Switzerland vegetarian cuisine is easily available and Indian cuisine is offered in many restaurants and also as a catering service.” But they also caution “The Swiss consider both eggs and fish to be vegetarian so please ensure that you specify no eggs or fish when you place a vegetarian meal order.”

Most of the brochure is focused on business matters for the film industry, but if you are curious here is the link:

https://allabout.ch/forms/swiss_filming.pdf

These complications about what is vegetarian or not is why I suggested an apartment if you wanted to stay in Mürren. But I understand why you would prefer a larger city like Interlaken to have the possibility of restaurants.

Thanks Lola. i think we are good as long as Veg options are there in restaurants. We have been to some parts in Arizona and we face great difficulty finding options.

Also can you suggest which pass options/combination will be good for us ? at this point i am considering to change Interlaken area for 4 nights and reducing Zermatt to 2 nights.

Even if you have 4 days instead of 3 in the Berner Oberland, I think the Swiss Travel Pass (15 days) is your best option, because it fully covers your Glacier Express ride, as well as all the other trains, to Zermatt, from St. Moritz to Zurich, etc.

The Berner Oberland Pass is often the best choice for people who are spending most or all of their time in the Berner Oberland and want to ride lots of the lifts there, but your family is not in that group. Plus there is no free Family Card option for your 13-year-old with the BO Pass.

With the STS you will get a 50%discount on the lifts you ride, except for the Jungfraujoch if you wish to do that. But I would not recommend that with your limited time. If you are thinking of doing that, read the post on “is the Jungfrau worth it” first.

Thanks Lola for insight.

So far we decided to stay either murren or wengen. Can you or someone tell which one is better and more convenient.

Those two villages are very sillier, tho Wengen has mor shops and fancier hotels. They sit above the town if Lauterbrunnen one either side of the valley. If you have ever been to Yosemite, picture a valley like that with a village up at Glacier Point and an another on the other side near Yosemite Falls. Except the falls are in different places.

You reach Wengen by train 12 minutes from Lauterbrunnen. For Mürren you take a cable car up from Lauterbrunnen to Grutschalp and a train along the edge of the cliff trim there. So Wengen is a little easier.

Thanks Sasha, one more follow up, is all these cable car included into Swiss travel pass ?