Hello all!
Our family of three (2 adults, one 13 year old) is looking forward to our upcoming trip to Switzerland! We will be arriving from Italy via the Gotthard Panorama train/boat and spending one night in Lucerne before continuing on to Murren for 4 nights and then back to Lucerne (or perhaps elsewhere if you can recommend an alternative) to overnight before a 5PM flight out of Zurich. I have scoured this forum for the best ticket/pass combination for us and think I have a handle on what makes the most sense, but I would love if you could help confirm and answer a few questions. The trickiest part for me has been trying price things out for lifts, etc above Lauternrunnen without the Berner Oberland Pass and trying to understand what I need to buy/book in advance vs what I can buy once we arrive. Here's what we have planned:
Day 1: Bellinzona --> Lucerne via Gotthard Panorama train+boat. Right now I can buy a 1st class saver day pass with the half fare card for CHF 66. This seems to be the most economical way to do this route, is that correct? If so, do I have to buy the half fare card BEFORE I can buy the half fare rate saver day pass? Or do I just need to have the half fare card with me and activated before travel? I'd like to buy the saver day pass now, before they potentially sell out, but wouldn't want to activate a half fare card because our travel isn't until June. Also, am I understanding correctly that after purchasing these, I would then somehow still have to buy seat reservations on the train for CHF 24? Do I do that at the station once I arrive, or are seat reservations also bookable online?
Day 2: Lucerne --> Murren
Day 3, 4, 5: Full days hiking, exploring, etc...I assume lots of mountain rail/lift rides
Day 6: Murren --> Lucerne (or other overnight before flying out)
Day 7: 5PM flight out of Zurich
I can't find much info to help me estimate what our daily costs might be on lifts and mountain railways in the Berner Oberland (aside from the Eigergletscher – Jungfraujoch info), but it seems like the 4 day BO Pass would likely pay for itself, leaving us with just the need to pay as we go returning from Murren. Does this make sense to those of you more experienced traveling in the area? If so, is there any reason to purchase the BO Pass in advance or would purchasing at Lucerne station the morning of Day 2 be sufficient?
Finally (last question, I promise!). I believe what we need for our 13 year old daughter is a Junior Travelcard. Is this right? For CHF 30, she can then travel with us free of charge. Does this also work in conjunction with the BO Pass? The FAQ section on the BO Pass website seems to confirm this, but the language confused me a bit so I wanted to be sure. And the Junior Travelcard must be purchased at the station, correct? I can't buy it in advance online? Does anyone know if this is a relatively quick process?
Can't thank you all enough for the knowledge you have already shared that has allowed me to get this far in my planning and am so grateful for any insights you can provide on the above!