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Pay-as-you-go /Half Fare Card / Berner Oberland Pass

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!

Posted by
17417 posts

I answered on your other thread but will repeat here—-you can buy the Saver Day Pass now with the Half Fare Card discount, and buy the actual HFC later. You just need to have it to show at the time you actually use the Saver Day Pass.

When you do buy the Half Fare Card, you indicate the date on which it should start, so it is OK to buy it online now and start the 30-day validity period later, when you arrive in Switzerland.

Saver Day Pass is a good way to go for the Gotthard route. Note that if you are taking the actual named Gotthard Panorama Express, reservations are required for the train portion. You can make them here:

https://www.gotthard-panorama-express.ch/en/

Note that if you are getting Half Fare Cards for the adults, you can request a free Family Card for your daughter with that. You do not need to buy the 30 CHF Junior Card in addition. Your daughter will ride free everywhere you travel, whether you are using the the Saver Day Pass, the Berner Oberland Pass, or point-to-point tickets.

Posted by
10 posts

Thanks so much Lola! I can't tell you what a stress relief it is to know I'm understanding this all correctly. And just to confirm - since our daughter will have the "Family Card," I can chose, "Reservation Only" for her on the Gotthard Panorama Express site? Thanks again!

Posted by
17417 posts

Yes, “reservation only” is correct for your daughter, as well as for you with the Saver Pass in First Class.

Posted by
21139 posts

Remember, the Gotthard Panorama Express is 1st class only, at least for the train portion. so you should buy 1st class Saver Day Passes with the Half Fare Card for that. Then you will also get 1st class on the ship, which is the entire upper deck.

You could do this on your own without the 24 CHF per person seat reservation. The hourly Treno Gottardo departs Bellinzona at 59 past the hour and stops at Fluelen where you can transfer to the hourly boat to Luzern. You also have the option of going 2nd class if you like. With the Saver Day Pass with the Half Fare Card, it would be 44 CHF 2nd class, or 59 CHF 1st class. No panorama cars. Avoid the 9:59 departure, as the boat at Fluelen will be the same one the GPE uses, so it will be a lot more crowded.

Posted by
17417 posts

We did as Sam suggests ( the Treno Gottardo plus boat) only in the opposite direction, with Saver Day Paases in First. Same lake, same tracks, different type of train.