We will be staying in Wengen for 7 nights (8 days) in late June/early July. We will definitely be getting the BO rail pass. I am just trying to figure out if we will get a 6 day pass or an 8 day pass. If we get a 6 day pass, we will obviously need to purchase separate tickets to/from Wengen for ZRH. If we get an 8 day pass, do I then purchase a separate ticket from ZRH to/from Bern? I want to compare and contrast the prices to see which makes more sense. Thanks!
Posted by
Missouri
94 posts
We used the BO pass while in that area. On the day we travelled to Zurich, our pass was still valid. We used the pass to travel from Lauterbrunnen to Lucerne. Lucerne is covered by the BO pass. Once we got to Lucerne we purchased a ticket from Lucerne to Zurich. The Lucerne to Zurich ticket was cheaper than Bern to Zurich would have been. The route was quite scenic as it followed many of the lakes. Have a wonderful trip.
Posted by
Green Bay
20017 posts
If we get an 8 day pass, do I then purchase a separate ticket from ZRH to/from Bern?
Yes, or from Luzern, which is a more scenic route, if just a little longer timewise. The ticket is less because the physical distance is less. ZRH is 56 CHF full fare from Bern, whereas it is 30 CHF from Luzern.
Posted by
Grand Rapids, MI
768 posts
Sam is right. 8 day, and go via Luzern. Scenic. Also, you have to change trains anyway in Luzern (or Bern).
Posted by
OP
44 posts
We are considering spending our final day/night in Thun, and then just going directly to ZRH from there. Should we consider Brienz instead? Thun looks more interesting to me, but am I missing something? I’m not concerned about the cost difference.
Posted by
Green Bay
20017 posts
What is in Thun? Its never been on my radar, but maybe I'm missing something.
In Brienz, there is the Swiss Open-Air Museum, and the nearby Reichenbach Falls and Sherlock Holmes Museum in Meiringen.
Posted by
OP
44 posts
The views along the water look great from the pictures, and we do love visiting castles. But I will do some more research on Brienz. Maybe that is a better option. For either city, we will be going directly to ZRH for a 1:00 pm departure. I know it's a bit shorter trip from Thun via Bern than Brienz via Luzern. But not enough to make that the deciding factor.