So confused about travel passes

I'm trying to save myself the hours that it will take to do all the
math on what the likely prices will be

Unfortunately, that's the only way to know for sure.

How many days are you in the BO for? What are you plans for Zermatt?

If it was me, I'd probably get the 8 day Swiss Travel Pass as i like the convenience of it.

I figured Swiss Travel pass would be too much for what we need, but, maybe not....

It’s hard to say without knowing exactly what you’ll be doing each day. The half card might be a good option if you don’t mind buying tickets for everything.

You can see the prices here for the BO Pass:

https://www.berneseoberlandpass.ch/prices-tickets/

Depending on how long you’ll be in the BO area and what you plan to do there, it might be worth getting. It will not cover anything in Zermatt though.

Remember, you must take the route via Kandersteg to Brig, as far as you can get going to Zermatt. Do not use the route that uses the Loetschberg Base Tunnel (the fast route) as it is not covered by the BORP.

The scenic route from Zurich to Muerren goes via Luzern. again, takes a little longer, but worth it IMO.

Since you get a discount with the Half Fare Card on the BORP, it is worth a look at getting both. It also gives a lower price on Super Saver Tickets.

If your aim is to spend the least amount of money you will have to do the math and figure out what is best.

If you want convenience get the Swiss Travel Pass.

But I think that your hunch that the HFC is best is probably right. You do not even need to get that until you are here. You can indeed buy supersaver tickets, and they are even further reduced when you get the HFC. However a supersaver ticket is not a good idea when coming of a flight, as it is not flexible. A saver day pass however probably is.

With the HFC you still have to buy tickets, but that is in fact not difficult. My tip: Get the SBB app. and buy your ticket using that. Saves you having to queue at the ticket office each time. And be aware that you can buy a whole trip at once, ie when you go to Grindelwald just buy a return ticket to Grindelwald in Mürren. You do not need separate tickets for each segment.

I don't mind buying tickets each time at all- that's not really a big deal. Great tip on not buying a supersaver ticket off of a flight. Might be able to get those for other times. Does that half fare card still save you money on super saver tickets? This I could not figure out either, even looking at SBB.

The ticket price you see in black with the "%" sign is a SuperSaver with a Half Fare Card.

Example: Sept 9, Muerren to Zermatt, 9:58 departure is 41.60 CHF bought now with the HFC. If you click on the red "buy" icon, you will see that on the next page.

1× Supersaver Ticket, Half-Fare Travelcard84004
Open tip Supersaver Ticket
Valid: Thu, 12.09.2024 dep 09:58
until Thu, 12.09.2024 13:14
from CHF 41.60

Look to the left and you will see the "Half Fare Travelcard" block highlighted. Click on the "Full Price" block, and it will change to

1× Saver Day Pass80040
Open tip Saver Day Pass
Valid: Thu, 12.09.2024
until Fri, 13.09.2024 05:00
from CHF 61.00

So without the HFC, your best price is a Saver Day Pass bought now. More money, but you can take any departure that day and not be locked into a specific departure time or route.

Remember, you can buy tickets and day passes now at the HFC price without having the HFC actually purchased now, you just need to have it purchased by the time you travel.

Ohh I see now!

Thank you all so much- this has been incredibly helpful!