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Some doubts about the Berner Oberland Regional Pass

Posted by (Perth, Australia) on

I will stay 4 nights in Lauterbrunnen late in July. The hotel is already reserved and paid for (it was a great deal I found on Booking). We are a couple traveling with two teenagers.

We intend to travel extensively there. Compared to stand-alone tickets, the Berner Oberland Regional Pass (4-day) appears to be a great bargain. The web page has a detailed map with areas of validity, and everything in the valleys and mountains nearby is covered, except Mürren - Schilton (50% discount) and Kleine Scheidegg - Junfraujoch (discounted, no % mentioned). I double checked another version of the map and, with this card, Wengen - Kleine Scheidegg - Grindewald is covered indeed.

(1) On the Jungraujoch website, there is no mention of this regional pass, nor is there any mention of the applicable discount for pass holders. Where can I find this information?

(2) On that same website, they mention that reservations for the railway climb beyond Kleine Scheidegg are highly recommended to avoid waiting in line. Is it possible to make this reservation at Lauterbrunnen station? As I will have 4 days, my plan was to arrive there and, checking the weather forecast, then commit to visiting the Junfraujoch on the day with the best-expected weather.

(3) We will arrive and depart from Swtizerland by train. Because cheap discounted fares into Italy are only available from a few stations, while the extra cost to include Interlaken-Wengen sector on my ticket from Germany is just a few Euro, I was planning on doing the following: buying an incoming ticket straight into Wengen, as we will arrive late. Then, we would use the first 3 days of the Berner Oberland Regional Pass traveling within the area. The fourth day would be used to go back to Interlaken, climb the Harde Klum, travel by boat between Interlaken Ost and Brienz, and then catch the scenic train to Luzern - all of it covered by the pass according to their official coverage map. We will stay in Luzern one night and travel to Italy the following day. Is this a good plan?

(4) How can I reserve a panoramic car between Brienz and Luzern, if I am going to travel using the Berner Oberland Regional Pass?

(5) Are there any villages where the train stops between Brienz and Luzer worth stopping and catching the next train one hour later? Is fo, is it worth to still pay for two separate panoramic car reservations?

(6) The pass price difference between first and second class is not that high. Is it worth to fork out money for first class? I assume gondolas and lifts have no first class after all...

(7) Is it possible to walk near the river (and not on the road) from Lauterbrunen to Stechelberg?

(8) What are particularly dangerous wildlife we should be on the lookout for when hiking around the region, if any? Are feral rams or javelins a concern?

Posted by
11775 posts

I'll try to enlighten on at least some of your questions.

  1. See this map (enlarge it) for the area of validity. See the dotted line to the Jungfraujoch? That indicates it is included at a reduced price.

  2. Yes, you can make this reservation at Lauterbrunnen Station.

  3. Seems reasonable

  4. No idea. Ask in Lauterbrunnen.

  5. No idea.

  6. I buy 1st class because my husband likes to upgrade when he can. :-)

  7. Part of the way the path is along the river. It is peaceful in the valley without much traffic. Pick up a map in Lauterbrunnen.

  8. Never seen anything more wild than a chamois myself.

Posted by
17418 posts

I can understand you confusion about the Jungfrau. The route above Kleine Scheideggnis marked with a "B" but the reduction is not specified. However, this is clarified under the FAQs:

http://www.regionalpass-berneroberland.ch/en/pass-and-infos/faq/

Scroll down and you will find the answer. The reduction there is 25%, bringing the cost of the RT ticket from Kleine Scheidegg to the top and back to 93 CHF.

As for wildlife, there are no dangerous wild mammals in Switzerland. The chamois ( Gemse in German) are lovely to see and docile, although quite shy. As for other animals, we have been chased by frisky young cows (heifers, not used to humans yet). And in the Dolomites a hiking partner was butted by a billy goat. Fortunately he managed to get his backpack in position to absorb the impact. But have not seen goats in Switzerland, only in France and Italy. The sheep we have come across while hiking were in the Valais, not Berner Oberland, and were perfectly calm, lazing about in the shade, even the ram.

We have seen one adder---they are poisonous but not aggressive. And I have read that one should Be on the watch for ticks, but have never found one.

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