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Swiss Train: 8 days, which pass is best, help!! 😂

I am traveling the first of June for 8 days with my husband, 11-year-old daughter and 78-year-old father. We hope to just use trains for our time there. My father is in decent shape, but does have a heart condition, so want to minimize long walks in high elevation (at least until acclimated). So many great options and different discounts, would love some advice to narrow down our most cost effective option.

1: Geneva airport to Bern for 2 nights (staying a 5 min walk from train station)
2. Bern to Lauterbrunnen for 5 nights (15 min walk from station, but also have a bus stop outside our lodging). Plan to explore the whole area, including boats near Interlaken, Grimmelwald, Wengen, Jungfrau, Schiltorn, and perhaps a scenic alp train journey.
3. Lauterbrunnen to Geneva, thinking perhaps via the GoldenPass Pano journey, maybe a few hour stop in a town along the way, like Lausanne or Montreux? Staying outside of Geneva airport for a morning flight.

Thoughts? Half-fare, Berner Oberland, Super day savers? The 11-year-old is free with some of these, yes? Help! 😀

Posted by
6147 posts

No one can really tell you, you have to pencil it out, and there are still variables- the weather is unpredictable for the summits.
Most folks do fine with the half- fare card. I prefer the convenience of the Swiss Travel Pass, because you just walk on the train, boats, etc, without needing to buy tickets- but there are limitations, ( beyond Murren and Wengen, for example). Once you have the STP, you usually find so many more uses, such as boats rides, museums, etc. How many trips will you make to Wengen and Murren (free with STP)?
There are several u- tube videos attempting to explain the chaos.
Make a decision and don't look back. You will have a glorious experience in this beautiful county. Safe travels!

https://www.google.com/search?q=u-+tube+swiss+rail+passes&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&hl=en-us&client=safari

Posted by
21892 posts

I would go with the Half Fare Cards for 3 of you, the free Family Card for the 11-year-old, and 3 6-day Berner Oberland Passes wit the discount with the HFC.

Posted by
3 posts

Thank you. I hadn't thought about doubling up on passes and whether that would be worth it. I guess I need to really try to estimate our travel and calculate to know for sure. It seems overwhelming!