Swiss Travel Pass vs Saver Day Pass

You should check if the museums of interest are covered by the STP.

If you intend to stay in Basel, the Guest Card gives free public transportation in the city, and includes the airport bus, if that is where you are flying into. So you would really need 2 Saver Day Passes each. If bought far enough in advance, they are 52 CHF each. They are nonrefundable, so once bought, you are committed. Also, They do not cover most lifts or cogwheel trains, with a few exceptions, like the Rigi Bahn and the Stanserhorn in the Luzern area.

I do not think the museum benefits out way the huge cost advantage over buying 2 3-day Swiss Travel Passes.

Where are you flying into? If Zurich, I would stay in Luzern rather than Basel.

Tran fares from Basel to Lucerne can be bought in advance for as little as $11. Double that for the roundtrip. Least expensive train tix from Lucerne to Interlaaken is $11.86 on The Trainline. You can take a ballpark look at train fares for your dates at www.TheTrainline.com and then buy them at www.SBB.ch/en for the best price.
It’s unlikely a Saver Day Pass or a Swiss Travel Pass is going to save you money on the train fares. However, if you are thinking about boat rides on Lake Lucerne or a trip to Mt. Pilatus, Mr. Rigi etc then you should look at www.SBB.ch/en to see what might match up with your plans.
If you do go to Interlaaken, you definitely should travel 30 minutes further to Lauterbrunnen to see the majesty of the mountain ranges there— views that cannot be seen from Interlaaken.
Have a great trip!

I have question the 11 CHF for Basel to Luzern. A random day In May shows 18.60 CHF for a SuperSaver Ticket bought now without Half Fare Card. It is only valid on the exact train you bought it for, and the you have to buy one for the return. And you must pay for local transport unless you just want to walk around the area by the train station.

The Saver Day Pass allows any train, bus, or boat in the GA area of Switzerland for the day it is purchased for.

That was a little off because I misread the Trainline price for random May date @ $10.60. It actually was $ 16.60. SBB website says least expensive tix is CHF 6.60 w Half-Fare card. That is CHF 13.20 or $14.60 without the Half-Fare.card.

Ultimately. decisions will need to be made about what, If any, boat and mountain excursions will be taken and whether the Berner Oberland is part of the plan before any accurate cost calculations can be made.
Cheers!

OK, some tickets are as low as 11.60 CHF without the Half Fare Card, that means deciding on your plans 3 months in advance with no flexibility to change. The Saver Day Pass is all about flexibility, except of course, for the chosen day.

The Swiss Travel Pass is 244 CHF for 3 days, but you do not have to buy it until your arrive.

One important difference between the Swiss Travel Pass and the Saver Day Pass is this:
- The STP gives you free travel on public transit, but also gives you 50% of (usually) on mountain excursions that are not covered by it. Eg. The Titlis or Schilthorn etc... (Jungfraujoch is only 25% off).
- The Saver Day Pass is only good for public transit. You pay full price for mountain excursions.

The other thing is that the STP can always be bought at the same price. So you can even just buy it when you arrive in Switzerland.
The Saver Day Pass you must buy in advance.

Thanks so much for all the advices, very helpful! A few questions based on your responses:

1. What is a Guest Card? Is it the same as the Swiss Travel Pass or a complimentary pass from the hotel of my booking?
2. What is the GA area?
   
3. In regards to Lauterbrunnen and Interlaken, can we see the beautiful scenery from the train ride or we need to get out of the train and go to the sites?

We plan to fly to Basel as it is our embark location for the Rhine River cruise. Thanks so much!