Switzerland/Italy Trip - Rail Pass?

I see two trips in Switzerland, Zürich airport to Mürren, Mürren to the border. If it was those two only the best option would be simply to buy at the station. Never necessary to book in advance in Switzerland. But, then you talk about local trips around Mürren. In this case I suggest you consider the Berner Oberland pass, details here: http://www.regiopass-berneroberland.ch/home-en
You need to do the arithmetic yourself.

As for Italy, the cheapest option is nearly always advance purchase tickets purchased from the Trenitalia website. Second more expensive choice buy on the day at the station. Never a pass for Italy.

One alternative for Switzerland is the Half-Fare Card -- but you need to crunch the numbers for your specific trains/lifts.

Thank you for the advice. I will take a look at both passes.

haley,

A rail pass in Italy is rarely a cost effective method as tickets are relatively cheap there, especially if buying the discounted advance tickets.

A few thoughts on each of your trips.....

• Zürich to Mürren - buy at the airport ticket office when you arrive. As I recall, there are separate ticket offices for domestic tickets and international (ie: travelling to neighboring countries). With a Berner Oberland Pass, I believe that will cover the lifts from Lauterbrunnen to Mürren.
• Mürren to Venice - having one of the Swiss passes may provide a reduction to border, perhaps Domodossola (I'd have to check?).
• Swiss border to Venice - I'd probably try and pre-purchase that segment either on the Trenitalia site or at Trainline.eu. Otherwise you can just buy the entire route while in Switzerland, although that may be more expensive.
• Venice to Florence - you can save money with pre-purchase, but you MUST be willing to commit to a particular departure as the tickets are specific to train, date and departure time. On this segment you can use either Freccia or Italo trains. You can buy tickets for both at Trainline.eu.
• Florence to Vernazza - this trip will likely involve a combination of Regionale, InterCity or Freccia trains. You may be able to save a bit with advance purchase tickets, but it's a relatively short trip and there are no discounts for Regionale trains, so I'd probably just buy from a Kiosk at Firenze SMN station (I always like to buy my tickets at least the day prior to travel, so I don't have to deal with that when I'm hauling luggage). It you buy tickets at the Kiosk, note that you'll have to validate Regionale tickets prior to boarding the train, or risk hefty fines which will be collected on the spot.
• Vernazza to Naples - For that trip, I'd buy a Regionale ticket from Vernazza to La Spezia Centrale at the local Kiosk. I'd also buy an advance ticket from La Spezia Centrale to Napoli Centrale, using one of the direct trains. There's a direct departure to Napoli at 05:44, but most of the others will have at least one change, probably at Roma Termini. I'd probably use the 08:16 departure from La Spezia, assuming the schedules stay the same.
• Naples to Positano - it's great that your host is picking you up, as Positano does not have rail service.
• Positano to Capri - are you just making a day trip there or staying in Capri for a few days? In any case, it's easy to get there by Ferry from Positano. Walk down to the beach and go to the right, and you'll see the ticket booths there.
• Capri to Rome - if you're not returning to Positano after Capri, I'd probably go to Naples and then connect with the high speed train to Rome. Again you can save money with advance tickets, but would have to commit to a specific departure. If you'd rather maintain some flexibility with this segment, just buy the ticket from a Kiosk or ticket office at Napoli Centrale.

haley,

I was running out of room in the previous post, so a few thoughts about Switzerland.....

I've never found it necessary to book any transportation in advance in Switzerland, and that's probably not even possible in some cases.

The topic of rail passes in Switzerland is always somewhat difficult. In order to get the best "ballpark estimate" for the specific touring you're going to be doing, some number crunching will be necessary. You can start by determining the cost for each trip you plan to make, especially those involving mountain lifts (Schilthorn, Jungfrahjoch, etc.). Compare that with the cost of each pass and the discounts provided by that pass. This site will provide all the options....

https://www.ricksteves.com/travel-tips/transportation/trains/switzerland-rail-passes

You may also find that a Berner Oberland or Jungfrau VIP Regional pass is the best option.

Good luck!

Ken - thank you for such a thoughtful reply! Great information!

There is no 2-country pass to cover this combination - only separate passes or more expensive 3-country options. The Swiss Travel Pass, Half-Fare Card, or Swiss Transfer ticket will be the most likely choices. Wait until the new year to research these, since some coverage details are changing. You can't buy these more than 6 months in advance of travel and they will be pre-validated at the time or purchase for your specific start date.

www.jungfrau.ch will show you ticket prices around the Berner Oberland in chart form from different home bases – click on English, then Travel Information. Also on that page, follow the map link for a view of discounted lines with different pass types.