Hi. I’m spending two weeks in Switzerland and I have six days in grindlewald as a home base and three days in luzern. I’m confused if we should be getting both passes or we only need the OB pass?!? It looks like the OB pass covers luzern but am I missing something?? Does the tell pass offer something that the OB doesn’t? I’m already planning on getting the half fair travel pass too.
Thank you in advance. My brain is fried trying to figure out all the different passes Switzerland has.
Posted by
Forest Grove, OR
11775 posts
The Tell Pass covers the area around Luzern. Click on the area of validity here https://www.swiss-pass.ch/regional-passes/tell-pass-central-switzerland/?gad_source=1&gclid=CjwKCAjw7s20BhBFEiwABVIMrTirx1P8HnIKSty1ecUkS1uWpAS-Aux0xPCUqhDx3OIufgbLy98RGxoC-dwQAvD_BwE
The Berner Oberland (BO) Regional Pass covers the greater Berner Oberland area. See the map of validity here https://www.berneseoberlandpass.ch/maps-bernese-oberland/.
So you could use both passes and as you are in-country for two weeks, a Half Fare Card would likely be worthwhile. It gives a significant discount on the BO pass itself and applies to everything not covered by a specific pass.
Posted by
Northamptonshire, England
33819 posts
The Berner Oberland Pass (BO, what you have been calling OB), covers trains from Interlaken to Luzern and from Luzern to Bern via Langnau im Emmental. But nothing else in the Luzern area.
You'll get a guest card in Luzern for local buses but not ships or mountains. You should do the math for which attractions you will do, using your half fare card, and compare them to what you will save by buying a Tell pass. Only you know what you will use it for. But the Tell pass is not cheap, there is no discount with a half fare card. You would need at least enough savings to pay for the pass before it starts paying for itself.
Posted by
OP
5 posts
Thank you for the info. All the passes are just so confusing. I appreciate the help.