Trains: Do I need to buy the full distance ticket? Zurich to Interlaken

You will only need to buy a ticket from Zurich to Lucerne and they start at about CHF 16. You can also take a train directly from Zurich’s airport to Lucerne if you’re flying into Zurich. That train ticket can be bought at the airport. For the train rides included in the Berner Oberland Pass, you just show the conductor your pass and passport on board the train when requested.

Thank you, that's great.. As it is, we will be flying into Zurich but will spend a few days there before going to the BO.. after a few days there split between Lauterbrennen and Murren as bases, we will go to Luzern. Our next stop after that is Munich, so I'm trying to calculate all the train costs to see what is best for passes while in Switzerland (Half Fare/Swiss Travel Card).

Also, I believe I've got it right that since Interlaken to Luzern is also part of the Golden Pass route, I shouldn't need to purchase anything more for that, unless I want to make a reservation for a panoramic seat, right. But if I'm understanding Rick's book correctly, the panoramic trains for the Golden Pass Express leg are not the same as the regular commuter trains? Are there specific times or instructions I have to follow to book that on our Luzern to Munich trip? Yikes! :)

All the trains on the hourly Luzern-Interlaken Express are panoramic type carriages. "Golden Pass" is simply a marketing concept for the trains running Luzern-Interlaken-Zweisimmen-Montreux. There are some special Golden Pass Express trains going Interlaken-Zweisimmen-Montreux that are through trains with special bogies to allow them to travel on both narrow gauge (Zweisimmen-Montreux) and standard gauge (Interlaken-Zwesimmen). But you are not going that way, apparently.

There are 3 separate private rail operators of the Golden Pass route, Zentralbahn for Luzern-Interlaken, BLS for Interlaken-Zweisimmen, and MOB for Zweisimmen-Montreux. SBB ticketing covers all of these.

If that is correct, would I just stay on the same train - showing the
regular ticket when the conductor comes by outside Zurich, and then
the BOP outside Luzern?

You will have to change trains in Luzern, otherwise yes, exactly as you have described for showing the BO pass vs. purchasing a ticket; but your second post reads as if you will not travel this whole route in one day anyway.

I shouldn't need to purchase anything more for that, unless I want to
make a reservation for a panoramic seat

Correct. I don’t see what time of year you are traveling, if in summer it might be nice for you to reserve a seat, but normally it is not needed - I have traveled this route many times without a reservation without any problems.

Tip: when getting on in Luzern, get there a bit early and take the time to walk the length of the platform to the end of the train. Literally almost no one does this, they all get on at the closest possible car and all squish in there. The ends of the train are almost always the least busy, not just for this route but in general.

As Sam said, all of the trains have panoramic cars, you will notice this from the outside - some panoramic, some not - on the same train. I usually head for the panoramic cars because…why not?

We'll be going late September - have to catch Oktoberfest in Munich!
Our trip from Zurich to Interlaken will be all in one day, and Luzern (passing through Zurich) to Munich will also be one day.
I guess we'll just have to decide in which direction we'll reserve our seats, just to purchase everything ahead of time.

Can you post your exact itinerary? I'd be able to better help you if I understand exactly how many nights you are in each place.

The half fare card gives you a discount on the BO pass, so that's a consideration, but to really give you the best answer on what combo of passes to get, it's best to list out nights in each spot and any major day trips you have planned that require public transport, such as going to mountain top viewing spots like Schilthorn, etc.

In regards to Luzern to Munich, you can price out the ticket on SBB, as well as bahn.de -- sometimes the prices can be different (obviously account for euros/chf, but still can be different). We typically purchase through bahn.de, as you can input at checkout that you have the Swiss HFC to get the discount from Luzern to the German border and the seat reservation from Zurich to Munich is better on Bahn, as they let you pick your actual seat (it's a German train) whereas SBB would just assign you a random seat on that train, since it's not theirs. We train from Munich to Murren every summer and typically purchase 1st class on Bahn months in advance, as we know our exact travel date and booking far out you can get 1st class for cheaper than more last minute 2nd class. We don't typically do 1st class trains, but we enjoy it for that day of traveling since we're on the train all day and like the more spacious & quieter cabin with more luggage space.

I believe seat reservations come automatically on the Munich-Zurich EC train. There are no seat reservations sold on the Zurich-Luzern trains as they are IR trains, a step above commuter trains. You must buy seat reservations directly from Zentralbahn for the Luzern-Interlaken Express and they cost more than standard SBB reservations for IC trains.
https://shop.luzern.com/de/stories/luzern-interlaken-express
PS sit on the right hand side of the train leaving Luzern for the best views.

Seat reservations don’t come automatically from Munich to Zurich. It’s 5.50euro for 2nd class/6.90 for first class. As mentioned, if you get the ticket on DBB you’ll be able to select your specific seats. We like doing this as a couple in first class so we can get the section facing each other by ourselves with no one else next to us.

ok, someone asked for the itinerary, so I guess I should nail that down, lol..

Day 1 - land in Zurich, get ZVV 48 hr transit pass, lodging not far from train station, RS Walking Tour, meandering
2 - Uetliberg, River Cruise - maybe full Lake Cruise depending on what is covered by transit pass
3 - train to Oberland, Getting 72 hr Berner Oberland Pass. Lodging in Lauterbrunnen, easy day (waterfalls, hikes, staying in valley) QUESTION: The Golden Pass panoramic booking can be in either direction? If so, we would be doing it today.

4 - transfer lodging to Murren. Explore town, hike/cable car to/from Gimmelwald. The wife is scared of long cable cars, so I'd be doing Schilthorn myself.
5 - full day for Jungfraujoch with possible stops coming at Kl.Scheidegg or Wengen.
6 - depart for Luzern
7 - Luzern and area
8 - train to Munich.

I know this list is so common for the area, we're here for mostly the sightseeing, I could do hikes but my wife isn't up for that. Easy biking at the best of times, so there's probably a lot of exploring, shopping time.

As far as I can tell, I can get the most savings with the Swiss Half Fare Card for the non-BOP travel, and the HFC allows me to get the BOP at a reduced rate. (Then all travel in the BOValley is covered, plus all transport up the Murren side, and up to Wengen; but the trains to J'joch are at 50% cost still, if I understand the BOP Validity Map properly..)
Is this best? The Swiss Half Fare Card, based on my travel plans? And of course, my earlier question: I can choose which direction I do the Golden Pass reservation? (I just see more discussion for the eastbound direction, not sure if westbound if possible..)
Thanks again, the forum is a godsend!
Darcy and Sherri

Before I go into the full answer - what part of the Golden Pass are you talking about taking? Surely you don’t mean going all the way to Montreux and back….

Hi, our day's westbound travel is Zurich to Interlaken.. the eastbound would be broken up as Interlaken to Luzern one day, and then later on Luzern through what route gets us to Munich finally - most likely through Zurich again.
Edit: hmm, now that I look at RS Planning Map, I see the GP marked by Montreux.. oh my, is the "Golden Pass" even that far east to Interlaken??

It sounds like you will only being doing the Golden Pass train on Day 3 (westbound) and Day 6 (eastbound). This is really just the Luzern-Interlaken Express, so calling it the Golden Pass just confuses the issue. The Luzern-Interlaken Express is a section of the Golden Pass route. I gave you the reservation website earlier. Reserve the right hand side both directions.

If you get a 3-day BOP, it will only cover either Day 3, or Day 6 on the Luzern-Interlaken Express, but not both. Consider a 4-day BOP.

If you get a 3-day BOP, it will only cover either Day 3, or Day 6 on the Luzern-Interlaken Express, but not both. Consider a 4-day BOP.

thanks Sam, that is great. I was already considering the 4 day BOP, but more so because of how a "day" might be defined.. I'm probably overthinking it, but does the "day" start when the pass is activated - ie. if I get it at noon Thursday, are the 4 days up at noon Monday, or is it the 24 hr period starting at 12:01 am, so by getting it at noon Thursday I've already lost 12 hours and it's up at 11:59pm Sunday?

My other question had to do with which overall Swiss pass I should get - I was leaning to the Half Fare card as I don't think I'll be doing enough non-BOP travel for the full charge card..

Pass days are calendar days in Switzerland. You will have to do some calculations to see if the BOP is worth it. Many times, it is just a matter of convenience.

I don’t know how flexible your itinerary is, but I have a few suggestions if you’re open to adjustments.

1. The cable car rides up to the Schilthorn are two 5 minute segments, which is the same length of the cable car to get up to Mürren in the first place. So if your wife is fine with going to Mürren then going up to Schilthorn is no difference - Mürren to Birg = 5 minutes > 9 minute layover in Birg to get to the other cable car > then Birg to Schilthorn = 5 minutes. Thus, you’re never in a cable car for more than 5 minutes to get up there. At the very least go up to Birg. It’s worth it.

2. Your list of activities isn’t large enough to justify the BO Pass currently. Just get the Half Fare Card if you stick to your plan and possibly Saver Day Passes for your travel day from Zurich to Lauterbrunnen.

3. It really doesn’t make sense to stay in Lauterbrunnen for 1 night and then move to Mürren. They are 20 minutes apart. Just pick 1 base for such a short stay - Lauterbrunnen OR Mürren for 3 nights. I’d suggest Mürren for the full time.

4. Don’t take the long route from Zurich to Lauterbrunnen via Luzern - it adds almost an hour + an extra train change & you’ll already be taking that route on the way to Luzern. Just go the fast way on the direct train from Zurich to Interlaken and then connect from there to Lauterbrunnen/Mürren. It’s not a good use of your time to do the same route twice when it adds time and train changes.

   1. Are you big city fans? Personally I’d skip Zurich and add time to Mürren/Luzern. You’ll wish after leaving Mürren that you’d had more time for the variety of things to see & do. If you did that, most likely a BO pass would become worth it.

Suggested itinerary (interchange days based on weather)
Day 1 - Zurich > Mürren
Day 2 - Gimmelwald & Schilthorn/Birg
Day 3 - Lauterbrunnen Valley + optional Allmendhubel funicular or Schynige Platte or Brienzer Rothorn or an easy walk from Grutschalp back to Mürren along the rail trail or a day on Lake Thun seeing the castles at Spiez, Oberhofen & Thun via boat ride
Day 4 - Wengen/Kleine Scheidegg/Jungfraujoch
Day 5 - Buffer day for weather or any of the above optional activities
Day 6 - Mürren > Luzern
Day 7 - Luzern old town or boat ride to Fluelen
Day 8 - Luzern > Munich

Don’t take the long route from Zurich to Lauterbrunnen via Luzern - it adds almost an hour + an extra train change & you’ll already be taking that route on the way to Luzern.

I usually agree with Wanderweg but in this case perhaps not. Logically it makes a lot of sense, but I think the westbound journey, sitting on the righthand side of the train facing forwards is more dramatic as it takes you up from the lake area into the mountains, and then the plunge down to the Brienzersee with waterfalls and mountains is the best welcome into the Berner Oberland and then up to the Lauterbrunnen Valley and upwards.

The suggested route via Bern has views at the end, but the views as the train winds around the Thunersee on the approach to Interlaken are dramatic but short, and the trip from Zürich is that bit shorter.

I guess I'm just a sucker for the Brünig Pass.