Travel costs dilemma

Download the SBB app. Note that the app assumes you have the half-fare card, so double the prices as you're doing your research.
Enjoy this beautiful country!

use sbb.ch

It's the official website of the Swiss rail system.

Thank you both so much for the quick replies. I do have the app and used it often when we were in the BO a couple of years ago. My dilemma is what do I choose as my end point destination if I’m going to go up a mountain beginning by boat, then cogwheel and cable? I cannot find a way to price all of that out.

Some mountains are 100% covered by the Saver Day Pass. Look at this
map here, select the Saver Day Pass option in the dropdown menu:

https://www.sbb.ch/en/tickets-offers/travelcards/area-validity-map.html

Make use of the ‘via’ option in the SBB app. Make sure it is selected in the advance
search option list.

Rigi

• Luzern > via Vitznau > Rigi Kulm
• This is 100% covered with a Saver Day Pass

For the very top of the mountain, sometimes you have to take a close look at the options SBB gives you, for example enter Stoos and see the list of options, one is:

Stoos

• Luzern > Stoos SZ, Fronalpstock, Fronalpstock
• Click on it to see the detailed journey. The final section is from Stoos Bergstat. (Luftseilb) by Sesselbahn to Fronalpstock meaning from the village of Stoos (Bertstat) to the top of Fronalpstock. You will see the icon of the Luftseilbahn for the first section and the chairlift icon for the final section.
• Do the same for Stoos (Klingenstockbahn)

If all of this is too confusing, just look at the mountain website for schedules and use the SBB app to figure out your timing and route to Stoos.

Lake

• 100% covered with Saver Day Pass

Titlis

• Luzern > Titlis

• Free travel to Engelberg with Day Pass, but no discount up the
  mountain.

• You will see this on their website:

50%
* SBB half-fare travelcard / GA travelcard (excl. Daily Card and SBB travelpasses)*

For the Titlis trip you could also buy the Railaway offer from SBB here:

https://freizeit.sbb.ch/en/stories/mountains-titlis

Combined train-cable car ticket, with up to 50% off on the train trip.

Stoos in terms of doing the hike or going up on the cable cars is not included in the SDP. This is one of the only times I’ve found SBB misleading. They do make it seem like it’s free when you look at the routing, but you have to buy a 58 chf ticket from Stoos to use the 2 cable cars that allow you to do the ridge hike from one to the other.

https://www.stoos.ch/de/pages/gipfel-erlebnisticket-sommer

Let me start by saying your list is not very realistic in 3 days — Pilatus, Rigi, Stoos, Titlis, the lake and the actual city of Luzern is more than 3 days of activities, so you should account for that in your calculations, because I think you’ll need to remove 1 - Pilatus, Titlis or Stoos.

Your supplement tickets if you have SDP - with and without HFC
Stoos 44/56
Titlis 51/102
Pilatus 40/80

With the HFC you’re saving around 100 chf on these rides + maybe 50-60chf on the 3 day passes depending on when you get them? So that would only be 160 chf savings and you need to hit 240 chf in savings to break even with the HFC. However, you also have transportation in Switzerland to Luzern and then to the Italian border, so if you calculate that those 2 tickets (while in Switzerland) would cost you atleast 160 chf full fare / 80 chf with HFC, then you break even with the HFC.

Stoos in terms of doing the hike or going up on the cable cars is not included in the SDP. This is one of the only times I’ve found SBB misleading.

Good to know! I have edited my post accordingly.

Y’all are so helpful! I appreciate your information so very much. Thank you.
@ wanderweg—I should’ve clarified in my original post that those different excursions are only places to choose from during our 3 day stay, not all are definite destinations. I haven’t narrowed them down yet. Thanks for the advice.
Looks like I need to do some math. Yay. lol.
There’s a very big chance I’ll return with questions.

We get the regional Tell Pass in Luzern that gets us free travel throughout the region including all mountaintops. There is no discount on it with the half fare card. It was so nice to never have to buy another ticket for anything.

If you get an early start, you can hit many mountains in one day if you don’t spend a lot of time hiking. We did Titlis, Brunni and the Stanserhorn in one day when the Stanserhorn was open late. The Ice Flyer on Titlis is also included. Stanserhorn was a great place to watch the sunset and there are frequent late trains back to Luzern.

We did Rigi in the morning then hopped a boat to Brunnen then a bus to Stoos. We took the train back. Make sure to know when the lifts stop running so you don’t get stuck at the top of any mountain.

Pilatus can be a full or half day depending on whether you take the boat. Make reservations for the cog train the day before. Spend the rest of the day exploring the beautiful town of Luzern.

Don’t commit to anything before arrival so you can pivot based on the weather. If you get a rain day, the Swiss Transportation Museum is first class.

A four day pass is $250chf, 5 days is $270 if you want to ride to the edge of the area of validity before buying a ticket to your next destination.