We are staying in Wengen 5 nights in July and Lucern 2 nights before heading up to Zurich to depart. We are arriving in Switzerland from Paris on the train. I'm having such a difficult time figuring out what to do about train tickets. I'm leaning towards just biting the bullet and buying the Swiss travel pass for 8 days. I have tried to do research but I really don't know every single step of our itinerary yet. We will certainly do a bit of exploring around the region in Wengen, seeing the waterfalls and various mountain peaks. I also expect that we will take a boat ride in Lucerne. Has anyone else ever been in this situation or have any advice for us? We are not avid hikers...I expect that we will do some walking, but I think we'll want to take trains around Wengen to discover different mountain peaks.
Posted by
Green Bay
21145 posts
Almost always, the 30-day Half Fare Card for 120 CHF will save you the most money. You still have to buy a ticket for every trip, but at half price for everything. Swiss Travel Pass often only gives discounts for mountain lifts above inhabited villages, and is very expensive.
Posted by
Grand Rapids, MI
768 posts
Trying to figure out the best pass is a complicated process, and it is further complicated by the fact that you won't really know the exact trains/cable cars you'll take every day.
The following map and price list can help a lot at estimating:
http://ontheworldmap.com/switzerland/ski/jungfrau/jungfrau-summer-map.jpg
https://www.jungfrau.ch/en-gb/prices-and-brochures/
Sam rightly mentions the half fare card, and that's worth considering.
Personally, I like the Berner Oberland Pass, which covers all transportation (except discounts on highest mountain peaks) from Lucerne on south.
What I like about it is that even if it isn't the absolute best deal pricewise (tho I think it is) the psychological freedom it gives is great. (Sorry, I'm a Psych. Prof.) Misty day in Wengen? You can just say, "Hey, let's go take a free boat ride!"--as we have done. Want a great overview of the area? Take the cable car to Mannlichen, cable car down to Grindelwald, train to Zweilutschinen, then to Lauterbrunnen, postbus to Trummelbach Falls, then bak to Wengen. All that would be well over $100, but free to the Berner Ob. Pass holder. Fun! Info here:
https://www.regionalpass-berneroberland.ch/en/pass-and-infos/pricing/
Posted by
OP
22 posts
Very helpful, thank you!
Posted by
MPLS, MN
399 posts
I agree with Shoe (and Sam) on this. My thoughts mirror Shoe in that I love the flexibility the BO Pass gives you when staying in Wengen. I do tend to go the Swiss Pass route if I am staying in Murren, though.
We are heading back to Wengen in August and we will purchase the Half Fare Card AND the BO Pass. The BO Pass is 25% off when you purchase the Half Fare card with it. That savings paired with half off travel to areas outside the BO area (which includes free travel to Bern and Lucerne) is worth it in my mind. When in Wengen, we tend to hit the Mannlichen lift nearly everyday, either to hit the lifts to Grindelwald (and onto First), hike the Mannlichen to KS, or simply grab some lunch at the restaurant at the top of the lift. That is all free with the BO Pass. I suppose I can add up all of the costs of the places I will definitely go plus throw in some “probable” places for a cost run to see which is the best deal, but that is time consuming and not fully accurate. Assuming you have access to a smart phone, I recommend you leave with the SBB app installed and ready. It comes in handy no matter which pass/cards you end up choosing.