Hello and apologies...I know there are a lot of posts on here about this topic. But everyone has their own tweak or itinerary. I have been pouring over this for 2 days and don't feel any closer to an answer. We are 6 adults traveling from Switzerland into northern Italy. We arrive in Zurich super early in the morning and plan to hop on a train (+bus + gondola) to get to Gimmelwald on day 1.
While in the area we plan to see the Schilthorn and Jungfrau, (if not socked in with clouds). We plan to do some hiking and see Trummlebach falls. After 4 nights touring this area, we will take a train to Turin.
So which travel pass is best for our group? The Swiss Travel Pass? The Berner Oberland? A Half Price Swiss Pass in combo with Berner Oberland?
In an ideal world we would have passes that would allow us to jump on the first train out of Zurich airport without even having to stop at a ticket office or purchase on an app. (Swiss Pass $295 for 4 days). But I am not clear on what that gets us once we get up into the mountains in terms of hopping on gondolas and cable cars? The Berner Oberland Pass is $280 for 4 days. It seems like the sticking point is the Jungfrau train. The Swiss Pass gets you very little discount on that and I know it is spendy. But if we use our Swiss pass to get from Zurich to Gimmewald and again to get us into Italy on the day we leave - it seems like cost and convenience, the Swiss pass is the way to go? Any insight is welcome. It's like doing calculus!
(PS: I am aware the Swiss Pass does not cover scenic trains like the Glacier Pass and the Jungfrau train but there may be discounts) Please feel free to correct any above information - I have been on so many different sites I may have it jumbled.