Which swiss pass? I'm very confused

Posted by angelic8026 on 03/05/25 06:21 AM

Hi All,

I am not lazy. I have been reading so much of swiss pass but getting more confused since I have mountain excursions too. 5 Adults and 1 Youth. Which swiss pass should we get? The regular swiss pass or the Berner Oberland Pass? Travel plans is in June.

Swiss pass website is showing as a total of 6 days at USD 2420 for 5 adults & 1 youth. Please advise. Thanks a million

Day 1 - Zurich International Airport to Grinderwald Terminal
Day 2: Day trip to Interlaken (Lake cruise + Harder Kulm, return to Grindelwald).
Day 3: Grindelwald First (Activities: Cliff Walk, zipline, mountain cart).
Day 4: Grindelwald (Jungfraujoch)
Day 5: Grindelwald →go to Lucerne (Visit Mt. Pilatus). Overnight at Lucerne
Day 6: Lucerne to Zurich HB station
Day 7: Zurich Hb to Zurich international airport

Posted by Ken

Vernon, Canada

03/05/25 07:25 AM

32419 posts

It's not unusual to be confused about which Swiss Rail Pass to buy, as many of us have dealt with that. On past trips, I've gone to the trouble of formatting a spreadsheet to compare the different options in order to get the most cost effective pass for a particular trip. It would take some time to check each trip you'll be taking, but it's getting late but these websites might help.....

Given the trips you'll be taking, you might also have a look at the Jungfrau Pass - https://www.jungfrau.ch/en-gb/jungfrau-travel-pass/?gad_source=1&gclid=EAIaIQobChMI0KfxiLTyiwMVBRetBh3nXxnvEAAYASAAEgKXF_D_BwE .

Happy travels!

Posted by TravelBug79

Indiana

03/05/25 12:38 PM

979 posts

Comparing all of our your options in order to determine the most economical Swiss pass is indeed very time consuming. I also created a spreadsheet to compare our various options. One of the resources that I used was https://aplinsinthealps.com/resources/
At the time we went, there was no advantage to purchasing a pass early. With that in mind, we stopped at the SBB office in Zurich, before beginning our Switzerland travels. They were extremely helpful. Have a wonderful trip!

Posted by WengenK

Wengen

03/05/25 12:48 PM

2733 posts

Give that you will do a lot of things where the STP would only be used for its discounts, and not for its free travel I would suggest you:

Get the Swiss Half Fare Card.
Get a Saver Day Pass for your arrival day as soon as you have booked your flights. Note: Is your accomodation in Grindelwald really near Grindelwald Terminal, or are you just assuming that because it has "Terminal" in the name that it is the main station? Because it isn't. The main station in Grindelwald is just called Grindelwald.
Get the Jungfrau Travel Pass once you are here. The price is reduced wirth HFC and it inludes the lake steamers and the train to Luzern as far as Brienz.
Just buy tickets (at 50% discount) for the rest.

A few tips though:
- You can integrate a boat trip in your base change from Grindelwald to Luzern. Take boat to Brienz, and train from there.
- You do not need to spend the night in Zurich prior to your flight. Getting from Luzern straight to Zurich Airport is easier than getting from Manhattan to any of NYs airports...