Zurich Zermatt Thun August 2024

I'd recommend spending those four nights in the Berner Oberland, not Zermatt. There's way more to do in the BO, and no one is ever ready to leave that beauty.
You can easily catch a Zurich flight from Lucerne, and it's such a beautiful and charming town, much more so than Zurich. It's just an 1+ hour train from Lucerne directly to the Zurich airport.
Sorry, I don't know Thun, so can't help on that one.
Have a great trip!

Pat, thank you for your suggestion. DH really wants to see the Matterhorn, so that's our priority. However, staying in Thun on the way back gives us a chance to head to BO via Interlaken, if we want to.

Any thoughts on the different rail passes?

TIA

My personal preference is the STP, because of the convenience of not buying tickets, and just jumping on boats and trains without much planning. I find more ways to use it once I'm there, because it's just so easy! And if you're in Lucerne, Mt Rigi and Mt Stanserhorn are completely covered, which are delightful trips.
Most folks here advise the Half- Fare card and a BO pass instead. Note with the Flex pass, if you use it for any type of discount, ( museum, etc) that counts as a use day.
In the past few years, there have been sales on the various passes in early spring, so we will see......
It's not an easy choice, and somewhat confusing, so you're not alone.
In any case, you will have a wonderful trip!

Thank you for your replies.
I have been to Lucerne before, so we are skipping it this trip.

And thank you for the tip about museums counting as a day use of the pass. That's good to know!
J.

Thun is a lovely town on the lake. It is in the Berner Oberland which is a very large canton and includes Thun, Interlaken, the greater Jungfrau Region, and more. Take a look at Google Maps to get a sense of how large it is. Thun is nice and if you find lodging you like, great. Many of us who are avid walkers like to stay in Lauterbrunnen, Mürren, Wengen, or Grindelwald but you can get to all of those places from Thun in about an hour.

Get a Berner Oberland Regional Pass and a Half Fare Card. Note that for the BO pass you get a good discount if you also have an HFC. The BO pass will cover almost all of your transportation costs in the Berner Oberland including mountain lifts, trains, busses and boats. You only pay a surcharge for a few high mountain expeditions like the Jungfraujoch, Schilthorn.

I don’t think a Berner Oberland Pass is the best for you, with only 3 days at Thun. Especially since you will not be taking mountain lifts. And it would not help with Zermatt.

An 8-day Swiss Travel Pass will cover all your trains and boats to Zermatt, Thun and back to Zurich. But only 50% off the Gornergrat train. And there will be days you don’t use it much at all.

So maybe a 3-day Flex Pass is the answer. You would have to add up the cost of individual tickets to be sure.

Thanks to all for your suggestions.
Hiking around Thun probably won't be a problem....I've been up the Rockies in the U.S, and various national parks. It's the additional height of the alps, that give me pause, as well as motion sickness. We are avid bikers, and walkers, so Thun sounds perfect, after 3-4 days in Zermatt. And, as I mentioned, if we feel compelled, we can take a day from Thun and see Murren or Lauterbrunnen.

I'm leaning toward the Swiss Travel Flex Pass for 8 days, as you don't have to use it on consecutive days. And it covers 50% of Gornergrat.

Jadam

You have exactly 8 days to use a pass (assuming you spend the arrival night in Zurich). So a regular STP for 8 days will cover it and be a bit cheaper. Also easier since you do not have to remember to activate it before use each day.
If you forget, the conductor can fine you for boarding the train without a ticket.