Berner Oberland transportation options have been discussed before but...

I don't think that I was very clear in my original post. The reason I'm looking into the Eurail Select Pass Drive is that we have 3 "major" travel days in 3 countries(from Varenna/Milan to Interlaken Ost, Interlaken Ost to Dijon/Beaune, and Dijon to Paris) and want to rent a car for 2 days in Burgundy. Voila! the Select Pass Drive - 3 travel days in 3 countries w/2 day car rental! I priced out 2nd class point to points and a car rental and the Eurail Select Pass is most cost efficient; and its even with 1st class seating.

Therefore, really the only Swiss travel is the Berner Oberland. SO...should I get something else for this portion of my trip, or would I do better with point to point because my Select Pass will give me 50% discounts anyway? I'm not sure about this part...

We just bought a Swiss card which allows one roundtrip train trip within Switzerland (plus 50% off all other train/lifts in between, including the high mountain lifts). If I understand, you arrive in Switzerland from Milan and go to Murren/Wengen then leave from Interlaken to Dijon. The Swiss card would cover you from the Swiss border to Lauterbr. and then 50% off everything from there while in the BO (You'd just need a ticket from Milan to the Swiss border). When you leave you'd use the Swiss card from Lauterbr. to the Swiss border and then a ticket from the border to Dijon. Cost for 2nd class Swiss Card is $146 per person. For our trip-Zurich-Lauterbr./Lauterbr.-Germany I priced a ticket at about $140, so the Card for us will make sense as we plan to go up to Schilthorn and Jungfrau so we'd get 50% off those, saving over $100 each...weather willing. I haven't used a Swiss Card yet, but this is what I've found. Not sure if you've bought a rail pass already so this may be moot!

If you are planning to stay in Wengen and Muerren, you need to know that you can't drive there. Tourist cars are not permitted. The closest you will get is Lauterbrunnen in the valley below.

Your Eurail pass will get you a 25% discount on the private Jungfraubahn railway which is the train system from Lauterbrunnen to Kleine Scheidegg, Mannlichen and the Jungfraujoch. Not sure if it will help on the gondola system from Lauterbrunnen up to Gimmelwald, Muerren and the Shilthorn. I just don't know.

A 1/2 fare card will cost 99CHF ($100) each (at least it did last year). A 1/2 fare card on top of a Eurail pass may be excessive.

Staying in both Muerren and Wengen is great. They are both wonderful and scenic. However, you don't need to do both. A day trip to either side of the valley is most do-able. You just have to transition through Lauterbrunnen.

In response to Jed above, a Swiss pass will cover you on all Swiss trains, buses, boats, etc. It will definitely cover all transit up to and including Lauterbrunnen, Wengen, Gimmelwald and Muerren. It will also cover the gondola from Interlaken to Grindlewald. It only covers 50% of the cost above Wengen which includes Mannlichen, Kleine Scheidegg and the train from Kleine Scheidegg to Grindlewald. It also only covers 50% from Muerren to the top of the Shilthorn. A Swiss 1/2 fare card covers 50% of all fares.

Thanks for the clarification Larry. I looked at my Swiss Card map a bit wrong, as all the small towns around there are bunched in so tightly! All the options can sure seem overwhelming, but putting in time to research them all can save lots of money and help ease the stress for first time travellers-like us! We can't wait to go! My only advice Sue would be to spend a fair amount of time researching the options and once you do, you'll figure out the best compromise between time and money for you and your family.

I think I've figured out for us we're going to save close to $200 each buying point to point tickets (including some with advance purchase specials) than a rail pass. For us the $400 savings is significant and worth all the time. We can use if to offset the dollar!

Sue, I know what a Swiss pass will do in the B.O. but I'm not certain as to what kind of a discount a Eurail pass will provide.