Hello, this is Kaye . I will be traveling in the berner oberland with my husband and 13 and 15yo daughters in June. We will have a car to get there and will spend 3 days in the jungfrau area. I am wondering which, if any rail passes will save me money? The junior pass, the berner oberland regional pass, and the jungfrau pass all look promising, but I am having trouble finding exact costs. Also, is it true that I can only get the Junior pass in Switzerland, not ahead of time? Thanks in advance for any help.
Posted by
Gettysburg, PA
1589 posts
A car will be worthless in the Jungfrau area. If you must have one, leave it in Interlaken and jump on a train.
Posted by
OP
Folsom, California, USA
322 posts
I am not planning to use the car in the jungfrau region, only to get to and from the area. Any advice on trains bargains or discounts?
Posted by
Elk Grove, CA, USA
6898 posts
You can get a junior card at any Swiss rail station. Then, I believe that your children can ride free with the card. If you plan on going up to the top of the Jungfrau (Jungfraujoch), the normal retail fare is about $185 R/T. The Schilthorn is about half that fare. One card that you can look at is the Swiss 1/2-fare card. It costs 99CHF and its good for 30 days. 50% off of most all fares including the two mountain tops mentioned above. Even the best Swiss pass will only cover 50% to get to the top of the Jungfrau and it costs a lot more. You'll just about recover the cost of the card on one R/T to the Jungfrau. Then, you get 50% off fares for the rest of your stay in Switzerland.
Posted by
Seattle
77 posts
The Half Fare Card now costs CHF 110 but is still a very good deal if you intend to go up the Jungfrau as part of a short trip. If you are only spending these three days that you mention in Switzerland, any other sort of pass will likely not be cost-effective. The shortest Swiss Pass is for four days. It will give you a 25% discount above Wengen and / or Grindelwald for the trip to Jungfraujoch, and a 50% discount on the Schilthorn cable car.