Swiss pass

Since you're planning on doing the Jungfrau and Schiltorn, you should absolutely get the 4 day Swiss Pass. The discount the Swiss Pass gets you on those two expensive excursions pays for itself. In addition on the fourth day to Nice, the pass will cover the portion of the trip to the Swiss Border. Check out the "Raillpasses" section of this site of a complete explanation of all the various passes.

I priced out Zurich/Wengen and Wengen/Nice via Geneva (although some runs go via Milan) the 50% hit for going to the Jungfraujoch and top of the Shilthorn. Actually, the 1/2 card at 99CHF is slightly less expensive ($29/less) but the full Swiss card is easier to use because you don't have to constantly buy tickets. You just get on. It's close.

Next, on your exit from Switzerland, you might consider the Golden Pass which departs out of Interlaken Ost and ends up in Lausanne. You can then go through Geneva to Nice. Very scenic but it does take longer and there are 2-3 train changes.

Casey,

We used our swiss card for our trip and it was comparable to yours. We flew into Zurich, took the train to Lauterbrunnen, stayed 3 nights, and then out through Basel Bad to Rothenburg. We used the Swiss Card as it gave us one roundtrip into and out of the country plus 50% off of all travel in between the inbound/outbound leg. Outbound, you would use it to the border and then you would just have to have a ticket from there to your destination.

Looks like Larry did the number crunching for you, and costs are close. Use his methodology for the exact legs you want and compare the cost with the 1/2 fare card and see what's best. His numbers look close, so you decide. The cost of the Swiss Card is $159 and the 1/2 Fare Card is $95, so if your inbound/outbound train adds up to more than $130(you'd pay 1/2 that with the 1/2 fare card) then the Swiss Card is the better deal, or vice versa. The discounts are identical for in the valley, so that's a wash.

The 4 day Swiss pass costs $192, so I would say that would not be a better deal than either of the above, especially since you only get a 25% discount on Kleine Scheidegg to Jungfraujoch (other discounts are the same) vs 50% with the other 2 options. Plus, you end up paying $192 each for your tickets into/out of the valley as that's the price for the 2nd class saver 4 day Swiss Pass.

Thanks so far for the feedback. What if I said that the person that I am going with is 23 and I am 26? I know they qualify for the youth discount, but do I? Is it 26 and under or is it 25 and under? Does that make the Swiss pass an even better option? Thanks!

For more comparative info, CLICK HERE to see the rules and fares for most Swiss passes.

For a youth pass, its up through the 25th year. The adult fare begins at age 26. CLICK HERE for info on the Swiss Youth Pass.

Casey-Really, the comparison is pretty easy for you. All 3 (Swiss Pass, 1/2 Fare, Swiss Card) options have essentially the same discounts once you are in the Lauterbrunnen Valley, though the Swiss Pass looks like the discounts are only for the higher mountain towns and only 25% to Jungfraujoch from Kleine Scheidegg. So you will pay a bit more for those items with the Swiss Pass, while the 1/2 Fare and Swiss Cards give identical discounts. So, really you need to look at the up front cost of the pass compared to the point to point cost of your inbound/outbound trips to see which makes the most sense (and remember to add a bit more for the Swiss Pass for the higher lifts). Based on what you said, the costs would be:

4 Day Swiss Pass (adult 2nd class saver)-$190
4 Day Swiss pass (youth 2nd class saver)-$168
Swiss 1/2 Fare Card-$85 (plus 1/2 the cost of tickets to/from Lauterbrunnen Valley)
Swiss Card-$157.

So, figure the cost of the ticket from Zurich to Wengen and then out to Nice and compare to the prices above. Based on above, the 1/2 fare or Swiss Card are definitely cheaper than either of the Swiss Pass options, plus you'll pay a bit more with the Swiss Pass while in the valley depending on the trains/gondolas you ride. Let us know what you decide!

Jed

Jed,

That breakdown really makes sense to me. So the Swiss card and the 1/2 fare card are 50% off on all lifts and gondolas in Bernese Oberland in addition to all trains? Thanks!

I know for sure the Swiss Card is because we used them. I think Larry said the 1/2 fare card is too, but I would check with him to make sure. Have a great trip!

Larry and Casey-With the Swiss Card you get one inbound and one outbound leg, and they don't have to be the same. We used ours on arrival from Zurich airport to Lauterbrunnen and then heading out, we went to Rothenburg, so our Swiss Card covered us through Basel Bad. We then had to pay 50% of all the fares in between, which for us was the trains/gondolas up to the Schilthorn and Jungfraujoch.

To activate the pass we just got on the train we wanted, the conductor came around and marked our Card (it's more of a train ticket paper thing, not an actual card). We then had 30 days to use it for our exit. We showed it to the conductor in Lauterbrunnen on the train and he marked it again as our outbound leg.

So, again, the best thing is to price your itinerary with all of them and see the cost differences. Of course, there is the convenience of not having to go to the ticket window, but we did anyways to get copies of the itineraries we wanted just to verify they matched what we had. Depending on the difference, you can see if it's worth the convenience or not. A great link for prices of trains in the valley is:

http://www.jungfraubahn.ch/en/

Click on the right for "Individual Fares" and then on the left on the next page you can click the individual towns from where you will be departing. This will give you estimates for the costs in the mountains. Apply the discounts needed and you can see the total cost for the rail portions. Who says math isn't fun? :-)

One of the values of the Swiss Pass over the 1/2 fare cards is that you don't have to stop and buy tickets. You just jump on/off the trains, gondolas, etc wherever and whenever your want. With the 1/2 fare card you still have to stop and buy tickets for every leg of your journey.

It's not a big deal to buy tickets, but it's just a small convenience that the Swiss Pass (and Swiss Saver Pass) offers.

Casey, I agree that both the Swiss Card and the 1/2 price card provide a 50% discount on all trains, lifts, gondolas, etc. in the B.O. once you reach your "resort" destination on your Swiss Card ticket (wherever that may be in Switzerland). If we keep it that simple, we're done.

However, for another $35 or so, you could get a Swiss Pass (221CHF for 4 days) instead of a Swiss Card (182CHF). A Swiss Pass would provide 100% of all train, bus and gondola transportation in all of Switzerland and including the B.O. up to Wengen on one side of the valley and Gimmelwald and Muerren on the other. Thus, if you are going back and forth between Wengen and other areas not including the mountain tops, your fares would be 100% covered with the Swiss Pass and not 50% covered with the Swiss Card or 1/2 Fare Card. And, I suggest that you will be coming down from Wengen a few times to visit other areas.

Now for a major difference and Jed can correct me since I have never had the Swiss Card. My understanding that the Swiss Card is "a round trip from the airport or the Swiss border to your resort" (words taken from the Swiss website). Your Swiss Card may even show Zurich Flughafen/Interlaken (or Wengen) and Interlaken (Wengen)/Zurich Flughafen (airport). This is the round trip for which you are 100% covered. What you are doing is coming into Zurich and departing to Nice. I don't think this is considered to be the round trip on your Card. (Check me here Jed). Thus, you either have to return to Zurich and then go on to Nice or pay 50% with your Swiss Card to get to another Swiss border via another route. With the Swiss Pass, you are fully covered. I would suggest spending the $35 extra at Zurich Flughafen and you will be fully covered except for the two mountain tops. By the way, the Zurich Flughafen train station is beneath the airport terminal. Just take the escalator or elevator down to the station.

Thanks Jed, I didn't realize that the inbound and outbound legs do not have to be the same. Good stuff. That resolves the issue that I had above.

Thanks to you too Larry! It's fun exploring some of the different variations of these passes to see what are the better deals. Of course it always comes down to doing the calculations of the routes! Thanks for your insights on the 1/2 fare card and the 4 day pass (you too Tim!). Makes me want to buy one and go back!

Have a good trip Casey and let us know what you decide!

Thanks everyone for the help, I truly appreciate it!