Wilderswil 8 days – Bernese Oberland Pass is best?

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    19 July 2017 at 16:15:40 #812665

    We will be traveling to Switzerland in the first week of October arriving in Zurich from London and flying out of Zurich back to North America. We have arranged accommodation in Wilderswil for a week. In total we will be in Switzerland for 8 days.

    We plan to do most of our sightseeing and walking in the Oberland but also looking at going to Montreux or into Bern and Lucerne if the weather is not conducive for being in the mountains.

    Looking at the prices of passes it appears to me that when I include our cost of return fare from Zurich to Wilderswil it is more economical for us to buy an 8 day Swiss Travel Pass. It appears to offer the same discounts on cable cars and trains etc. up the mountains with the exception of the Rothorn and Mt. Niesen. If we were to buy a 6 day BO pass and pay either full fare or a transfer pass from Zurich it appears we would spend up to 100 CHF each versus an 8 day travel pass and that this is more than the extra cost if we chose to do both the Rothorn and NIesen (this is not even a given).?

    Also, we were in this area more than 35 years ago and did the Jungfraujoch and Schilthorn etc. at that time. Given the changes in the area are there new attractions or less popular areas that we may have missed (please note we are a fairly fit retired couple but not looking for anything overly “adveturous”!)

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    20 July 2017 at 7:34:29 #867043

    Hi Gerry and welcome to MySwissAlps!

    I think the Regional Pass Bernese Oberland would probably be best for you. It covers all your planned town trips: Bern, Luzern and most of the way to Montreux (and the rest of the way is discounted). Click here for a list and a map of the routes/attractions that are covered or partially covered by this pass.

    In the end, I think, it is a choice between the 6 or 8 day Regional Pass Bernese Oberland and the 8 day Swiss Travel Pass.

    To know for sure you need to create an itinerary with all your planned trips and compare prices for the passes and add any trips where you have to buy a ticket (full fare or a discounted fare).
    We have our web page: How to choose the best rail pass, which has an Excel sheet to help you do the math. This is the only way to know for sure.

    In the end, it may just be simpler to buy the Swiss Travel Pass – discounts are similar (but there are some better discounts with the Regional Pass Bernese Oberland – it just depends on if you plan on going to those during your trip (like the Jungfraujoch).

    I’m pretty sure there are some new attractions in the area (or new methods of getting there at least) since your last time in the Bernese Oberland. For a list of activities available there click here.

    Lucas

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    20 July 2017 at 14:19:50 #867044

    One other option: the Swiss Half Fare Card (120) plus the 8 day BO pass (discounted to $265) and your tickets on arrival and departure from Zurich to Bern ($28×2=56). Total $441 (vs $376 for the 8 day STP).. This only makes sense if you are planning on using the cable cars, gondolas, trains up in the mountains; There are quite a few that the BO Pass covers for free. I attach a comparison of the Swiss pass map and the BO map I made when I was looking at it for our trip so you can take a look and figure out if it is worth it.

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