[Turgon]

3 May 2022 at 13:40:22 #827058

Can someone verify for me, please. I will be staying in Murren for 10 days in June, and mostly staying the Jungfrau area, except for an excursion to Zermatt, to see the Materhorn. So I was considering an 8 day JTP along with a Half Fare Card (for the Zermatt trip, and to/from Zurich and Murren).

However, I am seeing a price of $259.50 quoted for a JTP, and a price of $265.00 for the Bernese Oberland Pass, which would (I am told) would make my trip from Murren to Zermatt cheaper.

While I wait for a reply from that vendor, can someone explain to me why a B-O Pass would make a trip from Murren to Zermatt cheaper? Zermatt is not in the B-O area of validity, right? And I will already have a Half Fare Card. (if I was planning on more day trips outside the immediate Jungfrau area, the B-O Pass would definitely be the way to go, especially for only $7 US more)

I see this thread

http://www.myswissalps.com/forum/topic/bernese-oberland-region-pass-to-zermatt

which seems to indicate that I might save money, but take longer, since I have to travel to Murren to Brig (using the B-O Pass), then the Half Fare Card from Brig to Zermatt? That definitely seems more longer and more roundabout, or am I misreading the maps? Isn’t it quicker (and not that much more cost) going via Interlaken and Spiez and Visp, using the Half Fare Card?

Thanks!

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[Anna]

Reply 1 of 5 • 3 May 2022 at 19:51:15 #941366

Hi Turgon,

The main difference between the Regional Pass Bernese Oberland and the Jungfrau Travel Pass (besides the price) is the validity area. The Jungfrau Travel Pass (JTP) is valid within a small area whereas the Regional Pass Bernese Oberland (RPBO) covers a much larger area including the Jungfrau region. To get a better understanding, you can compare the validity maps for each of this pass.

• RPBO validity map: http://www.myswissalps.com/regionalpassberneseoberland/validity
• JTP validity map: http://www.myswissalps.com/jungfrautravelpass/validity

For the trip to Zermatt from Mürren:

• With the JTP, travel is free up to Interlaken. From Interlaken to Zermatt it is half-price with the Swiss Half Fare Card: https://www.myswissalps.com/swisshalffarecard/validity.
• With the RPBO, travel is free up to Brig. From Brig to Zermatt, the ticket is half-price with the Swiss Half Fare Card.

It does n0t matter which route your travel.

If you plan to stay in the Jungfrau region for 8 days and think you might want to visit other areas in the Bernese Oberland, the RPBO actually provides a much better value.

Hope this helps.

Regards,

Anna

[Turgon]

Reply 2 of 5 • 3 May 2022 at 23:09:03 #941367

We will be getting the Half Fare Card. According to the SBB app, the travel time from Murren to Zermatt is 3 hours 20 minutes (cost 49 CHF, with Half Fare Card).

The travel time from Murren to Brig is 2 hours 30 minutes (free, with B-O Pass) , and from Brig to Zermatt is 1 hour 25 minutes (cost 19 CHF with Half Fare Card). So that’s an additional 40 minutes travel time.

At least, I assume the prices shown in the app default to Half Fare, from what I’ve been reading.

So I might save 23 CHF (30 CHF more cost – 7 CHF extra cost of a B-O Pass vs a Half Fare only cost of 49 CHF), at the expense of 40 minutes or so travel time. Not really sure that equates, for my specific plans. I have looked at the areas of validity, Zermatt would really be the only destination outside of Jungfrau that we would be looking at (Mt. Schilthorn, Lauterbrunnen, Grutschalp, Männlichen to Kleine Scheidegg, First to Bachalpsee (or Grosse Scheidegg), Interlaken). So the JTP would be ideal, except for the Zermatt trip, and to/from Zurich itself (that’s why I will get the Half Fare Card).

[Annika]

Reply 3 of 5 • 4 May 2022 at 8:13:48 #941368

Hi Turgon,

Yes, the Swiss timetable show half-fare prices by default: http://www.myswissalps.com/timetable. If you’re sure you’ll stick to the Jungfrau area, the Jungfrau Travel Pass indeed provides good value.(Do note that Mürren-Schilthorn is only 25% off though: http://www.myswissalps.com/jungfrautravelpass, https://www.myswissalps.com/schilthorn/tickets.)

The main pro of passes covering a larger area, is that weather may force you to change your plans and to visit other regions than you intended to. That’s why a Regional-Pass Bernese Oberland could come in handy. But in your case this is less of a “problem”, as you’ll also have the Swiss Half Fare Card. So wherever you end up going in Switzerland, you can do so with a 50% discount.

[Turgon]

Reply 4 of 5 • 4 May 2022 at 12:15:35 #941369

Thanks for verifying. Yes, one of the most important factor in deciding on also having the Half Fare Card (in addition to the JTP) was so that we had some “fall back” insurance, in case we decided to do something, or go somewhere, outside of our plans, due to weather or other unforeseen circumstance. However, for a price difference of only $7 US per person, I am now seriously considering the B-O Pass instead of the JTP. While I might not make use of a wider coverage area than the JTP, maybe I would. 🙂 And $14 US for that extra capability is probably less than the cost of lunch for us for one day.

I would still probably go the more direct route from Murren to Zermatt, even if it did cost a bit more using just the Half Fare Card. But it would simplify the trip, and allow a little more time exploring around Zermatt itself.

Everything is a trade-off. 🙂

Thanks for your help. 6 weeks to go, we’re very excited.

[Annika]

Reply 5 of 5 • 4 May 2022 at 15:49:01 #941370

Hi Turgon,

I understand your reasoning. In case of a relatively small price difference, it’s certainly worth it to pick a pass that with broader coverage. You never know which additional ideas you might get while being in Switzerland :-).

The quicker route to Zermatt makes sense, as it allows you to spend some additional time in and around Zermatt. When heading back for Mürren, you can still decide if you have time and energy left for the RegioExpress Lötschberger: this is the slower route that’s covered up to/from Brig by the Regional-Pass Bernese Oberland (see https://www.myswissalps.com/lotschberger and https://www.myswissalps.com/regionalpassberneseoberland/validity). If you want to keep that option open, don’t buy a return ticket for your way back yet that morning. Get your ticket to Mürren shortly before leaving Zermatt, once you’ve decided if you’ll be using the quicker Lötschberg base tunnel connection for which you need a 50% discounted ticket Zermatt-Frutigen, or the RegioExpress Lötschberger for which you need a 50% discounted ticket Zermatt-Brig only (https://www.myswissalps.com/traintickets/switzerlandhalffare).