[Rspam]

18 April 2024 at 18:13:57 #1431124

We are planning to go this summer so high season and understand that it is recommended to have reservations for high demand trains (ie GoldenPass Express).

1. Regarding this, if we are not totally set on the exact travel dates,  is there any flexibility with cancelling a reservation and getting a refund? It seems that is generally not the case.  We have one traveler in our group whose plans are not firm yet so not sure if I should just book the reservations and be prepared to eat the cost if a change happens.
2. We are planning to be in the Berner Oberland area so will be getting that regional pass.  However, going on the Interlaken-Montreux route on GoldenPass Express the route is not free all the way.  Would you recommend getting the reservation for the whole trip and then buying the ticket for the Saanen-Montreux portion before starting on the trip (ie at Interlaken station day of the trip)? Or what is the proper way to ticket that trip?
3. Just to confirm, if we buy through getyourguide.com link on your site, there is the option of cancelling the pass before using it?

Thanks for this great site!

[Yolanda]

18 April 2024 at 21:39:53 #1431131

Hi Rspam,

Welcome to MySwissAlps.  Thanks for your kind words regarding the site!

In answer to your questions.

1. Lovely to hear you will be taking a ride on the GoldenPass route. (https://www.myswissalps.com/activity/goldenpass/)  Yes, it’s recommended reservations are made for the GoldenPass especially during the high season. More so, if you are travelling in a group and wish to be seated together. Unfortunately once reservations are made, they are non-refundable. They could refund if it was a special condition but generally it’s a no.  (Fyi, if you were considering sitting in Prestige Class, here, reservations are compulsory).
2. That’s correct, all the GoldenPass route would be fully covered to Saanen with the Berner Oberland Pass (https://www.myswissalps.com/travel-ticket/berner-oberland-pass/) .  For the section Saanen-Montreux, a discounted ticket would need to be purchased.  Yes, I agree, I’d reserve your seats for the entire route. Just ensure you buy the discounted Saanen-Montreux ticket before you board.  Online options can be researched here:  https://www.myswissalps.com/travel-ticket/regular-ticket/#tickets or yes, you can also purchase at the rail station too.
3. Purchasing via GetYourGuide, you are able to cancel up to 3 days in advance for a full refund.  (https://www.myswissalps.com/travel-ticket/berner-oberland-pass/#tickets).

Kind regards,

Yolanda

[Rspam]

19 April 2024 at 4:09:57 #1431134

Yolanda,

Thank you for the quick reply and helpful insight; just bought my Swiss Half Fare cards.  I wanted to go ahead and book my Berner Oberland pass for 2 adults and 3 youth.  However, on the Get Your Guide site, while there is the option of purchasing the 2nd class pass for Swiss Travel card holds (like the adults with Half Fare card) I don’t see a way to buy “youth” pricing (16-25) which is the same as adult with Half Fare card.  Should I/can I just buy the pass as adults and the Swiss train people would just check the rider’s age?  I don’t know if the BOP for youth would be marked differently.  I tried to find a way to reach out the site operator but don’t really see a way to do that.  Do you have a point of contact with this partner site that can let me know how I should do this? I’d like to buy from them because of the flexible cancellation policy.

Roger

[Arno]

19 April 2024 at 7:52:54 #1431142

Hi Roger,

There’s is indeed a youth discount Berner Oberland Passes. It’s very new apparently, I had to double-check because it didn’t exist before. It applies to anyone 16-24 years old. I did not find this discount on GetYourGuide either: https://www.getyourguide.com/interlaken-l793/switzerland-berner-oberland-first-class-pass-t438116/.

I don’t recommend opting for the reduced price for Swiss Half Fare Card/Swiss Travel Pass holders instead. Even though it’s the same price, this may confuse the train staff as the youth travelers won’t have any of those passes if I understand you correctly. You can ask GetYourGuide for advice. Perhaps they can even make the youth discount available. Their contact link can be found here: https://www.myswissalps.com/about/partners/.

[Rspam]

24 April 2024 at 6:07:08 #1446885

FYI to add into your info to pass along to other. I asked the STC people and they said they don’t sell the youth BOP pass (yet?), hence GetYourGuide won’t offer it since they source through STC from what the help line told me. You have to go through BLS (the people who are the main operators of services in the Berner area) webshop. Additionally, I found that if you buy through the BLS site, it is not obvious if you can cancel ahead of time if needed (unlike the Get Your Guide site) but one line in the FAQ suggests that you could and 2) when you buy through them, you get the pass as a PDF with the QR code but also a xxx.pkpass file that you can upload into your phone wallet (iOS or Android).  Hope this helps others.

[Yolanda]

24 April 2024 at 8:50:26 #1446895

Thanks so much Roger,

Yes, with the resellers listed, you’d also receive your pass in the form of PDF / QR code which can then be stored on your phone.  All explained in our Berner Oberland Pass guide.  Just scroll to “How does the Berner Oberland Pass work?”

• https://www.myswissalps.com/travel-ticket/berner-oberland-pass/

Kind regards,

Yolanda

[Annika]

24 April 2024 at 16:34:07 #1459685

Thanks Roger! Good to hear you got your youth pass and that you’re all set now :-).

Meanwhile, we’ve been in touch with STC and they told us they’ll make the youth version of the Berner Oberland Pass available. We don’t know when that will be though.