Confused: Jungfrau Travel Pass or Berner Oberland Pass?
A traveler is planning a family trip to Switzerland this summer, mainly exploring the Jungfrau Region while staying in Lauterbrunnen. They need advice on whether to choose the Jungfrau Region Pass or the Berner-Oberland Regional Pass, as well as information on their itinerary, including train and boat travel from Milan.
- The Berner-Oberland Pass covers travel from Domodossola to Lauterbrunnen, which is likely beneficial for your itinerary.
- Youth discounts for ages 16 to 24 are available with the Berner Oberland Pass, but not with the Jungfrau Travel Pass.
- Always check the validity maps and route details of each pass to ensure it fits your travel plans.
- When traveling with a rail pass, typically you don’t need to purchase additional tickets for public transport, just show your pass during inspections.
AI-generated summary-
It is very confusing to figure out which travel pass is best for my family trip to Switzerland this summer– I’d LOVE any advice! I am trying to figure out if the Jungfrau Region Pass or the Berner-Oberland Regional Pass is better for us. Here’s the deal:
We’ll mainly be exploring the Jungfrau Region, staying in Lauterbrunnen. My kids have just aged out of the discount for the Jungfrau Pass (should have done this trip earlier!)– they will be 17 and the 19 at the time of our trip. The things I definitely want to do in the area are: Jungfrau/Top of Europe, Harder Klum, Schynige Platte, Wengen, Murren, Grindelwald (maybe trotti bikes). We will originally be traveling from Milan, so I’m wondering if it’s a smart idea to travel by train from Milan to Spiez and then change to a boat ride from Spiez to Interlaken on our arrival day since it seems like the boat ride on Lake Thun would be included in our travel pass (either travel pass) and it might be a good way to fit in a boat ride on one of the lakes. At the end of our Switzerland stay, we will be taking a train from Interlaken to Locarno to see some of the towns on Lake Maggiore for a few days… and I’m wondering if the Berner-Oberland Regional Pass may cover that train ride, or at least part of the train ride (as far as Domodossola)? If so, the Berner-Oberland Pass would probably be a great value for us. I don’t think the Jungfrau Pass would cover that train ride, but I think the Berner-Oberland Pass might… does anyone know for sure? And it seems like the Berner-Oberland Pass offers a youth discount up to age 25– is that correct? Any thoughts on this itinerary… does it make sense? Thanks so much for any advice you can offer– much appreciated!
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Hi NancyNYC,
Very welcome to MySwissAlps.
Thanks for sharing your plans for the summer. Very exciting and some lovely choices!
You may want to take a look at the validity maps to both passes. That way you can see which one could be more beneficial. You can find these maps in the links below. In addition you will find lots of useful information about the passes and purchase options too. That’s right, there are youth prices (16 to 24 year-olds) for the Berner Oberland Pass, but not the Jungfrau Travel Pass.
- Jungfrau Travel Pass: https://www.myswissalps.com/travel-ticket/jungfrau-travel-pass/
- Berner Oberland Pass: https://www.myswissalps.com/travel-ticket/berner-oberland-pass/
At a glance, it seems the Jungfrau Travel Pass covers a lot of your plans aside from (1) the trip from Domodossola to Lauterbrunnen and (2) depending which route you take, it may cover some of your travel to Locarno. Correct with the Berner Oberland Pass, you can travel from Domodossola to Lauterbrunnen, this has to be via the Lötschberg tunnel route (via Kandersteg) https://www.myswissalps.com/activity/lotschberg-mountain-railway/ . You won’t be able to take the faster trains via the Lötschberg base tunnel.
Do research your journeys using the Swiss timetable: https://www.myswissalps.com/travel/public-transport/timetable/ so you can also gauge what is doable for yourself and your family. For example, Milan to Spiez with the Berner Oberland Pass, would be quite a long journey and then to hop on a boat. You’d have to make your own call if this is fine for you.
Our travel guide to the Jungfrau region can be found here: https://www.myswissalps.com/region/jungfrau-region/, Within you’ll find additional information on all your destinations you listed.
Lastly, many members of our forum like to carry out some maths, that way they can be sure of the best rail pass for their trip based on their activities. Have a look in the link below:
I hope this all helps.
Kind regards,
Yolanda
It seems like Milano to Spiez would only be about 4.5 hours– but is that NOT traveling in the correct direction/valid area in order to make the trip using the Berner Oberland pass? Do you know if the Berner Oberland pass would cover train tickets from Interlaken to Domodossola?
Also, if I am ordering train tickets online ahead of time, is there a way to put in that you have the Berner Obland pass or a Day Saver pass when you check out? I’m confused about how to purchase train tickets online using the discounted travel passes.
Thank you!
nancy
Hi Nancy,
With the Berner Oberland Pass, you can travel for free between Domodossola and Interlaken via Kandersteg or the mountain route (not through the Lotschberg tunnel). This journey over the mountain takes slightly longer but it is very scenic.
If you are travelling with a railpass such as the Swiss Travel Pass and the Berner Oberland Pass, most of the time you won’t need to purchase additional tickets for public transport. It’s basically hop and hop off and you only need to show your railpass during ticket inspections, which are usually carried out randomly on board. Make sure you study the validity map of each railpass. You can find the links in Yolanda’s post above.
If you’re buying Saver Day Pass online, you can login as a guest, there is no need to link to your Swiss Travel Pass or Berner Oberland Pass. You can find more details here: https://www.myswissalps.com/travel-ticket/saver-day-pass/
Hope this helps.
Regards,
Anna
Hi Nancy!
As Anna explained, you don’t need tickets for routes that are free with your Saver Day Pass or Berner Oberland Pass.
For routes that aren’t 100% free, you do need a ticket: either full-fare or discounted, depending on where you travel and which pass you use. You don’t need to indicate which pass you’ll be using when buying a ticket. As long as you select the right discount (e.g.: no discount/full fare for routes on which your pass does not grant any discounts, or 50% off on routes that are 50% discounted with your pass), you’re fine.
Information and purchase options for regular Swiss train tickets are provided here:
- https://www.myswissalps.com/travel-ticket/regular-ticket/
- https://www.myswissalps.com/travel-ticket/supersaver-ticket/
If you need tickets for an excursion, such as a mountain trip, you can check the ticket and price sections of our activity pages:
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