Based in Wengen, which pass/attractions to choose?

We will be staying in Wengen from 31st July - 6th August flying to/from Geneva.We will be 2 adults, 2 youths - 19 & 17 and 1 child - 14. We will purchase either the Swiss Card or the half fare pass and are trying to decide whether to go for the Jungfrau 6 day pass or the Bernese Oberland 6 day pass. We presume that the Swiss Pass will not be worth it even taking into account the reduction for the 19&17 yr olds - we will get the family card anyway for the 14 year old.

What constitutes a direct/quickest route for the Swiss card, can we break our journey? On the way to Wengen we may need/want to stop en route in one of the towns as the timing of our flight coincides with a (presumably lunchtime) break in the trains. Our return flight is late in the evening so we will probably spend time in Geneva on that day - can we leave our bags in luggage storage or is it just lockers? We could go via Neuchatel, Spiez, or Thun as well as Bern and Interlaken. We will probably combine seeing Interlaken with another visit, so probably won't stop there. Is Bern worth travelling to on a separate day? Do you have any suggestions or should we just stop briefly in Geneva to pick up some lunch?

We do not have a set itinerary yet but will be looking to visit some/all of the following places (weather permitting) : Jungfrau, including snow park. Kleine Scheidegg, Schilthorn, Harder Kulm, Mannlichen, One or both of the lakes, possibly including a visit to Brienz and/or Thun. Possibly Bern, Murren, Grindelwald, Schynige Platte, the dairy at Allmend etc. We're hoping to include some walking but preferably not too much downhill walking to avoid straining knees! Which of these place would be sensible to combine to make the most efficient use of our time?

We envisage that we will probably main use trains, cable cars etc, is there anywhere that a bus is better or the only alternative and are buses covered on both the JF pass and the Bernese Oberland pass? Is there anything else that only one of the passes covers or is better for? There is no need to buy tickets with either pass is there, that seems to be a huge advantage!

Are there any attractions/areas/shops that will close/be limited on either Swiss National day or on the Sunday?

So many questions, so much confusion - so much excitement!!

Hi swisscat,

Let's start with the rail pass: if you plan to buy 50% discounted tickets for your day trips from Wengen, then the Swiss Card works out a bit cheaper than a Swiss Half Fare Card. That's because Geneva Airport - Wengen is quite a long trip which would be free with the Swiss Card. If however, you want to travel ticketless most of the time, the Regional-Pass Bernese Oberland is a good choice. In most cases it's not worth it to buy two passes, but you will get a discount on the Regional-Pass if you own a Swiss Card or Swiss Half Fare Card. All in all, combining a Regional-Pass with the Swiss Half Fare Card is slightly cheaper than combining it with a Swiss Card.

So, in summary: you either buy a Swiss Card, or a Regional-Pass plus a Swiss Half Fare Card. Check the links for more pass details, where to buy, what's covered, etc. Which pass is the best choice depends on your preferences. If you're looking for the cheapest options, please look here.

The direct route is explained on the Swiss Card page, here. You can break your trip anywhere along the route as long as you complete the trip in a day.

Don't spend too much time in Interlaken except for shopping and going out for dinner, see the town page for details. Bern is much more interesting. The Geneva rail station has lockers and a left luggage office.

Most of the places you intend to visit are described in detail on our website, so please check the Bernese Oberland page or the activities overview for trip suggestions, how to get there, etc.

The timetable allows you to see how to travel: by train, bus or another mode of transport. When a train connects two places, there won't be a bus in most cases and vice versa, so there is no choice.

About all attractions (not the shops) will be open on National Day and Sunday, as that's when the Swiss go out for day trips too.