First Class vs Second Class in the Berner Oberland

Greetings, My wife and I are planning a trip to Switzerland and and will stay the first 2 days in Bern then 31/2 days in Gimmelwald. Our preferences are the high altitude trains/trams to the Schilthorn, Wengen, Jungfrauloch, Klein-Scheidigg , Murren, Lauterbrunen valley, and if rainy weather dictates boat rides on lake Thun with the castles and The Ballenberg Museum. It seems the 3 day regional pass for the BernerOberland area would make sense. However I can not find any information about the "First Class" and "Second Class" conditions for this option. The videos and photos of the high altitude trains to the Jungfrau as well as the lifts all look the same regarding First Class and Second class seating. Does anyone know the differences and whether the extra cost is worth it? ......Thanks, Bob

Hi Bob,

Welcome to MySwissAlps! Please have a look at myswissalps.com/ train/practical/ 2nd1stclass for the difference between 1st and 2nd class. Specifically for the Jungfrau region you can expect 1st class to be available on all trains in the valleys (down from Lauterbrunnen and Grindelwald) and boats. Mountain transport like cogwheel trains and cable cars are 2nd class only.

The prices of the Regional-Pass Bernese Oberland take into account that 1st class is not available everywhere: a 1st class pass is not that much more than a 2nd class pass, whereas normal 1st class train tickets are 75% more expensive. So if you value the extra comfort one could say it's worth it, unless you only plan to use the mountain transport.

Regarding the question you e-mailed: the pass can not be printed at home. If you go to www.swissrailways.com/ en/products/ regionalberneseoberlan dpass, you can select a different delivery address and have it mailed to your B&B in Murten.

There is no 3 day pass, but the 4 day pass seems a good fit as you can also use it for your transfer from Bern (in your e-mail you mentioned Murten) to Gimmelwald. If you travel from Murten you need to buy a ticket from there to Bern. From Bern it's free with the pass.

More pass information is here: myswissalps.com/ regionalpassberneseobe rland