Need advice on passes please

I'm trying to figure out what type of pass we need. Here are our plans--2 adults.

July 22--Leaving Como, Italy and going to Luzern for two nights

July 22-24 Luzern

July 24th Leaving Luzern and going to Murren--staying 7 nights---wantto go to Bern one day, another day down to Lake Thun or Brienz, one dayover to Wengen for hiking, up to Jungfrau, also want to be able to godown to Lauterbrunnen

July 31st Murren to Geneva--with stop for Chillon castle

Aug. 1st --fly home

I originally thought the Swiss pass, but now not sure after hearing about the Half fare or BO pass.

Any advice or help would be greatly appreciated!!

Hello Shandraw! In order to find out which pass is best for you, you can calculate the regular costs of your trips in Switzerland through the timetable. These costs are as follows (per person, in 2nd class):

• Chiasso (the first border station in Switzerland along your inbound trip from Como) - Lucerne: CHF 59.00
• Lucerne - Mürren: CHF 47.20
• Mürren - Bern return trip: CHF 86.40
• boat trip lake Thun, example: Mürren - Thun: CHF 33.00 + boat trip Thun - Interlaken West: CHF 38.00 + Interlaken West - Mürren: CHF 20.20, making a total of CHF 91.20
• Mürren - Wengen return trip, as a base for hiking: CHF 32.80
• Mürren - Kleine Scheidegg return trip (Kleine Scheidegg is an intermediate station along the route to Jungfraujoch): CHF 20.40
• Kleine Scheidegg - Jungfraujoch return trip: CHF 109.00
• Mürren - Geneva (via Bern): CHF 82,80

Of course this isn't complete, as you'll have other trips in mind as well during your stay in Lucerne and Wengen, and in some cases I can only use examples. But even an incomplete calculation may help you decide which pass is best. The trips I mentioned above make a total of CHF 528,80. As your stay lasts for 11 days, you'd actually need a 15 day Swiss Saver Pass to cover all trips, which would cost CHF 387.00. Regular train, bus and boat trips are all for free with a Swiss Saver Pass; cable cars and mountain trains are discounted. The trip from Wengen to Jungfraujoch, for example, is discounted by 25% and would cost CHF 111.75 with a Swiss Saver Pass. So the total costs in this case would be CHF 387.00 + CHF 111.75 = CHF 498.75. This means that a 15 day Swiss Saver Pass does save you some money. Moreover, it offers the convenience of being able to get on and off trains, buses and boats without having to purchase tickets each time.

With a Swiss Half Fare Card, which costs CHF 99.00, almost all trips are discounted by 50%. The costs in this case would therefore be CHF 264.40 + CHF 99.00 = CHF 363.40, which in fact is a lot cheaper. The Swiss Half Fare Card does require you to purchase discounted tickets for each trip.

The Regional-Pass Bernese Oberland may come in handy during your stay in Mürren, but it doesn't cover your inbound trip, the stay in Lucerne and the trip to Geneva, so it should probably be combined with another pass. The combination of a Swiss Half Fare Card and a Regional-Pass Bernese Oberland may work out fine, but this depends on your travel plans from Mürren. I think this combination is only cost effective if you plan on very intensive travel by cable cars and mountain trains on some days (as some of them are for free with Regional-Pass Bernese Oberland, and discounted with a Swiss Half Fare Card). If you know exactly which trips you want to make, you can further calculate all options using the advice in our rail FAQ.

For now, I hope this gets your started!

Annika,

Wow! Thanks for all the info. Helps me look at it better. Think I will do a swiss saver pass just so we can go without worrying about tickets, etc, except up above Murren and Wengen. The only thing I'm trying to decide is whether to buy the 15 day or buy an 8 day and start it as we leave Luzern.

So do we just show our pass as we get on the train, boat, etc.?

Do I find the costs for the gondolas, cablecars.railways etc on the sbb site?

Shandra

Hello Shandra,

The price difference between a Swiss Saver Pass for 8 days and for 15 days is CHF 67.
A Swiss Saver Pass for 15 days would cover more of your travel expenses, and the price difference is not too big. Therefore I would suggest you buy a Swiss Saver Pass for 15 days – this will also cover your inbound journey, boat trips and other trips you may want to make from Lucerne.

Costs for gondolas, cablecars and railways can mostly be found through this site and/or this site.

Yes, you will have to show your Pass to the personnel of the train, boat or bus, but don't worry: they will always ask you for it. If you buy tickets for forms of transportation where surcharges are needed, it's good to show your Pass when buying the tickets.
By the way, you can order your Swiss Saver Pass online. That always worked out fine for me! :-)

I hope I answered your questions, and I wish you a very pleasant stay in Switzerland!

Thomas

Thanks for the help again.

I'm confused about my Como to Luzern trip. In Como, should I buy a ticket just to Chiasso? Then buy my Swiss pass at that station and continue on?

Do I need to have reservations on any of my routes in Switzerland?

Chiasso to Luzern
Luzern to Murren
Murren to Geneva-stopping in Montreaux

I know there are some scenic trains. Will I be traveling on any or can I just go on a regular train?

Hi Shandra,

You indeed need to purchase a ticket Como - Chiasso. If you order your Swiss Pass in advance, you can just stay seated in Chiasso as long as you have validated the Swiss Pass before boarding the train. Swiss rail passes can be validated by yourself according to the enclosed instructions. However, some suppliers (mainly the ones shipping to non-European customers) of rail passes require you to have it validated at a Swiss rail station (e.g. Chiasso).

Reservations are only necessary on some scenic and international trains. You don't need to use scenic trains on the transfers you mentioned. If you choose a through train from Italy to Switzerland, a seat reservation is either recommended or even obligatory. The Swiss timetable shows whether seat reservations are obligatory for your particular train.