Rail Pass - Bernese Oberland Region

My husband, 18 month old son and I will be spending time in the Bernese Oberland region from February 12-19. Wondering what is the best pass to purchase, and are we able to purchase before Oct 10 to get discount for travel in February? Below is a sample itinerary for our trip:

February 12 - Arrive in Geneva, train to Lauterbrunnen

February 19 - Train from Lauterbrunnen to Geneva

All days in between will be day trips (Interlaken, Jungfrau, Schilthorn, Luzern, etc).

Also wondering what is the best route to take from Geneva to Lauterbrunnen?

Many thanks.

Hi Bakerbatts, thanks for posting!

An 8-day Swiss Saver Pass sounds like the best fit for your plans, especially now that you can still get the $50 discount. The pass needs to be activated within 6 months after purchase, so that's no problem in your case. All details about the discount can be found here: www.raileurope.ca/rail -tickets-passes/swiss-pass/index.html, and in this forum post.

An alternative to consider is the Swiss Half Fare Card. It depends on your exact trips if that would work out cheaper or more expensive. The Swiss Pass is more convenient in any case. See here for how to compare the costs in details. You may have heard of the Regional-Pass Bernese Oberland as well, but that one is not available in Winter, so no need to look into that.

The most scenic route from Geneva to Lauterbrunnen is: Geneva - Montreux - Zweisimmen - Spiez - Interlaken - Lauterbrunnen. This part of the Golden Pass line. It's included in the Swiss Pass.

Thanks Arno for the quick reply!

Is there much of a difference between 1st and 2nd classes on the trains? Also wondering if reservations would be required for the Geneva to Interlaken trip? Am I right to say there is a fast train for this route also?

Hi Bakerbatts!

There is some difference in 1st and 2nd class. 1st class coaches offer more space and sometimes larger windows, for example. You can read more about it here.

If you want to take the Golden Pass from Geneva to Interlaken, it can be wise to make seat reservations from Montreux to Zweisimmen (see here). But you're right, there's a more direct route too, via Bern and Spiez. Such regular trains don't need reservations. Our seat reservation page provides more information on this subject.