[Removed user]

6 April 2018 at 19:11:30 #815175

Hi – Why would someone select the Regional Berner Oberland pass over the Swiss Travel Pass? For four days the cost of the Swiss Travel (269) is just slightly more than the Berner Oberland (248) and with the regional pass, kids under 16 need a pass that cost $30 where as with the Swiss Travel you can get a family pass for free and it covers the kids. AND the Swiss Travel covers more. Am I right or am I missing something? We are traveling from Italy to Murren area and then to Lucerne in July. Thanks for your help.

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[Removed user]

6 April 2018 at 19:56:08 #881203

Hi Laurie9999,

Well the Regional Pass – Bernese Oberland gives you better coverage and discounts in the Mürren area, so it does have advantages for those spending time there and traveling around a lot.

But It may be that the Swiss Travel Pass covers enough of what you need while there & you don’t need the anything else.
I.E. maybe you aren’t going up a mountain (Brienzer Rothorn for example) that is free on the BO pass but only 50% off on the STP.

You can read about the coverage areas for each pass here:

• Swiss Travel Pass Validity
• Regional Pass – Bernese Oberland Validity

In the end though, to know which pass is the best for your specific itinerary (including Lucerne which isn’t covered by the BO pass) you need to plan out all trips you will make (train, bus, boat, cable car) and compare the prices for regular tickets to the 2 passes (and which routes/mountains are free or discounted with them). Once you have that information you can read our page here on how to choose the best rail pass. There is a spreadsheet there to help with the math. 🙂

[Removed user]

6 April 2018 at 21:32:23 #881204

Thanks Lucas. I definitely need to lay everything out. We are in Switzerland for 6 days. The other thing I looked at was the Swiss Transfer Ticket to be combined with another pass to give us the coverage we need (day 1 and 6 would be covered). If I read it correctly, we can use it to come from Domodossola, Italy right to Wengen. However, when I look on the detailed map of the passes, the last leg to Wengen looks like a dotted line and for the Swiss Transfer it says that it is not covered. Hummm. Also, we want to take the longer way from Brig To Spiez via Kandersteg on the Regional Express to Wengen as everyone has recommended. Do you pick up the Lotschberger train in Kandersteg or at another station? I’m assuming this would be covered even though it is not the most direct route. Finally at the end of our trip, the Swiss Transfer ticket will also take us from Lucerne to the Zurich. Correct?

Finally, I was unclear if we need to validate. Per the website it say – In rare cases, one of the validation (or: activation) processes below applies:

– You can validate the ticket yourself. This is the case if there is no area on the ticket that requires a stamp from the Swiss Railways, and if the start date of the ticket is already printed on it. You will need to fill out a few details: usually the name and passport number of the traveler, and the country of residence;

-Your ticket needs to be validated by railway personnel. This is the case if there is an area that requires a stamp from the Swiss Railways, and if the start date of the ticket is not filled out yet. You can have the ticket validated at a staffed Swiss station or by personnel on board international trains bound for Switzerland.

We will then look into what pass may be the best for all the days in between. Thanks in advance for guidance.

Laurie

[Removed user]

7 April 2018 at 7:27:49 #881205

Hi Laurie,

Yes, the Swiss Transfer Ticket (STT) covers you to Wengen – its tough to see unless you are really zoomed in. The dotted black line is the gondola to Männlichen.

You can travel via Kandersteg as it is the same price as taking the tunnel option – so no worries there.
Yes, the STT will take you from Luzern to Zurich for sure – but it is fairly expensive for that short a train trip.

99% off all passes need no validation – you are set with an online purchase.

[Removed user]

7 April 2018 at 11:21:20 #881206

I thought the STT was for both days – the day you arrive in the country and the day you leave. It is only one day?

[Removed user]

7 April 2018 at 11:35:26 #881207

Hi Lucas – This is what is confusing. It says two transfer days and in the third bullet it seems like it is one. This is copied from the website.

‘Swiss Transfer Ticket travel days:

Once your Swiss Transfer Ticket is valid, you can use it for the two free transfers.

The first day allows a free transfer from any Swiss airport or border rail station to any Swiss town (see here for details);

The last day allows a free transfer from any Swiss town to any Swiss airport or border rail station. So your point of entry and point of departure and the towns to travel to/from do not need to be the same;

The free transfers need to be completed on either the first or the last day.’

Thanks. Laurie

[Removed user]

7 April 2018 at 13:24:30 #881208

No it is 2 transfers – day of entry and day of exit. What did I say to confuse you on that? Sorry!

[Removed user]

8 April 2018 at 0:35:00 #881209

Hi Laurie,

>> It says two transfer days and in the third bullet it seems like it is one … The free transfers need to be completed on either the first or the last day.

That doesn’t mean both free transfers have to be completed on the same day i.e. the first OR the last.

As Lucas confirms, it means that you can’t take more than one day to complete each transfer, i.e. the transfer in needs to be completed on the first day; the transfer out needs to be completed on the last day.

Hope that clears the confusion!

Alpenrose