MySwissAlps.com features ads, commercial and non-commercial September: 11 days Wengen/Basel, best pass?
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Hello!
We are 3 adults traveling together in the Bernese Oberland Area in September. Our base for 11 days is Wengen, and thereafter Basel.
I hope to buy a Half Fare Card – one for each of the 3 of us for CHF 120? Or is there a better pass I should buy for a group of 3?
Thank you.
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Hello Thinu23,
Welcome to MySwissAlps.
Great to hear you coming to Switzerland later this year!
Depending on your daily activities and how much traveling you will be doing, it could be worth purchasing a rail pass. If you think you will be mainly in the Bernese Oberland region, then the regional Berner Oberland Pass may be a good option but if you are intending to travel further afar then perhaps another rail pass could be better.
Many members of our forum like to carry out some calculations via our “How to choose a rail pass” link, that way they can be sure of the best pass for their trip. See below:
I hope this gets you started. Here are some additional useful links:
Kind regards,
Yolanda
Hi Yolanda,
This is my 3rd visit, and the calculations always confused me, so we stuck to the Half Fare Card.
Just need to know if there is a more economic option for 3 adults.
Thanks
Hi again Thinu23,
I understand. As you can appreciate, calculations are simply the best way to tell for sure which rail pass suits you best. Especially if you have visited previously and you were wanting to compare with the Swiss Half Fare Card. You can always take a look at the statistics of what other members buy with the ‘how to choose a rail pass’ link I provided earlier. This should give you some guidance too.
Opting with the Swiss Half Fare Card will be fine, money is to be saved definitely as you won’t be paying for full-fare tickets 🙂
Kind regards,
Yolanda
Hi Thinu23
I agree with Yolanda.
It is difficult to advise if you don’t give a clue as to your plans when you are in Switzerland. Are you going to travel exclusively within the Bernese Oberland area when in Wengen? What activities are you planning? You must have some idea as you have been to Switzerland twice before and know the travel system. Only you can answer these questions.
You need to do the maths yourself using the timetables and prices to work out the best pass or combination of passes.
We have been to Switzerland quite regularly over the past 30 years and the spreadsheet is very useful. It just needs a bit of time, thought and effort. This time I compared the Berner Oberland Pass in combination with the Half Fare Card, Swiss Travel Pass and just the Half Fare Card as we had worked out a rough itinerary in advance.
We are in Wengen in June and I worked out that the cheapest option was to buy a Half Fare Card, a discounted Berner Oberland Pass and two discounted Saver Day passes. One to get from the airport, and one to get to the airport, both bought at their cheapest price 60 days before the date of validity. We are staying near the airport overnight when we land and also before we return home. The Saver Day Passes mean that we can choose our route to and from Wengen and make those journeys part of the holiday ie we are going to travel to Wengen via Neuchatel, Biel and Bern and travel back the Golden Pass route via Gstaad. We have reserved seats for part of that route. The Saver Day passes were the cheapest flexible option.
We have been to Basel for a couple of days in the past and used the card issued by our hotel to travel around the city before travelling to Lucerne and then on to Wengen. We calculated that a Swiss Travel Pass was the best option once we left Basel. We visited destinations that were covered by the pass at that time ie. Stanserhorn and Schilthorn (no longer included) and paid discounted fares if we decided to go somewhere not covered.
Hope this is of help
Jane
Hi,
with such a long stay it is cheaper to buy Half Fare Card + Oberland Regional Pass, than just the Pass, because the Card gives you discount when buying the Pass. And there are so many palces that the Pass covers.
Yes, I do have a VERY detailed plan! Let me share it here….
Day 1 – Zurich airport to Wengen
Day 2 – Explore Lauterbrunnen
Day 3 – Schynige Platte or Lucerene
Day 4 – Ballenburg Open Air Museum and Iseltwald if there is time
Day 5 – Grutschalp, Murren, Allmendhubel, Gimmelwald.
Day 6 – Grosse Scheidegg, First, Grindelwald
Day 7 – Wengen – Kliene Scheidegg
Day 8 – Zermatt
Day 9 – Spiez
Day 10 – Sulwald, Isenfluh
Day 11 – Wengen – Basel
Day 12 – Basel to Gruyères
Day 13 – Basel – Freiburg
Day 14 – Basel – Colmar
Day 15 – Basel – Zurich airport
Thanks for the tip on Oberland Regional Pass – I will check that out….
Hi Thinu23,
I agree with Ventsislav.
Perhaps using a Berner Oberland Pass in combination with a Swiss Half Fare Card might give your the best coverage.
A 8-day or 10-day Berner Oberland Pass will cover all your excursions in the Bernese Oberland region during your stay in Wengen. It will also partly cover your journey to Zermatt.
A Swiss Half Fare Card is valid for 1 month and you can use it to purchase tickets for half-price for trips not covered by the Berner Oberland Pass. With a Swiss Half Fare Card, you can also purchase the Berner Oberland Pass at a reduced rate (the price of a standard 8-day Berner Oberland Pass is CHF380 but you pay only CHF250 if you have a Swiss Half Fare Card).
You can find purchase options here:
- Swiss Half Fare Card: http://www.myswissalps.com/swisshalffarecard/price
- Berner Oberland Pass: http://www.myswissalps.com/regionalpassberneseoberland/price
Regards,
Anna
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