Tell/Bernese Oberland passes vs Swiss Travel Pass

  • Removed user
    Participant
    72625 posts
    13 August 2019 at 14:15:44 #823382

    Husband and I are spending 21 non-consecutive nights in Switzerland from September 2-October 1 by train & other public transport, and we’re having a hard time figuring out which pass or combination of passes makes the most sense for us given where we’ll be traveling. Originally I was planning to just get the 15-day Swiss Flex passes for each of us because I worked out that it would be much less expensive than point-to-point tickets. (Yes I did the spreadsheet.) But now I’m wondering if we should do a combination of a flex-pass plus a Tell Pass and Berner Oberland pass. Basically, I’m trying to figure out what the advantages of those passes are over the Swiss Flex pass and whether they are worth the extra money. Our itinerary is:

    • Zurich-Zermatt (3 nights: hoping to do cablecar to Matterhorn Glacier Paradise & gondola to Schwarzsee one day, then Rothorn another day and the cogwheel train to Gornergrat on our last day);
    • Zermatt-Luzern (6 nights: hoping to do Mt. Pilatus, Mt. Rigi, Mt. Titlis, and Stanserhorn cablecar in addition to exploring the city and lake),
    • Luzern-Lauterbrunnen (7 nights: Schilthorn, Jungfraujoch, Murren, Wengen, Schynige Platte — basically as much moderate hiking as we can fit in),
    • Lauterbrunnen-Bern (2 nights),
    • Bern-Geneva (10 nights in France),
    • Geneva-Lausanne (1 night),
    • Lausanne-Zurich.

    So options would be

    • 4-day Swiss Pass + 5-day Tell Pass + 8-day Berner Oberland Regional Pass, or
    • 8-day Swiss Pass + 8-day Berner Oberland Regional Pass, or
    • just a 15-day Swiss Flex Pass.

    Obviously with the regional passes it would cost more — I’m just not sure whether the advantages of the regional passes are worth the significant additional cost. Any advice please

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    rockoyster
    Participant
    8889 posts
    13 August 2019 at 21:12:20 #919968

    Hello LisaK and Welcome to MySwissAlps,

    Based on your personal itinerary you should read “How to choose the best travel pass” (http://www.myswissalps.com/tr ain/ticketspasses/prac tical/chooserailpass), download the handy spreadsheet calculator and do the math. The spreadsheet also includes links to the “Where it’s valid” page for all available passes. Be sure to check those pages for each pass you are considering. Study the map AND read all the text on those pages to fully understand what is covered by the respective pass.

    In general the shorter duration the pass the higher the average daily price.

    Annika
    Moderator
    7103 posts
    14 August 2019 at 9:08:11 #919969

    Hi LisaK, welcome to MySwissAlps! I think you did a good job figuring out which passes/pass combinations make most sense for your itinerary. Regional passes may seem more expensive at first glance, but they generally do offer better mountain transportation coverage than nation-wide passes. You’ll see the differences when studying the validity information at

    On the other hand, the advantage of a Swiss Travel Pass (Flex) would be that you get to travel throughout the country during your entire stay, meaning you won’t be limited to specific areas in case weather is bad over there. That flexibility could be a reason to pick either the 15 day Swiss Travel Pass Flex, or even a 15 day + 4 day regular Swiss Travel Pass (http://www.myswissalps.com/sw isstravelpass). Whether the latter option is worth the purchase costs, would depend on your travel plans for the days that would otherwise not be covered by the 15 day Swiss Travel Pass Flex. And the 15 + 4 day division may not be convenient, looking at your days spent in France in between the Swiss portions of your stay.

    You may be interested to read about the options we’ve listed for a longer stay at http://www.myswissalps.com/sw isstravelpass/details (under “Alternatives if you stay longer than 15 days”). I’m afraid Rockoyster is right though: if you want to be sure, then there’s no other way than calculating each and every detail of your itinerary.

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