Thank you for rail pass comparison Excel doc

  • Removed user
    Participant
    72625 posts
    13 May 2017 at 13:19:54 #811805

    I want to give a big THANK YOU to whoever set up the Rail Pass Calculation Sheet in Excel. I was able to download it and make comparisons between the Swiss Half-Fare Card, the Jungfrau Region Pass with Swiss Transfer, and the Berner Oberland Pass.

    We will be staying in Wengen for 7 days (June 8-15), and plan to do lots of hiking/exploring in the Jungfrau area (yes, I’ve read on this site that where we can hike will depend upon lingering snow…good to know). But we are planning to take one day to go to the Meiringen area, and another to do some things around Lake Thun. Putting those trips into the Excel document and seeing that we could pay point-to-point from Zurich Airport to Luzern, then use the Berner Oberland Pass from Luzern to Wengen made it clear that the Berner Oberland Pass was the one for us. Well, mostly clear!

    Someone on this site, I believe it was Kim in her wonderful set of pdf docs about the area, said that the Half-Fare Card will almost always be better value. I agree that it looks like it will be somewhat less expensive, but then I also weigh in whether we want to be digging out the cash or cc for every gondola, train, and boat ride. I’m definitely leaning toward the convenience of having the BO Pass.

    So, thank you again for the wonderful rail pass tool, as well as all the great advice I’ve been able to find here on myswissalps.com!

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    Annika
    Moderator
    7104 posts
    13 May 2017 at 16:31:41 #863243

    Hi farisk81!

    Happy to hear the excel sheet was that useful to you! It was created with the purpose of easily comparing passes indeed. It’s still an impressive task as one has to look up prices for each planned journey, but it’s really the only way of telling with a reasonable amount of certainty which pass suits one’s plans best. I agree with you that the Regional-Pass Bernese Oberland is an excellent choice. It was “upgraded” a couple of years ago and now provides great coverage in the area. Quite some mountain trips are included for free, which isn’t only economical but also very easy. It’s true that the Swiss Half Fare Card saves money for nearly all itineraries, but that doesn’t necessarily mean it’s the best or cheapest option. That really depends on the specifics of one’s plans. So you can trust your calculations and opt for the convenience of the Regional-Pass.

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