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Hi Allison, without tallying up the prices for every individual trip you plan to take it's difficult to give you an exact answer. The Berner Oberland Pass will fully cover all of your itinerary except for Grindelwald First (you'll get 50% off) and will also include the bus service in Grindelwald (so you can take a bus from Grindelwald train station to the Pfingstegg cable car station and Glacier Canyon). The Jungfrau Travel Pass will cover all the mountain excursions except Pfingstegg and Schilthorn but does not include the local buses in Grindelwald. The JTP gets you to Murren (en route to Schilthorn) as long as you travel from Lauterbrunnen via Grutschalp. With both passes, children under 16 pay CHF 30 each. We have a digital calculator that has the prices for all these excursions pre-loaded and helps to you choose the best value pass - holidaystoswitzerland.com/switzerland-rail-pass-comparison-calculator/

Thank you! We keep the following article as up to date as possible. It lists all the upcoming closures for mountain railways, funiculars and cable cars. holidaystoswitzerland.com/cable-car-and-funicular-closures-winter/

@@holidaystoswitzerland I guess best option is to travel by train from Milan to Interlaken so I get there fast?

Yes, train is a great option. The fastest service from Milano Centrale to Interlaken takes just 3h:20.

Thank you! We keep the following article as up to date as possible. It lists all the upcoming closures for mountain railways, funiculars and cable cars. holidaystoswitzerland.com/cable-car-and-funicular-closures-winter/

Hi, yes it does. With the Berner Oberland Pass you get 50% off the Luzern-Engelberg Express (train) and 50% off the cable car from Engelberg to Mt. Titlis.

@@holidaystoswitzerland how do i apply for the discounts if i were to buy the tickets online? Or do you recommend to buy the tickets on the spot and show my Berner Oberland Pass to the staffs?

@@ridwanhuang7452 It's best just to buy them on the spot. Neither the train or cable car book out so you won't miss out. You can buy your discounted train ticket at the station in Lucerne and your cable car tickets at the valley station in Engelberg. Just show your Berner Oberland Pass when purchasing to qualify for the reduced price. Enjoy!

Without knowing your exact itinerary and which other mountain excursions you plan to do, it's hard to give a precise answer. However, if you are staying a few days in the Bernese Oberland and doing a few other excursions, it may be beneficial to have both the BO Pass and the Half Fare Card. The BO Pass will cover your entire journey from Interlaken to Montreux (in 2025).

The Jungfrau Travel Pass is a product of a different rail company which is why it's not mentioned in this interview. We can confirm, though, that there will be no changes to the inclusions of the Jungfrau Travel Pass for 2025, and the validity period will be extended.

@@holidaystoswitzerland thank you,

​Hello ​@@holidaystoswitzerland , if i plan to visit switzerland from italy for 3-4 days on early march focusing on jungfrau region then I'll continue to austria what pass or pass combination save more money for tight budget backpacker? Was exciting seeing what Berner oberland pass offer on another videos because it was also cover full interlaken boats that I might wanna experience but maybe would pass due to 2025 update So maybe half fare card + jungfrau pass would save the most? Or do you have any other suggestion for even save more? Thank you!

Hi, without knowing exactly which mountain excursions you'd like to do in the Jungfrau Region it's hard to say which pass would be best for you. The first thing to keep in mind is that not all mountain railways and cable cars operate in early March (Harder Kulm and Schynige Platte are two examples), and there are no cruises on Lake Brienz in March either. The Berner Oberland Pass includes a wider area so you would definitely have more choice of activities/excursions in March with it than you would with the Jungfrau Travel Pass. Hope this helps.

@@holidaystoswitzerland what if I stay in lauterbrunnen and only wanna see mürren & wengen and maybe grindelwald? Are the transports going there operate on early march?

It's a toy gun and it's there because (at the time of recording the video) the brunch was called the James Bond Brunch. The Bond movie 'On Her Majesty's Secret Service' was filmed at the Schilthorn and there are lots of Bond-themed activities there.

@@holidaystoswitzerland But of course.

@@holidaystoswitzerland (in a Sean Connery voice)

It should be available early October when the 2025 passes are available for purchase.

Glad you enjoyed it! Thanks for mentioning the cable car closures. October/November and April/May are usually the times of year when cableways are closed for maintenance so it's always best to check in advance what will be open if you are visiting at that time of year.

Yes it will.

Glad it was helpful! 😊

You can sit anywhere in the correct class - ie. any seat in a 2nd class carriage if you have a 2nd class pass. On most trains in Switzerland it is not necessary to reserve a seat and most travellers don't reserve seats. If you do wish to reserve a seat you can do so (in most cases) on the SBB Mobile app, SBB.ch website or at any station. Seats that have been reserved will have a sticker or notice on the head rest advising that the seat is reserved. Have a great trip!

The fastest route (3h:36) from Lauterbrunnen to Geneva Airport is via Bern. You will change trains at Interlaken and Spiez. You will need to purchase a ticket from Bern to Geneva which you can do at any train station in Switzerland before travel or via the SBB Mobile app or SBB website.

There are some luggage storage racks on the trains as far as Wengen and Grindelwald but if you are travelling onward to Kleine Scheidegg or Jungfraujoch there is not a lot of room for luggage.

The Berner Oberland Pass covers only the Bernese Oberland plus a few additional routes (Lucerne to Jungfrau Region; Bern to Jungfrau Region; Domodossola to Jungfrau Region; etc.). It also fully covers around 25 mountain excursions. The Swiss Travel Pass covers public transport across all of Switzerland, and three mountain excursions. Most other mountain excursions offer a 50% discount for Swiss Travel Pass holders. We cover the differences between the passes in more detail on our website in this article: holidaystoswitzerland.com/swissrailpasses/

City buses in Luzern are not covered by the BO Pass.

Thank you so much. What about the town buses in Interlaken going to Bönigen and also city buses in Bern? I ask bcause the BO pass website mentions that 'Public transport in the area by buses, trains etc is included' but does not clearly mention about city buses which are included in the Swiss Travel Pass

Buses from Interlaken to Bönigen, Iseltwald and Brienz are covered, as well as the bus from Lauterbrunnen to Stechelberg and some other regional PostBus services. City buses in Bern are not covered with the BO Pass (but they are with the Swiss Travel Pass).

Than you again. Very helpful my upcoming visit.

Thank you so much for your kind words. 😊 To answer your questions - 1 - the Swiss Travel Pass and Swiss Half Fare Card (which are two different products) do not require you to have a passport sized photo in order to purchase. You can buy either of them online from our web shop and you only need to enter your passport details. You can also purchase in Switzerland and just present your passport for proof of ID. You should carry a copy of your passport (or the original) when travelling as the ticket inspector may ask to see this and your STP/HFC. 2 - I believe the Swiss Family Card will give your 11 year old a 50% discount off the Gornergrat excursion (see link to price list below), however with a Junior Travelcard (cost CHF30) they travel for free. The Matterhorn Glacier Paradise excursion is free for children accompanying parents who have a Half Fare Card/Swiss Travel Pass. Gornergrat link - assets.contenthub.dev/xshiytapvw9a/72106efdb877ab9c8bbf0147049c807b/Preise%20GGB%202024.pdf Matterhorn Glacier Paradise link - www.matterhornparadise.ch/de/buchen/tickets/matterhorn-glacier-paradise Holidays to Switzerland web shop (for pass purchases) - holidaystoswitzerland.com/shop

Thank You Caroline for all your advice. Since we are going to be in the Berner Oberland area for 9 days traveling to a lot of mountain peaks, would we be missing out if we skipped Mount Pilatus while we were visiting Lucerne and concentrated on just taking a boat tour and seeing the city we will have two days there. Thanks.

Hi, apologies for the late reply. I don't think you will feel like you've missed out by not visiting Mt. Pilatus (even though it is great and there are lots of fun things to do at the intermediate station of Frakmuntegg). You can easily fill two days in Lucerne without doing a mountain excursion and there are heaps and heaps of opportunities for mountain excursions in the Bernese Oberland. If you'll be in Lucerne on a Friday or Saturday night (May to Nov, approx.), the cable cars to Mt. Stanserhorn run until around 10.30pm so you can make the most of the long daylight hours and visit in the evening without cutting into your sightseeing time during the day. Have a fantastic trip!

Hi there, yes you get 50% off the Engelberg to Titlis cable cars with the Berner Oberland Pass.

In my opinion the 4 day Berner Oberland Pass would be better value for your trip than the Half Fare Card. With the BO Pass all the mountain excursions you mention are fully covered except Schilthorn - you pay CHF 42.80 with the BO Pass - but you'd only get 50% off them all with the HF Card. All trains buses and boats in the Berner Oberland are also covered with the BO Pass and for your visit to Zurich you would only need to pay for the Bern/Zurich/Bern or Lucerne/Zurich/Lucerne trip. When you're ready to purchase, I'd be grateful if you'd consider buying your BO Pass or Half Fare Card from our web shop - holidaystoswitzerland.com/shop 😊

How soon can i buy the BO pass if im going this sept? Do you think if i can combine it with a 7 day half fare card i will save more so i can get a discount from zurich to grindewald (our basecamp) on the first day and our trip back to zurich on last day?

You can buy the BO Pass as early as you like as the start date is nominated at the time of purchase. The Half Fare Card can only be purchased for 30 days (not 7). To compare the price of the two options (BO Pass plus regular price tickets Zurich/Grindelwald/Zurich and the BO Pass and HF Card and 1/2 price tickets Zurich/Grindelwald/Zurich) you really need to list the fares for each journey you plan to take and calculate the difference. We have a digital calculator in our online shop that can help you with this if you don't wish to do it manually.

It really depends what you mean by 'all the activities'. Can you give me an idea of which activities you think you will do in the 4 days and I can give you my thoughts on the Berner Oberland Pass vs Half Fare Card.

You can purchase a class upgrade at the station prior to boarding the train or via the SBB.ch website or SBB Mobile app. I believe a 50% discount applies class upgrades for Swiss Travel Pass holders.

Hi Jessica, yes you absolutely can. The BO Pass acts as a hop on hop off ticket so you can use it as often as you like on any day that the pass is valid. If you'd consider buying your BO Pass from our web shop, we'd be super grateful 😊 holidaystoswitzerland.com/shop

Hi, thanks for watching! Yes, Bern to Lucerne is included in the Berner Oberland Pass. Have a great trip!

Thanks for watching :) If you would like the maps before you arrive in Switzerland I suggest you try Barnes and Noble or Amazon. Have a great trip!

Thank you! So glad to hear you are enjoying our Swiss travel content.

Have fun!

Both the Swiss Travel Pass and Jungfrau Travel Pass will give you free travel on trains in the region but there are differences when it comes to mountain excursions and local buses. The Swiss Travel Pass includes travel on local buses whereas the JTP does not. The Jungfrau Travel Pass includes free travel on the Grindelwald First cable car, the Eiger Express and other mountain railways owned by Jungfrau Railways but the STP only gives you discounts (usually 50% on these rides). There's also the Berner Oberland Pass which is great value, too. You can read about all the inclusions of each pass in our detailed guides: Jungfrau Travel Pass - holidaystoswitzerland.com/jungfrau-travel-pass/ Swiss Travel Pass - holidaystoswitzerland.com/swiss-travel-pass-switzerlands-all-in-one-transport-pass/ Berner Oberland Pass - holidaystoswitzerland.com/regional-pass-berner-oberland-info-prices-and-inclusions/

If you have a Berner Oberland Pass you don't need to 'purchase' any tickets for the included trains and mountain railways - just show your pass to the ticket inspector on the train when requested, or at the ticket counter of the mountain railways. If you're taking a boat cruise, just show your BO Pass to the ticket inspector onboard. To purchase discounted admission to attractions (such as Aare Gorge), show your ticket at the counter and you can purchase a discounted admission ticket. In most cases there is no app from which you can purchase discounted admission tickets. Have a great trip!

The Grand Train Tour of Switzerland - The Classics from Switzerland Travel Centre includes all the rail tickets for your itinerary. STC calculate the best tickets/rail pass for your itinerary and include them in the package. You only need to select the Swiss HFC option in the booking portal if you have already purchased a Half Fare Card.

If you can purchase a SuperSaver ticket for the trips from Geneva to Grindelwald and back again, it may not be worth buying the Half Fare Card as well as the Jungfrau Travel Pass. It the SuperSaver tickets are unavailable on the days you need to travel from/to Geneva, the HF Card might be a good option. Without knowing the exact dates of travel and the excursions you plan to do in the Jungfrau Region, it's impossible to give a definitive answer.

Yes, you can use the Saver Day Pass on the entire public transport network in Switzerland on the nominated date of travel.

Thank u so much for replying. I am planning to buy a berner pass and a half fare swiss card coz i will be spending 4 days around the oberland area. But i am debating if i can save money if i buy day pass when i go to interlaken from zurich airport and when i go back to zurich .

Hi, yes you can. The Saver Day Pass is valid on the entire Swiss public transport network on the selected date.

Glad you enjoyed the Q&A. You can find Jana's suggested 3 day itinerary here >> holidaystoswitzerland.com/episode46/ and we also have our own version here >> holidaystoswitzerland.com/jungfrau-region-switzerland-3-day-itinerary/

I always stay in Lauterbrunnen for a week so I choose to stay in an apartment. The Silberhorn and Oberland hotels are both very popular and get good reviews.

You're very welcome. The BP Pass covers from Bern and/or Lucerne so you will need to buy a ticket from Zurich HB to either Bern or Lucerne, depending on which route you take.

Hi, yes that's correct. You will need to purchase your ticket for the Italy part of the journey before you get on the train in Italy. From Domodossola, the Berner Oberland Pass is the only 'ticket' you will need to show to the ticket inspector.

Hi, I assume you're referring to episode 92 of our podcast. When Hana mentions that a 4 hour train ride in Switzerland is very long, she was indicating that it is very long for the Swiss but not so for North Americans or Australians who are used to travelling long distances. Hana is passionate about exploring Switzerland by train.

Yes you will, however you will need to purchase a compulsory seat reservation. The Berner Oberland Pass will cover the fare but the seat reservation in Prestige Class is additional.