IMPORTANT UPDATE! The Berner Oberland Pass has new updates for 2025. See all of the details HERE.
BREAKING NEWS! The Berner Oberland Regional Pass just got…EVEN BETTER!
For real, it was already our favorite Swiss train pass, but two brand new developments have made it even more valuable than it’s ever been.
I’m Brett, one half of Aplins in the Alps, and I’m gonna share exactly what’s changed and why it’s good news for you. But first, let’s do a deep dive into what already made this pass so great by looking at some of the included transportation routes, discount partners, and pricing details.
And don’t worry — when I cover the two major changes for this year you’ll know it, so stay tuned 😉
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Berner Oberland Pass Area of Validity
As stated in its name, the Berner Oberland Pass is a regional transportation pass focusing on an area in central Switzerland known as the Berner Oberland. The most famous part of that is, of course, the Jungfrau Region, including Interlaken, Grindelwald, and Lauterbrunnen.
And the Berner Oberland Pass is absolutely awesome for your trip there. It covers all the major cable cars and mountain destinations, including: Grindelwald First, Männlichen, Eigergletscher, Kleine Scheidegg, Wengen, Mürren, Schynige Platte, and Harder Kulm.
In addition, you can ride boats on Lake Brienz and Lake Thun, buses all throughout the region, and trains to Grindelwald, Lauterbrunnen, Interlaken, Brienz, and Thun.
It covers nearly everything you’ll consider doing in this region with just two major exceptions:
First, it does not cover your journey all the way to Jungfraujoch, the Top of Europe. You’ll need a roundtrip ticket between Eigergletscher and Jungfraujoch, but you can buy it at a special price: 99 CHF with no Half Fare Card and as low as 63 CHF with the Half Fare Card, depending on when you visit.
Second is the Schilthorn. You’ll have to pay extra to ride the cable car above Mürren, but roundtrip tickets between the two come at a 50% discount even if you have no Half Fare card (42.80 CHF).
But for essentially everything else, your Berner Oberland Pass is your ticket. You just hop on your mode of transportation, or scan it to go through a turnstile, and enjoy riding all over this majestic part of Switzerland for no additional cost! Talk about convenience!
Berner Oberland Pass vs Jungfrau Travel Pass
You might have also heard about the Jungfrau Travel Pass. And without getting too deep into comparisons, here are a few things that the Berner Oberland Pass covers that the Jungfrau Travel Pass does not:
- Mountain buses in Grindelwald, for example up and over Grosse Scheidegg, which is one of the most beautiful bus rides in the region
- Buses in and around Interlaken
- The bus in Lauterbrunnen, running from the train station to the Schilthorn cable car station
- The Schilthorn cable car from Stechelberg up to Mürren
- The cable car to Pfingstegg where you can ride a mountain coaster or Fly Line
- And the funicular up to Allmendhubel above Mürren, where you’ll find some of the best hiking (and views) in the region.
That alone makes it worth the purchase, even if you’re just sticking to the Jungfrau Region. But there’s so much more you can do even far beyond the Jungfrau Region!
Here are just a few other excursions covered by the Berner Oberland Pass:
- Ride the steam train to Brienz Rothorn for sweeping views over Lake Brienz
- Visit the turquoise waters of Oeschinensee
- Catch a view of the entire Jungfrau Region up on the Niederhorn
- Hike to two alpine lakes on the Stockhorn
- Ride to the top of the Niesen, also known as the Swiss Pyramid
- Visit the Aare Gorge
- And free Travel to Handegg, where you can board the Gelmerbahn (even though it’s not covered by the pass)
And here’s a little hidden gem just for you since you’re reading this blog. One of my favorite spots in the Jungfrau Region is a place called Sulwald, which sees a tiny fraction of the tourists that visit places like Grindelwald First.
You can get there by riding a bus from Lauterbrunnen to Isenfluh for free, and then taking the tiny cable car up to Sulwald. You’ll only get a 25% discount on the cable car, but it’s already not very expensive. And if you wanna hear more about what you can do at Sulwald, let us know in the comments and maybe we’ll share more in the future!
→ TIP: Check out the detailed maps of the entire validity area of the Berner Oberland Pass!
Day Trips with the Berner Oberland Pass
But the Berner Oberland Pass is also great for day trips outside of the Jungfrau Region.
You can ride all the way to Bern and Lucerne for free. And since trains from Bern are included in the pass, you’ll only have to pay for part of your journey to Interlaken if you’re traveling to the area from Basel, Geneva, or Zurich.
Similarly, trains all the way down to Saanen are included, and that’s ⅔ of the way to Montreux on Lake Geneva! And the best part is that you could ride the GoldenPass Express between Montreux and Interlaken, and you’d only need to purchase a half price ticket from Montreux to Saanen, using your Berner Oberland Pass to ride the rest of the way to Interlaken.
And if you’re also visiting Zermatt, the Berner Oberland Pass takes you as far as Brig.
Finally, and perhaps most surprising, is that the Berner Oberland Pass covers you all the way to Domodossola, across the Italian border. Note that you have to ride the specific route that goes through Kandersteg (not through the Lötschberg-basistunnel). But we know lots of you combine a trip to Switzerland with a visit to Italy, and how crazy is it that you can travel across the border to Italy for free with this pass??
But these spots are just the highlights! Lots of other destinations are either free or discounted with the Berner Oberland Pass too, so be sure to check out the maps on their website for more details.
And don’t overlook the extremely helpful section of the site that shows seasonal operating dates for most of the mountain excursions covered by the pass.
All this is super exciting (and maybe helps you understand why we talk about this pass all the time), but we still haven’t even mentioned the two major developments that are new for this year. More on those in just a moment.
Bonus Discounts with the Berner Oberland Pass
You might not think about discounted attractions when you buy a train pass, but there’s plenty of potential value here:
- 50% off admission to Blausee and Trottibike rentals on the Niederhorn
- 30% off a visit to the Aare Gorge and the St. Beatus-Höhlen caves
- 20% off entry to castles in Thun and Spiez
- And 10% off fun adventures like helicopter rides, bungee jumping, canyoning tours, rafting, ropes courses, and—of course—the Mürren Via Ferrata.
In total there are about 40 bonus partners and around 60 different discounted experiences.
Now, we’re doing a deep dive into the Berner Oberland Pass, but if you want to ride Swiss Transportation like a pro from the moment you step foot in Switzerland, be sure to check out our Ultimate Guide to Swiss Transportation.
Berner Oberland Pass Price and Details
The Berner Oberland Pass is available for 3, 4, 6, 8, or 10 consecutive days, as a First Class pass or a Second Class pass.
Some of you might wonder if First Class is worth the splurge, and it’s good to know that there are First Class seats on all of the boats and some of the trains (especially the ones between towns and cities). But rarely will you find a separate First Class section on cable cars, gondolas, funiculars, or mountain trains.
Most tourists buy the second class pass, and the normal adult price for those ranges from 240 CHF for 3 days to 435 CHF for 10 days. But you do get a discount if you have a Half Fare Card or Swiss Travel Pass, and those discounts range from 72-119 CHF.
Unfortunately you do not get a discount with a Eurail or Interrail Pass, though.
But one of the two major developments for this year is the new special Youth Price for 16-24.99 year olds! These rates are the same as the discounted adult rate, but those of you in the youth age range will not have to buy a Half Fare Card in order to pay this price.
Now, you’ll have to do your own calculations to decide whether or not it still makes sense to buy a Half Fare Card for your trip plans, but this new Youth Price could provide decent cost savings for some young adults.
In addition to the new Youth Prices, there are still passes available for children (6-15.99) and dogs, for just 30 CHF for any length of days. But in order to buy your child (or dog) one of these passes, you’ll also need to have a Berner Oberland Pass valid for the same number of days.
Just don’t forget that you won’t actually need a pass for children in this age range if you have the Swiss Family Card, or an equivalent like the Junior Card or Children’s Co-Travelcard. In this case, your child can ride with you for free everywhere your Berner Oberland Pass is valid!
And in either situation, with a Swiss Family Card or a Children’s Berner Oberland Pass, you don’t have to pay any extra for your child to ride with you up to Jungfraujoch or the Schilthorn.
But unfortunately, there are no senior citizen discounts available.
How, When, and Where to Buy the Berner Oberland Pass
So when and where should you buy your Berner Oberland Pass? Well, you can purchase it at the airport train station when you arrive in Switzerland, or at any station throughout the region.
But if you’d like to support our work, you can also buy here through our links. The prices are exactly the same as if you buy through the Berner Oberland website, and you can refund your purchase for free up to 3 days before the validity start date.
My favorite reason to buy online is to get a digital copy I can show on my phone, which also guarantees that I won’t lose my pass!
But if you’ve made it this far, you’re probably dying to know about the second major development for this year that we’re most excited about, and here it is:
Beginning April 1, 2024, the Berner Oberland Pass is now available year-round — Spring, Summer, Fall, and Winter!
It’s the same pass, no matter which time of year you travel.
We can’t tell you how excited we are to share this with you, and to share our Ultimate Guide to Swiss Transportation, which helps you pick the best pass for your trip to Switzerland and ride public transportation like a pro. So check that out next and we’ll see you in Switzerland!
Interested in Sulwald! Please add details.
Awesome! Maybe we can film a video there this year!
Hi there.
Do u plan for travellers to Swiss instead of consultations?
Me, my wife & an adult daughter have a confirmed flight to Zurich on 14 May from Singapore. We will arrive Zurich airport on 15 May at 6.15am. Our return flight from Zurich to Singapore is on 30 May at 10.40pm.
Places we would like to visit will be Lucerne- interlaken- jungfrau region- Bern-zermatt region – lastly Zurich b4 we head home.
Btw we r not Singaporeans but Malaysians living 2km away from Singapore.
We would like u to plan our itineraries, buy the transportation passes n accommodation. We prefer comfortable budget accommodation with 3 beds in a room n with breakfast. As for lunch n dinners we will self arrange.
Our budget per pax around $ 2 -3k CHF.
Let us know your fees in CHF or USD b4 u plan.
1 question , which currency to pay for buying your guides or consultations? I guess it has to be CHF.
Hi Matthew! Unfortunately we don’t plan custom itineraries, but our travel guides give our best advice! (aplinsinthealps.com/guides)
I believe you are able to buy them in your home currency as well. Hope you have a great visit!
Great post! I am flying in and out of Zurich, planning to be in Lucerne for one day, and in the Jungfrau region for two days. Would getting a Berner Oberland Pass for 3 days and a Swiss Half Fare card be worth it?
Hi Sam! It definitely depends on what you’ll do during your time in the Jungfrau Region. You probably need to go up to at least 2-3 of the major mountain peaks to get your money’s worth. Otherwise, buying tickets with the Half Fare Card is usually great for the budget too!
Great article. Aside from the 36 CHF savings on the roundtrip ticket between Eigergletscher and Jungfraujoch, and to and from the airport, is there any reason for a youth (16-25) to buy the half fare card if they have the Berner Oberland card, and will be staying within that region? (Anything else the HFC covers that BO doesn’t) Thanks!
Good question! If you’re only visiting the Jungfrau Region, probably not. But keep in mind you’ll save money on rides to and from the airport as well, so the savings without the Half Fare Card might not be quite as large as it seems they will.
Hi There! Great guide u have here and it definitely helps me firm up my plans for my upcoming trip to Switzerland. I wanted to ask a question on the GoldenPass Line – my plan is to travel from Interlaken to Montreux – how do I go about booking half-price tickets from Saanen to Montreux? is there a special link for the GoldenPass or do I book through the standard train ticket website? If it’s the latter, what timing should I select?
Hi JJ! All you have to do is get on the SBB Mobile App and purchase a ticket from Saanen (or Gstaad) to Montreux using your Half Fare discount (which you can setup on the app in your profile). It’s that simple!
I’ve watched your videos Brett and thank you for the good work but you still didn’t explain why the bo card pass is better value than yungfrau travel pass. I would like the most comprehensive pass for yungfrau region. I will be staying at Interlaken for 6 days I would like to visit niederhorn, stechelberg and gimmelwal. I’ll try to do as much as I can at my age of 73. Thank you
Hi Larry! We show in this video all of the additional places you can reach for free with the Berner Oberland Pass that are not covered by the Jungfrau Travel Pass. That, plus the fact that prices are very similar (especially if you’ll also buy a Half Fare Card), makes the BO Pass the better value for sure!
As a bonus, the BO Pass will get you to the three places you mentioned — Niederhorn, Stechelberg, and Gimmelwald — while those would all cost extra with the Jungfrau Travel Pass.
Hope this helps!
Hi Brett I’ve really been enjoying your YouTube videos. Has helped my planning a lot. Regarding the BO pass…Would Bern to Lauterbrunnen be fully covered? And Lauterbrunnen to Luzern? The website has me confused. Any light you can shed would be appreciated. Thanks! Carolyn
Hi Carolyn, you’re correct! Make sure you ride the direct train from Interlaken Ost to Lucerne (don’t take the route that goes through Bern first — this way to Lucerne is not fully covered). You can find a detailed map here: https://www.berneseoberlandpass.ch/maps-bernese-oberland/
Hi Brett. As mentioned above in you one para that “you could ride the GoldenPass Express between Montreux and Interlaken, and you’d only need to purchase a half price ticket from Montreux to Saanen, using your Berner Oberland Pass to ride the rest of the way to Interlaken.” Is it means that if we have Berner Oberland Pass then we do not needs to pay from Interlaken Ost. to till Saanen? and Saanen to Montreux, we have to pay the train ticket?
Also, Is Berner Oberland Pass for family OR for individual?
We are family of three. 2 Adults and 1 kid (9 years old), so we needs to buy two Berner Oberland Passes pair with two Swiss Half Fare Cards and Family Card? Correct?…Or else?
Hi there! With a valid Berner Oberland Pass, you can travel to Saanen from Interlaken Ost for free. But the GoldenPass stops in Gstaad and not quite in Saanen, so you’ll be covered by the pass on that route all the way to Gstaad. So basically, you just buy a ticket from Gstaad to Montreux!
BO Pass is for an individual, so you’re absolutely correct on what you need!
Thank you so much for the details, Brett 🙂
Your videos and web informations are extremely helpful. Even I truly liked your food suggestions in Berner Oberland regions. Thanks
Hi Brett.
I learnt a lot from your videos and blogs. I am certainly more informative than before, thanks.
I am planning to travel with my family (2 adults and one infants) to Switzerland likely in September this year. I am still confused to decide which Pass I should buy. I need your suggestions.
Just to highlight my itinerary that I will travel from Paris to Interlaken and onwards to Italy. I will stay within Interlaken area or Spize or Brienz or Wengen area. I will stay 4 nights and 3 full days there. I will travel mostly within Bernese Oberland area. Jungfraujoch, boat cruise, Grindelwald First, Harder Kulm, day trip to Lucerne, etc. are my main attractions. Last information is that I will have EURAIL Global PASS to travel across the Europe.
With all these information (!), can you please suggest me to choose among Bernese Oberland Pass, Jungfrau Pass or Half Fare Card despite having EURAIL GLOBAL PASS?
Your suggestion will be a great help for me.
Thanks in advance.
Hi Brett,
We are visiting Interlaken and Grindelwald in August. We have found your videos very helpful and would like to support you. However, your link for the Oberland pass is only valid with a half fare pass or Swiss travel pass which we are not planning on buying (we did the maths and it doesn’t make sense for a short trip). Would you have a link for the Oberland pass alone without the half fare pass? Many thanks!
That’s so kind of you! Here’s the link you need: https://www.getyourguide.com/interlaken-l793/switzerland-berner-oberland-multi-day-regional-pass-t427230/?partner_id=6Z1XS4Y&mkt_cmp=true
Thank you!
Hi Brett
Do you know if we can take the train from Brienz to Luzern for free with the Berner Oberland Pass? If so which traincompany?
Hi Susanne! Yes, any of the trains going from Brienz to Luzern are completely covered by the Berner Oberland Pass. Have a great trip!!
The Oberland Pass is only valid to Lucerne, not from Lucerne? We will be coming to the jungfrau region after we visit Lucerne…
Hi Aimee! You can ride for free from the Luzern main station to Interlaken with a valid Berner Oberland Pass (it works in both directions). Have a great trip!!
Hi Brett,
Your article very helpful! I planning to get BOP + half fare card during my travel to Grindelwald this September, then i saw you mentioned can get 63CHF roundtrip between Eigergletscher and Jungfraujoch if i have BOP+Half fare card right ?
Can i buy ticket online for this route at 63CHF or i only can buy on ticket counter on that day itself to get this 63 CHF ? as i found that SBB website only display discount price for half fare card
If i need to buy ticket from ticket counter on that day itself then how do i reserve my seat ? as i saw alot comment better buy a reserve seat for this route
Hi there! We usually just buy this ticket on the SBB Mobile App. Using the Half Fare Card discount, this is the price you will pay for a roundtrip ticket between Eigergletscher and Jungfraujoch. Hope this helps!!
Hi Brett – Thank you for creating and sharing all the videos on travelling to the Alps.
Could you please advise does the Oberland pass cover the GoldenPass express from Interlaken to Lucerne?
Thank you
Hi there! Yes, it 100% covers the Luzern-Interlaken Express. Enjoy!
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Wow, we’re so glad you find our content helpful. Say thanks to your brother for referring you to us!!
Hello. We will be staying in Wengen over the next weekend. We were wanting to do some hikes over the 3 days we will be there that are in the area. Would you recommend we purchase the Juangfrau pass or the Oberland pass? Does the oberland pass cover the train from Lauterbrunnen to Wengen? Thank you for your help. It is hard to find this information online.
Hi Brett, we really enjoyed your videos, and they are very informative. We have a question, are we still required to purchase a train ticket if the fare is covered by the BO pass or do we just simply scan the pass? Also, we will be traveling from Interlaken to Zermatt and you mentioned that the BO pass covers up to Brig. Do we then buy a separate ticket from Brig to Zermatt using the half price pass?
Travelling to the Jungfrau from Zurich to Lucerne December 18th , then interlaken (1 day). Murren (2 days) then Wengen (11 days) before departing via Bern then Munich on Jan 8th.
I’ve got a Eurail pass to cover inbound and outbound longer journeys (Munich-Zurich, Zurich – Lucerne and Bern-Zurich-Munich)
I’m wondering about the utility of the Berner Oberland pass and whether it’s ok on it’s own, or whether the 1/2 price card is useful with it (or needed at all ?)