Holidays to Switzerland Travel Podcast Episode 190 Transcript

How the Berner Oberland Pass Can Save You Money in the Jungfrau Region and Beyond

You can see the full show notes and listen to this episode > here.

Carolyn Schönafinger: If you’re dreaming of waterfalls in Lauterbrunnen, mountain views in Wengen or standing face to face with the mighty mountains of the Jungfrau region, there’s one thing you’ll need to figure out first. The best rail pass for your trip. For most visitors to Switzerland, choosing to visit the Bernobland is the easy part. But working out which rail pass will give you the best value? That’s where things can get confusing.

In today’s episode we’re cutting through the overwhelm and taking a closer look at the Berner Oberland Pass. We cover what’s included, how it works and whether it’s the right fit for your Swiss itinerary.

Carolyn Schönafinger: Welcome to the Holidays to Switzerland podcast. I’m Carolyn Schönafinger, your Switzerland destination expert and the founder of holidaystoswitzerland.com. Each week, together with my expert guests, I introduce you to the Switzerland that I know and love and share inspiration and practical tips to help you plan your dream Swiss vacation. Before we dive in, a quick thank you to our podcast sponsors, Switzerland Tourism and Eco Rails. If you’re planning a trip to Switzerland, you’ll know just how much there is to consider. With so many incredible places to visit, figuring out your itinerary, booking accommodation, and choosing the right rail pass can quickly start to feel overwhelming. So that’s where Eco Rails comes in. Their small group rail tours are carefully curated so that everything is taken care of for you. From the moment you arrive at the airport, your accommodation, transport, daily breakfasts and dinners, scenic excursions, and a knowledgeable local English-speaking guide are all included, so you can simply relax and enjoy the journey. If travelling through Switzerland with a small group tour sounds like your ideal way to explore, you’ll find more details via the link in the show notes. Along with an exclusive 5% discount code. Now, let’s get into this week’s episode. 

Carolyn Schönafinger: Welcome to this week’s episode. Today we’re going to learn all about the Berner Oberland Pass, which is an all-in-one ticket for the Bernese Oberland. And I’m thrilled to have Fabienne Harnisch, the manager of the pass, as my special guest today. Hi Fabienne, would you like to introduce yourself and ⁓ just tell us a little bit about your role as the manager of the Berner Oberland Pass?

Fabienne Harnisch: Yes, for sure. Thank you, Carolyn for having me here. Yeah, I’m the Managing Director of the Berner Oberland Pass ⁓ since one and a half years from now. And I’m very pleased to be in charge of such an excellent product. I live in Brig with my family, and I love to discover new experiences in the Bernese Oberland region and mostly ⁓ in the region of Gstaad.

Carolyn Schönafinger: Okay well we had an episode not so long ago about Gstaad so perhaps you encourage our listeners to go back and listen to that one if they haven’t already heard it. But today we’re talking about the Berner Oberland Pass so for those listeners who are perhaps unfamiliar with it, can you explain exactly what it is and what it covers?

Fabienne Harnisch: Of course, the Berner Oberland Pass is a regional travel pass that gives visitors flexible all-in-one access to the Bernese Oberland. And in simple terms,  allows travelers to move freely by train, bus, boat and many mountain railways within the region for either  three, four, six, eight or ten consecutive days.

I mean, instead of buying individual tickets for each journey, guests can explore iconic destinations such as Interlaken or Thun, Lake Brienz, Grindelwald, Lauterbrunnen, Mürren, Kandersteg, with just the single pass. So beyond transport, the Bernese Oberland Pass also includes attractive discounts or free admissions to more than 40 leisure activities such as mountain excursions, museums and experiences, making it both convenient and cost effective for the guests.  And the pass is designed especially for travelers who want to have flexibility and be spontaneous with planning and the seamless way to just experience the region.

Carolyn Schönafinger: Yeah, it definitely does give you that flexibility and the chance to be spontaneous. And as you said, so much is included, which we’ll talk about in a moment. But first, can you just explain to people who’ve perhaps started planning their Switzerland trip and they’ve seen all these different rail passes. So there’s the Swiss Travel Pass and the Jungfrau Travel Pass, which is also available for that particular region. What is the difference between those two passes and the Berner Oberland Pass?

Fabienne Harnisch: Well, the difference is that you have more than 25 mountain railways included in the Berner Oberland, like Schilthorn, Brienzer Rothorn, Niesen or Niederhorn, just to mention some of them. And not to forget about the special train excursions like the Golden Pass Express that goes from Interlaken to Montreux or the Lucerne Interlaken Express or the boats experience on both Lake Brienz and Thun.

And I think that’s what makes the difference to the other passes. And then you’ll get the discount, which I said before, with 40 bonus partners. For example, at the Aare Gorge Meiringen or the Open Air Museum in Ballenberg or other museums or outdoor activities.

Carolyn Schönafinger: So it’s really it’s not just a transport pass, it’s a whole sightseeing and excursion ticket all in one. Okay so what are some of the key facts or the perhaps the important things that we should know about the Berner Oberland Pass that you haven’t already just mentioned?

Fabienne Harnisch: Exactly. The Berner Oberland Pass  is a flexible and comprehensive travel pass that allows visitors to explore  one of Switzerland’s most spectacular regions, of course, and making it ideal for both first-time visitors and also for repeater guests. So the pass is available for three, four, six, eight, or 10 consecutive days.

Guests can choose the duration that best fits their itinerary. And it can be purchased in both first and second class, offering flexibility for different travels, preferences, and comfort levels. So for example, if someone wants to use more trains, then we might recommend to buy a first class pass. But if you just go on mountain excursions using cable cars, then the second class is totally fine as well.

Carolyn Schönafinger: All right. And what about if people are traveling with children? Is the pass available for children and what prices do they pay?

Fabienne Harnisch: Yeah, that’s, especially for families it’s very attractive because  children travel just for 30 Swiss francs with the Berner Oberland Pass, but there is a special  value added. So if someone is traveling with the Swiss TravelPass, they are getting a Swiss Family Card. And with the Swiss Family Card, children  are free of charge. So they don’t need to buy any other Berner Oberland Pass.

Carolyn Schönafinger: Okay, that’s great value. So  if someone was traveling in Switzerland, so they’re going in a larger area than just the Bernese Oberland and perhaps they did have the Swiss Travel Pass, but they wanted to top up and get the Berner Oberland Pass as well to take advantage of all those free excursions, is there a discount for them when they purchase the Berner Oberland Pass?

Fabienne Harnisch: makes it special. Yes, exactly. It’s really attractive to get a Swiss Travel Pass and a Berner Oberland Pass. Also, maybe if you get a Swiss Travel Pass for 10 days and you just get a three days, Berner Oberland Pass, so this makes it really worth it.

Carolyn Schönafinger: Okay, but both those passes have to be valid on the same dates, don’t they?

Fabienne Harnisch: Exactly.

Carolyn Schönafinger: Alright, so you already mentioned that a couple of those panoramic trains that start and finish in the Bernese Oberland are included with the Berner Oberland Pass. So can you just tell us a little bit more about those two train journeys?

Fabienne Harnisch: Well, for example, the panoramic train such as the Golden Pass Express is fully included now in the Berner Oberland Pass. And we just recommend to make a seat reservation in the desired class, especially during high season. All the seat recommendations, for example, you can find on our website, berneseoberlandpass.ch, in our FAQ section.

And if you have, for example, a first class ticket, you can also use or make a seat reservation for the premium class of the Golden Pass Express, which is very impressive because you can, you know, change the seat direction and it’s just a full, another, you know, experience.

Carolyn Schönafinger: Okay, and then there’s also the train  to Lucerne as well so people coming from either direction, from either Montreux or from Lucerne, or traveling in the opposite direction, can take advantage of free travel on those trains with the pass.

Fabienne Harnisch: Exactly, exactly. Everything is included. And also this route is very crowded during high season, which means like June to probably end of August, September. So also there we really recommend to just make a seat reservation. It’s worth those ten Swiss francs.

Carolyn Schönafinger: So what are some of the mountain excursions in the Jungfrau Region that our listeners may have heard of that are fully covered by the Berner Oberland Pass?

Fabienne Harnisch: In the Jungfrau region, there are plenty of mountain excursions included, such as the Schilthorn and the Schynige Platte, which is a rack and pinion railway, like you feel like you have returned to the La Belle Epoque. So this is quite nice. Or there is also the cable car, the Pfingstegg for example, which is a small gondola above Grindelwald and is very popular destination also for families and summer visitors.

What I’m also recommending is the Männlichen, for example. You can reach it either way from Grindelwald or then from Wengen by aerial cableway. So both sides can get to the Männlichen, which is very interesting.

Carolyn Schönafinger: So they’re some of the popular ones that a lot of people will have heard of. What about if people want to visit say Jungfraujoch or Grindelwald First or Harder Kulm? Can they use the Berner Oberland Pass for their tickets to get to those mountains?

Fabienne Harnisch: Well, unfortunately, Berner Oberland Pass does not cover any more the Jungfraujoch or Kleine Scheidegg or Grindelwald First or Harder Kulm. But with our pass, you get a discount. For example, at the Jungfraujoch or Kleine Scheidegg, you get a discount of about 25 % of the regular price. And for Grindelwald First and Harder Kulm you pay half price.

So it’s still a good deduction you get.

Carolyn Schönafinger: Yeah, absolutely. All right. One of the reasons why I love it so much is because it just covers such a wide area well beyond just the Jungfrau region. So what are some of the other mountain excursions or activities that are perhaps in outside of the Jungfrau Region that people may not have heard of, that you think are definitely worth doing.

Fabienne Harnisch: Well, as I said, I love to travel to the destination Gstaad. So for me in this area you have like several cable car excursions, what you can do and discover. For example, such as Rinderberg with its high altitude walk from Rinderberg to Horneggli which starts at Zweisimmen mountain station on the Rinderbergbahn.

And then you reach the Hörnberg  where you can take another car down to Schönried, so it’s like a round trip. So for me,  those things to see is very, very nice because you’re on top and then you have all this beautiful mountain scenery  to discover. And for people that are traveling, for example, with families, Destination Gstaad is also very family friendly with their Saaniland.

And then maybe another region that is maybe not so well known by Bernese Oberland Pass holders is the area in Adelboden-Lenk. Like it’s hidden away on the Betelberg, for example. Well, it’s maybe the most extraordinary place in Switzerland. It’s called the Gryden. I already talked about you.

Carolyn Schönafinger: Yeah, you told me about this before and I have been to Lenk but I haven’t heard about Gryden so yeah, please tell everyone more about it.

Fabienne Harnisch: Yeah, it’s like this crater-like, bizarre rocky landscape. And it amazes and it delights. So the starting point for the Gryden is that it’s a mountain trail in Leiterli. It’s also in Betelberg. Leiterli mountain station, it’s called. And the panoramic hike takes about two and a half hours and makes like a round trip as well. So you’re coming back to the same point.

So maybe just google it. It’s called Gryden.

Carolyn Schönafinger: Okay, good. Any other  recommendations?

Fabienne Harnisch: Well, for me the other part is  if you’re traveling by train from Spiez to Kandersteg and then  there I would recommend to take the cable car either to Sunnbühl or to Allmenalp. Allmenalp is such a beautiful small mountain and also the cable car is just an experience by itself. So  it’s just small and then you need to call and then… it goes up.  And then you have the view to to Blümisalp, Oeschinensee, so it’s beautiful.

Carolyn Schönafinger: Yeah okay so I think a lot of people will have heard of Oeschinensee which you can also reach from Kandersteg but this is, this is two other different mountains that you can reach.

Fabienne Harnisch: Exactly, because and because Oeschinensee is not included anymore. So Allmenalp is definitely also a good excursion to make.

Carolyn Schönafinger: Good, well that’s good to know. And there are also some cities and towns that  the pass holders can visit too. So how far south can they use the pass? And then I believe, it goes as far west as Bern.  But what about if they’re going south, how far south can they go?

Fabienne Harnisch: Well, they can go to Brig. So it’s about the scenic landscape over  Kandersteg and then Goppenstein, Ausserberg and then you’re traveling down to Brig. So the southern point is Brig with its castle and there is also the World Nature Museum that they can visit. The World Nature Forum is also a museum and it’s a bonus partner from Berner Oberland Pass, so you can also go there and get deduction on the admission fee.

Carolyn Schönafinger: Okay, good. All right, and what about lakes? You’ve already mentioned there  Lake Thun, Lake Brienz. The cruises on the beautiful paddle steamers on those lakes are included too, correct?

Fabienne Harnisch: Exactly, exactly. They’re included too. And as you can see behind me, is the cruise, Blümisalp, it’s called, and it operates on Lake Thun. And yeah, I just recommend  to make, you know, to just check the timetable and it is also possible  when you board the cruise, you just can go on first class and get a upgrade. If you have a second class Berner Oberland Pass, just get an upgrade to first class.  And if I’m not, I think it’s five Swiss francs.

Carolyn Schönafinger: Great. So definitely worth it. Yeah, OK. So just on that note, once someone has purchased their Berner Oberland Pass, they’re in the region and they’re ready to use it. What do they do when they want to go on a train or a bus or a boat or one of the mountain railways? How do they use their pass to  to get on board?

Fabienne Harnisch: Yeah, exactly. Well, it’s actually very simple, especially if you purchase the pass online. You receive your ticket as a QR code, which you then can store directly on your smartphone in your digital wallet. And there’s no need for a printed ticket at all. So you simply hop on the train or the boat. And when a conductor asks you for your ticket, you just show the QR code on your phone and that’s it.

And for the mountain railways it’s just as easy. You just scan your ticket directly at the turnstile and then board the cable car. And that’s it. Quick, convenient and completely hassle free in my opinion.

Carolyn Schönafinger: Perfect, so no queuing up to buy tickets for every individual trip that you want to take, which, who wants to do that when they’re on holidays?

Fabienne Harnisch: Exactly, even if you have enough time, right?

Carolyn Schönafinger: That’s right, you want to be on board and doing those fun activities, not waiting in line to buy a ticket. Okay, so in your opinion, why should our listeners consider buying a Berner Oberland Pass if they’re spending three or more days in the Bernese Oberland?

Fabienne Harnisch: Exactly. Simply because it’s comfortable, it’s like stress-free, incredible, easy to travel with in the entire area covered by the Berner Oberland Pass. And on top of that, guests benefit from attractive discounts and added perks with our bonus partners. I’d also like to mention that the pass starts from as little as 31.60 per day

if you are holding a Swiss TravelPass, which I also recommend especially for families. And with it, you receive a Swiss Family Card, meaning children travel free of charge and don’t need their own Berner Oberland Pass at all.

Carolyn Schönafinger: Yeah, which is great value. And is the pass available to use all year round?

Fabienne Harnisch: Yeah, definitely. We just extended it. So  since last year, you can get the pass all year round. Just make sure to check the timetables for the  mountain excursions, which you can find on our website. There is a special section dedicated to the timetables. And you can also enter  your date, and then it shows directly which cable cars or mountain excursions are open.

Carolyn Schönafinger: Perfect, that makes it very easy. Excellent. Okay so before I let you go are there any other tips or important things that people should know about the Berner Oberland Pass?

Fabienne Harnisch: useful. Well, I think we covered almost everything, so from the time, from the duration, if you travel by children.  I just maybe want to mention, just go on our website or also on website from Holidays to Switzerland, because you find  some more helpful information, some excursion on it. So make some tips like for three or four or six day’s journey. So maybe, it’s just that’s what I like to add.

Carolyn Schönafinger: Yeah, okay, thank you. And I think too,  it’s good to have a bit of a plan for when people are coming to the region. But like you said at the start, you can be flexible. And because there are so many excursions and train journeys and boat cruises included, if the weather’s bad and not suitable for you to do an excursion on one particular day, there’s always something else that you can do because your Pass covers so much.

Fabienne Harnisch: Exactly. mean, also if it’s bad weather, just hop on the train. Maybe that goes to Bern and then just take a visit, just stroll through Bern or then take the train which goes through the Emmental over to Lucerne and then make a stop at Trübschachen, it’s called,  where it’s is like where you can taste some cookies, the famous cookies. So why not? So this is also a possible way to just discover the area. It just always needs to be like mountain excursions and, you know, alpine pictures. It might also be just a city or a train trip.

Carolyn Schönafinger: That’s right. Yeah. And there’s so many other natural things like gorges and waterfalls and yes, so much.

Fabienne Harnisch: So much to discover, you definitely have to come two or three times.

Carolyn Schönafinger: Exactly, exactly. Okay. Well, thank you so much, Fabienne, for telling us all about the Berner Oberland Pass. I will put  links to your website  and the Holidays to Switzerland website in the show notes and links for where people can buy their Berner Oberland Pass as well. So thank you again.

Fabienne Harnisch: Yeah, thank you for having me.

Carolyn Schönafinger: I hope today’s deep dive into the Berner Oberland Pass has helped make your rail pass decision a whole lot clearer. If you’re still weighing up your options, don’t forget to check out the links in the show notes, including my rail pass comparison resources which will help you choose with confidence. The link to purchase your Berner Oberland Pass is in the show notes too. Those show notes are at holidaystoswitzerland.com slash episode 190.

Thank you so much for joining me today. Until next week when I’ll be back with more Swiss travel tips and inspiration. Tschüss!

You can see the full show notes and listen to this episode > here.