Which travel pass is worth it around Interlaken?
Most people arrive here already holding a Swiss Travel Pass, which makes the useful question a narrower one: what does it not cover, and what should you add? Two sentences settle most of it. The Swiss Travel Pass includes no mountain in this region, and the Jungfrau Travel Pass does not include the Jungfraujoch. Both are stated plainly by the issuers — just never side by side, because each of them sells one pass.
Start with the pass you probably already have
The Swiss Travel Pass covers three mountain excursions free of charge across the whole country — Rigi, Stanserhorn, Stoos — and none of them is here. In the Bernese Oberland it gives you "up to 50 % off" the mountain railways instead.
What it does cover completely is everything between the mountains: trains, buses, and the lake steamers on Lake Thun and Lake Brienz. If your days are built around lakes, valleys and villages, it is enough on its own. If you intend to go up something most days, it is a half-price card, and that is where a regional pass starts to pay.
The three side by side, three days, 2nd class
Three days is the shortest period all three passes offer, which is why the comparison sits there. Note that the "reduced" column means something different for each one.
| Pass | Full | Reduced | What "reduced" means |
|---|---|---|---|
| Berner Oberland Pass | CHF 240 | CHF 168 | Swiss Travel Pass, Half Fare Card, Half-Fare or GA holders, ages 16–24.99 |
| Jungfrau Travel Pass | CHF 210 | CHF 165 | The issuer's "reduced adults" column — the Half-Fare rate |
| Swiss Travel Pass | CHF 254 | CHF 179 | Youth fare up to the 25th birthday (30 % off), not Half-Fare |
For the Berner Oberland Pass: Prices are valid from 1 January to 31 December 2026. The two regional pass prices were checked directly with the issuers on 8 August 2026. The Swiss Travel Pass is the only one of the three that also covers getting here from Zurich or Geneva, so the three figures are not strictly like for like.
The supplement that contradicts the name
At CHF 210 for three days the Jungfrau Travel Pass is the cheapest of the three — and for exactly that reason it is the costliest misunderstanding if the Jungfraujoch is on your list. The pass carries you to Grindelwald, Wengen, Mürren and Kleine Scheidegg. The final climb needs a connecting ticket from CHF 63, rising to CHF 89 between 1 May and 31 October 2026, seat reservation included.
So the real comparison is not CHF 210 against CHF 240 but CHF 299 against CHF 240.
What the Jungfraujoch costs and when it is worth it
The combination nobody advertises
The Berner Oberland Pass explicitly counts Swiss Travel Pass holders among its reduced fares. That makes the common case cheaper than it looks: keep the Swiss Travel Pass for the country, add the regional pass here for CHF 168 rather than CHF 240, and stop paying half price per ascent. Whether it pays depends on how many mountain railways you actually ride — from roughly the third one onwards it does.
Insider Tip
The calculation worth doing is the dull one: list the trips you actually want, add up the individual fares, and only then look at the passes. Two mountain trips and a boat come in under every pass price. It is the third ascent that flips it — and the fourth that makes the regional pass obviously right.
Where to buy them
Each pass has exactly one issuer, so naming them is a fact rather than a recommendation. The official pages, without resellers:
- Berner Oberland Pass — BLS
- Jungfrau Travel Pass — Jungfraubahnen
- Swiss Travel Pass — Swiss Travel System
Frequently Asked Questions
Does the Swiss Travel Pass cover the mountain railways around Interlaken?
No. The Swiss Travel Pass includes exactly three mountain excursions free of charge — Rigi, Stanserhorn, Stoos — and none of them is in the Bernese Oberland. Here it gives "up to 50 % off" instead. What it does cover in full is the ordinary network: trains, buses, and the lake steamers on Lake Thun and Lake Brienz. For the mountains it is a discount, not a free pass.
Is the Jungfraujoch included in the Jungfrau Travel Pass?
No, and this is the most expensive assumption in the region. The pass covers Grindelwald, Wengen, Mürren and Kleine Scheidegg; the final leg up to the Jungfraujoch needs a connecting ticket from CHF 63, and CHF 89 between 1 May and 31 October 2026, seat reservation included. Three days at CHF 210 plus CHF 89 comes to CHF 299 — more than a full-price Berner Oberland Pass at CHF 240.
Can I combine a Swiss Travel Pass with a regional pass?
Yes, and it is written into the conditions rather than being a loophole: Swiss Travel Pass holders pay the reduced rate for the Berner Oberland Pass — CHF 168 instead of CHF 240 for three days. If you are already crossing Switzerland on a Swiss Travel Pass and plan more than two mountain railways here, adding the regional pass is usually cheaper than paying half price for each ascent.
Which pass is cheapest for three days?
The Jungfrau Travel Pass at CHF 210, as long as the Jungfraujoch is not on your list. Add the connecting ticket and it moves above the Berner Oberland Pass. The Swiss Travel Pass is the most expensive of the three at CHF 254 — but it is the only one that also covers the journey from Zurich or Geneva to get here, so comparing the three head-on only makes sense once you know where your trip starts.
What do children pay?
Both regional passes charge a flat CHF 30 per child — ages 6 to 15.99 on the Berner Oberland Pass, which applies the same flat rate to dogs, and ages 6 to 15 on the Jungfrau Travel Pass.
Every destination with price, travel time and pass coverage
What costs what beyond the fares — food, parking, tourist tax, fuel