[Removed user]

28 March 2014 at 4:13:44 #806276

Hi, We arrive Zurich end May.We are travelling by train to Lauterbrunnen for 3 nights.Once there we want to go to up to the Schilthorn .The day we leave we need to get to Torbole and we have been advised its best not to use the Swiss Card cause the trip to Torbole means many, many stops due to the pass needing to go only to the nearest border station.We are best to travel From Lauterbrunnen to Spiez, Brig then Verona to get to Italy which is much easier and faster too.

Im finding it so so confusing whether to buy a pass or not and would appreciate some help.We have been told it will be cheaper to buy point to point tickets but im really confused if the passes are worth it or not??? Please help me.

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[Annika]

28 March 2014 at 19:14:03 #839646

Hi Dianne,

Actually the Swiss Card seems perfect for your trip. It does not require you to travel to the nearest border station. It requires you to travel to any border station or Swiss airport (i.e. the one most convenient to you). In your case you would get the trip from Zurich to Lauterbrunnen and from Lauterbrunnen to Domodossola for free. Domodossola is the border station you will pass when you take the route that you suggested: Lauterbrunnen – Spiez – Brig – Domodossola – Milan – Verona – Rovereto. Rovereto is the closest rail station to Torbole, at least that I know of. You would need to buy a ticket from Domodossola to Rovereto.

While in Lauterbrunnen, the Swiss Card offer 50% off the trips you’ll make (including the Schilthorn). I would recommend a round trip Lauterbrunnen – Kleine Scheidegg – Grindelwald – Lauterbrunnen to see more of the region. You get 50% off the ticket for that trip as well.

Trip details can be found in the timetable. The Swiss Card page provides information about how it works, what’s included, prices, resellers and promotions.

Hopefully this helps you out. If not, feel free to get back to me.

[Removed user]

29 March 2014 at 5:27:34 #839647

HI Annika,

Thank you so much for your help. I have been told that if we took the train from Lauterbrunnen -Spiez-Brig-Domodossola-Milan-Verona-Roverto that it is many changes with long transfer times and that we are best to do the following because connections are the best Lauterbrunnen- Interlaken-Spiez-Brig-Verona-Roverto which apparently includes a high speed train from Brig to Verona so they also then tell me the following:. “The Swiss Card is not valid for travel on the high speed international services, it is only valid to the Switzerland/Italy border town which is Iselle.”

So Im just trying to work out now if the Swiss card is the best because it sounds like we cannot use it on the day of departure???? I dont know Im only going by what a company in Australia is telling me.

We are interested in the quickest way to get to Italy on day of departure?

My only other option if this is the truth is maybe to calculate the the Swiss card and use it to travel from Zurich to Lauterbrunnen and then to the Schilthorn but then on the day of departure just buy point to point tickets to get to Italy???

many thanks for your help so far , i really appreciate your help with all my confusion!!!

[Arno]

29 March 2014 at 8:12:57 #839648

Hi Dianne,

The information you got from that company is incorrect. The Swiss Card is valid as far as Domodossola, not just until Iselle. If you visit the Swiss Card page that Annika mentioned you can download the validity map and see for yourself. Also, Swiss Cards are valid for all trains.

The two routes you mentioned are exactly the same; in one of them you don’t mention Interlaken but you will travel via Interlaken in either case. The route is the same as Annika mentioned: Lauterbrunnen – Spiez – Brig – Domodossola – Milan – Verona – Rovereto. This is also the route that the timetable comes up with, and you can use the Swiss Card. It works exactly as Annika explained.

The route indeed requires some changes (see the timetable), but you can choose the connection with the least amount of changes. I did a quick check and there is one with 4 changes (in Interlaken, Spiez, Milan and Verona). Other connections require more changes.

Of course you can choose to purchase a Swiss Half Fare Card instead of a Swiss Card. There won’t be much difference price wise, but the Swiss Card is more convenient as you don’t need to get tickets for the inbound and outbound trip.

I hope this clarifies things for you!

Kind regards,

Arno

[Removed user]

30 March 2014 at 6:15:45 #839649

HI Arno,

Thank you so much , I will do lots more homework tomorrow and then check back in with you.It is good to know that the swiss card can also be used on high speed trains. Thank you .Di

[Removed user]

1 April 2014 at 7:10:22 #839650

Hi again , Ive been doing some homework and would like to clarify a few things.

If we purchase the Swiss card does that mean on the day of departure we would need to travel from Lauterbrunnen to Domodossola ( free) then exit the train and purchase a new ticket from Domodossola to Rovereto??

If not can you please explain the procedure? Apologies for my confusion?

Are the trains normally on time or should i allow for connection times if i need to forward book my train trip now?

Thank you once again

[Arno]

1 April 2014 at 8:15:46 #839651

Hi Dianne,

You don’t need to exit the train. Just make sure you have passes or tickets for each leg of the trip, so you can stay seated and don’t loose time. In your case your Swiss Card is valid to Domodossola, so you need to get tickets from there to Rovereto in advance. Or, if you have planned more traveling in Italy, you may want to get a pass for Italy instead.

In case of Australia, you can find it all on one website: the Swiss Card here and the point to point tickets here. You may need to get tickets for the individual legs of your trip (Domodossola – Milan, Milan – Verona, Verona – Rovereto) if the system can’t find a ticket for the entire route. You can find the connection you prefer in the timetable, and then book tickets based on that.

In Switzerland, delayed trains are an exception, but of course it can happen. If scheduled maintenance may cause delays, the timetable will show that in advance. The changes in Interlaken and Spiez are easy, and platform numbers can be found in the timetable too. You probably have lots of time to change on the other stations, depending on the connection you choose. The station of Milan is large, but changing trains there isn’t difficult.

[Removed user]

2 April 2014 at 8:11:58 #839652

HI there

I have done all the costs today and unless Im missing something it appears to still be cheaper for us to do our trip and not get a swiss card.The only thing that maybe is incorrect is that i checked if all the transport to and from Lauterbrunnen was included in my ticket to Schilthorn for 100 CHF approx each and Im told yes all cable cars and trains are included in the price?? Do you know if this is correct ??

I have also discovered if im travelling from Switzerland to Italy i need to purchase tickets from Sbb.ch not trentillia as they need to be picked up from an italian station so that was nice to know.

Thanks once again, people like you are travel angels to me!

Di

[Arno]

2 April 2014 at 13:11:44 #839653

Hi Dianne,

I did a quick check for you and calculated the costs of Zurich Airport to Lauterbrunnen, Lauterbrunnen to Domodossola and a return trip from Lauterbrunnen to the Schilthorn. Buying regular tickets is only CHF 11 cheaper than doing this with a Swiss Card. If you don’t have a Swiss Card, any other trips during your stay in Lauterbrunnen (like the one Annika suggested in her first post) will not be discounted. That adds up quickly and will definitely be more expensive in total. I wouldn’t recommend to stay put in Lauterbrunnen as there is so much to explore (don’t forget a boat trip!)

I assumed the simplest return ticket to the Schilthorn, which costs CHF 98.60 and indeed includes all cable cars and trains. However, for CHF 9 extra you can do a round trip (up via Grütschalp – Mürren and down via Stechelberg for example). That way you see a bit more of the scenery.

The tickets to Italy can be ordered via the SBB, but you would have to collect it at a Swiss rail station (shipping is an option too but I think that is quite expensive to Australia). If you choose to get the Swiss Card anyway, it’s easier to get both the card and the tickets at the Australian site I linked to in my previous post. That way you have everything you need in one go.

By the way, you may want to include some hiking. Tips are here.

[Removed user]

3 April 2014 at 8:23:17 #839654

Hi Arno and Annika,

Thank you …so much…
A few more questions and hopefully these will also help someone else!!!

On the 31st May we leave Lauterbrunnen in the am, we will start this journey on a swiss card in 2nd class.

I have worked out I can travel cheaper from Domodossola in 1st class using Italia rail which works out cheaper for us than using Sbb.ch but still on the same train .

Once we get to Domodossola do we just pick up our bags and leave 2nd class and find our seats in first class to our reserved seats???

How do i book and reserve the train using a swiss card as it says reservation possible, should I do this now or when we get to Lauterbrunnen?

AND finally do you just show your swiss card when you are boarding the trains?

Thankyou once again .
Di

AND finally do you just show your swiss card when you are boarding the trains?

Thankyou once again .

Di

[Arno]

3 April 2014 at 9:04:45 #839655

Hello Di,

I’m glad we can help! Sure, you can just walk to your other seat in the train.

As for booking seats for the Swiss leg: it depends on the train and what the timetable indicates. If a reservation is not required or recommended, you can do without a reservation and your Swiss Card is enough. If you need or want a reservation, the exact procedure depends on where you book. On the SBB site you can choose ‘GA travelcard’, which basically means “I have a pass that includes free traveling in Switzerland”, which is what the Swiss Card is (during the inbound and outbound transfers). On the Rail Europe sites, you can book a separate seat reservation for pass holders. See the seat reservation page for how it works and links to the booking pages.

You can board the train and only show the Swiss Card when asked for it, as explained on the Swiss Card page.

[Removed user]

3 April 2014 at 10:21:37 #839656

Thankyou thankyou for clearing my confusion.

I thought all my questions are now solved then someone on TA told me the Swiss card is the same as a Swiss Transfer Ticket which I see is cheaper but this is news to me , if they do the same thing I be best to buy the Swiss Transfer ???

[Arno]

3 April 2014 at 11:56:41 #839657

Hi Dianne,

That is not correct. The Swiss Transfer Ticket does not include any discounts during your stay in Lauterbrunnen. That’s why it’s cheaper. See our Swiss Transfer Ticket page for details.

[Removed user]

3 April 2014 at 20:55:58 #839658

Thank you so so much for all your help. I understand it all now so much because you have taken the time to help me.Have a great day.

[Arno]

3 April 2014 at 21:34:52 #839659

Glad to hear you’re all set now! It would be great to hear how things went and how you liked Switzerland. Feel free to post a trip report here. Other travelers will surely enjoy reading that.

Have a great trip!