[Removed user]

4 April 2017 at 5:18:38 #811271

Hi,

I would be arriving in Switzerland in early June and intend to have the following itinerary over 4 days:

Zurich > Winterthur > Zurich

Zurich > Lucerne

Lucerne > Interlaken

Interlaken > Jungfrau

Jungfrau > Interlaken

Interlaken > Venice

I have gone through the various posts and am undecided on the right type of Swiss Rail Pass that I should choose. I will be travelling with my spouse and my adult daughter. Can you please help me with some recommendations ?

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[Removed user]

4 April 2017 at 8:12:49 #860972

Hi Balu68 and welcome to MySwissAlps!

It can be difficult for sure – so many options. First, take a look at our page on How to choose the best rail pass. In the end you may need to do the math to see what is more economical.

I think you may be best served by the 4 day Swiss Travel Pass which will cover all routes you mention above (plus local transit) while you are in Switzerland – you will need to buy a ticket from the Swiss border to Venice.
The only exception on the Swiss Travel Pass is that the trip to Jungfraujoch (from Grindelwald or Wengen to Jungfraujoch) are discounted by 25% only for those with the Swiss Travel Pass – so you will still need to buy a ticket).

I hope this helps you decision making!

Lucas

[Removed user]

16 April 2017 at 8:57:50 #860973

Hi Lucas,

Thank you for your quick response and from what I have calculated and observed, the 4 day Swiss Rail Pass seems to be the right fit for my trip. A few more questions for you:

1. Can I use the Swiss Travel Pass for travelling from the airport to my accommodation in Zurich.

2. Is the Swiss Travel Pass a paper document that I can print out and bring or should I convert the paper document into something else once I arrive at Zurich.

3. Can I use the Swiss Travel Pass to travel from Lauterbrennan to Venice ?

Look forward to your helpful response.

Regards,

Balu.

[Removed user]

16 April 2017 at 10:18:47 #860974

1. Yes, the Swiss Travel Pass covers virtually all rail in Switzerland and public transit in most cities and towns.
2. If you select the print at home option you will get a paper ticket and you can use that the whole trip – very easy!
3. You can travel on the Swiss Travel Pass as far as the Swiss border. You will need a ticket to travel the Italian portion – you can buy this online here.
   Check the timetable to see where your train will cross the border (depending on what route/train you choose to travel on – most likely it is at Domodossola so you will need to buy a ticket from there to Venice.

Cheers, Balu!

[Removed user]

16 April 2017 at 13:32:40 #860975

Hi Lucas,

Thanks for your quick response – it has actually triggered one more question for me. I did a quick check based on the links you had provided and does it then make sense for me to choose the Eurail 2 country pass for both Switzerland / Italy.

Is the Eurail pass valid for all of the places that I can use the Swiss Travel Pass ?

Regards,

Balu.

[Removed user]

16 April 2017 at 16:47:18 #860976

Hi Balu,

Getting the Eurail Select Pass for 2 countries can make sense if you are traveling a fair bit in Italy as well.

The Swiss Travel Pass does cover more routes in Switzerland however. Check the areas of validity for each pass before buying: Swiss Travel Pass and Eurail Select Pass.

Lucas

[Removed user]

17 April 2017 at 0:28:34 #860977

Hi Lucas,

Thanks – let me do some more analysis and then take a final decision.

Regards,

Balu.

[Removed user]

17 April 2017 at 23:10:51 #860978

>> 1. Can I use the Swiss Travel Pass for travelling from the airport to my accommodation in Zurich.

Yes, but it would be a waste of money unless you were also doing a much longer trip on the same day. A 4-day Swiss Travel Pass costs CHF 259 (second class), or CHF 64.75 per day. To get to central Zürich from the airport, you need a 3-Zone ticket, which only costs CHF 6.80 second class.

If I were you, I would also reconsider using the Swiss Travel Pass to get to Winterthur and back to Zürich, if that is the only trip you are doing on that day (which is not clear from the information you have provided).

If a return trip to Winterthur is the only travel you will do on that day, consider getting a 24-hour ticket for 6 zones (CHF 26) and then just get a 3-day Swiss Travel Pass for the rest of your trip.

Zürich Day Pass info

http://www.zvv.ch/zvv/en/trav elcards-and-tickets/tickets/daypas s.html

Zürich area network zone map

http://www.zvv.ch/zvv-assets/abos-und-tickets/zonen/tarifzon en_d_e_16.pdf

Zones 110 (Central Zürich) and 120 (Winterthur) count as 2 zones each for fare calculation purposes.

Alpenrose

[Removed user]

18 April 2017 at 0:32:10 #860979

Hi,

Thanks a lot for your tips – much appreciated.

Regards,

Balu.

[Removed user]

10 May 2017 at 11:44:13 #860980

Hi,

I am now looking to take a train from Lauterbrennan to Venice – what is the fastest option that I can choose ? If I go to the Swiss Train website, it appears that I might have to change 4 or 5 trains – is there an easier way to do this ?

Thanks for your quick response in advance.

Regards,

Balu

[Arno]

10 May 2017 at 11:58:18 #860981

Hi Balu,

The timetable provides the fastest way by default. There are no other options than the ones suggested there. There are a few connections with just 3 changes in Interlaken Ost, Spiez and Milan. If your departure time is flexible you can pick one of those.