[Removed user]

9 January 2017 at 5:16:09 #810539

The thing is I bought an Eurail pass and before the boats of Thun and Brienz were free but lately in their website says is 50% discount. And your website says is free. Who should I go with? Is your website up to date?

Effortlessly learn from the questions and answers in the forum. Receive a daily e-mail with new discussions. Sign up

[Arno]

9 January 2017 at 11:38:49 #857903

Hi lidiast,

Welcome to MySwissAlps! I’m pretty sure our website is up to date, and I am not aware of recent changes. But I will double check and get back to you.

[Arno]

9 January 2017 at 15:18:17 #857904

Hi again lidiast,

I have contacted Eurail and found out that the boats were free until last year, but as of this year they are 50% discounted. It hasn’t been widely communicated and you will still find conflicting information in various places. The Eurail app has not been updated yet, for example. But the page http://www.eurail.com/eurail-passes/pass-benefits/benefits-switzerland is correct.

Our Eurail Select Pass and Eurail Global Pass pages have just been adjusted. The 2017 Eurail map is not available yet but will be soon.

Thank you for posting this here, and sorry if this change results in spending more money. Note that the full Glacier Express route is free now. Only half of it was free until last year.

Enjoy your trip!

[Removed user]

31 January 2017 at 7:24:47 #857905

I am shocked by this unannounced change.

I have purchased rail passes which include Switzerland so often before (and encouraged friends and family to do so) exactly because the benefits offered in Switzerland have always been clear and unequivocal, unlike in some other countries.

In the latter stages of last year, I again ordered four 1st class passes valid in Switzerland, planning to once again cruise on the Lake of Lucern(Vierwaldstaettersee) during summer this year. We have already paid for these passes and received same by courier. To now find the passes are no longer valid for free 1st class travel on the lake, but now require a 50% co-payment of up to 59 CHF per person is not just disappointing but an unprofessional approach. Changes should have been clearly stated well before the possibility of purchase.

If you, as a supposed “expert and moderator” for MySwissAlps.com weren’t even previously aware of the change until asked by another affected traveller and cited conflicting information online, it certainly excuses the rest of us, as mere amateur travellers, if we feel as though we have been “scammed”. This is a poor show by whoever instituted this change to long-standing practice and won’t do much to encourage travel in Switzerland, if the validity /benefits of passes can be changed so arbitrarily.

[Arno]

31 January 2017 at 11:32:33 #857906

Hi tomzyg,

Welcome to MySwissAlps! Well, I agree with you. Changes like that should be announced well in advance. Even though we are pretty much on top of anything related with Swiss trains, boats and passes, and have contacts in the industry, this particular change was not communicated to us (or anyone else I think). As soon as we come to know about changes we announce this on our website like we always do. We even created an updated Eurail map to be downloaded from our pages. Unfortunately, the official Eurail sites still show old information in various places.

I recommend you to contact the Eurail Group. They are in charge of decisions like this.

By the way, a 1st class return ticket across all of Lake Lucerne costs CHF 108, so you would pay CHF 54. Most people take the train back though. A single 1st class trip costs CHF 34.50.

I hope you will still have a wonderful trip!