Is using the Interrail pass in Switzerland best?

  • Removed user
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    18 February 2017 at 19:24:39 #810845

    Hi there

    After looking into train passes i think I am going to purchase the Interrail Global Pass the reasons being

    Day 1. Travelling from London to Paris Eurorail –

    Day 1. From Paris onwards to Montreux -Overnight accommodation Montreux

    Day 2. Explore Montreux – visit Chillion Castle and lake cruise walk along the promenade and hopefully incorporate lake cruise from Chillion Castle to Vevey Marche and walk back along the promenade taking in Fork in the lake, Charlie Chaplin Statue and Freddy Mercury Statue Overnight in YHA Montreux

    Day 3. Rochers de Naye – does this need a day would like to hike back down Overnight in YHA Montreux

    Day 4. Montreux to Zermatt – overnight stay in Zermatt – during the day 5 hikes walk and explore village possibly do Gonergrat is this worth it is you do the walk and get views of the Matterhorn throughout the day ( is it free with Swiss Travel Pass. overnight stay in Hotel Bahnhof anyone stayed here alternative YHA Zermatt.

    Day 5.Zermatt to Lucerne – could i incorporate any of the Glacier Express and i think i read once that the Bernia express train could be combined with this ??? would this be a long day – thinking this or alternative to stop in Bern on route and explore . overnight Lucerne

    Day 6. Lucerne – explore town lion monument etc – could I visit anywhere mountain wise or best to just do a lake cruise perhaps??

    Day 7 Lucerne – do a hike based in the area – combining lake cruise or visit Mt Pilatus

    Day 8 Lucerne to Salzburg – where would be a good base if i were to split this journey as over 6 hours no accomodation booked yet.

    My questions is with alot of my train journeys based in Switzerland would it be best to buy a Swiss Travel Pass and get the train journeys to and from Switzerland ie London to Montreux and From Lucerne to Salzburg point to point tickets also have to get from Salzburg back to the UK by train splitting this journey in Strasbourg ie Salzburg to Strasbourg then onto Paris and Eurorail to London.

    Any help with my itinerary and train pass solutions would be much appreciated many thanks in advance

    The reason for train travel in to Switzerland is that my husband cant fly due to ear problems just been diagnosed with tinnatus.

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    Removed user
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    19 February 2017 at 8:52:37 #859125

    Hi Twiggy321,

    Day 3: I haven’t done the hike but on our page on how to get to Rochers-de-Naye it states that there is a nice hike to or from Les Cases.

    Day 4:I believe that Gornergrat is worth it. For more details on the trip and discounts available look here. The Swiss Travel Pass, STP Flex and the Half-fare Card offer 50% discounts.

    Day 5: You can take the Glacier Express from Zermatt to Andermatt and then a regional train on to Luzern (local German spelling). The Bernina Express does over lap a little with the Glacier express near Chur. However, if you are going to Luzern form Zermatt it wouldn’t make sense to try and combine these two trains trips.

    Day 6: I would probably explore the town and a boat cruise on this day. There are other activities you could try and do instead – these are listed here.

    Day 7: It would be good to choose either day 6 or 7 to do a mountain trip like Mt. Pilatus – choose the day with the best weather.

    Day 8: Luzern to Salzburg will most likely take you through Zurich. You could over night there if that interests you. If you’d like to make more progress on this day (and not do the entire trip in one sitting) I would recommend Innsbruck as a good stopover point as well.

    As for train passes I think I would look at combining the Interrail Global pass with the Swiss Half-fare card. It will cover most routes you need and the half-fare card with offer discounts on other trains such as Gornergrat etc. Be sure to read where each pass is valid to see if that does indeed make the most sense and offer the best savings for you. Also, read through our page on how to choose the best rail pass.

    I hope this helps to finalize your plans!

    Lucas

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