Please suggest rail passes for my trip in Europe

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    21 March 2017 at 10:17:48 #811147

    Hi everyone,

    I am sharing my itinerary regarding my euro trip in the month of May. kindly suggest anything that you have in mind to make it more convenient and economic.

    I will first enter Amsterdam. After 3 nights stay there, I will move to Paris via train. I will stay in Paris for 2 nights and then will move to Interlaken.

    We are a group of 4 family members of age 48, 29, 27 and 24. Kindly suggest the best rail pass for 2nd class for transfer from Amsterdam to Paris and also for Paris to Interlaken.

    Also, after our 3 night stay in Interlaken, we will be having our return flight from Zurich at 12:45 PM. So, we will be reaching Zurich via train from Interlaken. I need to know which trains are available for Zurich in the morning and also do these train run everyday?

    I wish to reach the airport 2-3 hours in advance to avoid any inconvenience and risk of missing the flight. Please suggest the best train accordingly.

    Furthermore, I want to know that do I need to reserve seats on the train from Interlaken to Zurich?

    If possible, please let me know about some good and affordable accommodation in Interlaken having train stations nearby.

    Regards,

    Mona

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    21 March 2017 at 17:18:59 #860298

    Hi Mona,

    As we mentioned in previous threads to you, we think the Swiss Travel Pass is your best option for traveling in Switzerland. This won’t however cover any rail travel in France or the Netherlands.

    You can either buy those tickets separately (if your train trips there are limited) and use the STP while you are here or look at the Eurail Select Pass for the Netherlands, France and Switzerland.
    This pass will cover most but not all trips you take here in Switzerland (you can see what routes the Eurail Select Pass covers here).

    You can check all train schedules for your trips here. Trains from Interlaken to Zurich airport run many times per day (change of trains often required). You can enter the towns you are traveling to and from and the desired departure or arrival time and date.

    Seat reservations are very uncommon on Swiss trains (except for a couple panoramic trains). However, you can make them but they are never really needed so I wouldn’t worry about it.

    Best regards,
    Lucas

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    21 March 2017 at 20:39:12 #860299

    I had similar questions a few days ago.. the best thing for rail passes is to use the spreadsheet. it really makes this all very clear. take their advice and use the spreadsheet at http://www.myswissalps.com/tr ain/ticketspasses/prac tical/chooserailpass

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    23 March 2017 at 12:44:06 #860300

    I am a bit confused while booking trains from paris to interlaken. the train which I found suitable according to fare and departure time has 2 connections. the first connection has a short time span of 10 min and I doubt I might miss the connecting train. what should I do? the second connection has a gap of 44 min so that is ok for me but the first one is an issue.

    same problem might occur when I board the train for zurich on my last day as I have to catch my return flight from zurich.

    what should I do? please help!!

    10:55 PARIS EST

    12:41 STRASBOURG Train 9573 1h 46m

    Connection (0h 10m)

    12:51 STRASBOURG

    14:15 BASEL SBB TER 962771h24m

    Connection (0h 44m)

    14:59 BASEL SBB

    16:51 INTERLAKEN WEST Intercity 9751 h52m

    Arno
    Moderator
    15471 posts
    23 March 2017 at 13:34:34 #860301

    Hi Monamehta,

    I don’t think that connection will actually be available as there are construction works on that line in May (did you fill out your actual travel date?). The 10 minutes to change trains are no problem. The next train looks like one that does not require a reservation, so if you miss it you simply take the next train using the same ticket.

    However, it will be much easier if you take the 9:53 or 11:45 direct train from Paris to Basel. Then take a direct train to Interlaken from there. So just one change. You can check here for ticket retailers. I’d try http://www.trainline.eu and also http://www.raileurope.co.in/t rain/tgv-lyria as you live in India. You only need a ticket as far as Basel if you will have a Swiss Travel Pass as the rest is included in the pass.

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    23 March 2017 at 14:04:46 #860302

    yes Arno, I filled actual travel dates. Also, I thought a 3-day swiss pass would be better for me rather than 4-day pass as I won’t be going anywhere on the day I reach interlaken. I will start on the next day. Let me check as you suggested and I will let you know further.

    Thanks for your help.

    Regards

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    23 March 2017 at 15:16:57 #860303

    much thanks Arno! your suggestion worked!!

    though I want to know is there any problem on route from interlaken to zurich? the one you mention (construction work) I hope not.

    Arno
    Moderator
    15471 posts
    23 March 2017 at 15:24:23 #860304

    Great! I’m not aware of any issues on that route. If you have to catch a flight it’s of course useful to have a bit of slack so you won’t run into a problem if the train is delayed a bit. Delays are not common but they do occur, even in Switzerland.

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    24 March 2017 at 17:02:11 #860305

    what is the ticket price for jungfraujoch from interlaken with swiss travel pass? for how long is it valid?

    Annika
    Moderator
    7104 posts
    25 March 2017 at 16:46:13 #860306

    You’ll need 25% discounted tickets between Grindelwald/Wengen and Jungfraujoch; the first section from Interlaken is free. A link to full fare ticket prices can be found at the bottom of myswissalps.com/jungfr aujoch/tickets.

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