[Removed user]

8 January 2015 at 12:29:41 #806793

Hi,

My parents and I are going to be in Switzerland for 10 days in September 2015. Having never been to Switzerland before I’d value any advice on my proposed itinerary below. (Just so you know, my parents are in their late 60s and we won’t be doing anything too adventurous – including any hiking excursions!). For example, is it worth spending two nights and 1.5 days at St Moritz? Or could that time be better sent elsewhere (eg. just a few hours in St Moritz and more time around the Interlaken area or a day down in Lausanne?)

I also have a couple of questions about the Swiss Pass:

1) Looking at the proposed train travel in the itinerary, would there be a significant difference between the 1st and 2nd class tickets (apart from price!)?
2) If we did buy 2nd class tickets, is it possible to upgrade them to 1st class for the Glacier Express leg for example?
3) There doesn’t appear to be any senior discounts – is that correct?

DAY 1 – Fly into Zurich in afternoon and direct train from airport to Lucerne. Overnight in Lucerne
DAY 2 – Day in Lucerne. Overnight in Lucerne.
DAY 3 – Golden Pass Train from Lucerne to Interlaken in morning. Day in Interlaken. Overnight in Interlaken
DAY 4 – Day trip to Jungfrau. Overnight in Interlaken.
DAY 5 – Train from Interlaken to Zermatt. Overnight in Zermatt
DAY 6 – Day in Zermatt. Overnight in Zermatt.
DAY 7 – Glacier Express from Zermatt to St Moritz. Overnight in St Moritz
DAY 8 – Day in St Moritz. Overnight in St Moritz.
DAY 9 – Train from St Moritz to Zurich. Overnight in Zurich
DAY 10 – Day in Zurich and fly out in evening.

Any advice you have would be very welcome! Thanks!

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[Removed user]

8 January 2015 at 12:36:45 #841501

One other question – given that there will be days when we won’t be using the Swiss Pass for train travel (eg. full days staying in one place) would it be more economical for us to go with a different option than the continuous Swiss Pass? Or will be still be using it enough to warrant it (eg. Jungfrau day, the occasional boat trip)?

[Annika]

9 January 2015 at 9:19:33 #841502

Welcome to MySwissAlps, DaniT!

I think you’ve composed a great itinerary. It includes some of Switzerland’s most beautiful regions and wonderful scenic train trips. It is a bit hectic though, since quite some long train journeys are involved, and the time to explore the town or region you’re staying in is limited. If you check traveling times in the timetable and find that the journeys are too long, you should focus on just one or two regions instead. But if you like train traveling and want to get a good impression of several Swiss regions, you should definitely stick to this plan. Of course many variations are possible, but you simply can’t see all of Switzerland in 10 days. And I wouldn’t add more traveling time to this schedule if I were you, e.g. to visit Lausanne as well.

Assuming your itinerary roughly stays the way is it now, I would advise to consider an 8 day Swiss Travel Pass for day 2-9. The first trip from Zurich to Lucerne is rather short and inexpensive. The last day spent in Zurich doesn’t involve expensive traveling either. The 8 day Swiss Travel Pass would be convenient and would cover the transfers you mention. I assume you also plan to make some day trips from Lucerne and Zermatt. In that case, the Swiss Travel Pass will also provide free traveling (on trains, boats and buses) or provide a discount (mountain trains, cable cars). You’ll be flexible too, which can come in handy during the days you spend in Lucerne, Interlaken or Zermatt: if weather over there is bad, you may want to travel elsewhere instead. If you want to make sure you pick the cheapest option, you should make calculations as explained here.

As for your further questions:

1) The difference between 1st and 2nd class is explained here. September isn’t tourist high season anymore, so you shouldn’t expect very full trains.

2) Yes, you can buy an upgrade ticket for 1st class if you have a 2nd class Swiss Travel Pass.

3) You’re right, there are no senior discounts.

I hope this helps you to make further decisions!