[Removed user]

3 May 2013 at 3:34:18 #805949

Hi Sir,

I will be going to Switzerland from 5 June to 14 June 2013 with my partner. We will arrive in Zurich and then travel to Lucerne (3 days), Interlaken (3days), Zermatt (2 days) and back to Zurich before flying off. I have been reading a lot on the Swiss Pass, Swiss Card and the Flexi Pass. The more I read the more confused I get.

Essentially we will be travelling around those few cities I mentioned above and also visit the mountains nearby such as Jungfraujoch, Titlis, Matterhorn, Piz Gloria etc or the little towns /villages nearby depending on the time we have. Obviously we will be using the various modes of transportation available to get to those places throughout our stay there. I reckon I would be taking at least one mode of transportation on each day of my stay there be it just train or tram or bus or ski lift or gondola or cogwheel etc.

I have read almost everything that there is to read and comments by various travellers on the internet on the 3 types of different passes available and I am still confused. Which would be the best card for us in terms of savings based on my current itinerary ?

It is my 1st trip back to Switzerland after 20 years !

Your help and advice will be much appreciated.

Thank you very much
Patrick, KL

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[Annika]

3 May 2013 at 12:12:51 #838518

Welcome Patrick! Don’t worry, you’re not the only one struggling to find the right rail pass. It’s quite complex indeed. First of all, there’s the financial aspect. The only way to know for sure which pass is most economical, is to make an exact list of each trip you have in mind and then calculate which pass turns out to be the cheapest option. If you want to be sure for your specific trip, that would be the way to go. It’s not always doable to make such an exact travel scheme in advance though, nor is it very realistic as you ‘may want to adapt your plans due to the weather or other circumstances while you’re there. So you’ll have take other criteria (such as convenience) into account as well.

Having said that: in your case, I think you should consider a Swiss Saver Flexi Pass. You’d use free travel days for your first trip from Zurich to Lucerne, for the last trip back to Zurich, and for some other days in between on which you plan to make the longest and thus most expensive journeys. These would definitely include the trip to Zermatt. Most journeys on the remaning days will be discounted by 50%. This option fits your travel scheme best. One further tip: if you use a free travel day during your stay in Lucerne, make the trip up to the Rigi; it will be entirely for free.

I hope this helps you out a bit!

[Removed user]

3 May 2013 at 22:19:49 #838519

Hi Annika

Your reply has been most helpful and managed to clear my doubts. I now understand how it works based on your explanation. Thanks so much for your reply and really appreciate it.

Regards
Patrick KL