[Removed user]

22 June 2013 at 21:34:39 #806102

We’re another family that is totally confused by the various Swiss travel cards. We arrive by car in Zurich on Aug 1st, then plan to take the train from ZRH airport to Muerren where we will spend 3 nights. During our stay in Muerren, we will be visiting “all over” the Bern Oberland region (well, as much as we can cram in as possible, incl. a visit to one or both of the mountain tops). The morning of Aug 4th, we plan to take the train to Venice.

I *think* a 4-day Swiss Pass for my wife and I and a Family Saver Card for our 2 children (ages 13 and 10) is our best bet. Does that sound right? I believe that would cover all of our Swiss travel with the exception of the higher mountain gondolas/trains (where the Swiss Pass would give us 50% off those), correct? Also, I’ve seen reference to a Family Saver Card and a Junior Travelcard. Are those the same thing?

Finally, for the trip to Venice, if we went with the Swiss Pass, I believe we would only pay for the Italian portion of the trip, correct? I’m looking on the SBB.com site and cannot figure out how you would input the Swiss Pass so the Switzerland portion is free.

Thank you for the great site and assistance!

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[Arno]

23 June 2013 at 5:57:40 #839030

Hello brandone, and welcome to MySwissAlps,

Yes, we have lots of YARPQ topics here 🙂 A 4-day Swiss Pass would certainly make sense, especially if you plan to make longer trips during your stay in the Bernese Oberland, if you just appreciate the flexibility of not buying tickets for each trip, or both. There are alternatives such as the Swiss Card and Regional-Pass Bernese Oberland, but the Swiss Pass seems to best match your plans.

I’m not sure which mountain top(s) you’re referring to. There are a lot more than two. You’ll get a 50% discount on about all of them. The Jungfrau is 25% off. Details can be found on the downloadable maps available from the Swiss Pass page.

The free Swiss Family Card allows your children to travel along for free everywhere (trains, boats, mountain trips, etc.). You don’t need Junior travelcards.

The trip to Venice is free until Domodossola (as you can see on the map as well). You need a ticket from Domodossola onwards.

If you let me know your country of residence I can see if there’s a website offering both the pass and the ticket.

[Removed user]

23 June 2013 at 9:00:35 #839031

Hi,

Thanks for the reply and info. We are based in the US.

Thank you!

[Arno]

23 June 2013 at 9:35:04 #839032

Hi brandone,

In that case you can get the Swiss Pass here and the ticket to Italy from the same website here. There is no shipping fee.

As for the ticket to Italy I would recommend to book a ticket from Spiez to Venice. Spiez is where you need to change trains in all cases. Traveling to Spiez can be done by local trains which do not require reservations. That trip is free with your Swiss Pass. From Spiez onwards you can book the tickets, including seat reservations. You can select the Swiss Pass on the ticket booking page I just linked. That will make sure that the Swiss leg (Spiez to Domodossola) is free for you. You will only pay for the remainder of the trip.

[Removed user]

11 July 2013 at 8:22:10 #839033

Hi Amo,

I was able to book the Swiss Passes using the link you provided. With the Spiez to Venice Maestre tickets, however, the link you provided does not find the itinerary we prefer (Spiez to Brig on IC810 and Brig to Venice Maestre on EC37). I do see this route on http://www.sbb.ch. Should I book it there? If so, I don’t see the option to show we have Swiss Passes, just the GA cards and Jr. Travelcards. Also, if I purchase through sbb.ch will they ship to the US? We’re leaving in 2 weeks.

Thank you,

Brandon

[Arno]

11 July 2013 at 11:52:08 #839034

Hi Brandon,

That’s weird, as I do see the connection you mentioned (I filled out August 4 and the Swiss Pass). It departs from Spiez at 8.36 am. Perhaps this was a temporary problem. Can you try again?

On the SBB site you can choose GA in your case. As far as I know the SBB does not ship to the US. The site I mentioned ships in 2-3 days.