Swiss regional passes for public transport, mountain lifts
A traveler recently visited the Upper Engadin and enjoyed their stay at the Station Hotel, which offered free transportation passes and a big breakfast. They are looking for similar offers in other Swiss regions, especially after their experience in the Bernese Oberland where the value wasn't as significant as in the Engadin.
- Look for hotels offering inclusive transportation passes, especially in the Upper Engadin for a great value.
- The Ticino ticket is another good option for travelers, providing access to public transport when staying in that region.
- The Regional Pass Bernese Oberland is a worthwhile investment but may not match the benefits seen in the Engadin.
- Consider exploring Locarno for hiking as it offers a different vibe and many scenic trails.
AI-generated summary-
We were recently in the Upper Engadin. We stayed at the fabulous (for us) Station Hotel. We got “free” for the price of our very nice room passes to all transportation in the region. And an enormous breakfast. Loved it in part because the weather was iffy on some days but we still felt we could use the lifts (might not have if we had to pay for them each and every time). Highly recommend Pontresina and the hotel; we were hiking and that is all we wanted to do.
So. Where else in Switzerland has such a generous offer? We were in the Bernese Oberland and bought the pass there; again a good investment but not the same as what we found in Pontresina.
Thank you
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Hi Mattiedog,
Great tips. Thanks for sharing. Did you get the Regional Pass Bernese Oberland for your trip in Berner Oberland?
There’s also the Tell Pass if you’re travelling mainly in Central Switzerland: http://www.myswissalps.com/travel-ticket/tell-pass-summer/
Information about Swiss railpasses and regional passes are available here: https://www.myswissalps.com/travel/tickets/
Regards,
Anna
We had the Regional Bernese Oberland pass, yes, and it was a great investment. Nice to not have to discuss “should we take this lift or not” … we had already paid for our pass so we did. It was a good value. Not as good as the Upper Engadin but certainly worth the investment.
Hi Mattiedog,
Glad you got to enjoy beautiful the beautiful Engadine and the Bernese Oberland! Yes, the free travel provided by many hotels with the “Mountain railways inclusive” in summer/spring, and “Sleep + Ski” in fall/winter, is a great offer. It’s quite exceptional though, and not easily found in other Swiss regions.
Most Swiss regional rail passes require additional payment, as you’ll see through Anna’s link. The one that most resembles the Engadine hotel offer would be the Ticino ticket: https://www.myswissalps.com/travel-ticket/ticino-ticket/.
Hi Mattiedog
we have used both the Upper Engadine pass and the Ticino ticket Annika mentions. Both were provided for “free” by the local hotels. We used the Ticino pass while staying in Locarno and it covered most of the public transportation in the area including train trips within 3 or 4 stops of Locarno. Locarno and Lugano are Swiss towns very near the Italian border and have a very different feel from other parts of Switzerland, which we found interesting. Like you we are mostly interested in hiking and there were many good day hikes with scenic views. We combined our stay in Locarno with hiking in the Italian Dolomites which begins at Bolzano just over the border. The hiking in Ticino and Dolomites regions is a quite different feel than that of the Engadine or BO regions. We flew in and out of Milan which is very convenient to both regions. Included are a couple of photos taken on hikes near Locarno.
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