Start in Zurich or Geneva ?
Joe has planned a vacation starting in Zurich, staying 3 nights, then taking the Glacier Express to Zermatt for 2 nights, followed by 3 nights in Geneva before heading to Paris. He is considering whether to start in Geneva instead of Zurich and wants to know if a Swiss Travel Pass is worth it.
- Consider starting your trip in Lucerne and Montreux for better access to the mountains and day trips.
- A Swiss Travel Pass can save you money, especially if you plan to see cable cars and local trains.
- Avoid high fees on the Glacier Express by taking local trains to see more scenery and save on costs.
AI-generated summary-
Hi,I have planned a vacation as follows:
Start in Zurich ,stay 3 nights
.Take train to Chur where I change to glacier express to Zermatt.
Stay 2 nights in Zurmatt.
Take train to Geneva.Stay 3 nights in Geneva.
Take train to Paris.
Questions:Is it better to start the vacation in Geneva?
Does it make sense to buy a Swiss pass?
Thanks
joe
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Hi Joe,
Unless you have specific reasons to stay in Zurich and Geneva, I would recommend to stay in Lucerne and Montreux instead. These towns are smaller and closer to the mountains, and thus a better base for day trips. For more information about all these towns, please visit our town pages.
A Swiss Travel Pass makes sense. Possibly one of the other passes fit your plans as well, but you need a detailed travel plan (including day trips) in order to decide. This page explains exactly how it works.
Ending your trip near Lake Geneva (either Geneva, Montreux or another town) is fine as you can easily travel to Paris from there. But there are direct trains from Zurich as well, so either is ok. For tips about TGV tickets, please look here.
Hopefully the links help you out. If any questions remain, feel free to post back here!
Annika
Hi Annika,
I will take your advice and stay In Lucerne and Montreaux.
so as of now I will fly to Zurich and take train to Lucerne and stay 3 nights there.
From Lucerne we take a local train to Zermatt via Andermatt (this way we avoid the high fees from Glacier express?)
Stay in Zermatt for 2 nights
take train to Montreaux and stay there 3 nights.
take train to Geneva or Lausanne and from there go to Paris by train.
the Swiss passes seem pricey,using the regular trains without a pass adds a lot to the listed travels ?
Thanks.
joe
Hi Joe,
If it fits time wise I recommend to travel from Lucerne to Chur and pick up the Glacier Express route there, either using the official train or take the local ones (saving a CHF 33 reservation fee). That way you’ll see much more of the route.
If you don’t have any pass, cable car tickets will be quite expensive. You should definitely include a few cable cars in your plans to enjoy the wonderful views from the peaks. A Swiss Half Fare Card saves money on almost any itinerary, but to be 100% sure, you need to do the math as explained on the page Annika linked to. Either a Swiss Half Fare Card or a Swiss Travel Pass will be the cheapest option I think.
Arno
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