[raphel]

6 November 2016 at 12:59:09 #810325

Hi,

I’m a Singaporean in Basel for 3 weeks and am planning for visits to Interlaken, Munich, Paris, Strassbourg, Mt Pilatus during weekends. What kind of train tickets would be most economical for me? Can I simply buy DB train tickets and expect to be able to reach these places? Or do I have to buy Eurail tickets? Do I have to buy in advance and can I get DB or Eurail tickets at e.g. Basel Bad Bahnhof?

Sorry for the many questions. I’m really quite confused with the train system in Europe.

Thanks for any kind guidance.

[Annika]

7 November 2016 at 10:25:48 #856972

Hi raphel, thanks for joining us!

Tickets for quite some of your journeys can simply be bought at the Basel railway station before boarding, without the need to book in advance or make seat reservations. This especially goes for your trips within Switzerland. You can simply buy a ticket and board any train: myswissalps.com/train/ practical/howtotravel.

Long distance trains to Germany and Paris mostly do need reservations. The timetable shows whether or not reservations are compulsory. You can either arrange for them at the Basel railway station or online in advance. “Eurail” is just the name of a company offering passes and tickets for train traveling in Europe, but there are many more retailers and options. Please find the retailers appropriate for your country of residence through the below pages:

• myswissalps.com/traint ickets/germany
• myswissalps.com/traint ickets/france

As for what’s the cheapest option: that really depends on your finalized list of travel plans. An explanation on how to calculate your options can be found here. I suspect a Eurail pass to be too expensive as you’ll only be making a couple of weekend trips. For your trips in Switzerland, a Swiss Half Fare Card will probably be worth your money.

Does this get you started?

[AlanPrice]

7 November 2016 at 18:17:14 #856973

Hi.

Something to keep in mind, Basel has 2 railway stations, the Basel SBB (Also known as the Basel Centralbahnhof) and the smaller Badischer Bahnhof. You can get to most destinations from both stations, but they can take different routes. You will have to consult the SBB timetable to work out which is best for you.

Cheers.