Swiss pass or Interrail pass?

Short summary – read this first

A traveler is heading to Switzerland this June to visit friends and explore on their own. They need advice on choosing between travel passes for their itinerary, which includes Zurich, Lucerne, Interlaken, Bern, Montreux, and Basel over nine days. They specifically ask if the InterRail pass will be sufficient for their travels or if they need the Swiss Travel Pass instead.

Key takeaways:
  • Consider the Swiss Travel Pass for better coverage on mountain trips, as it includes discounts for cable cars and museums.
  • InterRail is suitable for general train travel, but the Swiss Travel Pass offers additional benefits like buses and city transport discounts.
  • Check out the Swiss Peak Pass if you plan to visit mountains near Interlaken and Montreux for even more savings.
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InfoAI-generated summary
  • Anonymous
    Inactive
    83503 posts
    7 May 2014 at 22:52:21 #806345

    Hey guys,

    I will be traveling to Switzerland this June to visit my friends as well as having sometime to travel alone. However I will need some advice on selecting the passes. I realized that there are 2 different passes. The swiss pass which is relatively more expensive and the interail pass that is relatively cheaper.

    My planned itinerary is

    Day 1 Zurich
    Day 3 Travel from zurich to Lucerne
    Day 5 Travel from Lucerne to Interlaken
    Day 6 Travel from Interlaken to Bern
    Day 7 Travel from Bern to Montreux (subject to change)
    Day 9 Travel from Montreux to Basel (subject to change)

    Can somebody please advise me if I will be able to travel between these places with the inter rail pass? or do I need a swiss flex pass for this. I will also greatly appreciate if you are able to give me some suggestions on my itinerary! Thanks!

  • Annika
    Moderator
    7328 posts
    Reply 1 of 2 • 8 May 2014 at 9:06:37 #839877

    Hi Teng 72,

    Welcome to the site! Well, there are a lot more passes than two, and you can find them here. InterRail is not included in that overview, but it’s more or less similar to the Eurail Passes. The main difference is that Interrail is for European citizens and Eurail for anyone else.

    When comparing the Swiss Pass to Interrail, the main difference is not in the train coverage. All your transfers are covered by both. The Swiss Pass includes much more discounts on mountain trips (cable cars, cogwheel trains, etc.), also includes buses and city transport, and free entrance to museums. That’s why it’s more expensive. The mountain trips are quite expensive, so it helps a lot to get a discount there. Once you have all the details of your trip, you can choose a pass as explained here. See the Swiss Pass page for what’s included, how it works, prices and more. Be sure to take a look at the Swiss Peak Pass as well, as it offers free traveling to several mountains along your route: Brienzer Rothorn and Niesen near Interlaken and Rochers-de-Naye near Montreux.

    Further information and hotel suggestions can be found on the pages of Zurich, Lucerne, Interlaken, Bern, Montreux and Basel.

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    User
    Inactive
    83503 posts
    Reply 2 of 2 • 17 May 2014 at 22:40:12 #839878

    Hi! thanks for the reply! I will be sure the check them out 🙂

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