8 days in Switzerland

Hi,

I will be in Switzerland with my friend for 8 days(19th oct to 25th oct) and need advice in my planning.

18th late night : arrive at Geneva
25th evening : depart from zurich

I am planning to spend 1 or 2 days at the following places:
- Geneva
- lucerne
- Zermatt
- Bern
- Interlaken (2 days)

Can you advise if 8 days Swiss pass is the best option?

Does the regional train take the same route as the Glacier express train?

Hi xiaob,

Yes, an 8-day Swiss Saver Pass for 2 people would fit perfectly. There are indeed regular trains on the Glacier Express route as well (Zermatt - Brig - Andermatt - Chur - St. Moritz). The timetable allows you to find all available trains. All of them can be used with the Swiss Pass.

Purchase options can be found on the Swiss Pass page (fill out your country and travelers to see all available resellers).

Have fun!

Hi,
Thank you for your reply.
I have a few more questions:
1. Does the swiss saver pass include any Rhine cruise for free?
2. Could you kindly suggest a few scenic train routes that I should not miss in Switzerland?
3. Is there any factory outlet shopping in Switzerland? If there is, can I have the directions?

Hello xiaob!

1. Many boat trips on Swiss lakes (such as lake Constance in the north) are for free with a Swiss Pass. Rhine cruises in Germany are not included. Just take a look at the map we link to from the Swiss Pass page for an exact overview of validity.

2. Scenic trips that would fit well in your itinerary are the Golden Pass line (when traveling from Geneva to Lucerne, or between Lucerne and Interlaken) and the Lötschberg Regio Express (when traveling between Interlaken and Zermatt). From Interlaken and Lucerne great cog rail trips can be made. Examples are Rigi near Lucerne and the Jungfraujoch near Interlaken.

3. Information on outlet shopping can be found in this topic and this one.

Hi,

My plan :

Day 1 - Tour Basel and stay at Geneva
Day 2 - Geneva, stay at Interlaken
Day 3 - Interlaken (base here for 3 nights)
Day 4 - Visit Lucern and Bern
Day 5 - Interlaken
Day 6 - Travel to Zermatt
Day 7 - Travel to Lugano
Day 8 : Travel to Zurich airport

1) Can you advise how I should go to Jungfrau and Mt Titlis?

2) Is it too tight to visit Lucern and Bern in the same day?

3) Is Lugano a big town? I intend to spend half a day in Lugano town and the remaining on the train ride to Chur. Is this too tight?

4) Base on my plan, will it be more economical to get a combination of regional pass than swiss 8 days saver pass?

5) Can Euro Global pass(15 days) be used on any rail transportation in Switzerland?

6) Are Euro rail pass holders entitled to the same discount as Swiss pass holders?
(50% discount on most mountain railways and cableways (except the Jungfraujoch: 25% discount)

Thank you.
min

Hello xiaob,

I'll try to answer your questions below:

1) If you enter "Jungfraujoch" or "Kleintitlis" as your destination in the timetable, all options will be shown.

2 & 3) If you settle for a first impression of these towns, it can be done. In that case you would just walk across the town centre, see some highlights, and skip time consuming things like museums, boat trips and guided tours.

4) You'll be traveling all across Switzerland in a fairly short time, so regional passes would not work.

5) It can be used for most, but not all rail transport. Just check the map linked from the Eurail Global page.

6) Eurail provides less discounts than a Swiss Pass: just a few cable cars are covered and no museums for example. All details are on that same map.