A week in Switzerland - rail pass advice?

hi guys, I need some advice about which rail pass to get. We plan to travel mainly by rail:

Basel airport- Bern ( can't seem to find ticket for this trip?)

Bern - Lucerne return day trip

Bern to Interlarken andup to Junfraubahn

around Grindlewald area and up the chairlift to First

on to Milan

what is the best rail pass to get or is it better to get point to point tickets on the go?

thanks heaps

Hi getalife8, welcome to MySwissAlps,

Point to point tickets are for sure the most expensive option. A Swiss Half Fare Card will save you money. An 8-day Swiss Travel Pass may also suit your plans, depending on the further details of your plan (e.g. what will you do in Lucerne?) and whether you prefer ticketless traveling.

Details can be found here:

• myswissalps.com/ swisshalffarecard
• myswissalps.com/ swisstravelpass
• myswissalps.com/ train/ticketspasses/ practical/chooserailpa ss

You will need a ticket with included seat reservation for your trip to Milan: myswissalps.com/ traintickets/italy. Note that the Swiss Travel Pass will cover the trip to the border (Domodossola), and the Swiss Half Fare Card gets you a 50% discount on that leg.

A Basel to Bern tickets, and basically all tickets for trips within Switzerland, do not need to be purchased in advance. You can if you want to though: myswissalps.com/ traintickets/switzerla nd/ price. With a Swiss Travel Pass you do not need tickets at all for trains, boats, buses and museums.

thanks so much, will check it out and see which best suits our needs. I think a travel pass might suit us best as the trip to Lucerne, the lake and Mt Rigi look amazing. Can we do that as a a day trip from Bern?? and I think the pass will include the boat and cogwheel train up to Mt Rigi?

Also, My husband has a UK passpport - an he get the Interail Switzerland pass?

and one more question - With the Basel airport to Bern tickets, where do I find out about that? I t might be better not to book ahead id case our plane arrives later than expected.

Thank you so much!

Yes, you can certainly visit Mount Rigi from Bern, and all transportation is indeed free with a Swiss Travel Pass: myswissalps.com/ swisstravelpass/ validity.

Your husband can get an Interrail Switzerland Pass, but it does not include as much as a Swiss Travel Pass. No free trip up to Mount Rigi, for example. All details are here: myswissalps.com/ interrailswitzerland pass.

Ticket prices can be found through the timetable page (be sure to read the instructions before using it), but it won't be relevant for Basel to Bern: both passes you mentioned include that train ride for free, so you don't need tickets. Note: Interrail passes do not include buses from the airport to the train station in Basel.