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Activating the swiss pass

Short summary – read this first

Salley is planning a trip to Switzerland from August 26 to August 30 with her husband and wants to know how the 4-day Swiss Saver Pass works. She is unsure if the pass activates at the time of first use or at midnight, as they will leave early on the 30th and only have a few hours left that day. She seeks confirmation on the best pass option for their short stay.

Key takeaways:
  • The 4-day Swiss Saver Pass is valid from the day it is activated until midnight of the last day, not in 24-hour blocks.
  • For their itinerary, it's cheaper to buy the 4-day Swiss Saver Pass plus regular tickets for the Lucerne-Zurich transfer instead of a 4-day Flexi Pass.
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InfoAI-generated summary
  • Anonymous
    Inactive
    83524 posts
    6 August 2011 at 4:58:20 #804574

    Hi,

    Is the 4 day swiss pass activated by a time stamp on the first day you use it and then good for 4 days from that point, or is it activated from midnight of the day you use it? The reason I ask is that I will be arriving in Switzerland on August 26, and leaving early on the morning of August 30. I would like to buy a Swiss Saver Pass for myself and my husband. We will actually only be in Switzerland for less than 96 consecutive hours. However, that last few hours is on the 30th. So, if I buy passes and activate them on the 26th, would they be valid for 96 hours, or until midnight of the 29th?

    Thanks,

    Salley

  • Annika
    Moderator
    7342 posts
    Reply 1 of 5 • 6 August 2011 at 7:30:01 #833762

    Hi Salley, and welcome! The validity of the Swiss Pass is measured in dates, not in 24 hour periods. So if you activate your pass on August 26, it will be valid until midnight of August 29. If you don’t have to make a long or expensive train ride on August 30, it doesn’t have to be that expensive to buy regular tickets for that trip. You could also choose to validate your pass on August 27, if you don’t intend to travel a lot on August 26. The timetable allows you to find out about traveling costs, and that may help you decide when to activate your Swiss Pass.

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    User
    Inactive
    83524 posts
    Reply 2 of 5 • 9 August 2011 at 7:30:33 #833763

    Thanks so much for your reply! Can you advise me, then? We arrive in the evening on the 26th into Zurich Airport. We will take the train directly to Interlaken that night. The next morning, the morning of the 27th, we will travel to Gimmelwald. We will stay in Gimmelwald until the 29th, when we will go to Luzern in the morning, stay in Luzern that night, then very early the morning of the 30th (like around 5 a.m.), go back to Zurich to fly out of Switzerland. I originally thought I could buy a Swiss Saver pass, bc it’s technically four days in a row, but it sounds like it won’t be valid. Do you recommend the flexipass instead?

    Yours,

    Salley

    Arno
    Moderator
    15750 posts
    Reply 3 of 5 • 9 August 2011 at 7:51:15 #833764

    Hi Sally,

    The 30th would count as the 5th day and will not be included in a 4-day pass. You can best take a pass from August 26 through 29, and pay for regular tickets for the Luzern – Zurich transfer (CHF 27 per person).

    User
    Inactive
    83524 posts
    Reply 4 of 5 • 9 August 2011 at 19:10:59 #833765

    Hi,

    Thanks so much. You think it’s better to buy a 4 day pass and buy the ticket from Luzern to Zurich, rather than a 4 day flexipass and just not use it on the day we stay in Gimmelwald?

    Thanks,

    Salley

    Annika
    Moderator
    7342 posts
    Reply 5 of 5 • 10 August 2011 at 3:54:34 #833766

    Hi Salley! Yes, a 4 day Swiss Saver Pass plus two regular tickets Lucerne-Zurich is cheaper than a 4 day Swiss Saver Flexi Pass, so that’s your best option.

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