[KeepMovinOn]

10 May 2018 at 23:49:31 #815882

Hi,

My husband and I will be traveling to France and then on to Switzerland for our 20th anniversary. The majority of the trip will be spent and Switzerland.

Our itinerary:

Paris 3 days (staying with family)

Giessbach Hotel near Brienz 4 days (Rothbern train, boat tour on Lake Brienz, explore Spiez – maybe Beatenberg caves, explore waterfall at hotel one day)

Murren 6 days (hike around the area, visit Lauterbrunnen, Wengen, Gimmelwald, Schilthorn, maybe Grindelwald and/or Kanderstag – lots of cable cars,etc.)

Lucerne 1 day ( check into hotel, see the bridge, old town, lion statue)

Leave from Zurich airport the final day – arrive by train from Lucerne in the early morning

I have been looking at rail passes and the train system for several months on and off now. We do quite a bit of travel, but this is seem like a daunting task.

Given our itinerary (12 travel days in Switzerland in the areas specified), would a Swiss travel pass, Bernese Oberland pass, or half fare card work better?

Would I need to purchase prior to arriving in Switzerland? I have also been confused on how to book the tgv lyria from Paris to Switzerland. There are so many sites to book from and so many different routes. not sure if I should book one of those tickets to basil and then do other trains or if I should take the tgv lyria all the way in to Interlaken if available?

Thank you so much for your help!

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[Removed user]

11 May 2018 at 3:41:46 #884847

Hi KeepMovingOn and welcome to MySwissAlps!

Those 3 rail passes are probably your best bets yes. Either the Swiss Travel Pass or the Regional Pass – Bernese Oberland combined with the Swiss Half Fare Card.

The only way to know for sure which is best for your itinerary is to plan out all your trips and do the math to compare costs. We have a page here on how to choose the best rail pass with a spreadsheet to help with the math.

As for tickets from France to Switzerland (just to Basel if you buy the Swiss Travel Pass) you can buy them online here. Be careful though with the French railway strikes. I might look at a flight instead these days.

[Removed user]

11 May 2018 at 10:27:31 #884848

Hi Dear Lucas, my question similar to TGV train travel from Paris to Lucern but in Nov month is that if i am taking Winter Tell-pass then whether till basel only i need to book ticket and rest journey part be taken care by winter tell pass…!!thank you very much

[Removed user]

11 May 2018 at 13:39:23 #884849

Hi Hansaria,

The Tell Pass does not cover travel around Basel no. You can see the coverage area of the Tell Pass here.
If you aren’t doing much travel the day you arrive in Lucerne I would buy a ticket from Paris right to Lucerne and start the tell Pass the next day.

[Removed user]

11 May 2018 at 14:11:20 #884850

Thank you very much for your reply…..although i will be arriving morning hour and hence, be using tell pass with same day….thank you again for your prompt reply…

[KeepMovinOn]

11 May 2018 at 14:27:55 #884851

Thank you, Lucas.

I had not even thought about the French rail strike and how that might affect travels. I will be in contact with my French family and see what their thoughts are as well.

As for the regional pass or the Swiss travel pass, I will take a look at your link and see if it is easier to figure out. Because of so many cable cars and so many possible trips in the mountains, and the Rothhorn train, it has just been pretty confusing when I have tried to do calculations on other sites. Plus, I noticed that the regional pass is only good for 10 days and I would be traveling 11 and it does not include my travel from the border of Switzerland to Lucerne or Interlaken.Or from Lucerne to Zurich on the last day. That being said, it appears to cover the whole Rothorn train versus only 50% on the swissTravel pass.Just lots to think about and try to calculate.

Is the only thing I’m missing by getting the Swiss travel pass, considering my itinerary, is that I would have to pay 50% of the fare for the Rothhorn train and cable car?

[Removed user]

12 May 2018 at 4:53:32 #884852

Hi KeepMovinOn,

You can see what the Swiss Travel Pass covers here (PDF map and attraction list). Based on your brief comments on your first post (I’m sure you’re doing more things) then yes just Brienzer Rothorn is an extra cost).

You really do have to plan out each day as best you can and then do the math to see. That being said, if you don’t want to do the math and plan out your trip to that extent, just buy a Swiss Travel Pass (15 days maybe) and be done with it. 🙂