Best Swiss travel pass for large family for 5 days

  • Nabilah_rahm
    Participant
    5 posts
    25 May 2022 at 8:42:33 #827296

    Dear Arnold and Annika,

    I am Nabilah, I am travelling to Switzerland on Mid June for 5 days with my family ( 2 adults + 4 kids – age 12 – 4 years old )

    We are from Germany and will be arriving at Zurich via train .We have booked our accommodation for 4 nights at Lucerne. we would like to have more sight seeing , a bit not so vigorous activities with the kids. Mainly to enjoy the nature and the sceneries. we are not planning to climb up all the mountains. 1 0r 2 cable car trips is adequate for us . We are not keen to go for the museum tour. We are mainly plan to travel by public transports ( train and buses)

    This is our preliminary itinerary plans :

    Day 1 ( monday )

    – arrive at Zurich around 11 am , directly taking transport ( bus or train? ) to Lucerne

    – Around 3 pm : check in accommodation , get some rest and explore the area near accommodation and buy some groceries

    Day 2 ( tues)

    – explore Lucerne – Mount Rigi or Mount Tigris or Pilates , Lake Cruise , explore the Lucerne City

    Day 3 ( Wed )

    – Headed to Interlaken + Jungfrough + Lauternbrunnen

    * is it to packed to cover all these 3 areas in 1 day ? we are planning to headed back to Lucerne by 4 pm

    Day 4 ( Thurs)

    KIV – Lauternbrunnen or KIV – Zermatt or KIV Bern

    we are planning to headed back to Lucerne by 4 pm

    Day 5 ( friday )

    – Headed to Zurich

    – Morning : explore Zurich – Rhine Falls ( a must )

    – around 3-4 pm : headed home to Germany .

    *********I would like some input on :

    i. Is this itinerary is doable or too pack for family with small kids ?

    ii. what is the best options for day 4 itinerary?

    iii. The best/ cheapest train route/pass for each places :

    – Zurich – Lucerne ?

    – Lucern – Interlaken ?

    – Interlaken – Lauternbrunnen =?

    – Lucern – Zermatt/Bern ?

    iv. What is the best options of travel pass that we should get ? is swiss family pass a must for us ?

    I really hope to get some help and input from you. This is our 1st time travelling outside Germany .

    Best Loves / Regards ,

    Nabilah

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    Removed user
    Participant
    72625 posts
    25 May 2022 at 9:02:38 #942297

    Hi Nabilahand welcome to MySwissAlps.com!

    Children under 5.99 years old are traveling for free – everywhere. For the older kids, you can get the Swiss Family Card for free (http://www.myswissalps.com/swissfamilycard), if you, the adults are having the Swiss Travel Pass or Swiss Half Fare Card. The children travel for free then with the Swiss Family Card.

    In your case I recommend the Swiss Travel Pass (6 days): http://www.myswissalps.com/swisstravelpass. With that you travel for free by busses, trains, city transport and even boats. Mountain transport is discounted with that pass, see the validity map here: http://www.myswissalps.com/swisstravelpass/validity.

    Regarding your itinerary, I do not know your children, but I think your itinerary is doable. I can recommend Pilatus, do the Golden tour (see the ‘The route’ part): http://www.myswissalps.com/pilatus/gettingthere.

    There is a great playground at the first middle station by cable car, called Pilu-Land (free) and also at 2. middle station (by cable car) you’ll find an adventure park (paid) and a summer toboggan (paid).

    For the timetable please have a look at eth SBB timetable, if you are not familiar with it, start here: http://www.myswissalps.com/timetable.

    For recommended accommodation in Lucerne, please have a look at http://www.myswissalps.com/lucerne/hotels and http://www.myswissalps.com/lucerne/rentals.

    I hope I’ve answered all of your questions,

    Ildiko

    More about the Lake Lucerne region: http://www.myswissalps.com/lakelucerne

    Shroffchetan
    Participant
    255 posts
    25 May 2022 at 12:38:53 #942298

    Day 1 and 2 are good. I prefer Mt Titlis over Mt Pilatus

    Since you have kids, Swiss Transport Museum will be a fun

    I would suggest if you spend day 1, 2, 3 in Lucerne and only day 4 in Bernese Oberland area. We stayed in Interlaken and tried to cover Mt Titlis. It becomes a very long day. Jungfraujoch from Lucerne is doable but it will be very long day. Personally Jungfraujoch is very crowded and expensive. You can spend time in Lauterbrunnen valley and visit Schilthorn. Pl note that these are my personal choices

    You can have 6 days Swiss Travel Pass so travel will be a lot comfortable and your Zurich plan looks good

    Cheers

    Chetan

    Removed user
    Participant
    72625 posts
    25 May 2022 at 13:41:11 #942299

    Hi there,

    I agree with Chetan, the Swiss Transport Museum is amazing. My kids love it. We’ve been there for the first time when they were maybe 3 and 6 years old and last time they were 5 and 7 and it was an amazing experiene every time. It is huge, so allow a couple of hours to visit it.

    Having a second think about it, Jungfraujoch might be too far from Lucerne with kids. It takes 3,5 hrs and 3-4 changes (one way) to get there (minimum). The route itself is very beautiful, although I am not sure how much your kids would enjoy it. See the timetable for the details.

    Ildiko

    Nabilah_rahm
    Participant
    5 posts
    25 May 2022 at 14:38:48 #942300

    Thank you so much Ildiko and Cheetan ,

    I really appreciate the input, tips and infos.

    We are considering the Transport Museum . Thank you so much for the suggestion.

    May I know regarding the cheapest and suitable travel pass recommendation for us – covering all the through & fro : transport , 1 museum visit , 1 lake boat ride , 1-2 cable car ride ? What is your suggestions and your reccomendations ?

    Removed user
    Participant
    72625 posts
    26 May 2022 at 6:57:39 #942301

    Hi Nabilah rahm,

    as I mentioned, I recommend the Swiss Family Card for your children, who are older than 6 years old. For the adults I recommend the Swiss Travel Pass.

    With the Swiss Travel Pass you travel for free between cities, mountain transport is discounted by 50% (there are a few exceptions, please visit the validity map), also you get discounts on many museums (list can be found here), and the boat rides are for free.

    I hope this helps,

    Ildiko

    Nabilah_rahm
    Participant
    5 posts
    30 May 2022 at 8:41:45 #942302

    Dear Ildiko and team ,

    Thank you so much on your information and reply . It really help us a lot in our planning . I really appreciate your feedback .

    We are getting the Swiss full pass ticket + family card for our kids. After a few calculations – yes it is true : it is the best option. Thanks again on your tips and guidance.

    We have rearrange our itinerary. We would like to make full usage of our Full Swiss travel pass as much as possible, at the same time can accommodate our 4 kids.

    This is our revised itinerary, Hope to have some opinion and advise from the experts : ( 2 adults + 4 kids – age 12-4 year old )

    Accommodation 4 days at Lucerne ( Already Booked )

    Day1 :Zurich – Travel around Zurich + FIFA Museum + KIV Rhines Falls

    Day 2 : Morning – Mount Rigi , Evening : Tour around Lucerne City ( KIV Transport Museum : Question : Does Transport Museum Covered with Full Swiss Travel Pass ? )

    Day 3 : Lucern —> Lautebrunnen + Schiltorn

    – Question : Is transport to James Bond Peak at Schiltorn is covered by Full Swiss Travel Pass ? Murren –> Schilthorn ?

    Day 4 : Golden Pass line – Lucerne –> Montreux

    Question : Is it possible to travel using Golden Pass Line travelling from Lucerne to Montreux and return back to Lucerne on the same day ? I have review the time table , if get on train from Lucerne at 7.00 am , can arrive at Montreux at 1 pm , and return to Lucerne from Montruex using train 1.50 pm ? is it advisable / possible to travel like this with 4 kids ?? 🙂 any experience from the experts ?

    Day 5 : Lucerne city – back to Zurich – Afternoon : Train to Germany

    Really hope to have some opinion from the experts here regarding our itinerary, and ways to maximized the usage of our Swiss Pass. Thank You So much .

    Sincerely ,

    Nabilah

    Shroffchetan
    Participant
    255 posts
    30 May 2022 at 15:57:04 #942303

    You get 50% off with Swiss travel pass on schilthorn and transport museum

    Lucerne to Montreux will be very long trip. It is better to spend entire day in Swiss transport museum. It is a fun activity for kids

    Anna
    Moderator
    6274 posts
    30 May 2022 at 17:07:17 #942304

    Hi Nabilah,

    Travelling on the Golden Pass from Lucerne to Montreux would be a great experience for the kids indeed. For the return journey, why not take the fast train instead of the Golden Pass and you’ll save at least 2 hours. The route would be Montreux – Lausanne – Lucerne (about 2.5 hours). Perhaps then you can spend a bit of time exploring Montreux.

    Regards,

    Anna

    Nabilah_rahm
    Participant
    5 posts
    31 May 2022 at 9:26:46 #942305

    Dear Anna & Ildiko & Team ,

    Thank your very much on your suggestions and reply . It really help us a lot on our planning .

    I have a few other questions :

    1. Does Speed Train – IR : from Montruex -> Lausanne –> Lucern : is fully covered with Full Swiss Pass ? Any reservation needed ?

    2. In Golden Pass Train : can we have light meals ( eg : sandwich/wraps ) that we bring from home ?

    Thank you for feedback.

    Sincerely ,

    Nabilah

    Anna
    Moderator
    6274 posts
    31 May 2022 at 9:52:47 #942306

    Hi Nabilah,

    The Swiss Travel Pass is valid on all public transport in Switzerland: https://www.myswissalps.com/swisstravelpass/validity. So yes, you can use it on the IR train from Montreux to Lucerne via Lausanne. There is no need to book your seats. http://www.myswissalps.com/train/reservations

    And yes, you’re allowed to consume food on the train, even on the Golden Pass.

    Regards,

    Anna

    Nabilah_rahm
    Participant
    5 posts
    11 June 2022 at 14:39:35 #942307

    Thank you so much everyone .. I really appreciate all the advices and tips.. It really helps me a lot on my planning .\

    I have a few other questions .

    1. Is Cable car trip to Wirzweli is covered by Swiss Travel Pass ?

    2. Is there any luggage storage services at Stansenhorn – Wizwerli ?

    Thank you so much on all your tips and advices.

    I really much appreciate it.

    Sincerely

    Nabiela

    Anna
    Moderator
    6274 posts
    11 June 2022 at 20:47:46 #942308

    Hi Nabiela,

    With the Swiss Travel Pass, you only need to pay half-price for the cable car trip to Wirzweli.

    There are no luggage lockers at Stans train station but you can deposit your luggage at the sales office during opening hours.

    Are you planning to hike from Stanserhorn to Wirzweli? You can find more information about Stanserhorn here: http://www.myswissalps.com/stanserhorn

    Hope this helps.

    Regards,

    Anna

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