Best travel card for 9 days in May,2 adults 2 kids

Dear Sir,

I will be travelling from Delhi to Zurich on 2nd May and leaving Zurich on 10th May.

I will be with my wife and 2 kids (7 yrs and 13 yrs). I will be visiting Gruyere, Basel, Interlaken, Lucern, and maybe Zermatt.

1) Please suggest the best and most economical travel pass for the whole family. Also consider that I will need to travel to and from Zurich airport.

So should I go for two passes i.e., the swiss travel family pass (8 days continuous) and the swiss transfer ticket, SEPARATELY?

2) Is there some pass which has combi of swiss travel family pass and the swiss transfer ticket (i dont want the swiss half fare card combi with the swiss transfer ticket, as it is not fully discounted like the swiss travel pass)

3) What is the difference between the swiss travel pass and the swiss travel pass flex/flex combi ?

4) Also, will I need to make advance reservations on the trains before I travel between these cities? I know it says that I dont have to except for some high speed trains/night trains/scenic trains ? Please tell me which are considered as night trains and which are the scenic trains ?

Where can I make these advance reservations - online or onsite ?

Sorry for the long post.

Thanks

Sumeet

Hi Sumeet,

1) You first need to have a fixed itinerary. I noticed in your other thread that you're still working on that. Once you have a plan, this page will help you make a choice. Buying two different passes is usually not a good choice.

2) I am not sure what you mean by "i dont want the swiss half fare card combi with the swiss transfer ticket, as it is not fully discounted like the swiss travel pass". Do you prefer a pass that includes most of the traveling for free? In that case you need a Swiss Travel Pass.

3) Please see:

• myswissalps.com/ swisstravelpass
• myswissalps.com/ swisstravelpassflex

4) Apart from two trains, you don't need any advance reservations in Switzerland: myswissalps.com/ train/reservations.

Dear Arno,

what I meant was that besides the swiss travel pass, which I intend to buy, do I need to buy the swiss transfer ticket for travel to and from Zurich Airport ?

I believe the airport transfers are not included in the swiss travel pass.

So in that sense do I need to purchase the two passes separately, or is there a combi pass which includes the swiss travel pass and the swiss transfer ticket ?

Thanks

Hi Sumeet,

A Swiss Travel Pass includes all transfers regardless whether it's to or from an airport. Please see the Swiss Travel Pass page I linked to, and click "Where it's valid" to review the map. You do not need a Swiss Transfer Ticket, unless it's for travel days where you don't have a valid Swiss Travel Pass, and if you plan to travel to a place far from the airport. This is very rare and I don't think it will apply to your plans.

Dear Arno, thanks for the clarification. Please clarify one more issue.

I land in Zurich on 2nd May and leave on 10th May. That means my travel pass validity (for the 8 day pass) starts on 2nd May and ends on 9th May - Am i correct ?

What do I do for the travel on 10th May form Lucerne to Zurich Airport ?

Do I buy a separate transfer ticket or something else.

Please advise the best and economical solution.

SUmeet

Hi Sumeet,

Yes, if you buy an 8-day pass with a start date of May 2, the last day will be May 9. If you don't plan to travel a lot on May 2 you can also choose a start date of May 3, so you can travel from Lucerne to Zurich airport for free on May 10.

Please see www.swissrailways.com/ en for purchase information. They let you select the start date. If you select "Online Ticket" when they present delivery options, you can print the pass at home. You may prefer www.raileurope.co.in/p ass/swiss-travel-pass-82 instead. In that case you can use the promo code for a discount.

On the day your pass is not valid, you can just buy a regular ticket. Or possibly a Supersaver ticket, but those are tied to one train and not refundable, so less convenient.

Dear Arno,

I will be in Zurich on 2nd May for local tours, maybe Rhine falls. Will that entail use of my travel pass ?

If i decide not to use the pass on that day, what will the tricot Rhine falls cost me for 2 adults and 2 children aged 7 and 13 ?

Thanks

Hi Sumeet,

Local tours won't involve much traveling, and the town center of Zurich can even be explored on foot. If you also want to visit museums a ZurichCARD might be handy. The Rhine Falls are an hour out of town so that will cost more, and children will get a 50% discount. You'll find prices in the timetable, and the link in my first post about how to choose a pass explains it too.

Dear Arno,

So as I get it, the Zurich Card is a good option for local Zurich town sightseeing, but it does not cover the Rhine Falls excursion- right ??

PLease suggest what would be more enjoyable for us while in Zurich, the local Zurich city tours or the Rhine falls, since we will have only 1 day i.e., 2nd May in Zurich and I guess we would be able to do only one of the two, leisurely.

We will leave for Broc-fabrique on 3rd May morning.

Thanks

Hi Sumeet,

The ZurichCARD only covers Zurich. Whether it's the best option for you depends on your plans, so please check what's covered through the link. I can't tell you whether you would like the Rhine Falls more than Zurich. That's a matter of personal preferences. The Rhine Fall and Zurich pages may help you make a choice.

Dear Arno,

I started to book my 8 day swiss travel pass on the www.raileurope.co.in website. However, I found a price differential of about 20 CHF per adult (even after discounting the 800 INR promotion) between the prices on this website and the prices on www.swissrailways.com.

Please advise if I can buy the passes on www.swissrailways.com ( and thereby save 40 CHF) for two adult tickets. Also, can I then print the passes at home ?

Thanks

Hi Sumeet,

Sure, you can buy from any of the websites listed on myswissalps.com/ swisstravelpass/ price. Just pick the one that works best for you. In your case you can go to www.swissrailways.com/ en/products/swisspass and select "Online Ticket" when they ask for a delivery option. They will e-mail the passes so you can print them at home.

Thanks Arno, again.

Pls tell where can I buy the Zurich card on arrival at Zurich airport?

Thanks

Hi sumeet,

You can buy it through the link I gave you, with a best price guarantee. I'm not sure if they sell it at the airport, but the tourist office in Zurich will for sure sell it.

Dear Arno,

I could start using the swiss travel pass from 2nd May and do Zurich and Rhine falls in it on 2nd May and use it up until 9th May (8 days). Since the last day of my trip i.e., 10th May will be just a return journey form Lucerne to Zurich airport, do you think I could just buy tickets for this leg ?

What would be a cheaper option ? Buying tickets to Rhine falls or buying train tickets form Lucerne to Zurich Airport ?

I couldn't find a supersaver ticket from Lucerne to Zurich on 10th May. Could you help me with the same ?

Also, what would be the train ticket prices for travel form Lucerne to Zurich Airport for 10thMay for 2 adults and 2 children (7 and 13) ?

Thanks

Dear Sumeet,

You can find prices through the timetable link Arno provided in his 4th post. That page explains how to find prices. Children pay half the adult fare.

Supersaver tickets are not available until 30 days before departure, please see the page Arno linked to. So you may find such a ticket later.

Dear Annika,

Thanks.

I will be in Interlaken from 7th may till 9th May and wish to do Jungfrau, Titlis, Lake Thun, Lake Brienz, and the Brienzer Rothorn at least. Now I will be buying the swiss travel family pass.

I saw the Bernese Oberland pass also (costing 360 CHF for 2 adults). Is it worth buying this pass also, in addition to the swiss travel family pass ?

When i compared the validities and costs of the two cards, I found that only the Brienzer Rothorn was free in the BO pass (it was 50% discounted in the swiss travel pass- savings of 56 CHF for two adults). Both Lakes were free, Jungfrau was 25% discounted in both passes, Titilis was discounted 50% in both and the Golden pass line was also free in both passes. First of all, are my assumptions correct ? And if so, I don't see the usefulness or savings in buying the BO pass in addition to the Swiss travel pass. Please correct me, if I'm wrong.

Tell me, how to get from Interlaken to Engelberg ? will this be discounted on the swiss pass ?

Also how to get from interlaken to Brienz ? will this be discounte din the swiss pas ?

Since there are 3 discounted routes (on the swiss travel pass) from Interlaken Ost upto Jungfrau, "The Swiss Travel Pass is valid on the Interlaken Ost – Grindelwald, Interlaken Ost – Wengen and Interlaken Ost – Mürren routes. You receive a 25% reduction on the Grindelwald – Jungfraujoch or Wengen – Jungfraujoch routes and a 50% reduction on the regular ticket prices for the remaining routes."- Considering this which is the most scenic route upto the Jungfrau included in the swiss travel pass discount ?

Sumeet

Hi Sumeet,

One pass is sufficient in nearly all cases. You can do the math as explained here if you wish. Please see here for what's included in each pass:

• myswissalps.com/ swisstravelpass/ validity
• myswissalps.com/ regionalpassberneseobe rland/ validity

The route to Jungfraujoch is explained here. You can go up via Grindelwald and down via Lauterbrunnen or the other way around. Of course you can also go up and down via the same down but I would recommend the round trip for variety.

Dear Arno and Annika,

<<"I could start using the swiss travel pass from 2nd May and do Zurich and Rhine falls in it on 2nd May and use it up until 9th May (8 days). Since the last day of my trip i.e., 10th May will be just a return journey form Lucerne to Zurich airport, do you think I could just buy tickets for this leg ?">>

It just struck me that if I start using my 8 days swiss travel pass from 2nd May itself and on 9th May return to Zurich from Lucerne, then I would have completed all my journeys within the validity of the pass and would not have to buy return tickets from Lucerne to Zurich on 10th May. (I would save 78 CHF in tickets from Lucerne to Zurich; 56 CHF with the Supersaver option) How's that ??

I could finish my sightseeing in Lucerne and catch a late evening train to Zurich, which is just a 1 hour train journey and land up in Zurich, stay there overnight and leave for the airport next morning to catch my flight at 1245 PM. I would only have to purchase tickets for travel from my hotel to Zurich airport. Is that correct ?

Your thoughts?

Hi sumeet!

Sure, it's a good idea to finish as many of your journeys as possible within the validity range of your Swiss Travel Pass. The short trip from your hotel to Zurich Airport would be inexpensive, or even for free if you pick a hotel with a free hotel transfer. Please find options here. Hotels in downtown Zurich are listed here.