Best pass for 8 days Zurich-Wengen-Bern

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    1 July 2018 at 3:39:01 #816995

    Hello,

    I’m am going to be spending 8 days in Switzerland and I will need travel by train to get from place to place. On my first day I’ll be in Zurich, then on my second day I will need to travel to Wengen. On my fifth day I’ll need to travel to Bern where I plan to stay for three days. While in Bern, I plan to take a day trip to Montreux one day, and to Lucerne another day. And then on my eighth day, I’ll need to travel from Bern back to Zurich.

    Could you tell me what the best travel pass would be for me that would give me the best value for my money? It seems like it would be the Swiss Travel Pass, but I want to make sure I’m not wrong before I buy. I also plan on taking the trams and cable cars.

    Thanks for your help.

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    1 July 2018 at 9:03:35 #889856

    Hi Lttwm15 and welcome to MySwissAlps!

    I agree that the Swiss Travel Pass makes the most sense: https://www.myswissalp s.com/swisstravelpass. Click the “where it’s Valid” tab to see which mountains and routes are covered or discounted.

    However, to know for sure you must do the math to compare ticket costs of every trip you take against a rail pass. Have a look at our page here for help doing that (and a spreadsheet to help with the math): https://www.myswissalp s.com/train/ticketspas ses/practical/choosera ilpass

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    8 July 2018 at 16:41:22 #889857

    Hi Lucas! Thanks for the welcome!

    Even after looking more closely, I still think that the Swiss Travel Pass would be the best deal for me. My only question is does this cover all train carriers? If the route to get to where I’m going requires some stops where I have to change trains and one of the trains is with a different carrier, will the Swiss Travel Pass cover that?

    Also, when I board the trains, is there someone that I show my travel pass to before I get on?

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    9 July 2018 at 5:25:11 #889858

    Hi,

    The train itself (type, owner etc) doesn’t matter. Only the route you are traveling on matters. So all trains on a route from Bern to Montreux are covered for example.

    Click my first link on my first post above and then click the “where it’s valid” tab to find a PDF map showing all routes covered. A few into the mountains are discounted between 25% and 50% only. You’ll also find a list for the most popular mountains and the coverage for them as well.

    No, you just hop on the train with your Swiss Travel Pass (and/or ticket if required) and find a seat. A train conductor will come at some point and ask to see your ticket/pass. You’ll also need your passport on you as well. Click the “How to Use” tab on the Swiss Travel Pass link as well.

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    16 July 2018 at 2:20:44 #889859

    Thank you for your help Lucas.

    Two more questions:

    When I’m in Zurich, do you know what would be the best way for me to get from the airport to my hotel (and from my hotel to the airport) in Zurich? Would I use a tram or some sort of train? My hotel is near Oerlikon station.

    Speaking of trams, is there a map of tram stops for Zurich? Is riding the tram like riding the bus? Anytime I try riding a bus in a big city, I always get confused by the routes and trying to figure out what directions they’re going in, so I’m a bit nervous.

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    16 July 2018 at 7:35:54 #889860

    Hi Lttwm15,

    There is a train from Zurich airport to Oerlikon station (only 1 stop) so that is probably the quickest option for you. You can use the Swiss railways timetable to plan the route: https://www.myswissalp s.com/timetable – you can enter your hotel address as the destination and it will give you bus or trams connections from Oerlikon as well depending on where exactly your hotel is.

    I always like traveling by tram in any city that has them (or subway) as I find them easier to navigate then buses. 🙂

    Have a look through this thread (especially the last 5 posts or so on page 4 – talking about public transit). What applies to buses applies to trams. IE you don’t need to show the driver your ticket or pass just hop on If you have any more questions you can post it here or on that thread. 🙂

    https://www.myswissalp s.com/forum/topic/what -to-avoid-in-switzerland

    You can find fare zones and maps for Zurich here: https://www.zvv.ch/zvv /en/home.html
    If you are using your Swiss Travel Pass on your first day it will cover all trips in town.

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