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Hi!
We planned our trip earlier this year and now it is coming around quickly I wanted to get our rail tickets sorted and ask a few more questions.
This is our itinerary, I would LOVE some help/clarification to ensure I understand the rail system and that the Swiss Pass will be the best value for our family (2 x adults, 1 child 5 years old)
31/12/19 – Arrive Zurich from Oslo, stay Zurich 2 nights
2/1/20 – Catch train Zurich to Lucerne then take Golden Pass Line to Interlaken. Train to Wengen.
2/1/20 – 5/1/20 – Base in Wengen for 3 nights, day trips and soak up the Alps
5/1/20 – Train from Wengen to Interlaken then continue on Gold Pass Line to Montreux via Zweisimmen & Geneva on to Paris.
Have never had to use rail like this before so feeling a little out of my depth and want to make things as easy as possible (and to know we are on the right track to get where we need to go!!!)
When is the best time for us to purchase our Swiss Pass? And where will we need to get a seperate ticket to take us all the way through to Paris as I know we can’t use the Swiss Pass in France.
Your help is much appreciated!! 🙂
Many thanks,
Bec
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Hi Bec,
yes, the Swiss Travel Pass is good for you and you understand it very well as you cannot use it in France. Learn how to get the cheapest ticket for TGV at http://www.myswissalps.com/tr aintickets/france.
A 4 days Swiss Travel Pass from 2/1/20-5/1/20 would be good for you and get the ZurichCard in Zurich to allow free transportation in the city. More about the transportation in Zurich at http://www.myswissalps.com/zu rich/travel.
You can buy your Swiss Travel Pass online in advance to save time in Zurich: http://www.myswissalps.com/sw isstravelpass/price. Make sure to check the validity map of the Swiss Travel Pass: http://www.myswissalps.com/sw isstravelpass/validity
Seat reservations are not compulsory on the Golden Pass but are recommended on the Zweisimmen to Montreux leg.
Check these too:
Thanks so much for your fast response!
Ok great, sounds like a plan. Are there usually any special deals/discounts coming up over the next couple of months for the Swiss travel pass or is the price the same year round? Do we need to get a ticket for our daughter (5) even though she is free of charge? Would the Swiss travel pass allow us to travel to all main towns we are going to (including Wengen) ??
What would be top 3 must see locations / activities to do as a family around Wengen seeing we have 3 nights there.
Where would we need to purchase a ticket to head on to Paris? Is that Geneva?
Will there be people to help us if we get confused as to where to get on/off?! Little worried as we haven’t ever done a trip like this before! Also; how does it work with luggage? Do we sit with it all or is it stored somewhere else on the train? We will have suitcases with us as we are travelling Europe for 5 weeks.
Does it cost to reserve a spot on golden pass on that last stretch you mentioned? Is there a particular side/spot on the train you would recommend for that part if we were to book our seats in advance? Otherwise is it just first come, first served?
Thanks again for your help! Much appreciated!
You can find the promotions of Swiss Travel Pass here: http://www.myswissalps.com/sw isstravelpass/promotio ns.
Your daughter does not need anything if she is under 6. From 6 to 15 years old to travel along for free with the Swiss Family Card: http://www.myswissalps.com/sw issfamilycard.
Trains, buses, boats and city transport are free with the Swiss Travel Pass. Please study this: http://www.myswissalps.com/sw isstravelpass/validity, make sure to download the validity map, it helps a lot.
As I do not know what you prefer, please browse these pages, to find the attractions best suitable for you: http://www.myswissalps.com/ju ngfrauregion/activitie s and http://www.myswissalps.com/we ngen/activities. Usually the main attractions are Jungfraujoch (http://www.myswissalps.com/ju ngfraujoch) but not just the summit, the train route is beautiful too. Also Schilthorn is one of the top attractions: http://www.myswissalps.com/sc hilthorn. You could have some snow fun too, I do not recommend to ski with a child if you never tried it before, but there are other possibilities too like sledding or tobogganing: http://www.myswissalps.com/ac tivities/snow. And in Interlaken you will find the Ice Magic: http://www.icemagic.ch/winter zauber.
You can buy your TGV tickets here, I suggest to buy in advance to get the best price: http://www.myswissalps.com/tr aintickets/france/pric e. Make sure to read the page I wrote to you in my previous post, it is very useful: http://www.myswissalps.com/tr aintickets/france. 🙂
If you are traveling for 5 weeks in Europe by trains, you should definitely see this rail pass: http://www.myswissalps.com/eu railglobalpass.
You’ll find a very useful guide with a calculation spreadsheet, which helps you to choose a rail pass in 5 steps at http://www.myswissalps.com/tr ain/ticketspasses/prac tical/chooserailpass. The downloadable spreadsheet also includes links to the “Where it’s valid” page for all available passes, be sure to study it carefully. Compare the Swiss Travel Pass and the Eurail Global Pass with the spreadsheet.
If you do not have seat reservations on the Golden Pass, then first comes first serves. You can see the prices of the seat reservation at https://www.happyrail. com/en/pass/europe/swi tzerland/passholder-fares-golden-pass.
Regarding the luggage: http://www.myswissalps.com/tr ain/practical/luggage
I hope I answered all of your questions. I am sure you will have a lovely holiday. Please make sure to study the links above 🙂
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