[Removed user]

6 October 2014 at 19:38:43 #806678

Hello,

My husband and I (and baby) will be staying a week in Spiez from the 24th to 31st of October. We will be arriving from Basel and After this we wish to go to Venice.

I haven’t yet decided which rail pass will be best for us. We plan to do a few day trips to places like Schilthorn, Grindelwald, Bern, Thun and perhaps Kanderstag (or even Gruyeres). It all depends on the weather really.

So at this stage I’m thinking either a Swiss Pass, Swiss Card or the Bernese Oberland Regional Pass. Do you have any suggestions?

Whichever pass we end up getting, how would I go about booking the train to Venice? I know only the Spiez to Dommodossola portion would be included with the Swiss pass, but how do I actually make this booking so that it includes the free portion?

thank you

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[Arno]

7 October 2014 at 7:13:06 #841198

Hi Bilby88,

An 8-day Swiss Saver Pass is the best option. A Swiss Card is not worth it because your inbound and outbound trips are not long enough to justify buying this card. The Regional-Pass Bernese Oberland does not include trips as far as Gruyères, nor does it include the fast route to Italy you’ll need on your way to Venice.

Indeed the leg from Spiez to Domodossola is free with a Swiss Pass. This is what you need to book the trip to Venice:

1. Go to http://www.raileurope.com.au/ book-now/article/book-a-point-to-point-ticket?re_reservation=yes and book seats for the leg Spiez to Milan. Select “Swiss Pass” under “Name of pass”. Do not book all the way to Venice, as this won’t show you all the available connections.
2. Go to http://www.raileurope.com.au/ train/italian-high-speed-trains-7264 and book Milan to Venice.
3. You can also get your Swiss Pass from the same site: http://www.raileurope.com.au/ pass/swiss-pass-7314.
4. Before you pay for all of the above (it’s one order, not separate ones), be sure to check if you qualify for a discount: http://www.myswissalps.com/fo rum/topic/rail-europe-promo-codes-2014

Please be careful when taking a baby to high peaks such as the Schilthorn. More information is here: http://www.myswissalps.com/sc hilthorn.

Enjoy your stay!

[Removed user]

8 October 2014 at 19:22:47 #841199

Hi Arno,

thanks for your helpful reply. A Swiss Pass would be great but I’m having trouble justifying the cost of it! So now leaning towards the Half Fare Card.

That’s a good point about the altitude of Schilthorn and taking a baby. Do you know if it would be possible to take the cable car as far as Murren or Birg, and then my husband and I could take turns going up to the Schilthorn summit? That way we both get to go up but the baby doesn’t. Do you know what the altitude is at Birg? Or how long it takes from there to the top?

[Arno]

9 October 2014 at 6:31:37 #841200

Hi Bilby88,

This guide explains how to compare passes (be sure to get the full regular price from the timetable, as explained here). If the Swiss Half Fare Card turns out cheaper you should of course pick that one. If there’s hardly any difference I would pick the Swiss Pass for it’s ease of use (not buying tickets for each trip, and the option of free additional trips).

You’d better check with your general practitioner whether the altitude could be harmful for your baby. Short stays are usually no problem, but you need to be sure. And it would be a shame to take turns going up if it’s not necessary to do so. Birg is almost 2800 m, still quite high. The cable car rides just take minutes. Mürren to Birg to Schilthorn is about 15 minutes. You can get tickets to any station.