The right pass for 4 days Geneva - Bern - Basel?

Hi,

Firstly, thank you for all the great information in the forum. I find them very useful especially when I am now finalising my trip to Switzerland in August.

However, I would really appreciate if you would be able to give me some advise based on my itinerary below. I am considering of getting 4 days Swiss Travel Pass as it seems more convenient. But if I calculate the individual route and considering that I need to pay for Jungfrauch separately, getting the Travel Pass seems more expensive.

Day 1: Geneva - Bern (Arrival in Geneva and heading to Bern as the base town)

Day 2: Bern - Jungfrauch - Bern (Day trip in Jungfrauch. The route that I am considering are Bern - Interlaken OST - Lauterbrunne - Kleine Scheidegg - Jungfraujoch - Kleine Scheidegg - Grindelwald - Interlaken OST - Bern. May I know which route is covered by the Swiss Travel Pass and which route I will need to pay separately? Alternatively, is there any suggestions on the route that can utilise the Swiss Travel Pass and save more costs?)

Day 3: Bern - Lucerne - Bern (I am considering the Golden Pass route of which I believe is free under the Swiss Travel Pass, am I right?)

Day 4: Bern - Basel

Thank you in advance for your reply.

Hi Xsunny, welcome to MySwissAlps!

Glad to hear MySwissAlps has been useful so far. I'm not sure how you've made your calcatulations; did you follow these instructions?

In any case, a 4 day Swiss Travel Pass is definitely cheaper than regular full fare tickets for your itinerary. I just did a quick calculation and came up with a price difference of about CHF 80,- per person for 2nd class traveling in favour of the Swiss Travel Pass option. The pass will grant free traveling on pretty much all routes you've mentioned. The only exception is the leg Wengen/Grindelwald-Jungfraujoch (not Jungfrauch ;-)) which is 25% discounted. Such details can be verified through www.myswissalps.com/sw isstravelpass/validity and the "Tickets" tabs of our attraction pages, e.g. www.myswissalps.com/ju ngfraujoch/tickets and www.myswissalps.com/go ldenpass/tickets.

You'd best get your pass online in advance through one of the retailers listed at www.myswissalps.com/sw isstravelpass/price. The easiest option would be www.swissrailways.com/ en, which allows you to select an online print at home pass (no additional shipping or handling costs) once you've filled out your address.

Hi Annika,

Thank you very much for the fast response.

I did try using the excel file to do my calculations but perhaps I missed out certain route that resulted in a different calculations.

I will give it a try again based on the links that you have now provided.

I am actually considering whether to make Interlaken or Bern as the base town (I have yet to finalise my accommodation). Apart from the train costs, I want to also consider the convenience and the time. If based on my itinerary, which town would be a preferred choice? Can you kindly advise?

Thank you in advance.

Hi Xsunny,

Calculating pass options is a challenging task indeed. Each and every detail matters. Were you aware that prices displayed in the timetable are 50% discounted by default, and that you'll manually have to select non-reduced fares in order to see what you'd pay without a pass? And, another example: you'll have to enter "Interlaken" as your via-station when finding costs for your proposed trip Bern-Lucerne. If you don't, it will pick the quicker default route which is cheaper than the Golden Pass detour you're looking at. Anyway, I'd definitely pick the Swiss Travel Pass if I were you. Apart from the costs, convience is an important factor. The Swiss Travel Pass is the most comfortable way of traveling and allows you to just travel wherever you want to go, since so many routes are covered and don't require the purchase of additional train tickets.

For your plans, Interlaken or a nearby town would be a bit easier in all, especially for your plans on day 2 and 3. If you don't have specific reasons to visit Bern, it's better to base yourself closer to the mountains. A day trip to Bern can still be on your list as a bad weather alternative.

Hi Anika,

Thank you so much for the detailed explanations. Yes, I did just select the destinations without putting in via-station and thus, I get a much cheaper price. That is the reason why my calculations were less. I will opt for Swiss Travel Pass for convenience as I can then change my plan if the weather is not to my advantage.

Apart from purchasing via online (I believe I need to purchase at least 7 working day before the travel date and I might not be able to print it out on time), am I able to purchase the pass at Geneva Train Station upon my arrival?

Also, I read about a scenic train ride from Geneva to Interlaken by taking a train to Montreux from Geneva. And from Montreux, to take another train to Zweisimmen (this is a Scenic trip) and then change train at Zweisimmen to Interlaken. This route seems to be part of the Golden Pass route, am I right?

As I am arriving in Geneva in the morning and will be checking in to Interlaken as my base town, it would be great I can already start scenic rides on my way. Thus, would there be other scenic route that you can recommend from Geneva to Interlaken?

Thank you in advance for your great tips.

Hi Xsunny,

You can buy your pass in Geneva, but it's much more convenient to print it online. That prevents you from waiting for the ticket office with all travelers and passports. It can take quite a while if it's busy. Instead, you can simply print it yourself and board your first train immediately. Ordering seven working days in advance is convenient, but it only takes 1-3 working days to receive the pass through e-mail. So you can wait even longer if you prefer. Just count on 3 business days. You can go to www.swissrailways.com/ en and pick the "Online Ticket" shipping option after you have filled out your address.

Yes, you have read about the Golden Pass route: myswissalps.com/ goldenpass. This is the best scenic route from Geneva to Interlaken.

Hi Arno,

Thanks for the detailed explanation. I shall then purchase online for convenience and to save time.

Btw, I would also like to check whether it is possible for me to cover the below in a day trip. I plan to start early in morning and then back by evening (my base town is Interlaken)

• Starting from Interlaken West to Lucerne via the Golden pass route (early in the morning)
• Upon arrival in Lucerne, go for Lake Lucerne Boat Trip and stop at Vitznau
• Take the train from Vitznau to Rigi Kulm and spend some time there
• Then take the train down to Arth Goldau and back to Lucerne
• Take the train back from Lucerne to Interlaken West via the Golden pass route

Also, both my Day 2 (Jungfraujoch) & Day 3 (Lucerne-Rigi) are mainly covering the mountains. If the weather is bad, would you still recommend that I proceed with the itinerary? Alternatively, would there be any scenic trip or options for bad weather?

Thank you very much again for great tips!!

Hi Xsunny,

That trip is certainly doable, and entirely free with the Swiss Travel Pass. Bad weather could be anything from cloudy to massive thunderstorms, so it depends. With high clouds it can still be worth it as they don't block the views. With many low clouds, rain or snow it won't be worth it as you can't see anything. A boat trip could still be worth it, plus a visit to Lucerne, for example. Just take a look at the forecast the prior evening. With bad weather in one place it can still be nice in another place, so being flexible is key.