Geneva Trip March 13

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Feb 2, 2013 - 4:49 PM

Hi All,

We will be arriving in Geneva next month for a 4 day, 3 night trip. I have been looking at car hire but my wife is not too keen on the idea after our holiday in corfu. Not my fault I add in my defence.

So too keep things simple, I'm now looking at public transport. What would be the best Train / Bus pass to buy ?
As we have never been to Geneva before, is there a day / half day train journey that is reccommended !
Is it better to buy the pass online or when we arrive ?
I have noticed that a few Hotels offer a free public transport card on arrival, what transports do they cover ?

So far only booked our flights. Looking for Hotel in the next few days.

Thanks in advance for any help with the above.

Dave ;-)

Annika

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Feb 4, 2013 - 2:28 PM

Hi Dave! Geneva hotels offer their guests a Geneva Transport Card indeed. It allows free urban transportation, so if you'll be making trips outside of the city, that won't be enough. Whether you need another rail pass, and which one is best, depends on the trips you have in mind. If you'll be staying within the Geneva region, either the Swiss Half Fare Card or the 2/5 day Regional Pass Lake Geneva would be fine. If you plan to make long trips and appreciate unlimited traveling, you could consider a 4 day Swiss Saver Pass or 3 day Swiss Saver Flexi Pass. Most pages I linked to show purchase options, both online and locally, too; just fill out your country of residence and further details in the upper right corner.

Here's how to calculate which pass is most economical.

You could make train trips in the direction of Montreux, Gstaad and Zweisimmen; that's a splendid journey. Also consider the Chocolate train to Broc.

As for hotels: hotels near the railway station of Geneva are listed here.

MySwissAlps.com recommends to read this:
All Swiss rail passes How to choose a pass?

Last modified on Jan 27, 2020 - 11:19 AM by Arno

RSV4dave

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Feb 4, 2013 - 4:14 PM

Thank you Anniika,

I have now booked our Hotel and looking forward to our visit. I will look at your suggested train journeys.

Thanks again.

Dave;-)

RSV4dave

7 posts
new member

Feb 5, 2013 - 4:15 AM

Hi all,
I've just looked at the prices for the Goldenpass Montreux - Zweisimmen 62CHF 2nd class, is that after the 50% reduction for half fare card.
I'm not sure as there is a note underneath which makes reference to the 50% reduction in Red.

Dave;-)

Arno

16097 posts
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Feb 5, 2013 - 4:33 AM

Hi Dave,

That's the regular fare of a return ticket. You'd pay half that amount with a Swiss Half Fare Card or nothing with one of the other passes Annika mentioned.

RSV4dave

7 posts
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Feb 5, 2013 - 5:18 AM

Thanks Arno,
If I reserve two seats is the price reduced by that ammount ( 8CHF ) when paying on the day of the journey.

Dave;-)

Arno

16097 posts
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Feb 5, 2013 - 5:39 AM

I assume you mean what happens if you have a pass? Then you don't need a ticket, but if you choose to travel on a train that requires seat reservations, you always have to pay for that separately. It's all explained on the reservation page.

RSV4dave

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Feb 5, 2013 - 10:07 AM

Thanks for your help Arno.
All is now clear.
Dave;-)

RSV4dave

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Feb 5, 2013 - 4:32 PM

Hi all,

Does the " Regional Pass Lake Geneva-Alps " cover a journey on the Golden Pass from Montreux to Zweisimmen.

Do the 2 free days start at the beginning of the pass start date ?

That should be all I need to know then, thanks for your help.

Dave;-)

Arno

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Feb 6, 2013 - 2:00 AM

Hi Dave,

Yes, it does. You'll find a map of what's covered through the link that Annika provided ("freie Fahrt" means free travel).

The free days can be used as you like within the 5 day period. That period starts at the pass start date.

RSV4dave

7 posts
new member

Feb 6, 2013 - 4:15 AM

Thanks again Arno,

Looks like the Regional pass is all we need I will get them upon our arrival in Geneva.
Looking at the Golden Pass last night I noticed that there are carriages that are not reserved, so I assume this allows for just turning up on the day.
We intend to travel on the Golden Pass on the Sat 23rd March, is this a busy time ?

The only reason for asking is by reserving our seats we are depentant on the weather and if we don't reserve our seats it does give us a least another day Sun 24th
but at the same time we want to make sure there will be seats available. Catch twenty-two ( do I don't I ) as we say here in old blighty.

Dave;-)

Arno

16097 posts
expert &
moderator

Feb 6, 2013 - 5:00 AM

Hi Dave, you're welcome,

I don't know where exactly you can buy that pass locally. Probably at any manned rail station in the region, but I'm not 100% sure. The provided link allows you to have it delivered to any Swiss address (e.g. your hotel) for CHF 6. Or to your home address for a higher fee.

The end of March is low season, although that does not guarantee anything for one specific train. Usually the panoramic coaches require reservation, and the regular coaches do not. The timetable provides details about such things. You can even book seats one day prior when you're more sure about the weather. Of course your favourite seats may be taken by then, but I wouldn't expect a fully booked train in March. Especially the VIP seats in the front of the train are quite popular, and there are only a few available.

Last modified on Nov 1, 2018 - 4:17 PM by Arno

RSV4dave

7 posts
new member

Feb 8, 2013 - 4:42 AM

Hi Arno,
Received an email from SBB saying that the " Regional Pass Lake Geneva - Alps " could be purchased from most stations.

Dave;-)

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