Global Pass vs Switzerland Pass

Hi,

I would like to cover four countries: Switzerland, Italy, Munich and Austria. There are three passes available: Select Pass, Global Pass and Switzerland Pass.

I tried to search but the only difference between Select pass and Global Pass is that Select pass is valid only for four countries and is more expensive. Global Pass offers unlimited travel and is less expensive.

Question 1: So may be i'm missing something as i couldn't figure why a Global pass is less expensive?

Question2: Which pass is better for me : Select or global?

Question3 : What's the benefit of having Switzerland pass over Global pass? Does global pass also offers same benefits as Switzerland pass?

Thx in advance!!

Abhishek.

Hi abhi4uiec, welcome to MySwissAlps!

I'm not sure where you checked prices, but the Eurail Global Pass is more expensive than the 4 country Eurail Select Pass. The Eurail Global Pass comes in many variants, so you'll have to make sure you compare equal options when looking at prices. For example: a Eurail Global Pass that's valid during 10 (non-consecutive) days within two months costs EUR 671; a 4 country Eurail Select Pass that's valid during 10 (non-consecutive) days within two months costs EUR 407. So a Eurail Select Pass would be a better choice for you. Mind that it's only worth its money if you'll be doing quite intensive train traveling in all countries.

As for your trips in Switzerland: a Swiss Travel Pass covers more than a Eurail Select Pass. Please compare validity by checking the Swiss Travel Pass validity page and the Eurail Select Pass validity page.

Which pass (or combination of passes) is best depends on the details of your itinerary. This guide explains how to find out which option suits your plans.

Does this help you out?

Hi,

Thx for the prompt reply!!

Actually what you are saying is true but if you'll lookup for the Global Pass for 15 continuous days it's cheaper than the select pass. A 15 days continuous pass costs 1944 euro for 4 persons.

Please help me out as i want to know from where i should buy a Euro Global Pass and get the delivery in Netherlands. I'm in Netherlands till end of August and then have a vacation planned for 2 weeks and i need the pass for this duration.

Abhishek.

Hi Abhishek,

Please note that the passes you are comparing are very different. The price you quote for the continuous 15-day Eurail Global Pass is correct. But there is no continuous 15-day Eurail Select Pass, so you can't compare prices. As Annika said, you need to compare identical passes in order to find out which one is cheaper. Both passes have a 10-day non-continuous variant, for example: if you look at those prices you'll see that the Select Pass is cheaper: € 2012 for 4 adults, while the Global Pass is € 2284. That makes sense as the Global Pass covers many more countries.

What matters here is how many days you'll be traveling during your two weeks. If you will travel every day, the 15-day Eurail Global Pass is the best choice as there's no Select Pass for that many days. If you will only be traveling for 10 days with those two weeks, then the Select Pass is cheaper.

If you order through the website below you can have either pass delivered to The Netherlands:

• www.raileurope-world.com/pass/eurail-global-pass
• www.raileurope-world.com/pass/eurail-select-pass

You can you use promo code 9ESS15 for a € 60 discount on your order: www.raileurope-world.com/deals/great-deals-to-tour-Europe.

I hope this clarifies it!

Hi,

Thx so much for the reply!!

We're planning for a 2 week journey to Europe starting end of august (total 4 people). I'll explain my itinerary:

1) Will depart from Netherlands and arrive in Vienna to take my parents and then stay 2 days in Vienna.

2) Stay one day in Salzburg.

3) Stay 3 days in Munich.

4) Then we'll head for Switzerland and stay there for 8 days.

• One day for Zurich and Rhine waterfall.
• Two days in Lucerne(see Lucerne and Mount Pilatus)
• Two days in Interlaken (Jungfrauch)
• Next day boat trip in Geneva and same day will reach Zermatt.
• Stay one day in Chur.
• Stay one day in Lugano.

5) From Lugano, we'll leave for Venice and spend 2 days there.

Please let me know if i've planned well or not, specially about my stay in Switzerland.Please let me know if it's too much for 8 days as i don't want it to be too hectic(my parents are aged).

Also i was thinking of buying a Gobal Pass since my itinerary involves too much travel from one country to another. Is it a good idea or you've some better opinion.

Regards,

Abhishek.

Hi Abhishek,

Thanks for sharing the details. I can only tell you what I would do when it comes to making the trip less hectic: I would skip Geneva and go straight from Interlaken to Zermatt. Also I would skip Chur and add that day to Lugano, because one day is a really short time to explore a town or region. But of course you should plan things according to your personal pace of traveling.

A Eurail Global Pass can indeed make sense as you visit 5 countries in a pretty short time. Do make sure you know what's covered (and not) in Switzerland. You can find out all the details on our pass page Annika linked to. The train to Zermatt, for example, is not included, but it is discounted.

You can find pass prices and discounts through the links in my previous post.

Hi,

Your suggestions really helped and i'll do exactly the same and skip Geneva and Chur.

May be you can help me with few more things:

1) I know that reservation are required in special trains like Golden Pass, Glacier exp, Bernina exp, etc. But there are also normal trains on the same route which are almost as good as these express trains. So it it really worth it to spend the money on costly reservations?

2) With Euro Global Pass for border crossing trains between two countries(example Cologne to Vienna), i'll avail pass holder/discounted fares for these journeys.I got this answer from rail-europe.

But if such is the case, then i'll have to pay for the Euro pass + For reservation+ Ticket(pass holder fare). If i'll have to spend so much extra after buying the pass, then what's the benefit of the pass?

Abhishek.

Hi Abhishek,

Great, I'm glad it was useful.

1) That's a real personal preference whether you spend the money on that or not. You can best visit our scenic train pages, as that's where we explain about the differences of scenic versus normal trains. In general I can say that the normal trains are perfectly fine, but the scenic trains are more comfortable.

2) Yes, they call it pass holder fares. Basically you just pay for seat reservations as tickets are not required for pass holders. If you take a train that does not require seat reservations, you don't have to pay extra at all. Just your pass is sufficient.

Hi.

Thx again!!

General question:

Suppose i'll buy a Euro Global pass and now want to book ticket and reservation in an overnight train from Cologne to Vienna. Then how will i do so?Is there any online link and how i'll mention about the global pass online?Thx!!Abhishek.

Hi Abhisshek,

You can go to www.raileurope-world.com#tab3, and fill out your trip and pass to find trains and tickets. It's cheaper to do so while buying the pass, as you would only pay for shipping once. But of course you can also do it later online, or at a staffed station. Trains can book out, so it's good to book once your travel date and time is fixed.

Hi,

Unfortunately i had to change my itinerary due to personal reasons.

Now it'll be like below:

• 1 day in Zurich and visit to Rhine
• 2nd day in Lucerne and then to Mount Pilatus.
• 3rd and 4th day in Interlaken.
• 5th day In Zermatt.
• 6th day i'll leave from Zermatt to Milan directly.

As per above

• I was thinking of taking a 4 day Swiss Pass. I'm correct here?
• Which day is should skip using a pass, since pass will be valid for 4 days only. I think skipping it on Zurich is a good idea. Right?
• Is Swiss valid for travelling from Zermatt to Milan, since Milan is in Italy?

Thx in advance!!

Abhishek.

Hi Abhishek,

• I would suggest to consider a Swiss Travel Pass Flex Combi for 3 or 4 days. Use the free travel days on day 1 and 6 and when moving to another town. The guide Annika referred to on July 16 will help you to make a choice, as it all depends on the details of your plans (like on which day you would move from Lucerne to Interlaken, etc).
• Please download the map to see where it's valid.

Hi Arno,

So if i 'll buy a Swiss Travel Pass Flex Combi for 4 days, then for 4 full days where i'll get the same benefits as normal Swiss Travel Pass. In addition to 4 days, i can use the same pass on first and last day of my journey and the fare will be discounted by 50%. So in total i can use it for 6 days.

This is what you meant. Right?

Abhishek.

Hi Abhishek,

Please read the "How to use" section of our pass page. That explains exactly how it works: first and last day need to be free travel days, other than that it's completely flexible.