Help on best transportation option

Hi, there,

I am new here and also new to Switzerland.
I'll have a trip to Switzerland for a week. My itinerary is the following:

20 May fly in at Zurich Airport, take train to Lausanne
21 May take train from Lausanne to Basel, via Orbe (Yverdon-les-Bains) for a few hours
21-24 May stay in Basel
25 May take train from Basel to Zurich Airport

May I ask your help for the best transportation option?
I am quite confused by the Swiss half fare card/Swiss pass and other passes. If I buy those train ticket individually, what's the overall cost? Will this cost be higher than any of those card/pass? What's the most convenient way to buy the tickets/pass/card? at the station or online or mobile app?
Any input/comment will be much appreciated.
Thank you very much.

Best regards,
Jeff

Hi Jeff, welcome to MySwissAlps,

If that's all the traveling you've planned you're better off buying regular tickets. It would be about CHF 175 in total. You can buy the tickets locally at the station or online so that you can board the trains straight away. If you plan to make day trips from these towns (use mountain transport, boat trips, city transport, etc), then a pass would be more convenient and save money. Here's how to calculate.

Hi, Arno,

Thank you very much for your quick reply.
Now I have another question, since there'll be 3-4 people travelling together with me, do you think if a car rental for a week will be more convenient and economical?
I have a US driver's license, how about the insurance in the rental? Roughly, what's the overall cost for a car rental?
Thank you very much.

Best regards,
Jeff

Hi Jeff,

I personally favor the Swiss rail system over car traveling. It's clean, safe, well organized and especially comfortable if you're traveling from town to town (no parking issues/costs). Sorry, I don't know much about the costs of renting a car, but you can check the car rental links at the links page.

Thank you very much for your comments.
I think I will go for the rail.
Thank you again.

Best regards,
Jeff

You're welcome Jeff. You may know this already, but the towns you plan to visit all have several hotels at walking distance from the rail station. You can find them here.

Enjoy your stay!

I have a questio. We will be in Switzerland at the end of May and beginning of June. We are travelling by car and on one leg of our trip we are planning to go from Zermatt to Lugano. Assuming we have parked in Brig or Visp, is it better to drive to Lugano going through Italy ot staying in Switzerland? Thank you.
grpallen

I'll check the hotels and find the most convenient one.
Thank you very much for your kind help.

Arno said: You're welcome Jeff. You may know this already, but the towns you plan to visit all have several hotels at walking distance from the rail station. You can find them here.
Enjoy your stay!

Hello grpallen,

It's a bit quicker via Airolo, Switzerland, although there is not much of a difference. Be sure to check the road conditions. Some passes will be closed until the end of May. Whether or not they'll be open by that time depends on the weather. The Nufenen Pass for example, on the way to Airolo, is currently still closed for Winter. Can you please open a new topic if you have further questions? Please see our forum rules. Thanks!

grpallen said: I have a questio. We will be in Switzerland at the end of May and beginning of June. We are travelling by car and on one leg of our trip we are planning to go from Zermatt to Lugano. Assuming we have parked in Brig or Visp, is it better to drive to Lugano going through Italy ot staying in Switzerland? Thank you.
grpallen