Help! Swiss Pass v's Swiss/Austria Eurail Pass

Hi everyone,

Sorry to ask this again, and I thought I'd made a decision, but now am unsure again.

Our itinerary is:

1. Arrive Zurich - train to Lucerne

2,3. Lucerne

4. Train to Lauterbrunnen

5,6,7. Lauterbrunnen

8. Train to Bern

9. Train to Innsbruck

10. Train to Salzburg

11,12,13. Salzburg

14. Train to Vienna

I had decided on the Swiss Pass initially, but in looking at the fact that I still need tickets within Austria, and comparing the price of Swiss Pass and Swiss/Austria Eurail pass, I am, again undecided. The prices I am comparing are 8 day Swiss Pass 1st class (still deciding on class...) 580 swiss francs pp = $1564 (AUS), while the eurail pass for 11 days equal $1395 (AUS). Given that with the Swiss Pass we will still need to buy a ticket for Day 1 (Zurich airport to Lucern) and the Austrian portion, I now think the eurail pass might be best. Any opinions on this please??

Also, can anyone clarify if the Swiss/Austrian eurail pass DOESN'T include the train from Interlaken to Lauterbrunnen? I know it just provides a discount to Murren, Wengen etc, but I thought the trip to Lauterbrunnen would be covered??

Thanks so much (again!!)

Karen

Hi Karen,

Sounds like you're having fun with all the options ;-) Just to be sure, the passes you're considering are called Swiss Travel Pass and the Eurail Select Pass (the 2 country variant, sometimes called differently by retailers). The Swiss Pass is an electronic card for Swiss citizens only.

The trip from Interlaken to Lauterbrunnen is 25% discounted with a Eurail Select Pass and free with a Swiss Travel Pass.

I assume, but I might be wrong, you'll be spending your time in Austria mainly in the two cities, while you will do regional trips with cable cars, boats, etc. while in Switzerland. In that case the Swiss Travel Pass plus a few point to point tickets for Austria is usually the cheaper option. But you will have to do the math based on the details of your trip to be sure. The below pages help you out:

• myswissalps.com/ eurailselectpass/ validity
• myswissalps.com/ swisstravelpass/ validity
• myswissalps.com/ traintickets/austria
• myswissalps.com/ train/ticketspasses/ practical/chooserailpa ss

Hi Arno,

Yes, having a LOT of fun....:-(... You are correct, sorry - I do mean the Swiss Travel Pass. I shall keep soldiering on until I make a decision... The only thing that was changing my mind toward the Eurail Select Pass, is that fact that even with the Swiss Travel Pass (8 days), I would still need to buy a ticket for day 1, plus part of the trip into Innsbruck and the rest of Austria....and the Eurail pass is slightly cheaper..

I guess it really comes down to a choice between cost and convenience....

Thanks again!

By the way, something for other travelers to be wary of - my travel agent's quote for both passes is WAY more expensive than the prices quoted on-line (particularly the Swiss Travel Pass)! Best to do the research yourself, even if it DOES drive you mad!!

You're welcome! Please let us know if your need more help, or what you decided.