[Removed user]

17 September 2018 at 21:48:02 #818406

Hello,

I’ve now returned from my trip to Switzerland, with added respect for the people who frequent this forum and they help they give to travelers like me. I based much of my decision to buy an 8-day Swiss Travel Pass by relying on advice I received in these forums. Now having completed the trip, I think the single best piece of advice I received (and I got it several times in response to my queries) was to use the spreadsheets and other features available to those considering buying passes to figure out, in detail, exactly which would be the optimal pass or combination of passes to buy for a particular multi-day trip.

I confidently ignored that great advice, to do the detailed work on a spreadsheet to compare options, and picked an 8-day Swiss Travel Pass because it seemed to fit, in a generalized way, what we wanted to do during our 12 day trip (3 nights of which were spent in Germany). It was about halfway through the actual trip that I began to wonder if I had made the right purchase, and I felt particularly crushed when I reached Zurich and discovered my Swiss Travel Pass didn’t give me free entry to the Kunsthalle — and felt downright foolish on the 9th day of the trip (after the pass has expired) that I was forking over a very large wad of swiss francs to take our final, short train trip into Italy — even the ticket seller looked sad I was paying so much money, and wondered why we didn’t have a half-fare care or some other pre-purchased discount. (I remain unsure whether my 1st class Swiss Travel Pass should have given me automatic entry to the Panoramic car of the Gotthard Express, or whether the 25chf charge per person was something I should have anticipated).

My husband has simply shrugged off the notion that more research might have saved us francs here and there. Live and learn was his attitude,, and in general he was delighted with the convenience of the Swiss Travel Pass, that enabled us to walk onto so many trains and boats without waiting in lines for tickets, or being committed to a fixed schedule instead of being fancy free.

But my advice to others is to echo the advice I was given and ignored, which is to do the nitty-gritty work of comparing costs between passes — flex passes, combinations of passes, etc — based on your projected itinerary. I didn’t do it (and won’t bother to do it now to double check) but my suspicion is that I might have saved tens and maybe hundreds had I purchased a different combo of discounts — which I might have known to do had I spent more time on comparing the costs of various passes when it came to our personal plans — which were always a bit vague, with the idea we wanted flexibility and convenience ahead of saving money.

So if you are concerned about budget, I highly recommend using those spreadsheets and relying on experienced advice here about zeroing in on the optimal way to take advantage of the deals offered for the various passes and their discounts — and make sure you pay attention to what is covered and what requires a surcharge.

I am with my husband in that I also harbor no serious regrets about the very enjoyable trip we took, made all the more enjoyable by having our 8-day STP. But I want to reinforce for others that Switzerland is not a cheap destination by any means, so if you want to ace it on a budget, triple check the options for discounts.

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[Removed user]

18 September 2018 at 4:09:52 #896413

Thank you very much for the heads-up, Constance! I was also just going to just get the 8 day Swiss Pass for convenience but will now backtrack to figure out the dynamics of the different passes in the worksheet on what would be most value-add .

[rockoyster]

18 September 2018 at 4:11:14 #896414

Sound advice on doing the sums Constance.

Reservations on Swiss trains including the Gotthard Panorama Express (and other major scenic trains trains on which reservations are mandatory) are not covered by the Swiss Travel Pass. With hindsight a 15-day STP may have been better value for you. But that of course depends on your itinerary.

Not every museum or art gallery in Switzerland offers free entry with the Swiss Travel Pass or Museum Pass. For a full list for your next visit see http://www.museumspass.ch/wp-content/uploads/2018/0 7/Falterli-07-2018.pdf

[Arno]

18 September 2018 at 8:09:56 #896415

Hi Constance,

Thank you for reporting about your experiences. Useful tips! Indeed, tickets to Italy are often a lot cheaper if purchased in advance. You’ll find details here: http://www.myswissalps.com/tr aintickets/italy.

You’re right, doing the math for all traveling involved is useful, regardless of the mode of transport. For a next trip this task will be much easier I think, now that you know the country and how things work.

I’m glad you enjoyed your time in Switzerland!