I am in a big mess 1st time traveling from London

hi Admins

me an my husband planned a trip of Switzerland along 3 kids, I can't get the Swiss rail passes of 28th July , it's 5 nights and 6 days trip. Am I so late to get Swiss passes ? I need 6 days pass but no option on their website, we made a big mistake by booking 5 different hotels in 5 different places starting from Geneva then montruex then interlaken(wengen) then chur then Zurich , but I am soon soo worried about luggage wot I am Gona do with that, coz of course with 3 children I have to pack as necessary ,but how we will handle the luggage all the time on and off from trains, does the Swiss rail pass cover all transport in Switzerland ? We are leaving on 28th July 2015 but hvnt booked the train tickets yet, coz the website not giving me an option ..... Plz help wot should we do :(

You do not have to book the train tickets in Switzerland for regular travel. (Some special excursion/private railway/tourist routes are the exception). Just get on the train with a valid ticket. Can't buy them on the train anymore, I believe.

You can buy a Swiss Travel Pass at any manned station in Switzerland. Geneva, in your case. Or, Geneva Airport station. It may not be quite as cheap as buying it over the internet. You'll need your passport for ID.

www.myswissalps.com/tr ain/ticketspasses/prac tical/wheretobuy

Certain special tourist trains that use the same tracks as the regular routes- for example, The Golden Pass or the Glacier Express - do require seat reservations, but, you can still ride the same routes without reservations.

Special excursion trains - such as the train from Kleine Scheidegg to Jungfraujoch have limited capacity, high prices, and should be checked ahead of time.

www.myswissalps.com/ju ngfraujoch

Hello Wajinaeem1,

It's indeed a bit late to order Swiss Travel Passes online now. Arno explained how to check if it's still possible in the other topic you've posted in. If this doesn't work for you, you can buy your Swiss Travel Pass once you're in Geneva. The price over there will just be a bit different, as you can't pay in GBP as you can when ordering online. But the passes are definitely available.

The Swiss Travel Pass covers all transfers between the destinations you've mentioned; just check the Swiss Travel Pass validity page to see what's included.

It will be quite a hassle indeed to check in and out of hotels and transport your luggage. Trains generally do have enough space for suitcases, so you don't have to worry about that. It also helps if you don't rush at rail stations to catch the first train available, but just plan generous time to change trains. You won't have to make seat reservations and you're not tied to specific trains, so you can simply board any train to your destination once you're ready. The timetable will help you out. If you still feel uncomfortable about traveling with luggage, you can look into the SBB's Fast luggage service.

Thank you so much for your reply, but plz tell me is it a good idea if we rent a car their in from Geneva for our whole trip of 6 days ?? will it be more appropriate then train with luggage ? or should you reckon us to experience train journeys, ? and please guide me from where to rent a car and ho much will it cost ? is it left hand drive there ?

I understand that you are saying now we cant buy Swiss rail passes online and have to buy from Geneva airport so would that pass exclude glacier express and bernina express ? or will we get discount on these 2 trains/bus with Swiss rail passes ?

sorry for loads of queries, i am so panic :(

and one more thing, there are specific number of days, 2, 4, 8 , 10, 12 for the passes, but i need for 6 days , so wud it be necessary to buy 8 days one ?

A big thank you in advance

Hi Wajinaaem1,

I do not advise to rent a car. As a first time visitor you would be spending a lot of time finding your way, finding parking spots, learning the traffic regulations (see our car section for all the details). The trains are much more relaxed, safe and eco-friendly. As Annika explained, you can send your luggage ahead if you wish. As long as you can carry your luggage yourself it's no problem taking it along.

The Swiss Travel Pass includes the Glacier Express and Bernina Express, but not the seat reservations for them. You can arrange for those in Switzerland too. If there are still seats available they can sell those along with the Swiss Travel Pass. There is no 6-day Swiss Travel Pass. You can buy a pass for 4 or 8 days.

No need to panic! Just explore our train section and you'll learn all about how trains, tickets and rail passes work.

<<"or should you reckon us to experience train journeys, ? and please guideme from where to rent a car and ho much will it cost ? is it left hand drive there ?">>

Left hand drive, yes.

You will love the trains.

Let us know what time of day you will leave Geneva Airport Station; we can comment on trains.

If you go to Geneva city, there are several trains per hour. If you go to Montreux after you arrive at the airport, there are four trains per hour. The ones at xx24 and xx54 require no change of trains and take about 1 hr 16 minutes or less. The other two require change at Lausanne and taken 10-15 minutes longer.

see-

www.myswissalps.com/ti metable.

By the time you have to go from Wengen to Chur on the 30th, you'll understand the system.

That trip is 4 hour 40 minutes or so, and requires four changes of train. The one at Interlaken Ost will be the shortest, but it is a small station. And, if you miss, there will be another one along in a little while.

Slowpoke

PS- if you stay in Geneva the first night, you may not need to use a pass because your trips on public transport, including the trip to the city from the airport, will not belong ones. You can buy point-to=point tickets, or ask at the airport SBB office if they can sell you some kind of day-card for the region.