Info / guidance needed - 1st time visitor

Hi Abhijit. Welcome to this forum!

You have made a great itinerary. Of course it's always possible to extend your stay. You can easily stay a whole month in Switzerland and still not cover everything. But 20 days should be sufficient for the traveling you intend to do. I would suggest to take at least 10-12 days for the Swiss portion of your trip to actually have time to do your sightseeing a bit slow paced.

A Swiss Saver Pass and a free Swiss Family Card would indeed be a good choice. I would suggest to consider to buy it online (click "India" on the Swiss Saver Pass page) as that's cheaper than buying after arrival. For example: a 15-day Swiss Saver Pass costs CHF 790.50 in Switzerland, or INR 36,551.00(CHF 754.50) when purchased online from India. Buying online also allows you to purchase along your pass for Italy. I don't know details about Italian rail passes, but I do know that you can choose from 3-10 days of consecutive or non-consecutive traveling.

As for Rigi, Titlis and Pilatus: they're all beautiful, but if I would have to pick two I would visit Rigi and Titlis and skip Pilatus. That's because Rigi and Pilatus offer (partly) the same views, but Rigi allows you to do some easy hiking if you like. That's not possible on the Pilatus and Titlis. Also, Rigi is free with a Swiss Saver Pass and the other two are discounted.

I would suggest to include a boat trip on either Lake Lucerne or Lake Brienz/Lake Thun from Interlaken. It's free with a Swiss Saver Pass.

Please review these pages for further information:
Swiss (Saver) Pass, including a link to a map with all services included
Attractions around St. Moritz
Timetable to check traveling times
Hotels in Switzerland (but you can search for Italy as well)

I hope this gets you started.

Hello Abhijit. The Swiss Saver Pass is valid for the Bernina Express train ride up to Tirano. The map we link to at the Swiss Pass page shows all route on which free travelling is allowed. The timetable allows you to search for connections from St. Moritz to Venice. It's a long trip (about 7 to 8 hours), and direct connections aren't available. Options are:

- via Thusis, Bellinzona and Milano;
- via Chiavenna, Colico and Milano. The bus rides between Thusis and Bellinzona, and between St. Moritz and Chiavenna, are both nice trips.
- the Bernina Express to Tirano, and then onto Venice by train via Milano. This will take about 9 hours, but the splendid train ride over the Bernina Pass is - in my opinion - worth the extra time.

In each case, your Swiss Pass will be valid up to the Swiss or Italian station indicated on the map I just mentioned.

Hi Abhijit,

Please find my answers below.

AbhijitA said: Hello ,

After 2 weeks of going thru the information available on the internet and Swiss sites, I have finally decided on my iterenary for Switzerland and need your help to update me on the questions asked below. The travel will start in month of June (approx. June 1st week).Day 1 - Travel by Bernina Express from Tirano to St Moritz, so as to reach St Moritz by late afternoon (around 430pm local time).
Day 2 - Visit Upper Engadine lakes,do a short walk around Maloja / Silvaplana), visit Muothas Muragl later in the day.
Day 3 - Catch Glacier Express to Zermatt
Questions:
a) I am planning to buy a Swiss Flexi Saver pass for me and my wife and a Family Card for my 14 year daughter. The first date of travel on the card will be Day 1 (when I first use it at boarding in Tirano). Am I correct in saying this ?

AbhijitA said: b) Are there any reservations I need to make for the places intended to visit on Days 1,2 and 3 ? If yes, should I make it from India or when I arrive in St Moritz.

AbhijitA said: c) Do I need to make advance reservations for the journey from Tirano to St Moritz ? Or Do I need to make reservations at all or simply hop on to a train.

AbhijitA said: d) Do I need to make advance reservations for the journey from St Moritz to Zermatt ? Or Do I need to make reservations at all or simply hop on to a train.

AbhijitA said: e) Is all of the above travel completely free along with my Swiss passes or should I be paying at some places, for travel (some discounted price) as well as for admission fees ?

AbhijitA said: Day 4 - Visit Klien Matterhorn in morning, and travel to visit Glacier Altesch in afternoon from Moofluh or Eggishorn.
Day 5 - Visit Gorneghat in morning and travel to. Interlaken
Questions:
f) Are there any reservations I need to make for the places intended to visit on Days 4 and 5 ? If yes, should I make it from India or when I arrive in Zermatt.

AbhijitA said: g) Do I need to make advance reservations for the journey from Zermatt to Interlaken ? Or Do I need to make reservations at all or simply hop on to a train.

AbhijitA said: h) Is all of the above travel completely free along with my Swiss passes or should I be paying at some places, for travel (some discounted price) as well as for admission fees ?

AbhijitA said: Day 5 (late afternoon) - relax around the lakes in the evening with a small boat trip or leisurely walks
Day 6 - Visit Schynige Platte as soon as I arrive in Interlaken, visit Beatus caves in afternoon
Day 7 - Visit Jungfraujoch in early morning, make a cable-car and short walks trip to some nice small villages like Murren, Grimmelwald etc. and visit schilthorn in evening.
Day 8 - Visit Lake Oeschinen (need help on how easy is to get there from Interlaken). Travel Interlaken to Lucerne.

AbhijitA said: Questions:
i) Are there any reservations I need to make for the places intended to visit on Days 5,6,7 and 8 ? If yes, should I make it from India or when I arrive in Zermatt.

AbhijitA said: j) Do I need to make advance reservations for the journey from Interlaken to Lucerne ? Or Do I need to make reservations at all or simply hop on to a train.

AbhijitA said: k) Is all of the above travel completely free along with my Swiss passes or should I be paying at some places, for travel (some discounted price) as well as for admission fees ?

AbhijitA said: Day 8 (late afternoon) - take a cycling tour around to nearby places at Lucerne (Lucerne - Niklausen - Kastawiebaum - Tribschen - Lucerne)
Day 9 - Early morning visit Mt Rigi and then visit Mt Titlis
Day 10 - Early morning leave for Zurich
( I am still pondering whether I should visit one place between Gutsch or Dietschiberg, or give it a miss completely. Can you help me ?)

AbhijitA said:
Questions:
l) Are there any reservations I need to make for the places intended to visit on Days 8, 9 and 10 ? If yes, should I make it from India or when I arrive in Zermatt.

AbhijitA said: m) Do I need to make advance reservations for the journey from Lucerne to Zurich ? Or Do I need to make reservations at all or simply hop on to a train.

AbhijitA said: n) Is all of the above travel completely free along with my Swiss passes or should I be paying at some places, for travel (some discounted price) as well as for admission fees ?

AbhijitA said: Day 10 (In Zurich) - Viisit RheinFalls, Grossmunster, Fraumunster, take boat tour on lake in evening
Day 11 - Travel back Zurich to Mumbai (India)
( I am still pondering whether I should visit Hollgrottes Caves at Baar, or give it a miss completely. Can you help me ?)

AbhijitA said: Questions:
o) Are there any reservations I need to make for the places intended to visit on Day 10 ? If yes, should I make it from India or when I arrive in Zurich.

AbhijitA said: p) Do I need to make advance reservations for the journey for Rheinfalls ? Or Do I need to make reservations at all or simply hop on to a train.

AbhijitA said: q) Is all of the above travel free along with my Swiss passes or should I be paying at some places, for travel as well as for admission fees ?

AbhijitA said: In general, also need help on:
r) is the above trip practical and makes sense for a family holiday or do you suggest any alterations to the schedule based on your expert advice ?

AbhijitA said: s) is Swiss Flexi Saver pass the only option for the 10 day trip OR can I avail the Swiss Saver pass too for the 10 days ?

AbhijitA said: t) how do I split the Swiss Flexi Saver pass for the best possible use of facilities available based on above iterenary ?

AbhijitA said: I know its a long mail, but as said earlier being a 1st time traveller outside my country, I wanted to be as detailed as possible.
Appreciate all the help you can provide.
Regards
Abhijit A.

Hello, On your response to the below question:

s) is Swiss Flexi Saver pass the only option for the 10 day trip OR can I avail the Swiss Saver pass too for the 10 days ?

(Your response was)
Both can be used. The Swiss Saver Pass is more convenient as it doesn't require you to plan free travel days. You can just board trains, boats etc. on all days without purchasing a ticket. Please refer to this FAQ to find which one is most economical.

WHile I agree that the Swiss Saver Pass is more convinient as I dont need to plan for free travel days, I am a bit confused here on how does the Swiss Saver pass become eligible for my trip of 11 days (including airport). I thought it comes only for validity of 8 days or 15 days. Pls advice if I can buy a Swiss Saver Pass for 11 days also and how do I do that.

ALso do both these type of passes give me discounts on the admission fees to certain attractions or just the travel portion ?

Regards
Abhijit

Hi Abhijit,

Both St. Moritz and Zermatt are very popular. Unfortunately, that means accommodation is quite expensive. I personally don't know B&B's or hotels close to the St. Moritz station for that price. Hotel Bellaval is a middle class hotel and extremely close to the station (you'll be on the platform in 60 seconds), but it does not fit your budget. Even a family room in the local youth hostel is more expensive, but it includes dinner as well, so it may still fit your needs. The cheapest hotel I know is hotel Sonne, which is listed on the hotel page, so you may have already seen that. It's not close to the station though, but you can take a bus.

You will find more or less the same prices for Zermatt, but Hotel Bahnhof is a good exception right across the rail station. Some others can be found through booking.com and the hotel page I mentioned above.

Lucerne can be a bit cheaper. Click the link "booking system" on the hotel page to search for hotels in Lucerne or any other town. For example, the Hotel Etap Luzern City is about 10 minutes from the rail station and relatively cheap.

I hope this helps!

Hello Abhijit,

I'm glad I could help! Purchase options (online or in Switzerland) are listed on the pages of the Swiss Half Fare Card and Swiss Flexi Pass. Seat reservations can be arranged for completely separately from any pass or ticket you may use. As long as you have all valid travel documents at hand when boarding the train, all is fine. Please review the seat reservation page for details.