Inter-rail vs Swiss Passes

Like many people before I have been wading through the various options regarding our families proposed 11 day trip to Switzerland in May, the party consisting of 2 adults and 2 youths (under 26).

I have looked at Swiss Pass, Swiss Pass Flexi and the half-price Swiss Card and have been reading many articles in the Forum of this site, but I have not heard mention of the Inter-rail card for Switzerland.

It does to seem to offer a much cheaper option for us than all the Swsis pass options. Granted Inter-rail doesn’t cover the Glacier Route from Disentis/Muster to Zermatt, doesn’t offer as many reductions on side tracks and doesn’t cover buses, but there is a large difference.

Swiss Pass 15 day 2 x 440 2 x 374 = 1628 CHF = £1190
Swiss Flexi 8 day 2 x 407 2 x 346 = 1506 CHF = £1100
Inter-Rail 8 day 2 x €239 2 x €176 = €830 = £640

Could anyone check I am reading all the relevant material correctly.

Hi nigeln,

Interrail passes are basically Eurail passes for European citizens. Only non-European citizens qualify for Eurail. So most of what's explained in our Eurail section applies to Interrail as well. The Swiss Travel Pass gets you free traveling by train, bus, boat and city transport (trams, etc.). Many museums are free as well. It also gets you discounts on many cable cars, gondolas and funiculars. Interrail/Eurail includes free trains and boats. But no buses, city transport and museums, and only a few cable cars offer a discount. You can look into all the details if you download the maps from the pass pages I just linked to.

Since you're from the UK you're better off checking the prices in pounds on the UK version of the Swiss Railways shop: www.swisstravelsystem. co.uk. Swiss Travel Passes are considerably cheaper there than when purchased in Switzerland, or through the Swiss webshop. As announced here, the UK prices will go up by 10% next Monday, so if you prefer a Swiss Travel Pass, now is the time to get one.

Which pass is best ultimately depends on your exact travel plans, including all day trips like cable cars. In most cases, a Swiss Travel Pass works out better than an Interrail pass. But you should do the math to be 100% sure.

I hope this helps you out!