[Removed user]

5 January 2017 at 16:12:28 #810522

I will arrive via train to Lucern (from Paris) on February 2 and will thereafter travel to Milan on February 7, 2017. My itinerary is as follows:

Feb 2 – arrive in Lucerne in the afternoon and sightseeing in the area

Feb 3 – day trip in Lucerne with Mt. Rigi and Lake Lucern

Feb 4 – mountain excursion in Mt. Pilatus

Feb 5 – mountain excursion in Mt. Titlis

Feb 6 – free day (either Interlaken/Jungfraujoch or Bern or some other place)

Feb 7 – Panoramic train going to somewhere near Milan and proceed to Milan

With this itinerary, my questions are:

1. What rail pass do I purchase? Do I buy Eurail Pass OR point to point tickets (between countries) plus Winter Tell Pass? Based on my calculation, the Eurail Pass will not pay off with my itinerary for the other countries. But this will change with my itinerary in Switzerland.

2. For Feb 6, what’s the best thing to do, Jungfraujoch, Bern or some other?

3. Is a whole day itinerary for a mountain excursion in nearby places too much time? Can I do two mountains in one day to free up another day?

4. What’s the best panoramic train to use to go Milan (Gotthard perhaps if I will already use the Golden Pass Line for Interlaken if I go there on the 6th)?

Thanks in advance!

Mike

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[Arno]

5 January 2017 at 19:34:51 #857823

Hi Mike,

Thank you for joining MySwissAlps!

1. A Eurail Pass won’t be worth it as you do minimum travel in France and Italy. I’d recommend a regular ticket from France to Switzerland, and a regular ticket to Milan. For Switzerland, regular tickets are too expensive. The best pass depends on your exact plans and if you prefer the convenience of not having to buy tickets for each trip. I’d recommend to check out the Swiss Travel Pass, Tell-Pass Winter and Swiss Half Fare Card.

2. It depends on the weather and whether you mind spending a lot of time on trains. You need good weather for the Jungfraujoch, and it takes 4 hours (one way) to get there. Bern is only an hour from Lucerne.

3. You can visit one mountain at a leisurely pace, or two if you start your day early and don’t stay too long.

4. If you don’t go to Jungfraujoch I’d recommend the Golden Pass line to Interlaken and further to Spiez. Then take the local train via Kandersteg to Brig. Take a train to Milan from there. The Gotthard route is another option.

[Removed user]

5 January 2017 at 23:45:58 #857824

Thank you, Arno, for your quick reply. I’m inclined to get the Tell-Pass Winter since my itinerary is mostly Lucerne and nearby towns although I may have a free day or two. Would it be worth getting the Swiss Travel Pass for my 1-2 free days so I can go to other places?

[Arno]

6 January 2017 at 8:30:24 #857825

Hi Mike,

I would not buy an additional 3-day Swiss Travel Pass (there’s no shorter version) for 1 or 2 days in this case. If you want to explore other regions too it’s simpler to buy a Swiss Travel Pass for your entire stay. Note that the Swiss Travel Pass also includes Mount Rigi and Pilatus for free, as well as the boats, all trains and buses, and many museums. It all depends on your plans and how flexible you’d like to be. You can compare passes price wise as explained here.

[Removed user]

16 January 2017 at 12:23:48 #857826

Hi Arno,

How do I use my Tell-Pass Winter coming from Paris? Do I purchase train ticket in Paris until the outermost portion of Central Swiss only and then look for a train to use the Tell Pass going to Lucerne? Or Can I just show my Tell-Pass in train bookings in Paris?

Also, If I’m going to Bern from Lucerne, do I board a train until outermost part of Central Swiss for free and then purchase a ticker from that place to Bern?

Same question on my departure from Lucerne going to Milan.

Thank you.

[Removed user]

16 January 2017 at 17:06:18 #857827

Hi Mike,

1) The Tell-Pass would only be valid for central Switzerland (so Luzern would be the start of validity for you).

2) Yes, once you leave the area of validity, you will need a ticket from the last station to your destination.

See the area of validity here.

Please note you can pre-purchase the required train tickets before departing on your journey (you do not need to get off the train and purchase the ticket at the last station of coverage under the Tell-Pass).

Regards,
Lucas