[Removed user]

13 May 2017 at 18:22:03 #811812

Thank you so much for all the great advice! Now I’m trying to determine if we should get 5 Swiss Travel Passes for myself, wife, and 3 20+ year old kids. Here is our current plan:

Day 1: Travel from Milan to Montreux by train

Day 2: Do the chocolate train route – but probably with regular trains

Day 3: Sightseeing in Montreux area (castle, maybe boat ride)

Day 4: Golden Pass Line to Interlaken, go on one of the day trips from there – hopefully involving a cable car, and then return to Montreux late afternoon via Golden Pass Line.

Day 5: Leave Switzerland – head to Paris by train.

I’m continually reading everything I can on this site, but please feel free to pass along any words of wisdom about the itinerary, or about whether we should get the STP. It sounds like we might benefit from the STP’s 4 day promotion. It also sounds like that even if we don’t break even, it might be worth it for the convenience, including skipping lines.

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[Arno]

13 May 2017 at 18:44:16 #863264

Hi Swissdreamer,

For day 4 you can consider a visit to the Schilthorn. It will be a very long day, so only do it if the weather is good enough so it will be worth the time. Swap with day 2 or 3 if needed.

Yes, you can take advantage of this promotion. You’ll get a 5-day pass if you buy a 4-day pass. That’s what I would do in your case as it fits your itinerary nicely. Details can be found on http://www.raileurope.com/rai l-tickets-passes/swiss-pass/index.html.

On day 3 you could use the local Riviera Card you will receive from your hotel, but that won’t be relevant with a Swiss Travel Pass. The Swiss Travel Pass covers a wider area and includes entrance to Chillon Castle. If you want to research different passes you can do so as explained here. I think the only other option would be the Swiss Half Fare Card, but that would require you to buy tickets for each trip, and museums/castles are not included.

With a Swiss Travel Pass you only need tickets to and from the border: Milan to Domodossola and Geneva or Vallorbe to Paris. Vallorbe is the border town if you take the direct TGV Lyria train from Lausanne to Paris (recommended).

The above links hopefully help you out!

[Removed user]

13 May 2017 at 20:47:13 #863265

Looking at the map, it looks like Zermatt/Matterhorn are just a short trip from Brig, so I’m wondering how feasible it is to fit that in when traveling from Milan to Montreux on Day 1? It looks like we could do that portion of the Glacier Express? Brig to Zermatt and back to Brig, then on to Montreux?

[Arno]

13 May 2017 at 21:12:20 #863266

That should be possible. It will take 4 extra hours at least, depending on your plans in Zermatt. On the way back you can get off the train in Visp and switch for Montreux there. The timetable provides all details.