[Removed user]

12 July 2011 at 22:01:06 #804490

Hello,
I have been reading lots of posts and your response has always been very informative and timely. Unfortunately, i couldn’t find a topic that matches my upcoming trip.

We are a couple plus 6 yr boy arriving Zurich on Aug 26 AM and leaving from Rome on Sept 3rd AM, a total of 7 full-days. We plan to spend about 4 to 5 days in Switzerland and about 2 or 3 days in Rome. We don’t have any specific trip planner except for few to-do’s
* My son loves train and cable car rides, so i was hoping to get glacier express ride
* We love to make the best out of Alps. But confused between Zermatt or Interlaken region
* On the 4th or 5th night, we need a train (preferably a overnight train) to go Rome.

Also, is it worth to taking the Swiss pass while travelling?. Does it help when travelling from Switzerland to Italy?
Your advise is very much appreciated.

Prakash

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[Removed user]

13 July 2011 at 10:08:29 #833502

hi prakash
the glacier express is between st mortiz and zermatt … both are beautiful towns as well. While in Zermatt, you can do Matterhorn.
Interlaken isnt very far from zermatt as well … you can easily do both. Interlaken is convenient for both Jungfrau and the Trummelbach falls.
The swiss pass will get you discounts on trains in switzerland. Based on your itinerary i would recommend the swiss half fare card – it gets you a 50% discount on most publich transportation in switzerland including the glacier express, jungfraujoch bahn, other trains and boat rides, cable cars etc. It costs 110 CHF per person and ur son wont need one.
Hope this helps
Have fun!
jd

[Annika]

14 July 2011 at 9:27:11 #833503

Hello prakash. As for the rail pass question: yes, a rail pass is definitely cost effective in your case. But which one is best depends on your exact travel plans. You may consider a Swiss Pass if you like the idea of flexibility and unlimited free train traveling. If you’d like to visit several towns and include a long train trip (such as the Glacier Express), the Swiss Pass is convenient and cost effective.

If, on the other hand, you’ll be staying in one region/resort only and only plan some local trips, the Swiss Half Fare Card suggested by jd may be the best solution. Once you’ve planned your trip, you can calculate exactly which pass is most economical.

In both cases, your son travels along for free with the free STS Family Card. Concerning your train trip to Rome: the Swiss Pass or Swiss Half Fare Card will be valid for the Swiss leg of the trip. You’ll find links to maps showing the area of validity on the pages I linked to, allowing you to find out which part of your trip is covered by the pass. The timetable will help you out as well: it includes (night) trains to Rome too.

[Removed user]

19 July 2011 at 0:09:55 #833504

Thankyou very much Jd and Annika for your quick response. Over the last few days, We have been preparing a schedule for a 5 day trip with a
a possibility of 2 base locations. The only reason for two base location is to avoid too much of travel between interlaken and Zermatt,
3 nights in interlaken region and 2 nights in Zermatt region. Is that a good plan?

In Interlaken, we are thinking about staying either in Thun or Speiz. Please advise a proximate location for our itenary below.
Day 1 –> Luchern
Day 2 –> Trümmelbach falls, Jungfraujoch mountains
Day 3 –> Choclate factory train tour –> Does this start only from Montreux or from other places in Interlaken?

On Day 4, move to Zermatt –> What’s the best base location?.
Day 4 –> Visit Zermatt, Matterhorn, Cog railway, Cable car
Day 5 –> Glacier Express from Zermatt to Andermatt. Then cross into Italy by Train

Please provide your input for the above itenary. Also, which pass should we buy – Half-price or Swiss pass? Also is the swiss pass
valid until the last border crossing of Italy?

Thanks
Prakash

[Arno]

19 July 2011 at 2:02:52 #833505

Hi Prakash,

I think it’s a good idea to stay in those two places. Are you sure you mean Luchern? The only place I know that is called Luchern is a tiny settlement in a totally different region. Do you mean Lucerne by any chance?

Interlaken is not a region but a town. Spiez and Thun are not “in” Interlaken, but they are towns on the other end of Lake Thun. All these towns are good places to stay, but it depends on your final plans. The Chocolate Train starts from Montreux only. I would personally not travel all the way to Lucerne and Montreux while being based in Interlaken, Spiez or Thun, unless you do it for the nice train rides. You’ll be traveling a lot as you can see in the timetable. There is a lot to see and do in the immediate surroundings, e.g. the Jungfraujoch and the falls like you suggested, boat trips, lots of hiking options and other viewing points. Many day trips and trails are listed on our website.

A rail pass can be selected once your plans are final. Please check Annika’s suggestions about that.

Hotels can be found from this page.

I hope this helps!

[Removed user]

20 July 2011 at 1:25:24 #833506

Thanks Arno, your response was very helpful.
Sorry on the typo, I actaully meant Lucerne.
I am modifying my plan based on your input.
Day 1 to 3, Stay in Thun/Speiz. I will check on the hotels once i confirm the itenary
Day 1 & 2 – Trümmelbach falls, Jungfraujoch mountains
Day 3 – Choclate factory tour. I would like to fit this in the schedule as my son would love it. What’s the best way of doing it since
it starts only from Montreux?

Day 4 & 5, Stay in Zermatt
Day 4 –> Visit Zermatt, Matterhorn, Cog railway, Cable car
Day 5 –> Glacier Express from Zermatt to Andermatt. Then cross into Italy by Train

I still have few open questions
* Since we are going to be visiting Jungfraujoch mountains and Zermatt, are they very similar mountains.
* If i need to cross into Italy (to Pisa) from Andermatt, how far (until what station) is the swiss-pass valid?
* Based on the above itenary, which pass do you suggest?
Prakash

[Annika]

20 July 2011 at 7:45:30 #833507

Hello Prakash. The Jungfrau and Zermatt regions are rather different, so you won’t get bored with the views. For the validity area of the Swiss Pass (or another pass), you can check the maps I mentioned above. In most cases it’s Domodossola or Chiasso.

It’s a bit hard to say which pass is best. I think you should calculate which pass is most appropriate, as explained before. It’ll also depend on your final plans for day 3.

Getting from Thun to Montreux and make the Chocolate Train trip is do-able (as explained in this post), but please check the Chocolate Train timetable to make sure (as the trains don’t run on all days).