Need inputs on the Swiss Passes for a 5D trip

Hello,

My friend an I are planning on our very first Europe Trip this October, and part of our IT is Switzerland. Excited!

We're flying from Nice to Geneva on 11th October Arrival 12:45pm.
So our IT in Switzerland will be:
11th -- Geneva to Zermatt
12th -- Zermatt to St Moritz through Glacier Express
15th -- St Moritz to Venice

We've read about Swiss Flexi Pass, will it be more affordable for us to buy a 4-Day or 5-Day non-consecutive pass ?
If our understanding is correct, We just need to put our 4 or 5 days in the Swiss Flexi pass:
1. 11th Oct -
2. 12th Oct - we would need the pass for our travel within St Moritz ?
3. 13th Oct -
4. 14th Oct -
5. 15th Oct - towards the Boarding Point from Switzerland to Venice, from there we will need to have a separate ticket to Venice.

I've read that the railway station is just walking distance from Geneva Airport, if my understanding is correct, with the Swiss Flexi Pass, we need not book our travel from Geneva to Zermatt. We'll just show the pass to the Train Operator before we board the train ?

There's also another Swiss Pass, which is only for 4 days or 8 days, I'm not sure where our trip will fit in.
There's also a Half-fare card available it seems, but the disadvantage is that we have to buy our tickets from each rail station to avail of the 50% off.
There seems to have lots of different passes available, and as we go along reading them, we get so confused. :(

Also, can we have some inputs what clothes to bring in October, should we bring Winter clothes or we'll be able to survive with layered clothes?

For your advise and suggestions.
Thanks a lot.
-Khaspy-

Hello Khaspy,

Thanks for your post and welcome to MySwissAlps! Here's what I think:

• A 3-day Swiss Saver Flexi Pass would most probably be sufficient. You can use the free travel days on the 11th, 12th and 15th. You will get discounted traveling on the 13th and 14th (I assume you will only make short trips on these days). As you can see in the Promotion section of the pass page, you will get a substantial discount on the pass if you buy it in time.
• There is a rail station at Geneva Airport, see here.
• Trains do not need to be booked in advance, except for the Glacier Express. See here for details.
• You don't need to show the pass before boarding. Just board and enjoy the ride, and show your pass when requested. It is explained in detail on the Swiss Flexi Pass page.
• As for clothing: you don't need Winter cloths unless you plan to spend a lot of time in high (snowy) terrain. It can be cold in October, but it can also feel like Summer during the day. It can't be predicted until a few days ahead of time. You'd better dress in multiple thinner layers so that you can adjust. A light raincoat should be included in your luggage as well.

Please let me know if any questions remain.

Hi Khaspy,

Yes, that's exactly how you would use the pass. As for the transfer from St. Moritz to Venice: the exact connections depend on your travel date and time, but the route via Tirano and Milano is indeed one of the options. You can download the map from the Swiss Flexi Pass page, so that you can see where is it valid. For the route you suggest, you indeed enjoy free traveling until Tirano.

For Tirano to Venezia, you need a ticket and you can order that along with your pass. It's just one ticket per person. You don't need to order separate tickets for each train. If the Canadian friend you mentioned in the other topic will order this, this is the page to go to: www.raileurope.ca/cana da/rail/point_to_point /triprequest.htm (do not select "Are you traveling with a rail pass?" as you won't have a pass from Tirano onwards).

Hello Khaspy! Glad to hear that you've arranged for your bookings.

You're right, our expertise is not about traveling in Italy :-). However, the Swiss timetable shows other routes to Venice that don't run through Milan, e.g. via Zernez, Mals, Merano and Bolzona, or via Edolo and Brescia. Just click the plus icon on the left of each connection to view details. Do mind that the route from St. Moritz to Tirano is absolutely stunning. It's part of the Bernina Express and to be honest, it would be a shame to miss out on that if you're heading for Italy.