Paris, Switzerland, Milan, Nice: which railpass?

I am planning on traveing through from Paris to Switzerland, traveling around from Geneva to Interlaken (for 5 days) and then to Milan, then back to Nice, France. It will be 7 days from Paris to Milan, then another 3 days in Nice before returning to Paris. Which rail pass would fit us best? I was thinking at first just a 3-4 day Swiss pass, but now I´m thinking maybe a Eurail pass. What would make most sense?

Hi Kimnestaas, thanks for joining MySwissAlps!

A Eurail Global Pass is worth it if you plan quite some traveling while you're in Paris, Milan and Nice as well. If you'll only make short local trips there, it might not be the best choice. Moreover, the Eurail Global Pass doesn't provide great coverage for the Interlaken region you'll be staying in. Everything south of Interlaken is discounted by only 25%: https://www.myswissalps.com/eurailglobalpass/validity.

A Swiss Travel Pass (https://www.myswissalps.com/swisstravelpass) or a Regional-Pass Bernese Oberland (https://www.myswissalps.com/regionalpassberneseoberland) might be better for the Swiss portion of your stay. You could supplement this with normal tickets Paris-Switzerland (https://www.myswissalps.com/traintickets/france) and Switzerland-Milan (https://www.myswissalps.com/traintickets/italy).

You can only tell for sure if you have a detailed itinerary, mapping out which day trips you plan to make from each of your base towns. You can then run calculations as explained here: https://www.myswissalps.com/train/ticketspasses/practical/chooserailpass.

I hope this gives you some ideas to start off with!

Thanks for the quick reply. In addition to the regional Bernese Oberland pass, would you recommend a separate Jungfrau pass? I noticed the 3 day Jungfrau pass is around $200.

Hi Kimnestaas,

That depends on your travel plans from Interlaken. The area covered by the Jungfrau Travel Pass is much smaller than that of the Regional-Pass Bernese Oberland. Please see https://www.myswissalps.com/jungfrautravelpass/validity for details. If you're sure you'll stay within that area, it could be a good option. Take into account that weather may force you to change your plans though. That could be a reason to choose a pass that covers a larger region.

Hi Kimnestaas,

Just to make sure I've understood your question correctly: are you considering getting both a Regional-Pass Bernese Oberland as well as a Jungfrau Travel Pass? That's usually not necessary. The Regional-Pass Bernese Oberland has good coverage for the Jungfrau area, so you'd have to very extensively in this area for an additional Jungfrau Travel Pass to be worth it.

Thank you! You´ve been most helpful. I think we are set then.

I have one more question that came up as I´m booking the tickets and the regional pass. I purchased the Bernese Oberland regional pass and then I went online to book the Golden Pass Panoramic train from Montreux to Interlaken. In the description of the regional pass, it does say that the section from Montreux to Saanen is only 50% off. Does this mean I have to book a separate ticket (from Montreux to Saanen) and in the order, put in the I have a Half off card and just pay for half? I booked the seats which seems to only cover from Montreux to Zweisimmen. The Golden Pass Panoramic train that I booked only has two stops, in Zweisimmen and Spiez.

Hi Kimnestaas,
indeed, the Golden Pass line with the Regional Pass Bernese Oberland:

• Train from Saanen to Lucerne: free
• Train from Montreux to Saanen: 50% off
• read more here: www.myswissalps.com/regionalpassberneseoberland/validity

This means that you still should buy a half fare ticket for the Montreux to Saanen part.

Yes, use the half fare price when purchasing the ticket.
There is no need for seat reservation on the Golden Pass, we only recommend it on the Zweisimmen - Montreux leg in high season. So you're all good regarding the reservation.

Take care,
Ildiko

Thank you. I feel a bit dumb asking this question, but do I buy the half price ticket at the regular SBB.ch or on MOB.ch where I buy the Golden pass ticket? Does it matter as long as I have a ticket for Montreux to Saanen?

Never mind the last message. I did figure it out. I booked directly on MOB.ch on the same train. That´s probably the simplest.

Thank you for all your help.

I am glad you've found a solution. You can book anywhere.

I recommend these resellers: www.myswissalps.com/goldenpass/tickets.

Let us know if you have further questions,

Ildiko