Picking the right pass? Also reservations question
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Hello all,
My husband and I are taking a trip to both Switzerland and Austria in early September. We are flying to Zurich and immediately taking the train to Lucerne.
Our trip looks like this:
Two nights Lucerne
5 nights Lauterbrunnen – we plan to find some nice but not difficult hikes and see the small towns, and probabaly do the boat ride on either Lake Thun or Lake Brienz. We don’t know EXACTLY which hikes and towns we will do yet – it will likely depend on the weather.From Lauterbrunnen we are taking the train to Innsbruck (2 nights) and then on to Vienna.
It looks to me that the Berner Oberland pass is a good deal because of the two-for-one offer in September – about $245 US for two people. Since we haven’t yet picked out our exact hikes and destinations in the area, I want to be sure we are saving money versus taking all kinds of little trips individually. I also found their website to be confusing – on their price page, it says that there is 80 CHF in “charges” and charges are not explained. I can’t believe that they would charge 80 CHF for mailing to the US. I emailed them and got no response. Can one purchase this pass in Switzerland?
Also, I looked at the 2nd class train fares from Lauterbrunnen to Innsbruck and then from Innsbruck to Vienna. Those two trips alone will cost us $461 USD, and an Austria-Switzerland Eurail pass would be better at $323 USD. However, when I go to the Swiss Rail site, I don’t see how you can make a reservation if you have a pass. I’m also not clear on whether the pass is good on any route and will cover those two routes.
So – based on my itinerary, do those two passes look like our best bet? And also, if I buy the Austria-Switz. pass, how do I make reservations in advance for those two long train rides?
Thanks!
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