Purchase Swiss Flexi Pass or Swiss Pass ?

Dear Sir,

I intend to stay in Switzerland for 9 days. Below is my itinerary overview:

1. Reach Zurich on 27 Nov and then travel by train to Lucerne on the same day.

2. On 28 Nov, take train to Engelberg to visit Mount Titlis and return back to Lucerne by train.

3. On 29 Nov, travel from Lucerne to Interlaken.

4. On 30 Nov, visit Jungfraujoch and return back to Interlaken.

5. On 1 Dec, travel from Interlaken to Zermatt.

6. From 2 Dec to 4 Dec, visit Geneva, Bern, Zurich.

7. On 5 Dec, depart from Zurich City to Zurich Airport.

Please advice which railway pass should I purchase?

Regards,

Alicia

Welcome to MySwissAlps Alicia!

Your itinerary involves quite lot of train traveling. Therefore, an 8 day Swiss Saver Pass would be by far the most comfortable solution. You could use if for free and ticketless traveling from November 27 to December 4. You will only need additional tickets for mountain transportation, e.g. Engelberg-Titlis and Wengen/Grindelwald-Jungfraujoch. The pass won't be valid anymore on December 5, but if the short and inexpensive transfer from Zurich city to Zurich airport is all you need that day, that's no problem. If you want to make sure whether this is the cheapest solution as well, you should make calculations as explained here.

Just a note on your schedule: the last portion is quite hectic, visiting three cities in three days. You'll be spending lots of time on train traveling (please consult the timetable). You may consider the alternative of cutting down on the number of towns you visit and focusing on a few base towns and their surroundings.

Hi Annika,

Thank you for your advice. I have additional queries:

1. For the mountain transportation, i.e. Engelberg -> Mt Titlis and Wengen/Grindelwald -> Jungfraujoch, do I need to purchase the additional tickets online or do I purchase them direct at the train stations?

2. As I will be travelling from Lucerne -> Interlaken, do I travel via Golden Pass route or via Zentralbahn Lucerne-Interlaken Express ? I can use the Swiss Pass for either of these trains?

3. I'm looking for hotel stay near Interlaken Train Station either Interlaken Ost or Interlaken West. Which train station I should stay nearby for convenience? Any recommendations?

4. I intend to visit Zermatt. Is 1 day sufficient for me to cover the Matterhorn Glacier Paradise? Or do I need to stay at least 2 nights?

5. Understood that if I purchase the 8 day swiss saver pass, on the 5 Dec, I have to separately purchase a train ticket from Zurich city to Zurich airport. Do I purchase online or I can buy direct from the train station prior my departure to Zurich Airport (i.e. on 4 Dec) ?

Looking forward to your reply. Thanks.

Regards,

Alicia

Hi Alicia! Let's take a look at your questions:

1. and 5. You can best purchase such additional tickets at the spot, at the local railway station.

2. The Swiss Pass is valid on all types of trains. The only difference between the two you mention is that the scenic Golden Pass trains have coaches with large, panoramic windows. If you want to make sure you have a seat in a panoramic coach, you should make seat reservations in advance. The reservation costs are not included in the Swiss Pass.

3. Interlaken West is closer to the town centre, whereas the Ost station offers more direct connections towards the Jungfrau region. West and Ost are only minutes apart from each other by train and bus, which both run frequently, so it doesn't really make any difference. Please review our list of hotels in Interlaken close to the railway stations.

4. You will manage to visit Klein Matterhorn / Glacier Paradise within one day. If you want to see more of Zermatt's surroundings, spending an extra night there would be a good idea. Please find hotel recommendations here.

I hope this helps you out!