Short Stay visit Switzerland in Budget urgent!

Hi, basically I am planning travel with my family during the summer period from 29th July to 31st July. The following is some questions that I quite confused hope someone could help me. We are travelling 1 youth and 2adult.

We will arrive in Lucerne, Switzerland in 29th of July early morning. So the plan is we will start visiting the Mt Pilatus golden round trip/silver round trip around afternoon. Questions:

1. I just wonder is it worth for us to get passes or shall we just buy the train ticket seperately? or buy in local? Is it worth to buy in advance?

2. Since we will visit the golden/silver round trip which is going to Mt Pilatus, how much the total cost per person? can I buy this golden/silver round trip tour over there? or shall I buy in advance? Which way is cheaper?

3. How is the transport in Lucerne? do they have any kind of one day unlimited ride any transportation (Bus and rail)? As our accommodation is around Emmenbrucke.

On the next day, we are planning to visit Interlaken via golden pass route.Question:

4. How to make reservation if I have Interail Switzerland Pass? can I make my reservation over there and how much does it cost?

5. And if non of us have passes, how much the total cost of travelling from Lucerne to Interlaken OST? I saw online some around GBP80++ for 3 people some is CHF24, which one is correct?

And since we will be leaving Lucerne around morning, if the weather allowed, I think to travel Jungfraujoch and I know it need at least 5 hours to visit there. Questions:

6. How much is the total cost to travel there and which is the best and cheapest way from Interlaken Ost to the top of Jungfrau?

After finish the journey,

7. Shall I book in advance from Interlaken to Basel (because we will travel back to Paris) or book it there?

In short, which is the cheapest way to travel around Lucerne-Interlaken-(maybe Jungfraujoch if nice weather)-Basel SBB- Paris in this short period? The reason choosing Basel trip cause Switzerland don't have any night train back to Paris and from Basel SBB to Paris is the cheapest route I can find or anyone have any alternative route? and we will travel back to Paris on 31st July morning.

Overall, I know it is a bit rush and hurry, but I hope someone could give me some advise and thanks in advance for that!! Look forward to your reply soon.

Hi weugsky, welcome to MySwissAlps,

1. I am not sure if you already have an InterRail Pass. If you do it's probably not worth it to get another pass, but you may want to do the math as explained here. If you don't have a pass, I would say that Swiss Half Fare Cards save you money. See the link for all details about that card.

2. You can buy it on the day or in advance. All information and links to prices are here.

3. There are day cards, but I wouldn't think it's worth it with your plans. A Swiss Half Fare Card gives you a discount on city buses and all local trains as well.

4. You do not need seat reservations, see the Golden Pass page.

5. A single trip is CHF 31 per person without discounts. You can find prices in the timetable.

6. Links to prices and further information can be found on the Jungfraujoch page.

7. Apart from a few scenic trains, you never need advanced reservations for trains in Switzerland. More details are here.

Traveling via Basel is indeed the shortest route. Alternatives (e.g. via Geneva or Lausanne) are longer.

I noticed that you posted a similar topic in the Trip Reports forum. Please check our guidelines. Duplicate topics are not allowed, and also the Trip Reports forum is for completed trips only. So I deleted that topic. You're very welcome to post a trip report once you have returned. It may even win you a hotel voucher.

Hi Arno, thanks for the reply. I apologize for the double posting as I didn't realize it.

1. We haven't got any rail pass yet and I am consider the Swiss Flexi Pass. I wonder which pass (Swiss Flexi Pass or Swiss Half Fare Cards) is more suitable for us to travel around the Lucerne, Interlaken and Basel area?

Thanks for the advice and help and do you have any suggestion for us about the attraction and local food around there?

Once again, many thanks for your help !

Hi weugsky,

From a price point of view, the only way to tell is to have a detailed itinerary and then do the comparison according to the guide I gave you. But when you say "travel around the Lucerne, Interlaken and Basel area", that assumes quite some traveling and the Swiss Flexi Pass is a better fit. It allows you to pick free travel days (no tickets required) for the longer trips and get discounted tickets for short day trips. Since you only have 3 days though, a 3 day Swiss Flexi Pass would be perfect, and you will have free travel on all days (mountain transport is discounted). Also, that's more convenient than buying tickets for each trip. Please find all the details like prices, what's covered and more on the Swiss Flexi Pass page.

For attraction suggestions you can visit our pages of the towns or regions you are interested in, e.g. Lake Lucerne, Jungfrau region, etc. That's where we have listed the things we like most.

Hi Arno, thanks for the reply and help.

Hi Arno,

I think we just cancel the trip to Jungfrau due to the time. Once again, many thanks for the help.