[Removed user]

25 August 2013 at 2:29:01 #806154

Hi,
I am not sure which pass to get for our family (2 adults, 3 children aged 15,12,11). We are flying into Zurich in December, then will train to Munich and travel on trains in Germany for 8 days (non-consecutive but the entire trip is less than 1 month and some of these trips are within Bavaria so I am looking at the Bavaria ticket for three of these days). On our return to Switzerland, we will be coming from Freiburg so if we were to get a Swiss Flexi pass, I presume we would have to buy a ticket to the Swiss border? We will travel from Freiburg to Interlaken (do you have a recommendation for the most scenic route?), spend two nights in Interlaken and would like to go up to the Schilthorn on the day in between, then return to Zurich airport.
For the three days of train travel in Switzerland, the 3 day Swiss flexipass looks like good value although I have a few questions. Does this give us free travel for the children? Do we need to purchase a Family Card? If we use the first day to go from Zurich Flughaven to the border, can we then get another Bavaria card to get from the border to Munich?
The other option is to get an 8-day Swiss-German Rail pass (and use this in combination with three Bavaria passes) but I could not work out how much this would cost (there may be 2 for 1 deals, groups travelling together deals and I was not sure whether the 12 and 15 year old would be considered adults under this pass).
Any help you can give us will be greatly appreciated. We are residents of Australia.
Thanks,
Jenny

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[Annika]

26 August 2013 at 12:19:33 #839191

Hi Jenny! That’s a difficult choice indeed. Here are some things to consider. An 8 day Eurail Germany-Switzerland Pass would be the easiest overall solution. Please note that it’s available for 1st class traveling only. If you don’t need this, you can best look for other options. Another disadvantage is that the Schilthorn is not included. The 11 year old would pay half the price, the 12 and 15 year old would be considered adults. So you’d buy Saver variants for the 4 ‘adults’ and 1 discounted pass for the 11 year old. Please refer to the Eurail Germany-Switzerland Pass page for all details. Prices for Australia can be found here.

Separate tickets for the German and Swiss portions would be an option indeed. I’m not familiar enough with the Bavaria ticket to tell if it’s the best deal for your German traveling, so if there are any uncertainties I suggest you contact the German railways. As for the Swiss part only: a 3 day Swiss Saver Flexi Pass makes sense in your case, especially since you may want to make scenic detours. It’s also ideal if you want to be able to do some more traveling in Switzerland or to adjust your plans if necessary, e.g. due to weather conditions. You’d buy a Saver Pass for 2 people. All three children travel along for free if you order along the free Family Card. Please find details at the Swiss Flexi Pass page. Prices are listed here.

The quickest route from Freiburg to Interlaken via Basel and Spiez is nice, especially the last leg along lake Thun. If time allows you could make a scenic detour via Lucerne, Meiringen and Brienz. Details can be found in the timetable.