Swiss flexi pass, & Glacier Express reservations

Hello!
My girlfriend & I will be visiting Switzerland in Feb 2011 for 20 days; arriving in Zurich from JFK. Snowboarding in Zermatt for 7 days, then taking the Glacier Express to St. Moritz for another 7 days before returning to Zurich for the remainder of our stay. I have a few (!) questions:
1. From what I've seen in various online information we believe the 3 day flexi saver pass would be our best bet; 1 travel day from Zurich to Zermatt, 1 for the G.E. to St. Moritz, & the last day for the return trip to Zurich. (Is this correct?) If we use up the 3 days, will the pass still afford us a discount for museums in Zurich, or is the pass done after the 3 travel days? 2. Is the pass good for discounted ground transport (buses) in Zermatt/St. Moritz? (would getting the buses for free use a travel day?) 3. Do we need to purchase the Swiss pass before we make the G.E. reservations, or can we order both at the same time? (including lunch on the G.E. train) 4. Does the Swiss pass afford us a lift ticket discount at either resort? (a long shot I know, but I have to ask)
I apologize for the long post, we're just trying to get as much information as possible & your site looks like it has very knowledgeable people with timely advise.
Thanks for your time!
Michael

Hi Michael, and welcome! As for your questions: a 3 day Swiss Flexi Pass seems to be reasonable option in your case, as it covers the three long and expensive journeys indeed. Unfortunately, the pass is only valid until the last day of free travelling, so it can't be used for museums in Zurich anymore after the last trip from St. Moritz to Zurich. Urban transportation in larger cities such as Zurich is included (again, between the first and last day of free travelling), but not in smaller towns such as Zermatt and St. Moritz. On buses in Zermatt and St. Moritz you'll receive a 50% discount instead. (Just to answer your question more precisely: if you were to profit from free public transportation in larger cities, this would indeed cost a free travel day. On non-free travel days, a 50% discount applies in these larger cities too.) Please take a look at the map referred to by the link 'Overview of the network on which the Swiss Flexi Pass is valid' under the header Swiss Flexi Pass features. This will get you to a map showing exactly which discounts the Swiss Flexi Pass offers. Cities offering free public transport on free travel days are indicated on this map as well.

Just a note: as you'll be travelling with your girlfriend, you could both profit from the cheaper Swiss Saver Flexi Pass, which is one pass for two or more people travelling together.

It doesn't matter whether you make your GE reservations before or after the purchase of your Swiss Flexi Pass. You only need seat reservations, as the journey itself will be for free with your Swiss Flexi Pass. You can show this pass when asked for by the train conductor, and the pass will serve as your train ticket. You can indeed arrange for both your Swiss Flexi Pass and the GE reservation online, but you don't necessarily have to do this at the same time.

The Swiss Flexi Pass does offer discounts on regular viewing points around Zermatt and St. Moritz. Examples are the Gornergrat, Sunnegga and Klein Matterhorn at Zermatt, and Corvatsch in the St. Moritz area. These are indicated by dotted lines on the map I referred to above. Ski lifts aren't included, so a separate ski (season) ticket may be recommendable. Information on this can be found on the Zermatt and St. Moritz tourist website.

I hope this provides some answers! Kind regards,

Thank you so much for your quick response! We figured the ski lift tickets could not be discounted, but no harm in asking, eh? We found a contact in the Swiss Rail authority, & he gave us a similar answer regarding the Glacier Express reservations. Thanks for the tip about the saver flexi pass, I had seen that on the Swiss Rail website, but with all the other information we were gathering, it didn't really register until now! We'll purchase our rail passes soon, as there is a substantial discount if we order before the 16th of this month. ($100 off orders of $200 or more!)

Thank you again for your help! It can be a bit overwhelming trying to disseminate all the information available out there. We are so looking forward to this trip; are are trying not to leave too much to chance.

cheers!

Mike