Aug 29, 2010 - 1:23 PM
Hello Kun, and welcome to the forum. I've calculated your travel plans and the regular full fare prices (in 2nd class) are CHF 639.20 in total. The last trip from Interlaken Ost to Salzburg is calculated up to Buchs, the last Swiss railway station for which a Swiss rail pass is valid on this route.
- A Swiss Half Fare Card, which costs CHF 99.00, grants a 50% discount on all trips you want to make. The total costs with a Swiss Half Fare Card would therefore be CHF 418.60.
- A 3 day Swiss Saver Flexi Pass costs CHF 212.00. You should use the 3 free travel days for the first trip from Zurich to Lucerne (as the validity of the pass starts with the first day of free travel), for the long and expensive return trip from Interlaken Ost to Montreux, and for the outbound journey to Salzburg. The remaining trips would receive a 50% discount and you'd pay CHF 467.10 for the Swiss Saver Flexi Pass plus the other discounted trips.
So the Swiss Half Fare Card is your most economical solution. The pass can be ordered through the
Swiss Half Fare Card page, by clicking your country under the header 'Order your Swiss Half Fare Card here'.
Another option would be to purchase an 8 day
Swiss Saver Pass. Although it's not the most economical solution (the total costs would be CHF 487.40), the ease of use may be a reason to opt for this pass, as you can get on and off trains, buses and boats whenever you like without having to purchase discounted tickets for each trip (which is required with the Swiss Half Fare Card). More information on the Swiss Pass, including purchase options, is available through the
Swiss Pass page.
As for your itinerary: it sounds good, although you'll have some long travel days. After having made a city trip in both Bern and Interlaken, it would be too much to explore Grindelwald and its surroundings as well. Grindelwald is embedded in a stunning landscape, which would deserve a bit more time for exploration. A visit to Grindelwald can perfectly be combined with the visit to the Jungfraujoch, but you've planned a boat trip on this day as well. It depends on how full you want your travel days to be. The boat trip on lake Brienz takes about 3 hours (assuming that you'll take the boat from Interlaken Ost to Brienz and back). Another option would be to spend more time in Grindelwald than in Interlaken on day 4. Interlaken is a nice town, but the scenery around Grindelwald is definitely more impressive. Your other trips can be planned with the
Swiss timetable and they seem to be do-able to me.
If you plan to travel from Interlaken to Montreux by a special Golden Pass Panoramic train, please note that
seat reservations should be made in advance.
I hope this helps a bit! Kind regards,
Last modified on Jan 27, 2020 - 11:14 AM by Arno