Swiss rail and mountain trains

  • Removed user
    Participant
    72625 posts
    18 August 2010 at 9:48:22 #803963

    hi there
    i will reach zurich on 7 sept and wish to visit grindelwald, lucerne and some lakes around
    can i get information on how to book rail pass and which one is ideal for a family of 3 my son is 10 yrs old
    and also i wish to know if i stay in zurich in end before leaving on 13 sept ie i go to zurich on 12 and stay a night and leave on 13 which pass will help me travel bus in zurich as well

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    Annika
    Moderator
    7103 posts
    19 August 2010 at 2:15:54 #831705

    Hello akash, and welcome to the forum! As for the best rail pass: this ultimately depends on your exact travel plans. Only if you have a detailed overview of the trips you’ll be making, you can try to make some calculations which will offer a definitive answer. I’d say there are two logical options:

    • an 8 day Swiss Saver Pass for both adults, and a free STS Family Card for your 10 year old son, allowing him to travel along with you for free on all trips. The Swiss Saver Pass offers free travel on trains, buses and boats throughout Switzerland and discounted travel for mountain transportation. As you don’t have to purchase tickets for each trip, it’s a very comfortable way of travelling. The Swiss Saver Pass also grants free travel in urban transportation of larger cities, including Zurich. The Swiss Saver Pass is best if you plan to make quite some long and expensive train trips.You can order your Swiss Saver Pass online by selecting your country under the header ‘Order your Swiss Pass here’ (be sure to click ‘Show more countries’ below) at the Swiss Pass page;
    • Swiss Half Fare Cards for both adults, and again a free STS Family Card for your son. The Swiss Half Fare Card is cheaper, but offers 50% reduction on almost all trips in Switzerland, instead of free travel. You have to purchase discounted tickets for each trip. The 50% reduction also applies to urban transportation in Zurich. It will be a cost effective solution if not many long and expensive train trips are involved. You can order your Swiss Half Fare Card online as well, following the same procedure as with the Swiss Pass.

    I hope this answers your question! Good luck on preparing for your trip.

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