Which travel pass if we have a drive rental van?

We have already finalized our plan to Europe trip. Plane will be landed at Frankfurt Airport. Then, we will drive rental van from Frankfurt to Munich for our first night. The second night will be at Hallstatt. The third night will be at Wilderswil Switzerland. The morning of 16/4/2016, we plan to go up to Jungfrau. The late afternoon on 16/4/2016we will go to Saas Grund area and spend a night there. In the morning of 17/4/2016, we are going to Zermatt and go up to Gronergrat to see Matterhorn. On 18/4/2016, we plan to go to Rigi Kulm. From 19-20/4/2016 we will be in Zurich and Darmstadt before we are flying out from Frankfurt.

Although we have our rental van, I think we still need to buy Pass to get some discount to go up to Jungfrau, Gronergrat, and Rigi Kulm on 16-18/4/2016. Please recommend, we have 4 persons in the family 59, 58, 30, and 23 years old. Where should I buy the pass since we are travelling by our rental van. Could we pay by credit card? In case the weather is not so good to go up to Jungfrau, Gronergrat and Rigi Kulm any idea for us to choose as second alternative. We would be highly appreciated if you could give us your recommendation.

Thanks and best regards

Hi Europetrip!

If you'll be doing the main transfers by car and only use public transportation for mountain visits, the Swiss Half Fare Card that's also been recommended in your previous topic is the best option. Purchase options are at our Swiss Half Fare Card page. I recommend www.swissrailways.com/ en as they provide print at home passes that you can start using right after arrival without any further need for validation. There are no shipping or handling fees and they allow payment by credit card.

You'll find some bad weather alternatives on our Lucerne, Interlaken and Zermatt pages.

Thanks for your information...Annika, After doing the rough calculation in your recommended work sheet, it seems like 3 days Swiss Travel Pass would be the best choice over the Swiss Half Fare Card to go to Jungfrau, Matterhorn, and Rigi Kulm.

Could we buy 3 days Swiss Travel Pass from Interlaken Ost station in the morning of 16 Apr 2016 and start using it right away? Since we would arrive Interlaken area in late night of 15 Apr 2016. We believe credit card would be accepted for payment.

We decide to buy Swiss Travel Pass in that morning only if the weather is clear. If not, we might change our plan again that day. What would be the weather like during that period in the past?

Europetrip

Hi Europetrip!

A 3 day Swiss Travel Pass will be very convenient. All resellers are listed here. Buying in Interlaken and start using it immediately is an option indeed.

As for weather: there are no guarantees at all. In April you can encounter anything ranging from chilly and rainy to sunny, mild or even quite warm circumstances. Please refer to our weather page. Only short-term forecasts are reliable, so it's wise to check shortly before heading off.

Dear Annika...thanks for your information, regarding to buy 3 days Swiss Travel Pass at Interlaken Ost early in the morning of 16 Apr 2016. What time does the selling booth open? Again, does it accept credit card?

In case the weather is too cloudy and not worth to go up to Jungfrau, what would you recommend to spend time there from 7:30am til 4:00pm. We prefer to go up to mountains.

Thanks and regards,

Europetrip

Hi Europetrip,

Yes, they do accept credit cards, but I don't know which exact types. The ticket counter will open quite early. Exact timings can be found by entering "Interlaken Ost" at this SBB page.

In case of clouds a round trip as far as Kleine Scheidegg may be still worth it, or a round trip Lauterbrunnen-Grütschalp-Mürren-Stechelberg. If it's very cloudy or rainy these trips too won't allow you to enjoy the views though. In such a case I'd recommend a boat trip over Lake Thun or Lake Brienz, sightseeing in Thun, Bern or Lucerne or the Ballenberg Open Air Museum.