Switz 8days (Eurail Select &/or Swiss Travel Pass)

Hi. i'm traveling to Europe for a month from 23 April - 22 May covering Paris (5nights) --> Switz (7n) --> Vienna (4n) --> Prague (5n) --> frankfurt (5n) (last stop)

1) I have already bought Eurail Select Pass Youth $271euros (covering 4 countries). i just wanted to know if this was the right choice (although there's nothing i can do now even if i'm wrong haha)

2) I understand that Eurail select pass has benefits to travel in Switzerland. I'm having a hard time planning my 8days7night itinerary for switz. This is how my stay would be like in terms of where I'm sleeping:

29 April - Check in and stay at Interlaken
30 April - Stay at interlaken
1 May - Stay at interlaken
2 May - Stay at interlaken
3 May - Check out of interlaken B&B in the morning and proceed to Bern To stay 2 nights (*i'm planning to have a day trip at bern since i'm there)
4 May - Stay at Bern
5 May - Check out of Bern B&B in the morning and proceed to Zurich to stay
6 May - I have a full day free as i'm taking the night train from Zurich HB to Austria Vienna at 940pm.

2.1) i want to make full use of my eurail pass for my transport at Switzerland. I don't know how to plan. i know Eurail pass won't cover city transport/most buses in Switzerland.

2.2) I'm more concern about how my itinerary would be at Interlaken for the 4 nights. Any suggestions where can i go with my eurail pass? I don't mind paying for a few transportation costs like buses. OR is it more worth it to buy a swiss travel pass and how many days should i buy instead?

REALLY APPRECIATE YOUR HELP ASAP!! THANK YOUUU!! :))

Shirley, Singapore

UPDATED ITINERARY:

29 April - Check in at 1pm at Interlaken/Probably take the Golden pass train to lucerne and back
30 April - (Stay at interlaken)/Take golden pass train to montreux (1 day trip)
1 May - (Stay at interlaken)/Go to Lauterbrunnen, Murren, Gimmelwald, Trummelbach
2 May - Stay at interlaken/Don't know where to go yet
3 May - Check out of interlaken B&B in the morning and proceed to Bern To stay 2 nights (*i'm planning to have a day trip at bern since i'm there)
4 May - Stay at Bern
5 May - Check out of Bern B&B in the morning and proceed to Zurich to stay
6 May - I have a full day free as i'm taking the night train from Zurich HB to Austria Vienna at 940pm.

I hope it's not too messy. i just wanted to check if this is tentatively the itinerary, what swiss travel pass should i get? Swiss half fare card or Swiss travel card for 4 days? I figured that 8 days swiss travel pass is too expensive given that I have 2 days which i'm taking the golden pass train for free with my eurail pass.

Any reply is appreciated, thanks!!

Hi Shirley,

Thanks for your post! As you've already discovered, Eurail passes include less discounts and less free traveling in Switzerland than Swiss Travel System passes. However, with a trip that includes multiple countries like yours it can make sense. I would recommend to study the Eurail map thoroughly and pick your day trips based on where you get a discount.

You don't need an additional Swiss Travel Pass, but a Swiss Half Fare Card could be worth it for the days you can't use your Eurail pass or if you intend to do trips not covered by the pass at all. A detailed guide on how to calculate your savings can be found here.

Suggestions on what to do while based in Interlaken can be found on the Bernese Oberland page.

Is this answer useful?

Thank you for your reply!

I would like to check with you something important! I read about the "Bern ticket" which allows us free traveling for public transport in bern for zone 100 and 101 under Libero as long as we have booked an accommodation in Bern.

I have booked a private hotel at 3053 latti Schonbrunnen for 2 nights. So does it mean I'm qualified to use the bern ticket? But where can i get the ticket?

From interlaken ost, I will be traveling to the hotel at Bern via (Bern RBS --> Zollikofen Bahn --> take bus 898 to destination Schonbrunnen). I checked with my host of the hotel but he said he doesn't provide? How can that be. Based on what I read:

"Free public transport
There is a network of trams, buses and local trains (S-Bahnen) that allow easy traveling all over town. A car is not needed to get around. The Bern Ticket offers free traveling in the public transport zones 100 and 101, which is basically all of Bern. You will get a free Bern Ticket if you book an hotel, an apartment, a hostel, or any other accommodation."

Can u please advice me on this, like where can i get the ticket? thanks!

Hi Shirley,

Schönbrunnen is not in Bern, so it's correct that you don't get the Bern Ticket. If you book an hotel in Bern, you will receive the ticket when you check in.

Thanks for the clarification! Appreciate it. I was using sbb.ch to check my ticket fares. So after arriving at Bern RBS in the morning lets say 8am plus, before making my way to schonbrunnen, i can buy a day pass at Bern RBS for CHF 9 right? so after i put my luggage at schonbrunnen i can use the day pass as a day trip to travel around Bern, is that right?

The reason why im asking is because when i was checking the sbb.ch website, i saw this:
1) Bern RBS --> Zollikofen bahnhof (day pass 7.90 chf)
2) Zollikofen bahnhof --> schonbrunnen (day pass 7.90 chf) *** can the day pass i purchased at bern rbs for 7.90 be used for this route?

I don't know why the price difference of 7.90 and 9 so i'm abit confused on the day pass price.

Hi Shirley,

A day card for the city of Bern (so not including Schönbrunnen) costs CHF 11.80, or CHF 7.90 if you have any pass that provides a discount (not Eurail). You can find details on bern.com.