Switzerland holidays

Hello Looban, and welcome to our forum! That's an impressive itinerary, allowing you to explore a lot of Switzerland. As for your questions:

1) The Swiss Saver Pass can be bought both online and at the Geneva Airport railway station. Prices and further details can be found at the Swiss Pass page. A 15 pass activated on July 2 will expire on July 16 by midnight. So July 16 is the last day on which you can use your pass, which matches your travel plan exactly.

2) In most cases, you won't have problems finding a seat. Some very popular routes may be crowded though. If want to avoid that, a 1st class pass may be a good option. Please note that some tourist trains, cable cars and buses don't offer 1st class seats. Scenic trains such as the Bernina Express and Glacier Express can be booked about 2 to 3 months in advance. That would be a good moment to do so. You'll find more information at the seat reservation page.

3) If you don't want to get to Montreux again after your stay in Interlaken, it would make more sense to travel directly to Bern from Interlaken and spend one or two nights there. There are direct trains from Bern to Geneva Airport. This would mean that you won't make the Golden Pass ride. If you want to visit Lausanne instead of Bern, you can do so either using the Golden Pass line (with a change of trains in Montreux), or using regular trains via Bern and skipping Montreux. You can find all options in the timetable.

4) The Chocolate Train includes a train ride to Broc, a bus ride to the castle and factory, and a visit to the cheese and chocolate factory. Swiss Pass holders receive a discount of CHF 40 to CHF 50 (depending on whether you have a 1st or 2nd class pass). Broc can also be reached using regular regional trains. They would be covered by the Swiss Pass, but the factory tour wouldn't be included.

5) No, boat cruises, cable cars and mountain trains don't have to be booked in advance.

6) Weather conditions in July can range from cold and wet to warm and sunny; that's very hard to predict. There can be huge differences between several part of the country too. Since you'll be traveling throughout the country, visiting towns at lower altitude in relatively warm parts of the country (such as Geneva and Montreux), but also mountain peaks where temperatures may still be near freezing point, you can best prepare for all sorts of weather.

I hope this helps you out! Best regards,

Hello Looban!

1) No, it's very hard to get from St. Moritz to Lugano and back on one day by Bernina Express, as a single trip already takes about 6 hours. You can best consult the general timetable and the Bernina Express timetable for details.

2) Lugano and St. Moritz are very different. Lugano has a much milder climate and therefore a more mediterranean atmosphere, whereas St. Moritz is surrounded by snow-capped mountains. Most buses and trains offer enough luggage space; as far as I know, there are no limits. You may consider the SBB fast baggage service though.

Hello Sin! I suggest that you take a look at the Zermatt day trip overview I referred to and pick one of the viewing points near Zermatt for your short stay there. You could try the Gornergrat, if time allows, or Sunnegga.

I'm not quite sure what you mean with your second question. Do you mean that you want to travel from St. Moritz to Paris in one day? That can be done. The timetable I mentioned will tell you which connections are possible. There are direct TGV trains between Zurich and Paris. If the trip from the Swiss border to Paris is the only French trip you'll be making, you can best buy a regular ticket and not a rail pass for this leg. A rail pass for your stay in Switzerland (I suggest that you consider the 2 for 1 offer on the 4 day Swiss Saver Flexi Pass) would be very economical.