Switzerland itinerary help

Hello we are a family of 3 adults from Australia who will be travelling from Italy to Ardez 20 December for 3 nights. During that time we hope to travel on Bernina regional train to Poschiavo and return (day trip)and then on 23 December on train through to Chamonix Mont Blanc for Christmas. Not sure if a pass would be a good idea or for short day trips (e.g. Klosters) purchasing tickets on day. Any advice appreciated. many thanks Anne and family.

Welcome to MySwissAlps, Anne!

The costs of your trips within Switzerland will quickly add up if you buy regular full fare tickets: you need tickets from the Swiss-Italian border to Ardez, Ardez-Poschiavo and back, maybe Ardez-Klosters and back and Ardez-Chamonix, which is a long and expensive journey. It depends on your exact route from Italy to Ardez, but I estimate the costs to be about CHF 300 per person.

I suggest you look into a 4 day Swiss Saver Pass: it covers all of these trips (except for the very last leg to Chamonix, which is discounted) and will be cheaper than buying regular tickets. It's easy too, as you can simply board all trains with your Swiss Saver Pass. Please find details, prices and purchase options at www.myswissalps.com/swisspass.

If you want to make calculations to be sure, you can follow these guidelines.

I hope this helps you out!

Hello Annika

Thank you for yr reply.

We will be travelling on a South Tyrol mobilcard from Merano to Malles then through Naunders to Ardez as our base for 3 nights.

i have estimated our long travel day is about 7.5 hrs from ardez to martigny then finally chamonix and would visit about chf 145 each person.....if thus us the case do you think 4 day pass is best option and can we buy thus in malles?

Are passes valid on post buses?

Do post buses run all year round including december?

Is it possible to travel ardez to tirano return on a day trip?

Does our son with an intellectual disability receive a discount on pass?

Thank you for yr answer to questions.

Regards

Anne

Hi Berlin2016,

> if thus us the case do you think 4 day pass is best option and can we buy thus in malles?

It's the best option because the pass includes more than just that trip, such as the inbound trip and the return trip to Poschiavo. See here for what's included. Malles is in Italy and I would not count on the pass being available there. You can get it online, see the pricing section, and possibly get a discount, see the promo section.

> Are passes valid on post buses?

Yes, see the previous link. Some may require a small surcharge. As you can see on the map, the first section of the bus via Nauders is discounted by 50%, and the remainder of the ride is free. The entire ride is free if you travel via Zernez.

> Do post buses run all year round including december?

In general yes, but if road passes are closed down during Winter the bus service will not be offered either. All information for specific routes and dates is in the timetable. The schedules for the second half of December will become available from mid October.

> Is it possible to travel ardez to tirano return on a day trip?

Yes, it takes about 3.5 hours each way. See the timetable for details.

> Does our son with an intellectual disability receive a discount on pass?

There are no further discounts on the pass, other than the 10% Saver discount for people traveling together.

Kind regards,

Arno