Tell-Pass for Lucerne, Bellinzona,Lugano & Zurich?

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    9 May 2017 at 16:17:39 #811751

    CanI use a tell pass to travel from zurich to lucerne, lucerne via stopoff in Bellinzona to Lugano and from Lugano to Zurich central and airport?

    CanI use the tell past with a companion card for that travel?

    What does the tell pass cost for 5 days of travel ?

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    9 May 2017 at 18:31:26 #863056

    Hi Artnuvo,

    No the Tell Pass does not cover those areas. You can find a PDF map of its coverage here.
    You can find links to retailers and their prices to buy the Tell Pass here.

    You need a Swiss Half Fare Card to use the Companion ticket with – the Tell Pass isn’t valid for it.

    You may want to look at the Swiss Travel Pass as it will cover all your areas of travel. For help choosing the best pass for you read through our information page here.

    Lucas

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    10 May 2017 at 13:09:17 #863057

    It doesn’t seem that the Swiss travel pass at 123 Swiss francs per person makes sense for us and mpoint to point tickets probably are wiser. we won’t have 4 or 8 days of consectutive travel and are planning travel between several cities that has 2-day stays (Zurich to Lucerne,Lucerne to Lugano, Lugano to Zurich ,Zurich to airport). Is that a fair assessment?,

    How does the Companion Card work? Does it permit no-cost additional travel as long as there is a purchase using the HFC? Can you purchase it online at the same time as you purchase the HFC, or do you order it separately?

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    10 May 2017 at 16:22:47 #863058

    You can read all about the companion ticket here.

    The Swiss Travel Pass starts at 216chf not 123. If you are only traveling on trains between those cities and no other travel on trains, buses, trams, gondolas etc than the Swiss Travel Pass may not be worth it and the Swiss Half Card may be the better option.

    The only way to know for sure is to do the math on your planned trips and compare prices. You can use our excel sheet to help you here.

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    10 May 2017 at 20:29:26 #863059

    Doing the math:

    My point to point ticket travel costs about $219 per person.

    HFC for 1 year appears to cost 185 chf/$184. If I add 38chf companion card, total cost is $222?.

    Am I doing the math right? or is there an additional travel cost for the companion card person?

    Can I buy the HFC when in Switzerland? Or do I need to buy it online from the US?

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    10 May 2017 at 21:00:01 #863060

    Let me try with some corrected math.

    My pt to pt travel is $219 US per person x 2= $438US

    HFC for 1 month 120chf + 38chf companion=158chf/$157US

    Do i then add $110/50% discount travel for the companion for a total cost of $267?

    Or do I add $229 (($110 for the HFC holder and $110 for the companion card holder,for a total cost of $377?

    Annika
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    11 May 2017 at 15:48:39 #863061

    Hi artnuvo,

    I don’t think the the companion ticket is as attractive as you think it is. You need a Swiss Half Fare Card PLUS a one-day travelpass to buy it (please see this topic too), and the fare mentioned is for one day only. I’m afraid you suppose your co-traveller can travel along on all journeys for just CHF 38, but that’s not the case. Only for very long day trips it’s worth considering add-ons such as the one-day travelpass and a companion ticket. Also note that the CHF 38 offer is only available up to May 21 (I don’t know when you’ll be traveling). So you’d have to add the costs of

    For most itineraries, just buying two Swiss Half Fare Cards and 50% discounted tickets will be cheaper and easier. The Swiss Travel Pass is even more convenient. If you’re traveling 5 days, a 4 day Swiss Travel Pass plus regular tickets for your first/last day (if you don’t need long journeys then) could be a great option.

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    11 May 2017 at 20:06:12 #863062

    The swiss travelcard at 214chf for 3 days does nt save me any money for our 5 day travel and is more expensive than point to point tickets .

    As for thecompaninon card at 38chf, swiss tourism and the sbb webite indicates, unless I read it wrong, that the copanion card is buyable only by swiss residents and is used to assist a disabled person–not our circumstances.

    Arno
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    11 May 2017 at 20:16:09 #863063

    Hi artnuvo,

    The ticket for accompanied disabled people is something different, and it’s not a promotion but an ongoing arrangement. Since you stay in Lugano you can use the Ticino Ticket issued by your accommodation. Did you check that? It might be all you need there.

    Apart from that it’s a matter of doing the math and include all your trips, boats and cableways too. Make sure you don’t assume the half fare prices in the timetable are the regular prices as explained here. I think you need a Swiss Half Fare Card at the most, nothing else.

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    11 May 2017 at 20:25:10 #863064

    Let me thank all of you for your suggestions and comments which are much apreciated.

    To recap, our pt to pt travel totals $219, zurich airport to lucerne, lucerne to lugano with a stopoff in Bellinzona, Lugano to Zurich,and Zurich to the airport, with 2 days in each city. The various passes we have discussed, in the circumstances, don’t appear to save us money.

    As for the companion card, obviously I was misinformed by swiss tourism. In any event, an HFC and a 38chf companion card plus a 1 day travel card for our travel does nt save us money. Thanks for that suggestion.

    Ticino card is nt useful since we are in lucerne for 2 days, lugano for 2, and zurich for 2. Thanks for the suggestion.

    Arno
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    11 May 2017 at 20:40:12 #863065

    You’re most welcome! I don’t think your recap is correct though. You seem to only include town to town train fares in your calculations. It’s day trips by cableways, boats, etc. that add up quickly. That’s why the Swiss Half Fare Card may save you money. 2-3 trips are usually enough to break even.

    The Ticino Ticket is worth it in any case. Why not use it since you will get it for free and won’t have a Swiss Travel Pass for free traveling?

    All of this assumes you will be exploring and making day trips. If you stay put in the towns then point to point tickets may very well be the best option.

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    11 May 2017 at 20:47:09 #863066

    I understand about the pass discounts for cable cars, etc. We have been to these locales, includig Mt Pilatus, as well as Murren, the Jungfrauroch, and elsewhere in Switzerland, and nearby Como and Varenna, are coming off a 14-day river cruise between Amsterdam and Budapest, including a canal cruise in Amsterdam, so we probably will just walk around and enjoy the cities.

    Any suggestions for moderately priced non-touristy restaurants would be appreciated.

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    11 May 2017 at 21:10:39 #863067

    Re ticino Pass, Thank you for the reminder. Our Lugano hotel had indicated we wuld get the pass on check-in and if using local transport to the hotel cd show our rez for free transport,but it is only a few blocks from therr so we will walk.

    Since we are stopping in Bellinzona(Ticino) before checking into our Lugano hotel, I doubt we can ge the 30% disct for 2 of the castles. I will inquire of Ticino tourism.

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    12 May 2017 at 7:03:12 #863068

    Hi artnuvo,

    I can’t speak for Lugano or Luzern, but for restaurants on Zurich I can recommend a couple – they are moderately priced for Switzerland but nothing here is truly moderately priced :).

    1. Zeughauskeller (German-style beer hall)
    2. The Bite (awesome burgers run by a fellow Canadian)
    3. Volkshaus (traditional Swiss-German food)
    4. Swiss Chuchi (great for Fondue)

    Zeughauskeller and Swiss Chuchi are right downtown, the other two are a quick bus ride from the downtown area.

    Lucas

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