Travel to Switzerland - Which pass to select?

taru1981

13 posts
new member

Nov 4, 2013 - 2:19 AM

Hi All,
I will be travelling with my wife in April'14. Following is our itinerary.
Day 1 : Reach Zurich at 14:00 Hrs and check-in to a Hotel followed by some local sight seeing
Day 2 : Travel to Rhine Falls, followed by local sightseeing in Zurich
Day 3 : Travel to Mount Titlis and same day return to Zurich
Day 4 : Travel to Jungfraujoch and same day return to Zurich ( We will leave by first train leaving at 6:02 AM)
Day 5 : Go for GOLDEN PASS LINE FROM ZURICH TO Lucerne - Interlaken - Zweisimmen - Montreux and then back to Zurich (request your suggestion if this can be done in 1 day, I intend to start from Lucerne at 09:55 AM)
Day 6 : Catch a train to Paris in Afternoon
We will be staying on the all the five nights in Zurich itself. Kindly suggest which of the following pass works to be best as I was not able to calculate even after using www.myswissalps.com/timetable.
SWISS PASS
SWISS FLEXI PASS
SWISS HALF FARE CARD
We want to use the saver option as both of us will be travelling together.
ALSO ADVISE HOW IS HE WEATHER IN EARLY APRIL, ESPECIALLY IN JUNGFRAUJOCH AND MT. TITLIS
Thank you.

Arno

16105 posts
expert &
moderator

Nov 4, 2013 - 3:43 AM

Hi taru1981, welcome to MySwissAlps,

You will be traveling a lot so I assume the Swiss Saver Pass to be the cheapest (and also the most convenient) option. I would personally prefer the 4-day Swiss Saver Pass, to be used on day 2 to 5. You can do without a pass on day 1 and you can purchase a point to point ticket for day 6. Pas prices in rupees can be found here. Prices of tickets to Paris can be found here.

A detailed explanation of how to calculate can be found here.

April is a transition month from Winter to Spring. The weather can vary from nice Spring weather in the lower vallies (Zurich, Lucerne) to snow in higher altitudes such as the Jungfraujoch and the Titlis.

You may also want to review the overview of hotels in Zurich near the rail station and city center.

MySwissAlps.com recommends to read this:
All Swiss rail passes How to choose a pass?

Last modified on Sep 18, 2022 - 1:54 PM by Annika

taru1981

13 posts
new member

Nov 4, 2013 - 3:58 AM

GOLDEN PASS LINE FROM ZURICH TO Lucerne - Interlaken - Zweisimmen - Montreux and then back to Zurich (request your suggestion if this can be done in 1 day, I intend to start from Lucerne at 09:55 AM). My country of residence is India.

Arno

16105 posts
expert &
moderator

Nov 4, 2013 - 7:30 AM

Yes, this can be done in one day, but it's a lot of traveling. The Golden Pass line takes more than 5 hours. Montreux back to Zurich is about 2.5 hours.

taru1981

13 posts
new member

Nov 4, 2013 - 9:30 PM

Can I also at an option of doing any other panorama routes in place of Golden pass line in same day, which would also involve same amount of travel?

Arno

16105 posts
expert &
moderator

Nov 5, 2013 - 1:32 AM

Hi taru1981,

Most panoramic trains cross the Alps. Zurich is not in the Alps though, so it always involves lots of traveling from there. The Golden Pass is the closest one as it departs from Lucerne, about an hour from Zurich. Another one, the Voralpen Express, also departs from Lucerne. Its destination is Romanshorn and the trip takes a bit more than 2 hours. It does not go to the Alps though. It crosses the lower pre-Alps, so you would not see the higher peaks there.

taru1981

13 posts
new member

Nov 6, 2013 - 1:06 AM

Thank you for your reply.

Kindly also confirm if reservation is mandatory on Golden pass line and if yes, what is the amount we have to pay for the same (if any) and is that reservation fee included in Swiss pass?

We will be travelling from Lucerne - Interlaken - Zweisimmen - Montreux (Return)

Also , if we have to remove any particular route from this Lucerne - Montreux journey which one should we remove and include only the best leg of the entire journey.

Request if you can give me separate calculation of train fare from Zurich - Jungfraujoch (same day return) using the following pass options

SWISS PASS
SWISS FLEXI PASS
SWISS HALF FARE CARD

I know it may involve some calculation but this will be of great help in selecting the best pass. I am very confused on SBB website while doing this. Thank you so very much for all your help.

Arno

16105 posts
expert &
moderator

Nov 6, 2013 - 2:19 AM

Hi tari1981,

Please check this post for how to calculate prices. Basically you'd take the train prices from the timetable, and mountain trip prices from the site of the individual transport companies, which is jungfrau.ch in your case. Whether you get a discount and how much can be found on our pass pages. Download the network map of a pass to see exactly what's included.

In your case these are the prices for a ticket from Zurich to the Jungfraujoch and return:

Full fare: CHF 331.60
With Swiss Pass or a free travel day of the Swiss Flexi Pass: CHF 122.25
With Swiss Half Fare Card: CHF 165.80

Reservations are not required for the Golden Pass line. If you want to book seats they need to be paid for separately. They're not included in any of the passes.

Most of the Golden Pass route is really nice. Perhaps one could say that Zweisimmen - Montreux is the best part, and Lungern - Meiringen is great as well.

I hope this helps you out!

Last modified on Jan 27, 2020 - 11:19 AM by Arno

taru1981

13 posts
new member

Nov 6, 2013 - 9:51 AM

what is the amount we have to pay for Reservation in second class? and what are the charges for VIP front row seats with Swiss pass?

Arno

16105 posts
expert &
moderator

Nov 6, 2013 - 12:44 PM

Please click the reservation link I gave you. There are links to the various booking websites there.

taru1981

13 posts
new member

Nov 7, 2013 - 9:11 PM

If we were drop the idea of going to Jungfraujoch. Which of the following would you suggest in Early April from Zurich. Kindly list in your order of preference.

Mt. Pilatus

Mt. Rigi

Mt. Titlis

Stanserhorn

We are in our early 30s and would love to visit a place which has natural beauty and is not too crowded.

taru1981

13 posts
new member

Nov 19, 2013 - 11:16 PM

If we were drop the idea of going to Jungfraujoch. Which of the following would you suggest in Early April from Zurich. Kindly list in your order of preference.
Mt. Pilatus
Mt. Rigi
Mt. Titlis
Stanserhorn
We are in our early 30s and would love to visit a place which has natural beauty and is not too crowded.

Annika

7343 posts
expert &
moderator

Nov 20, 2013 - 2:03 AM

Hi taru1981! I now see that you posted this same question earlier. We always aim to reply within two working days, but somehow we didn't notice this one. Sorry! As for your question: in April, you won't have to be afraid for crowded visits to any of the mountain tops you list. So other criteria such as traveling time from Zurich are more important. Pilatus is easy to acces; all you have to do is travel to Lucerne and get to the valley station of Kriens or Alpnachstad from there. Rigi is an option too, if you like to combine this visit with a boat trip. If you decide for a Swiss Pass, note that Rigi is entirely for free. Both Pilatus and Rigi offer stunning views.

Do check whether the cable cars and trains operate on the date of your planned visit; early April may still be part of a winter shutdown.

taru1981

13 posts
new member

Nov 21, 2013 - 1:05 AM

Thank you for your reply.

Also request your suggestion for following

Mt. Titlis
Stanserhorn

We will also be visiting Zermatt for 1 day, kindly suggest how to visit Matterhorn from there. Is there a cable car and how much time does it take to return back to Zermatt using this cable car option along with cost for the same (with swiss pass)?

Arno

16105 posts
expert &
moderator

Nov 21, 2013 - 5:19 AM

Hi taru1981,

Schedules and prices for Klein Matterhorn are on their website. Note that the Stanserhorn will be open from April 12, if the weather is good enough.

taru1981

13 posts
new member

Nov 21, 2013 - 9:17 PM

I have been checking on Zermatt Website and I found following rates Zermatt - Matterhorn glacier paradise (round trip at 49.5 CHF with Swiss pass). Kindly confirm what are these. Are these rates for cable cars upto the base of Matterhorn?

Arno

16105 posts
expert &
moderator

Nov 22, 2013 - 4:05 AM

Yes, these are the cable cars to "Klein Matterhorn", which is one of the viewing points around Zermatt. Klein Matterhorn is the closest to the Matterhorn, so if that's what you want you should pick this one. It's also the highest point in Switzerland that can be reached by cable car.

taru1981

13 posts
new member

Nov 22, 2013 - 10:37 AM

Thank you for your quick reply.
If I do the Brig-Visp-St.Niklaus-Zermatt section on a normal SBB train as compared to GlacierExpress, what will be the difference?
Will Glacier express be ridingon different tracks or will it be same as normal SBB train?
Also , is reservation mandatoryon Brig-Visp-St. Niklaus-Zermatt section in early april? is there a major difference between panorama windows of GE as compared to windows of normal SBB windows?

Arno

16105 posts
expert &
moderator

Nov 22, 2013 - 12:18 PM

You're welcome ! There are no SBB trains on that leg. It's a different company operating the line, but that's not really relevant. All trains use the same line. You can enjoy it from a normal train just as well. It's just that the Glacier Express is more comfortable, especially if you're traveling the entire route to St. Moritz. You need reservations for the Glacier Express, not for the other trains.

taru1981

13 posts
new member

Nov 27, 2013 - 12:31 AM

Thank you for your detailed reply.

Request your guidance on how to visit Rhine falls from Zurich. Also, is it possible to visit to Black Forest from there? Request guidance on that as well. I will be having Swiss Pass and Schengen Visa.

I intend to visit both the places in 1 day and return back to Zurich in the evening. Kindly suggest if this is feasible?

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