[Removed user]

28 February 2012 at 15:46:45 #804964

Hi,

We (my wife and I) are planning a week long trip (7 days, 6 nights) to Switzerland in early June. We shall be based in Grindelwald and we plan to explore the Bernese Oberland region for at least 4 of the 7 days we are there (the last day shall anyway be spent getting back to Geneva for our return flight to the UK). We plan to go to First (then a hike to Bachalpsee), Mannlichhen (then a hike to Kleine Scheidegg), Jungfraujoch, Lauterbrunnen,Murren, Schilthorn, Schynigge Platte and some of the sights around Interlaken if time permits (including a cruise on Lake Brienz and possibly going up the Brienzer Rothorn). On the other 2 days, we plan to go to Zermatt (and go up the Gornergrat in the railway) and to Lucerne (golden round trip on Pilatus).
Which swiss railway card would you suggest considering the above plan? I think the half fare card or the swiss card would probably be the most economical but if the difference with a swiss saver pass is not that much, we shall probably go for the latter as that avoids the hassle of purchasing tickets every time we get on a train. Would getting the Jungfrau pass make any sense, considering we shall spend most of our time in that area?
By the way, Geneva shall be our entry and exit point in Switzerland, which means we have a fairly long train journey just to get to Grindelwald.
Any help (including any suggestions on alternative places that we can visit other than the ones I have mentioned) would be much appreciated.

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[Annika]

1 March 2012 at 11:48:33 #835019

Hello trsens, and welcome to the forum! I think the Swiss Card would be the best solution for your itinerary. Your trips Geneva-Grindelwald and Grindelwald-Geneva are for free. The rest of your trips is discounted by 50%. Further details and purchase options can be found at the Swiss Card page.

The free traveling allowed with a Swiss Pass is convenient indeed, but please note that many mountain railways and cable cars are reduced instead of for free with a Swiss Pass too (which means you’ll have to buy tickets for these trips anyway). The map we link to from the Swiss Pass page provides more information on this. The Jungfrau railways pass isn’t convenient, as it won’t cover your trips to Zermatt and Lucerne.

Does this help you decide? Best regards,

[Removed user]

1 March 2012 at 16:50:28 #835020

Hi,

Thanks a lot for your response. I think we’ll go with your suggestion. Do you think the swiss flexi pass (4 day) might be an option as well, though? I believe it allows for free travel on 4 days (so we can use it on the first and last days as well as on the trip to Lucerne and Zermatt) and half fare on the other days. Is it likely to be much more expensive compared to the swiss card, considering our itinerary?

Thanks in advance.

[Annika]

3 March 2012 at 5:39:58 #835021

Hi trsens. Yes, the 4 day Swiss Saver Flexi Pass is an option as well, especially if you like the idea of free traveling during longer train trips. It may be a bit more expensive, but I don’t think it will be that much of a difference. Both this one and the Swiss Card will save you lots of money compared to buying regular train tickets. You can find out exactly by making calculations based on your plans.

[Removed user]

3 March 2012 at 14:02:28 #835022

Thanks for your reply, Annika. I shall do some calculations using the link you have provided and will definitely go with one of your two suggestions.

Thanks again.