Types of Travel Passes for 17 days in Switzerland

Hello,

My family of 6, consisting of 2 adults and 4 children, age 16, 14, 11 and 9 are planning our our trip to Switzerland from 6th to 22nd December 2015. Although we main intention is to learn skiing (beginners), we intend to do some half-day visits in the afternoon /full-day visit during this period to nearby vinicity. We do not intend to drive and will rely heavily on public transport. I would like to seek your advice on the types of travel passes which would most suit our requirements, based on our itinerary listed below:

• 6th December – Arriving at Zurich Airport and travel to Andermatt. Staying in Andermatt from 6th to 13th December. Base - Andermatt from 6th to 13th December
• 7th to 12th December – Making half-day visits to Hospental, Realp, etc.
• 10th December – One-day visit to Lake Maggiore region (and back to Andermatt in the evening)13th December – Travelling from Andermatt to Chateau-d’Oex (and staying in Chateau-d’Oex). Base - Chateau-d'Oex from 13th to 20th December.
• 13th to 20th December – Staying in Chateau-d’Oex. Visiting Rougemont and Gstaad. Doing half-day visit in Pays-d’Enhaut region. 18th December — Making day visit to Neuchatel and La Chaux-de-Fonds20th December – Leaving Chateau-d’Oex for Zurich
• 20th to 22nd December – Staying in Zurich and travelling around Zurich. Base: Zurich from 20th to 22nd December.
• 22nd December – Go to Zurich airport to catch a flight back at 4pm.

I sincerely hope to have some advice from you. Thank you!

Celia

Hello Celia!

Good to see you've finalized your itinerary. I'm sure you'll have a wonderful time near Andermatt, Chateau-d'Oex and Zurich. As for rail passes: I think you should consider these options:

• a Swiss Travel Pass Flexi Combi, using free travel days for the longest and most expensive transfers like Zurich Airport-Andermatt, Andermatt-Lake Maggiore day trip, Andermatt to Chateau d'Oex and Chateau-d'Oex to Zurich. You'll profit from 50% discounts on all days in between. For your last days in Zurich, a ZurichCARD might come in handy;
• a 15 day Swiss Travel Pass. This will be the easiest solution, as you don't have to worry about which days to pick as free travel days and all trips by regular trains, buses and urban transportation in larger towns will be covered, including your last days in Zurich.

You can calculate which pass is the most economical option, using the tips and the downloadable Excel sheet at myswissalps.com/train/ ticketspasses/practica l/chooserailpass. Apart from that, also consider how important flexibility and the issue of having to buy additional (discounted) tickets are for you.

Does this help you decide?

Thanks Annika! Let me look into the details you have provded and work out my sums. Cheers!