What pass for 12 days Lucerne, Grindelwald, Bern?

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    16 June 2017 at 9:07:00 #812287

    Hi,

    My partner and I are travelling to Switzerland in July. We fly into Zurich on Monday 17th of July and stay one night there. We then travel to Mt. Rigi Kaltbad where we spend two nights. We are then spending two nights in Lucerne where we want to visit Mt. Pilatus. We then travel to Grindelwald for four nights and plan to use Grindelwald as our base to do day trips to surrounding areas (Interlaken, Jungfrau, Letterbraunen). We will then travel to Bern for two nights and then back to Zurich for our flight home on Friday 28th July. We are wondering what the best travel pass option is for us? Would we be better with the Swiss Travel Pass or the Half Fare Card? Thanks

    Jack

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    Arno
    Moderator
    15471 posts
    16 June 2017 at 9:14:49 #865219

    Welcome to MySwissAlps Jack!

    I think you’ve narrowed it down to the two best options. I’d probably choose the 15-day Swiss Travel Pass for ease of use, but it’s likely to be the cheapest option as well (it includes Pilatus and Rigi transportation for free, for example). You will need to do the math to be absolutely sure. The below pages help you do so:

    Removed user
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    16 June 2017 at 20:24:37 #865220

    Okay thank you.. glad to know that I am at least narrowing it down to the best options.

    I had also been looking at the regional oberland pass but am I correct in thinking that it does not cover Lucerne, Pilatus or Rigi?

    Does the Swiss travel pass cover most of the mountain transport such as cable car and cogwheel or only some of them? What is the average cost of cogwheel trains and cable cars?

    Also do the Swiss travel pass and half fare card offer a discount for the Jungfrau tour?

    I am still undecided between the travel pass or half fare card. The travel pass would offer more freedom and ease but after researching some of the prices of the trains between the different villages I think the half fare card might be more economical.

    Thanks for your help

    Removed user
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    17 June 2017 at 2:06:18 #865221

    >> I had also been looking at the regional oberland pass but am I correct in thinking that it does not cover Lucerne, Pilatus or Rigi?

    Yes. You can see exactly what it covers on the map here:

    http://www.myswissalps.com/re gionalpassberneseoberl and/validity

    As explained in the legend on the map, red lines are trains, yellow lines are buses, black lines are cable cars, white lines are boats. Solid lines are free, dotted lines are discounted. Discounts are mostly 50%, but less than that where you see the letter “B” (e.g. from Kleine Scheidegg to the Jungfraujoch).

    Grey lines on the map indicate transport that is not covered by the pass. That shows that Pilatus, the Rigi and boats on the Vierwaldstättersee (Lake Lucerne) are not covered. It looks like local transport within Luzern would be covered (e.g. buses), but that would only be useful if your accommodation was not centrally located. Most things within Luzern itself, that are of interest to a tourist, can be easily reached on foot.

    >> Does the Swiss travel pass cover most of the mountain transport such as cable car and cogwheel or only some of them?

    The Swiss Travel Pass provides a 50% discount on the great majority of cable cars and cogwheel trains, and some are completely free with the pass. A very few are not covered. You can see what is covered, and to what extent, by looking at the validity map, which you can download from here:

    http://www.myswissalps.com/sw isstravelpass/validity

    >> What is the average cost of cogwheel trains and cable cars?

    They differ. Some routes are very short, others quite long. You can find out the cost by going to the website for a particular cable car or cogwheel train, or in some cases by using the Swiss Timetable:

    http://www.myswissalps.com/ti metable

    >> Also do the Swiss travel pass and half fare card offer a discount for the Jungfrau tour?

    Yes. The Swiss Travel Pass provides free travel as far as Grindelwald or Wengen, and 25% discount between there and the Jungfraujoch. The Swiss Half Fare Card provides 50% discount for the whole trip.

    >> I am still undecided between the travel pass or half fare card. The travel pass would offer more freedom and ease but after researching some of the prices of the trains between the different villages I think the half fare card might be more economical.

    There’s certainly a lot to be said for the convenience and flexibility of the Swiss Travel Pass, but if you definitely want the cheaper option, there is only one way to be sure. That is to add up the cost of every train, bus, boat and cable car trip you will take and compare what that would cost with the Swiss Travel Pass compared with the Swiss Half Fare Card. Arno has already explained above how you can do that.

    Alpenrose

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    18 June 2017 at 8:45:07 #865222

    Okay thank you I will do that.

    One final question..

    What train line is best to take from lucerne to grindelwald for scenery? And is it necessary to pre book?

    In addition is it necessary to pre book excursions such as Mt. Pilatus and Jungfrau?

    Thanks

    Jack

    Arno
    Moderator
    15471 posts
    18 June 2017 at 14:49:24 #865223

    Hi Jack,

    I’d recommend the Golden Pass line from Lucerne to Interlaken Ost and change for Grindelwald there. No pre-booking required. Please find all the details here:

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