Which pass should I buy for Brig, Bern and Zurich?

  • Removed user
    Participant
    72625 posts
    3 November 2016 at 17:37:34 #810309

    Hi everyone!

    I am going to Switzerland from 27th of December to 2nd of January and I’ll visit Zermatt (3 days with hotel in Brig), Bern (1 day) and Zurich (3 days). So I’ll use almost everyday trains.

    In particular, in Zermatt I want to go to Matterhorn Glacier Paradise and Gornergrat.

    So, in your opinion, what is the most convenient thing for me? I guess I should buy a pass.. but I don’t know if Swiss Travel Pass, Half Fare Card, Interrail,..

    Could you give me some advice?

    Thanks a lot for the help!

  • Effortlessly learn from the questions and answers in the forum. Receive a daily e-mail with new discussions.

    Arno
    Moderator
    15471 posts
    4 November 2016 at 16:17:19 #856894

    Thanks for joining us, simoneb94!

    An 8 day Swiss Travel Pass would be the most convenient option for the trip you’ve planned. All regular train, bus and boat journeys will be for free, so no need to buy tickets. You only need discounted tickets for mountain rides.

    The Swiss Half Fare Card will work too, but requires you to get tickets for each and every trip.

    The Interrail Pass's coverage isn’t as extensive as the other two, so I wouldn’t recommend that one.

    Which pass turns out to be cheaper for your specific requirements can only be told if you make a detailed list of plans and start calculating as explained at myswissalps.com/train/ ticketspasses/practica l/chooserailpass.

    I hope this gets you started!

    Removed user
    Participant
    72625 posts
    4 November 2016 at 20:37:23 #856895

    Thank You Arno for the clear answer! I’ll check it 🙂

    I have another question about tickets. Are there any trains that need reservation? For example, long distant trains like Zurich-Brig or Brig-Bern..

    And if I reserve 2 seats for the same train, can I get 2 next seats?

    Arno
    Moderator
    15471 posts
    5 November 2016 at 8:26:19 #856896

    Hi Simoneb94,

    You don’t have to reserve seats, please see myswissalps.com/train/ reservations. And with a Swiss Travel Pass you do not need tickets either.

    Removed user
    Participant
    72625 posts
    5 November 2016 at 21:42:31 #856897

    Hi Arno,

    I didn’t explain it well, sorry.

    I saw your link and I read this:

    “If seat reservations are not required for your train, it may still be possible to book a seat. We recommend not to do so to be flexible, unless you’re traveling in a group and want to be sure you can sit together.”

    I know I don’t need to buy tickets and to reserve seats with Swiss Travel Pass, but as I’ll travel with another person, I want to be sure that I will stay close to my partner during the train ride!

    I guess it is possible to reserve 2 next seats, isn’t it?

    Arno
    Moderator
    15471 posts
    6 November 2016 at 10:54:41 #856898

    Hi Simoneb94,

    You can book seats for some of the long distance trains on sbb.ch. I never did so myself. It’s very uncommon to book seats in Switzerland as trains are mass transportation. People simply get on the first available train and find a seat. Apart from rush hour around the bigger cities, finding a seat, or two seats, isn’t a problem. But you can book to seats next to each other for some trains if you wish. I think it costs CHF 5 per seat.

    Removed user
    Participant
    72625 posts
    13 November 2016 at 10:23:00 #856899

    Thank your advice, Arno!

    Sorry for the late.

    I bought an 8 day pass that I received 2 days ago. But I have to fill it with my name, residence and passport number.

    instructions aren’t clear. Can I fill it on my own using a normal pen or should I go to Swiss train system personnel once I am in Switzerland?

    Arno
    Moderator
    15471 posts
    13 November 2016 at 10:37:13 #856900

    Hi simoneb94,

    Which exact pass did you buy? Swiss Travel Pass or Swiss Travel Pass Flex? And where did you buy it? In most cases all personal details are already printed on it but apparently in this case it’s not.

    Removed user
    Participant
    72625 posts
    13 November 2016 at 10:52:58 #856901

    I bought Swiss Travel Pass Youth (not Flex) directly on SBB.ch (it costs 309 CHF).

    Should I ask them?

    Arno
    Moderator
    15471 posts
    13 November 2016 at 13:14:39 #856902

    Hi simoneb94,

    On our Swiss Travel Pass page here we recommend their simpler web shop for tourists at http://www.swissrailways.com/ en. That would have gotten you a print at home pass through e-mail which is ready to use. It looks like you purchased through their domestic site instead, and I don’t have much details about that. I think you received an “old style fill out yourself” pass. If you are unsure about what to fill out you can ask at any train station before you board your first train.

    Enjoy your trips!

  • The thread ‘Which pass should I buy for Brig, Bern and Zurich?’ is closed to new replies.

About MySwissAlps

We’re passionate tourists and locals. We share tips about how to plan a trip to Switzerland. MySwissAlps was founded in 2002.

Get a free account for a worry-free trip

  • Join our 10730 members and ask us questions in the forum
  • Access to member-only promotions
  • Detailed maps and weather forecasts

Planning your first Switzerland adventure?

Get a jump-start with Annika’s 20-minute e-mail course, “Switzerland for beginners”. Subscribe to our newsletter to unlock the course.