In the Flexi- Saver category, a 5 country Eurail pass is much cheaper than the 2 country -Swiss-Austrian pass for the same tenure(8 days/2 months). Why is this so? What extra does the Swiss- Austrian pass give to customers? What shall we buy, if we have to travel through Germany, Switzerland, Austria and Italy?
Posted by
OP
Pune, MAHARASHTR, India
19 posts
Well...this link for Rick Steves' certainly helps to some extent in deciding: http://www.ricksteves.com/rail/switzerland.cfm I think, it is good to buy a Swiss pass and plan out a Point t- point scheme for the other places...or you can also buy a 3 country Eurail saver flexi pass in addition to the Swiss pass.
I am still curious to know, if a child below 16 is considered free in Swiss pass. As to the price difference mentioned in my question, I am still clueless.
Posted by
Paradise
7046 posts
Why are you considering the 5-country pass for travel in just 4 countries? Is it possible that you miscalculated the prices? According to Rick's railpass pages, a 4-country pass for 8 days, saver version, costs $573. A 5-country pass is $620. The Swiss-Austrian pass is $341 for 4 days + $38/day for 4 more = $493. Whether a railpass is a smart idea or not depends on your exact itinerary, not only on what countries you will be in. A railpass might be the best deal for you, but you should compare the costs of individual tickets between your destinations to the cost of the railpasses. What cities do you plan to stay in? If you are visiting only Salzburg in Austria, which is almost in Germany, then you don't need a railpass for Austria at all. When are you traveling? It is possible to get tickets from cities in Germany to Venice for 39€ if you buy well in advance. How many people in your group, and what ages? You'll get better tips if you give more specific travel information.
Posted by
OP
Pune, MAHARASHTR, India
19 posts
No..I was just noticing the price difference between a '5 country pass' vis-a vis a '2 country Swiss-Austria pass' .........considering 8 travelling days, valid for a month....and I am wondering, why is it so..
Posted by
Seattle, WA
17397 posts
Children under 16 travel free with their parents in Switzerland on a Family Card. You request this ( for free) with any Swiss Pass or Half Fare Card. You can only get it with a Swiss Pass, not a two-country or multi-country pass. Often the best solution is some type of Swiss travel pass and point to point tickets for travel in other countries.
Posted by
OP
Pune, MAHARASHTR, India
19 posts
Thank you Lola......you seem to be a Switzerland expert.........let me ask you a little more.
I want to spend most of my time around Lauterbrunnen......a couple of days for trips in the scenic trains like the Golden Express and William Tell express.................one day may be to Mt. Titlis.......................and I also want to cover Zurich, Berne and Geneva through daily city tours. Using the Swiss pass, we shall reach these cities and then take a local cab or some other public transport to cover them extensively. How far are these cities from each other? Is it possible to cover them in 2 days time? Is there a better way of covering them, within 2 days? Regards
Posted by
OP
Pune, MAHARASHTR, India
19 posts
@ Lola, Yes,,,I am also thinking that buying a Swiss pass is a good idea( now that I have learnt that, the child is free in any case)...combined with a point to point scheme for other countries. For me these other countries may be Austria and Germany, along with Italy, later on. I can also take a 2-country or 3- country Eurail pass, to cover these...............I was reading somewhere, that one can do without the Eurail pass in Italy. Please educate me further on this, if possible.
Another question is regarding the Jungfrau trip....for a Swiss pass holder, it is 50% beyond Mullen ( half of 170 Swiss Franc).............hope for this section the child still can travel free?......as zero divided by 2 remains zero :)