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Italy & Switzerland; Eurail pass & more

Posted by on

Hi,

We are family of 9.. 6 adults (including 2 seniors) and 3 kids (2 14-yr olds and 1 4 yr old).
We are scheduled to travel through France-Italy and Switzerland starting May 13th.
I have traveled through France and Italy and decently aware of the places and processes. This time I have added Switzerland too.
Need some help in train related suggestions besides any tweak in itinerary for Switzerland.
So after 5 days in Paris-Venice

On May 18 ... we plan to move out of Venice in the morning by train to stop over at Pisa for 3-4 hrs (luggage at station locker) and then take the train from Pisa to Rome the same evening.

After 2 days at Rome, on May 21 we plan to leave by train from Rome to reach Interlaken (via Milan-Brig-Spiez)

May 22 Visit Jungfraujoch

May 23 Leave Interlaken to go to Lucerne. Same day visit Mt Pilatus in the afternoon?

May 24 Go to Mt Titlis

May 25 Go to Mt Rigi

May 26 Leave Lucerne with luggage to reach Zurich, relax the day, spend time at Lake Zurich or some local attraction and fly out of Zurich on may 27th

Queries:
1. Does it make sense to take a Eurail 2 country train pass? or say some Swiss Pass/Half travelcard? Say a 5 day (including 1 free day offer currently on) Eurail Select Pass with this itinerary?

  1. Any tweaks in the Swiss itinerary you may suggest? We are not too interested in museums, more for landscapes and sights with a little bit for kids and some Ice Flyer sort of light adventure and possibly even some paragliding/skiing.

  2. I assume the Eurail pass is not valid on mountain trains (would any of our journey require one at all..? I think Jungfraujoch one will) but there are some 50% discount. What if one of the days I do not use it for any major train but only opt for mountain train discount, would that day count as one day in the pass itself?

  3. If I skip 2 country pass and take only some Swiss pass, would I be able to use it in the Milan-Brig/Spiez leg of train journey?

  4. Does one need to plan for heavy footwear for a light walk on the snow? Or it is readily available for rent at the mountains without robbing the wallet?

  5. The Eurail pass still requires reservation fee. I read that in Switzerland reservation is not that necessary. True? Also if so, as I move in Italy how does one do the reservation? I am guessing one still needs to go to ticket kiosk in Italy and get tickets and there would be an option to indicate the eurail pass so the physical ticket just charges for reservation fee and in the train one needs to show both pass and this reservation ticket.. Or it works some other way?

Posted by
20261 posts
  1. Stay in Luzern and relax on the lake there. You can get to Zurich airport the next day in about 1 hour on a direct train. They leave at 10 past the hour starting at 7:10, with a single connection at other times.
  2. Eurail pass only gives a 25% discount on the Jungfraujochbahn.
  3. I'd go with Half Fare Cards in Switzerland and get the free Family Card so the kids travel with you for free.
  4. Sturdy walking shoes for everyone would be in order even for walking around Venice, Pisa and Rome. Nothing highly specialized is necessary.
  5. You could buy your Italian tickets on-line now for a discount (nonrefundable, non-changeable). Going to Switzerland, you could buy discounted tickets as far as Brig, then tickets onward at the Half Fare price if you get the Half Fare cards.
Posted by
1443 posts

Stay in Wengen on May 22, 23, 24. Then stay in Luzern May 25 and 26. Forget Zurich as mentioned above.

Posted by
11367 posts

The Jungfrau Region is far more spectacular, IMO, than Luzern, so Fast Eddie has the right idea: 3 nights in that region and NOT in Interlaken. Wengen, Muerren or Lauterbrunnen are better choices. A Berner Oberland Regional Pass can be beneficial if you plan to ride a lot of the lifts and trains. You will get a significant discount on the Jungfraujoch with the pass. A Half-Fare Card probably won't pencil out, but the only way to know is to do the math. A Half-Fare Card will give you an additional discount on the BO Regional Pass as well as a bit more on the Jungfraujoch.

Posted by
12040 posts

You are planning a trip to the Alps during a very marginal time of year when the weather will often not cooperate with your plans. Don't try to pigeon-hole a specific mountain excursion to a calendar date this far in advanced. Even with the benefit of a short-term weather forecast, sudden atmospheric disturbances can change a cloudless sunny day to a dense bank of fog and rain in less than an hour. Especially in May. If you can't reschedule this trip for later, I would park yourself in one Alpine destination and stay there. Take advantage of any opportunities the weather gods grant you to ascend the mountains, but don't plan on conditions to always favour your designs.

Does one need to plan for heavy footwear for a light walk on the snow? In May in the Alps, you will encounter far more mud and slush than snow. I would bring boots designed to handle more of the former than the latter.

even some paragliding/skiing. Might be too early in the season for the former, definately too late for the latter. One of the few ski pistes in Switzerland that remains open beyond late March is the glacier above Zermatt.

Posted by
451 posts

I would not use a Eurail pass. For tickets look at Rome2rio.com Buy point to point in Italy. Stay in Wengen or Murren for as many days as possible due to weather. Stay in Lucern, not Zurich on your last night.

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