Lucerne for 3 days....Swiss Pass Needed?

You may not need a Swiss pass or card. You really aren't traveling a lot. Round trip to Mt. Rigi is about 45CHF, the Golden Pass from Lucerne to Montreau is 41 CHF. Getting back to Lucerne from Montreux is about 33.50CHF. The least expensive pass is probably the Swiss half-fare card at 110CHF. And, this card only gives you a 50% discount on travel. You generally need to get up around 240CHF on your transportation costs before the half-fare card begins to pay off. Unless you are doing a lot more travel, you should be OK without a pass.

Thanks for your response! I did a little more research last night and found out that there is a 2-1 deal on the Swiss Pass right now. It looks like the total (for 2) would be $248.00. I may be wrong but I saw that the Golden Round Trip is $212 for 2 people. That trip alone almost covers the cost of the Swiss Pass. If we still plan to dr Mt Rigi and a few museums in the area do you feel like the Swiss Pass may be a good deal consider the sale they are having right now? Thanks!

I don't think a Swiss pass fully cover the Golden round trip. It might cover the boat ride, and the rest is half off. You should check the website for prices with a pass.

I just checked the Pilatus website because someone said I was wrong. The price for the golden Round Trip with a Swiss pass is 34 CHF. The boat trip is fully covered in whichever class you pass is (first or Second Class). http://www.pilatus.ch/webautor-data/163/Pilatus-Preisliste-2012.pdf Price without a pass reduction is 96 CHF, so that is a nice discount. However, I'm not sure that makes buying a 4-day Swiss pass worthwhile when you will only use it 2 days. Of course you could use it to get to and from Lucerne too.

Thanks for the update Sasha!!

Amanda, I don't know if you have any contacts in Switzerland, or could make any - but there are Swiss Day Passes that can only be bought by Swiss citizens but can be used by anyone. It costs only about 33 CHF per person for the day. You get to use nearly any public transportation for free. All of the transportation up and down Mount Rigi, including the ferry across Lake Lucerne, is included. If you can get your hands on the day pass (there are some internet forums by which you may be able to find someone to help you) it makes it much cheaper.

One-day travel passes can be purchased by anyone; not just Swiss citizens. More details here: http://tinyurl.com/bs8ex3m

The above link makes it clear that those passes are only available for holders of Half Fare cards.