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3 days in Switzerland - Questions about passes

Posted by on

Hi,

I am travelling to Switzerland from Florence for 3 days(I live in California and going on 15 days Europe vacation).

I am planning to fly to Zurich/Basel. Then rent a car from there. Drive to Lucerne. Stay there for night. What is near Lucerne area, other then Mt Titlis? I can drive in the nearby villages and stay there for the night.
Day 2: Drive to Interlaken area/ Berner Oberland/Lauterburren area, drive around. Stay for the night. I will probably stay in Lauterberren area.
Day 3: Drive to Geneva via Montreux and stay at Geneva at night.
Day 4: Leave from Geneva , back to home.

My question is , if I take the swiss pass, then does the swiss pass covers the entire Berner Oberland area? I mean all the trains to Murren/Wengen Schyniger etc are free using the Swiss pass?
Using swiss pass, are the trains from Interlaken to Geneva via Montreux free? Can I hop on and hop off anytime anywhere?

Posted by
16895 posts

You don't need a car for this trip, especially if you plan to also have a Swiss Travel Pass for 4 consecutive days. Trains, buses, city trams, boats, and most museums are fully covered, taking you as far up the mountain as Muerren on one side of the Berner Oberland and Wengen on the other. High mountain routes above that (and in other mountain areas) are discounted 25-50%.

Read the details at http://www.ricksteves.com/travel-tips/transportation/trains/switzerland-rail-passes and/or see the map of validity (link to the right of the page) at https://www.sbb.ch/en/leisure-holidays/holidays--short-breaks-in-switzerland/swisstravelsystem/swiss-travel-pass.html.

For more specifics about prices and coverage around the Berner Oberland, you can also see http://www.jungfrau.ch/en/tourism/travel-information/tickets-rates/interlaken-ost/fares-for-individual-travellers/.

Posted by
11 posts

Thanks for your prompt response Laura. I guess, I wasn't clear enough. I am confused whether I should buy a swiss pass(420 CHF) for both of us(my husband and myself), or should I just rent a car (135 USD , is what I ma gettting it for) . What would you say as per my itinerary.

Are all the routes in my itinerary car accessible, like Murren. We would not want to ascend a lot in our cars. We will proably stay downhill and hike or take trains from our base to uphill.

Also, what are some of the things to do in/near Lucerne area?
We are not into museums and other man-made wonders, but would like to excplore swiss locals and natural beaty

Thank you,
Megha

Posted by
4853 posts

have you read Rick's chapters on Lucerne and the Berner Oberland? Lots of good info there.

Posted by
16 posts

We stayed 2 nights in Luzern and several nights in Murren. We thoroughly enjoyed the trip to Mt. Rigi - cruise on lake stopping at a couple of small villages, cogwheel train to top, hiking partway down and ending with gondola and cruise back to Luzern. This was totally covered by one day of our Swiss travel flex pass - a great use of our pass that day as it is rather expensive. Murren and many of the Lauterbrunnen mountain villages are car free. You must take gondolas or trains to them. I'd suggest skipping driving and enjoy traveling by trains instead - no traffic hold ups for construction and you can enjoy the scenery instead. The half fare card quickly saves you money if you travel up the schilthorn or the Jungfraujoch - definitely don't miss!

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