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Itinerary Help - Swiss Travel Pass

Posted by (Iowa, USA) on

Hello! I'm planning for my honeymoon in September/October and would like some guidance on train passes/days. The itinerary is below:

  • 9/27 - Arrive in Zurich and take train to Lucerne
  • 9/27 - 29 - Lucerne
  • 9/29 - 10/1 - Grindlewald
  • 10/1 - 10/4 - Zermatt
  • 10/4 - 10/8 - Bolzano/Ortisei (take bus to Ortisei in Dolomites)
  • 10/8 - 10/9 - head back toward Zurich (potentially a quick stop in Austria in Innsbruck)
  • 10/10 - fly out from Zurich

We were planning to get the Swiss Travel Pass because there were some activities we were hoping to use the pass on. With the travel over to Italy/Austria, we want to make sure whichever pass we get makes the most sense for the days we're traveling vs. staying in the towns.

Thank you!

Posted by
6883 posts

For the trips out of Switzerland, just buying tickets will be more cost-effective than using Eurail passes or whatever. You will not need passes out of Switzerland.
To get to Bolzano, book a ticket on Trenitalia from Brig (and use your Swiss Pass to get from Zermatt to Brig).
To get back to Zürich via Innsbruck, I am not sure about the best approach for booking, but ÖBB (Austrian railways) definitely have the best fares for Innsbruck-Zurich.

Zermatt to Ortisei is a long day, as you might have realized.

Posted by
8 posts

Thank you, Balso! This is very helpful. With the number of days we'll be traveling/not, would you recommend a flex pass?

Posted by
20032 posts

Looks like an 8-day Swiss Travel Pass will work best (Sept 27 to Oct 4). You will need the pass for excursions while in Luzern, Grindelwald and Zermatt, as the pass will give discounts on these. An 8-day 2nd cl pass costs 389 CHF, while a 4-day Flex pass is 323 CHF. You'll get your moneys worth of the extra 66 CHF with what you save on excursions.

Posted by
1625 posts

If you have a Swiss pass it will cover you till Domodossola, so when going to Italy you need a ticket from Domodossola, not Brig.

But I think that a better fit for you would be the Swiss Half Fare Card, as it is valid for a month, and would also reduce the trip back to Zurich. You are not doing a lot of very long train trips in Switzerland, but are planning, I assume, to take cable cars and mountain railways in Switzerland. The HFC gives you 50% off on those, just like the STP does.

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