Renting a car in Switzerland/Pass discounts for boats and mountain lifts?

Look at the Half Fare Card.

Why a car? Just curious. It really isn’t the best in Switzerland.

are you getting the car in Geneva? As you arrive at the airport? Or are you driving in from France?

Are you driving straight from Geneva to Grindelwald, and straight from there to Luzern and Zurich, or are there other places you're heading for? Depending on that would be any pass that might fit.

How many is "we"? Do you have the car for mobility issues? How much of the 3 weeks is in Grindelwald? Luzern?

You can get the Half Fare Card. But once you have that you can as well not get a rental car, as this will limit you in what you can do, unless you are fine with your rental car spending most of its time parked at your accommodation.

Generally speaking getting both a rental car and a public transit pass is a way to maximise cost and inconvenience.

Thank you for your responses and helpful information. We are now thinking of just doing the Swiss Travel Pass and not renting a car since the pass covers boats and some of the mountain lifts. Originally, we planned to rent the car in Geneva, travel south to Annecy and Chamonix for 9 days, over to Grindelwald and the Berner Oberland area for a week, then north to Luzern for 4 days and finally fly out of Zurich.

You asked how many of us in our group and it is just my husband and me. We are seasoned travelers, comfortable with train travel throughout Europe and since the Swiss Travel Pass covers all the trains too, we are leaning towards train travel again. The idea of a car was to have more flexibility with traveling around, but I think would be more of a hassle in the Chamonix and Berner Oberland area where we will be hiking.

hi Patti - thanks for the more info.

I know Switzerland quite well but not the part of France near Geneva at all, just drove once from Orange to Bern via Geneva so can't help there.

The link between Luzern and Interlaken is one that I have used both train and car for, many many times over the years. The train is a cogwheel narrow gauge one which goes along the shore of Lake Brienz, through Brienz, along the flat to Meiringen (Sherlock Holmes and much else really good - one year we stayed in Meiringen and really liked being there) and then up steeply on the rack to the Brünig Pass, then through alpine meadows with gorgeous views (one of the most scenic trains in Switzerland and all from a normal local train) including forest and mountain lakes and villages. Plenty for both to see all the way to Luzern.

The car route is officially a Motorway but is only one lane, no passing, not even if you are behind a tractor or a bus, for virtually the entire length. Where the road used to get close to the train line as it went through the villages it is now faster because it is mostly a series of road tunnels with glimpses but now much less scenic than the nearby train.

Good fun in spring and autumn being at lake level on the train and warm, then up through the snow. That day on the train from Luzern was the first time my wife had been over the route and she was really really excited.

The slow train from Montreux to Interlaken (the other end of the so called Golden Pass) is also very scenic from Montreux as far as the border of French and German languages (the Röstigraben) near Zweisimmen. While it is possible to get close on the A11, most drivers use the much faster Rhône valley route. It was great fun on that train as we crossed the Röstigraben at ride the train to school time for the kids hearing Swiss German dialects, then French and German interchangeably in their groups (you know how noisy school kids on a group can be) and then only French and French dialects.

Thank you, fellow travelers that responded to my post. With your help, we have solidified our decision to travel by trains with the Swiss Travel Pass instead of the hassle of renting and driving a car. Really appreciate your comments and ideas!
Patti

Since the maximum continuous Swiss Travel pass is 15 days, You might consider renting a car on the Swiss side (so it comes with a vignette), then using it for Annecy and Chamonix, then driving into Switzerland and dropping it in Martigny, or Montreux, or Interlaken and continuing by train.