I'm planning a trip to Switzerland for July 2017. If I have an 8-day Swiss Travel Pass, do I have to use one of those days if I use the lifts in the Berner Oberland region? For example, if I want to take the Schilthorn lift up at the discounted rate, do I simply have to show my rail pass or do I have to use one of the days of the pass to get the discount. I'd like to know the same with doing the Pilatus cogwheel railway in Lucerne.
Any information would be helpful.
Is this an 8-day Travel Pass or an 8-days out of 30 Flex Pass?
It's an 8-day Swiss Travel Pass.
Then you will get the discount when you show your pass since it is continuous from the day you activate it until it expires, after 8 days.
No one ride "uses up" a travel day on a flexi pass but only starts use, then it's valid until midnight. The Swiss Travel Pass Flexi is different from other (Eurail and German) flexi passes in that you only get the stated discounts on the counted travel days.
With the consecutive-day pass, nobody's counting how many rides you take while the pass is valid. In this case, Switzerland is your oyster for 8 days.
I see. From that perspective, I understand how the pass works now. Thank you.