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Swiss Travel Pass

Posted by (Windsor, ON, Canada) on

Hi,
My wife, in-laws, son (6 years old) and I will be in Switzerland from August 2 - August 6...4 days and nights. We will arrive in Zurich at 2:30pm on August 2. We will then be traveling to Wengen where we will spend 3 nights. On the fourth day we will travel to Luzern and spend the day and night there. On August 6 we leave early in the morning to catch our flights out of Zurich.

While in the BO region, we plan on:

-Exploring Wengen and do some hiking above Wengen
-Visiting Gimmelwald, Murren, Schilthorn
-Visiting the Lauterbrunnen valley

On the fourth day we will travel to Luzern and explore the town and take a boat tour.

We then leave on the fifth day (early morning) to Zurich to fly out.

Based on our planned itinerary, would it be best to purchase the Swiss Travel Pass? We will be using trains, gondolas, lifts and boats.

If we purchased the 4 day Swiss Travel Pass and activate it in the afternoon of the first day, would the pass be good the morning of the fifth day...technically still within 96 hours? Or would our morning travel (on the fifth day) require the purchase of a separate ticket?

I know there are a lot of questions above...sorry. I've tried to work it all out on my own but some advice from seasoned pros would be really helpful.

Thanks,
Ryan

Posted by
20080 posts

No, a 4 day pass is 4 calendar days. It is not a 96 hour pass.
You could also look at getting 30-day Half Fare Cards, and a free Family Card for your 6 yo. This might be less total money than 2 4-day Travel Passes with the free Family Card. You will still have to buy individual tickets for each journey, but at half the list price. Otherwise on the last day with a 4-day pass, you will have to buy full fare tickets for 2 adults, and a half price child ticket for the 6 yo. That would cost 75 CHF total for the 3 of you.

Posted by
768 posts

Another option to consider is the Berner Oberland Pass:

http://www.regionalpass-berneroberland.ch/en/

It will cover all trains and boats south of Luzern and covers a bit more of the mountain excursions than Swiss Pass, and is cheaper.
True, it won't cover Zurich to Luzern, but that's not too pricey.
You can spend days trying to figure out which is best: Swiss Pass, half fare card, Berner Oberland Pass and given so many unknowns it can be tough. I'd just say they come out close. If you think you will be using a lot of transportation each day Luzern on south, then a pass of some sort makes sense. I generally figure $30 a day each for adults in the Wengen region.

However, don't buy it until you get there. If you see will rain for 3 days straight, then maybe not worth it.
Personally, I'd get the Berner Oberland Pass when I stop in Luzern on the way south.
For good hikes in the region, click on my name to see my previous posts.

Posted by
118 posts

Thanks for the replies.

If we purchase the Swiss Travel Pass, will we need to reserve seats for the Interlaken-Luzern journey? I’ve read that there are two different trains that run on the same line. One train is the Golden Pass which requires extra payment and reservations and another is a regional which is covered by the Swiss Travel Pass. Is that correct?

Thanks again for the help.

Posted by
219 posts

If we purchase the Swiss Travel Pass, will we need to reserve seats for the Interlaken-Luzern journey? I’ve read that there are two different trains that run on the same line. One train is the Golden Pass which requires extra payment and reservations and another is a regional which is covered by the Swiss Travel Pass. Is that correct?

The Golden Pass line between Interlaken and Luzern doesn't require any reservations or extra payment, no matter what train you ride on. All trains on the Golden Pass route are included fully with the Swiss Travel Pass.
Perhaps your confusion relates to some special first class train carriages attached to the train on the further west part of the line, between Zwiesimmen and Montreux, but that's past Interlaken, and not part of where you're going.

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