Swiss Travel Pass or Jungfrau Travel Pass?

How much are you paying for car rental? Looks to me like you will be paying at least 1200 CHF for 10 days renting from Zurich airport for a small car with a manual transmission. Add fuel, child seat rental. Does your lodging in Lauterbrunnen include free parking? If not, that will be extra. Luzern is pretty much paid parking regardless. I can see this easily costing you 1500 CHF and most of the time, the car will be sitting in a parking lot or garage.

Using the train will cost you a whole lot less. Since you get a 70 CHF reduction on the 6-day Jungfrau Corona Pass, spending 120 CHF on Half Fare Cards will only be a net 50 CHF for the rest of the time. When you get the Half Fare Card, you can also get the free Family Card so the 6-yo travels with you free. The Schilthornbahn costs 85 CHF round trip and is not included with the Jungfrau Pass. The Half Fare Card makes that 42.50 CHF. Now you pretty much paid for the Half Fare Card.

Now the cost of the train from Zurich airport to Interlaken, then to Luzern, then to Zurich airport will all cost a total of 137 CHF for the 2 adults with the HFC. Vs 1500 CHF to have a car.

We do have free parking in lauterbrunnen and will return the car when we get to Lucerne (will not be paying for the car in Lucerne). It’s important to us to have a vehicle to travel from the airport to lauterbrunnen and our condo owner greatly recommended the flexibility of a vehicle to explore outside the valley to thun, interlaken (which we’d like the flexibility and convenience to do).

Would you still recommend the half fare cards even if we keep the vehicle?

Like I said, you get a 70 CHF discount on a 6-day Jungfrau Pass and if you go to the top of Schilthorn, you will have paid for it. Then you can get the free Family Card and that saves 30 CHF instead of the child Jungfrau Pass. Then you also get half fare for the train from Luzern to Zurich airport.

Should we first buy the half-day fare and then the jungfrau pass? So we each get two passes? I’m confused to which pass is bought when.

Even though we’ll have a car and won’t need the airport connection, is that still worthwhile?

Hi heather.nicole.hansen, and welcome to the Forums.

I just stayed a week at a hotel on the other side of the Zurich airport from the terminal.

I drive my own car from home (England) and have been to Switzerland many times.

I'd like to caution you about a couple of things regarding the car hire at Zurich airport and a couple of the legs you have planned, based on my very recent experience.

By far the shortest, most scenic and usually fastest route from the airport to Lauterbrunnen is the autobahn via Luzern. Going around via Bern adds at least 90 minutes and isn't really special until you reach Thun and then again after Spiez.

The problem is that there is a lot of road construction going on on the road from Zurich to the road to Luzern. Swiss construction zones are a restricted speed which is camera controlled. It is also not especially easy to see where to go with the orange lines on the road. The problem gets worse on the road between Interlaken and Brünig/Meiringen, the A8. Virtually the entire length of Lake Brienz, the motorway is one lane segments where the cars (and trucks and buses) go both ways on the same lane in turn, controlled by traffic lights. These are very long waits, and in the sun. My trip which should have taken about an hour between Interlaken and Luzern took well over 3 hours.

It is a shame because I love that road, and have recommended it many times here, especially the sequences of very steep corkscrews coming down the pass from Brünig towards Meiringen. Although, to be honest, I prefer the train on that route. Panoramic windows in all carriages (so I, the driver normally can see the scenery too) - and in the car you get much less views of the lakes and waterfalls. No wonder it is a narrow gauge cogwheel train. It has to be.

One other thing about that road - it is one lane each way and for almost the entire length there is no passing allowed (or advisable). Solid line down the middle of the road. (strange ideas about motorways - autobahns - these Swiss have!!) so if you get behind a bus or a truck or a tractor you are stuck until they pull off.

Be sure your car has a parking clock and carry plenty of large coins for parking. In most cases you will park in a space, note down the space number and your car's number plate - you could need either, and in Zug and Zurich, both in many cases - and find the Zentrale Parkuhr machine (have a look at this wiki article) https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zentrale_Parkuhr

I hope the drive from the airport is after a short flight, not an intercontinental one, because you'll need all your wits about you - something many people have trouble with after a long flight.

One great thing using a car gets you is the chance to eat at Mövenpick Marché, which are at several motorway rest areas, including one east and one west of Zurich, and one north of Luzern, and one in Heidiland among others. We love them.

One thing you and your boy may like about train travel is that almost all trains have toilets in many of the coaches so no having to pull over and find somewhere on short notice, and he is free to get out of his seat on the train, which is most def not allowed in the car.

Just FYI, Swiss fuel, petrol and diesel, is in a race with the British for most expensive in Europe. Last Sunday I had to put in fuel because I didn't have enough to reach Germany. I paid CHF 2.425 per litre, the cheapest I could find around Luzern. That's 3.79 litres per US gallon so CHF 9.19 per US gallon. That's about $9.56 US a gallon.

Forewarned is forearmed.

I think the three of you will love Switzerland. There's a reason I'm back every year.

To be continued - ran out of space....

continued...

one other thing - tunnels.

As you are driving on the motorway, national speed limit 130 kph, you will come across many tunnels. These tunnels have a very reduced speed, usually 80 kph or sometimes 60 kph, which will be marked as you enter the tunnel. You need to be going at that speed before the sign, not start coasting at the sign. The tunnels are controlled by radar operated speed cameras and they will get you, resulting in an unpleasant experience. There have been a number of incidents in tunnels and they take these rules extremely seriously.

The motorway tunnels under and through Luzern can be a little disconcerting, there are roads merging and leaving, within the tunnel. Get in your lane and stay there if you can. Motorway signs are in green, normal roads in blue. This happens in the tunnel too. It helps...

Thank you for the driving tips! This is so helpful and very much appreciated.

We’re planning to use the car primarily to drive from Zurich to lauterbrunnen, then from lauterbrunnen to Thun, the open air museum and the caves in grindlewald on different days, and then back to Lucerne (will deposit car our first day in Lucerne and then rely primarily on walking/boat cruises for our last 2 lighter exploring days).

Just to confirm, even with a car, you’d recommend we purchase the half fare tickets and then also the jungfrau pass?

Any other tips regarding driving or parking are incredibly appropriated! Thank you!