We will be in spending 3 weeks in Europe in September, the first week will be in Switzerland. We are planning to visit Zurich, Zermatt, and Lucerne. I've done the math, and have narrowed our pass options down to these:
- $561: Swiss Travel Pass, with point-to-point tickets for the other countries
- $464: Eurail Select Pass
I am tempted to spend the extra money on the Swiss Travel Pass because it appears to have so many benefits (free museums, free boats and inner city buses, 50% off Matterhorn cable car, 50% off Stanserhorn cable car). Do the same discounts and benefits apply to the Eurail Select Pass? If not, would it be worth it to buy the Swiss Travel Pass instead?
Thanks!!
Posted by
Lynnwood, Washington
8346 posts
I don't believe the Eurail Select Pass comes with any free admissions to museums. The Swiss boats, buses are covered and there is a 25% discount on mountain railways and cables.
Make sure that when you are comparing costs, that you are also adding in the point to point tickets with the Swiss travel pass and any ticket reservation fees that would be associated with the Eurail Select Pass when you travel on from Switzerland. For example, if you are going from Switzerland to Paris, first class reservation fees with the Eurail Select Pass will be an additional $80 each and you will need to make these reservations ASAP as pass holder reservations on that route are capacity controlled.
People often suggest not relying on Rail Europe for accurate pricing on point to points, but going to the national railway sites.
Good luck. Once you make your choice, don't keep second guessing yourself. Just go and enjoy.
Posted by
Knoxville, TN, USA
7209 posts
Buying a Swiss Travel Pass seems to be overkill for the limited amount of traveling you'll be doing. The 1 month Half Fare Card is 120 Swiss Francs and gives you 50% discount on all your travels. It's not quite as "convenient" as the Swiss Travel Pass which lets you hop on and hop off anywhere anytime you want. With the HFC you'll have to purchase tickets before you take your trips (but they'll be 50% discounted). On the private high mountain rails like the super expensive Jungfraujoch the HFC will discount that trip by 50% (which just about pays for itself) instead of the 25% discount that the Swiss Travel Pass offers.
The HFC is a very attractive offer for someone who really doesn't know which Swiss Travel Pass to purchase.
Posted by
Rick Steves' Europe
16893 posts
If you are planning to buy a Select pass then we don't recommend buying any additional pass just for Switzerland.
The Select pass used to cover the Swiss lake boats, but that has changed to just a discount this year on most boats. This info is not yet updated on the PDF version of our Rail Guide, for which I gave you a link on your last question. Any discounted travel "bonuses" offered by the Select pass for lifts, boats, private train, etc. do not require use of one of your counted travel days. At http://ricksteves.raileurope.com/rail-tickets-passes/eurail-select-pass/index.html, click the mid-page tab for "Travel Bonuses." There is no discount nor coverage for museums.
Also changed this year, the Swiss Travel Pass only includes the lift discounts either on your counted rail pass travel days (no problem if you're using the consecutive-day version) or if you choose the Flexi "Combo" version with Half-Fare Card added.
To avoid the high reservation fee for 1st class on a TGV Lyria between Switzerland and France, you can either choose a 2nd class seat reservation (about $40) or make and extra connection at Strasbourg (to a different TGV line with $11 seat reservation). For either one, it's good to book soon, probably at the same time as buying the rail pass.