We are arriving in Geneva, taking the train to Montreux ( 4 nights - 3 full days ) mid April..
1 day we would like to go to Zermatt and do the Gonergrat cog Railway,
1 day we would like to go to Bern and possible Thun ( if time permits ),
1 day free to explore Montreux and Lausanne,
return to Geneva to fly to the USA....
also, if I can convince my friends to stay another night in Geneva - would a day trip to Annecy, France be worth it ?
I have looked at the Swiss Flex Saver Pass, the Swiss half fare card with the Swiss Saver Pass ( for the day trip to Zermatt ), point to point tickets and the more I read, the more confused I am... I am hoping there is someone that can unpuzzle this to me so I can make the best choice... I am in charge of 3 of us and the pressure is on to get it right.I
I thank anyone in advance that can help me.... or any other suggestions for this short excursion to Switzerland
Posted by
Paris
7300 posts
Hi!
From Montreux to Thun/Bern, I strongly suggest you travel one way via the Golden Pass railway to Spiez. It is much longer but scenic and should still leave you enough time for sightseeing.
For passes, the Half Fare Card will break even, since a round trip from Geneva to the top of Gornergrat is approx 160 francs, and 80-90 francs for a round trip from Montreux to Bern, so you go beyond the 240 francs mark which is when the Half Fare Card breaks even.
Not sure about the math for the other passes.
Posted by
OP
Wisconsin
16 posts
thank you for you input - I will certainly consider this - love the idea of the scenery tip, we would like to maximum that especially..
Posted by
Green Bay
21142 posts
The problem I foresee with buying a Saver Day Pass for a day trip to Zermatt and the Gornergrat, is that to get a good price, you will have to buy it several months in advance for a specific day. There is no telling what the weather will be that far in advance, and since i assume you would be going to see the Matterhorn, you could be severely disappointed if you had bad weather on your chosen travel day.
Whether you had a Swiss Travel Pass, a Half Fare Card, or a Saver Day Pass, you still have to pay for the Gornergratbahn. The STP and HFC will give you a 50% discount on the 117 CHF r/t, but the Saver Day Pass will not. Either way, it will be an expensive day trip.
Since you have 5 days of travel planned, you would really need a 6-day Swiss Travel Pass for 379 CHF 2nd class. The STP would be the most convenient, as the only extra ticket you would need is for the Gornergratbahn. You would have maximum flexibility, plus have the option for a day trip to Annecy. The HFC might save you more money, but you will have to buy tickets every day.