Traveling through Switzerland for the first time

The STP will be closer to $1350 US, with 2 8-day passes at 419 CHF, 1 8-day Youth Pass at 297 CHF plus the free Family Card. That comes to 1135CHF, which is currently about $1350. And the STP will not cover everything because it only covers cost to inhabited towns and villages, not tourist sites above these in the mountains, like Kleine Scheidegg, or First, or Piz Gloria. You do get discount though.

The STP is often the most expensive way to travel, although it is convenient. Just consider that you are paying a premium price for that convenience. More often, the Half Fare Card costing 120 CHF per person saves the most. You can still get the free Family Card for the 14 yo. But you need to purchase each ticket for each day.

Places worth seeing, things worth doing? I believe someone named Rick Steves covers that pretty well in his guidebook.

Since you want to see Montreux and are heading to Geneva, skip Bern. Take the scenic Golden Pass route from Interlaken Ost to Montreux. As such, 2 nights in Luzern, 3 or 4 nights in Wengen, 2 nights in Montreux.

I agree with Sam's thoughts. I'd add that the STP covers the train trip, but not the Panoramic Express train cars. I wouldn't worry about that, I really see no advantage to paying more money to be on the "special" cars. Last time we were there, the train had 5 cars, the first and last car was a "normal" car. They all had comfortable seats, large clean windows, and all the cars went to the same place.

Note however, this was last week. In midsummer, perhaps the "normal" cars are very packed with tourists, and the fancy Panoramic Express cars could have more room. I don't know about that. Others will.

Thank you for your replies. Our itinerary is: 1 night in Zurich> 2 nights in Lucerne>3 nights in Wengen>2 nights in Montreaux. We want to travel a scenic route and we want to purchase transportation that will take us to all these locations and is seamless. Some of you mentioned that the STP doesn't cover scenic routes and that the Golden pass does. I personally would love a scenic route. Does the Golden Pass go from Zurich to Montreaux, covering all stops in between? This will be our first time in Switzerland, and I am reading up on how best to navigate around the country, but I would rather hear from people who have been there, in similar situations and who can give sound advice. My son thinks we should get the STP because it makes the most sense for what we would be getting with it (most train rides, boat rides, museums), but it seems like a lot to pay, especially if it isn't covering all travel. So my question is: for the itinerary we have, would the Golden Pass, STP, or half fare card make the most sense? Thank you again. Your insight is much appreciated from this mom who is trying to book an unforgettable trip!

Yes, the STP will cover everything you mention in your itinerary. But why waste a day in Zurich? Luzern is just 1 hour away on the train. The leaves more time for the scenery you want.

Green Bay we have never been to Zurich and since it's a major city, thought it would be nice to stop there for a day since we are flying in to Zurich. I also thought my son would enjoy the Fifa museum since he plays soccer and loves the sport. Do you suggest we not stay in Zurich?

If you want to see the FIFA Museum, go right ahead. Just sayin', people don't go to Switzerland for sophisticated cities like Zurich, of which Europe has many.
BTW, if you just bought full fare tickets for ZRH to Zurich to Luzern to Wengen to Montreux to Geneva airport, the cost would be about 220 CHF, almost half the coast of the STP.

Some of you mentioned that the STP doesn't cover scenic routes and that the Golden pass does.

The Golden Pass is a train route, not a type of travel pass ;-)

“I'd add that the STP covers the train trip, but not the Panoramic
Express train cars.”

Not so. On the Golden Pass you can get on any car you like and sit in any vacant seat (check for reservation signs above the seats). Panorama or not, as long as you are in the correct class there is no problem. It is the seat reservation that is not included with the STP, or any train ticket for that matter.. I have taken this train lots of times and have never made a reservation and always found somewhere to sit. I can see that a family traveling on holiday might want to make a reservation though, if only for pease of mind, and you can certainly do that.

Double check all information and ideas people share with you here:

https://www.sbb.ch/en/tickets-offers/tickets/guests-abroad/swiss-travel-pass.html

My son thinks we should get the STP because it makes the most sense
for what we would be getting with it (most train rides, boat rides,
museums).



True, the thing is that some train rides (short ones) are not very expensive, and if you are also going to go up mountains, such as when you are in Luzern or in Wengen, then you will have to pay extra for that. This is Sam’s point that he shared above (note that there are some mountain in Luzern that are included).



You can price out each journey on sbb.ch.

• Zürich - Luzern = 13.50 with HFC
• Luzern - Wengen on scenic route = 24.50 with HFC
• Wengen - Montreux 35.50 - 46.00 depending on the route

You can also price out admission to the museums that you want to see.

I do have to say that as a resident there have been years when I had a yearly travel pass (GA) and times when I just had a half fare card. For sure having the pass feels like I am getting a great deal. I do take far more journeys with the pass than I do without it. It feels like it is "free" in the moment - like an all you can eat buffet - some eat more than they pay for and others do not but generally everyone leaves feeling happy. :-)

Thank you, Swiss Nomad, for your response. I find that confusing, that I am paying for the STP, but my seats aren't included with the expensive tickets I am buying. But I respect that those are the rules of your country. If I don't make a reservation and just sit anywhere, do I pay for the seat as well? Or do I only pay when making a reservation? We will have at least two big luggage pieces and 2 carry-on luggage pieces with us because we are spending a month in Europe... do these forms of transportation (STP, Half Fare) cover them? The prices that you gave for the train traveling, is that with the Half Fare Pass included, or just buying those tickets? Thank you!

The Half Fare Card costs 120 CHF each for the 3 adults. The Family Card is free and the 14 yo travels with you at no charge.
With that you can buy tickets at 1/2 the normal price. Seat reservations are not included, since Swiss do not normally pay for these, and they are bot even offered on many trains. For Luzern to Interlaken Ost they are offered by the actual train operator, Zentralbahn. For Interlaken Ost to Montreux, they are offered by the operator, MOB.

Seat reservations and tickets are separate animals. You can ride any train with a valid ticket (with a couple of exceptions like the Glacier Express, which is not on your itinerary). If you can't find a seat, you stand until a seat opens up.

Trains in Switzerland are expensive, and there is no way around that. I must ask, who is paying for this? If your son says that the Swiss Travel Pass is best, I suggest he pays for it. If you are paying, it is your decision. It is your money.

I find that confusing, that I am paying for the STP, but my seats aren't included with the expensive tickets I am buying. But I respect that those are the rules of your country.

We will have at least two big luggage pieces and 2 carry-on luggage
pieces with us because we are spending a month in Europe... do these
forms of transportation (STP, Half Fare) cover them?

You have an incorrect view of trains in Switzerland. Think of it like getting on a city bus or a subway. You pay to go from point A to B, get on and sit down. Nothing weird or strange about it. Swiss use trains to get around in their everyday lives - commute to work, go shopping, etc. They bring on baby carriages, luggage, etc. - there is no ‘fee’ for this, the only drawback to having a lot of personal items is that you have to lug them around with you.

For the rest of your questions, hopefully what Sam is saying makes sense to you. Here is the link to the Swiss Half Fare card and that can help clarify things as well.

https://www.sbb.ch/en/tickets-offers/tickets/guests-abroad/swiss-half-fare-card.html

I'm sorry if I misunderstood. If I am paying for the STP ahead of time, I guess I don't understand why I am then paying an additional fee for seats. I will check the website out thank you.

Thank you Sam for the clarification, I was a bit confused. So basically, the STP is to get on and we are not necessarily guaranteed a seat if it is packed, which it may be in August. Making the reservation costs us the additional fee because we are ensuring that we have a seat. Are these trains good with storage for luggage? Is that an additional fee? Thank you!

Now, as I am booking lodging, I am coming to the great debate.... Wegen or Grindelwald? We don't plan on cooking during our trip, maybe some eggs in the morning but thats it. We are looking at Airbnbs but aren't opposed to staying in a hotel for the right price. We want amazing views, but also easily accessible restaurants. We aren't going skiing... just sight seeing and hiking. Can anyone suggest which would be the better fit? Thank you!

Wengen is a charming car-free village with plenty of accommodations and several restaurants. It has great access to transportation and trails. Grindelwald is bigger and did not have the same charm, in my opinion. However, it might have more family style lodgings. I’d start looking at Wengen first to see if there’s something suitable.

Thank you Barbara! Wengen it is! I am also trying to book lodging in Lucerne and having a hard time, but finding many properties in Meggen. Are they close by? On the map, they seem far from each other, but I could be wrong.

Lucerne fills up fast and it's expensive. Did you try booking.com and consider looking for apartments? We had to find something on fairly short notice when our original hotel changed owners and the new owners would not honor our reservation. We did find something through booking.com, and then booked directly with the hotel.

Regarding the distance to Meggen, did you check on google maps or Rome2Rio? Acccording to those sites it's only 10-13 minutes by train or bus. You would have to check how often they run.

Edited to add: The distance from Lucern to Meggen is 4 miles, according to the sites I just mentioned. There are others on the forum with much more experience in Switzerland, so perhaps one of them will weigh in.

Thank you so much. I found a place in Lucerne, near old town. I think I'm paying a little more than I was comfortable with, but I am seeing that this is the consensus. I am now trying to book Wengen, but there is literally nothing available that is not a chalet that costs thousands of dollars for 3 nights. We want to hike and have great views, and would love any suggestions of nearby places that we can stay that offers similar to what Wengen offers. Zermatt seems like a good alternative and I am finding more options for airbnbs. I was just on trying to book something in Montreaux, but most of what I'm finding is in the city center and that's not what we are looking for. I'm also nervous that it's an hour and a half away from the Geneva airport, which is where we are flying out from. Should we stay in Geneva and visit Montreaux? Or somewhere closer? I greatly appreciate all your insight!

If you can't find anything in Wengen, look at Grindelwald or Lauterbrunnen. Or if you found options in Zermatt, that's good too. At this point you're going to have to take what you can get. Did you also look at interhome, e-domizil, chalet.myswitzerland.com ?

What do you mean you don't want anything in the city center of Montreux? It's a city....If you don't want to stay in a city, then you shouldn't be staying in either Montreux or Geneva. There are smaller towns along the water of Lake Geneva that could be an option if you can still find anything available for your dates. Vevey, Cully, Morges, St-Prex, Rolle...these are all smaller towns that may have an airbnb type options.

I meant Geneva or Zurich.... Montreaux, from what I see, is very pictureque and fits what we'd like to see.

wanderweg, there is plenty available, just not in Wengen. Wengen is the only spot that has limited lodging.