What type of train pass should we get?

Posted by Jamie (San Jose) on 04/11/17 09:40 PM

We'll be in Switzerland for 5-6 days in early May. Does the itinerary below make sense to you? What type of train pass should we get, Swiss travel pass, half pass or flexipass?

Day 0: arrive at ZRH around 9pm, stay in ZRH airport hotel
Day 1: train from ZRH to Bern, half day in Bern, then take train to Lauterbrunnen, stay in Lauterbrunnen
Day 2: Grindelwald/Murren, Schilthorn, stay in Lauterbrunnen
Day 3: Grindelwald/Murren, take train to Lucern, stay in Lucern
Day 4: Lucern, stay in Lucern
Day 5: take train to Zurich, half day in Zurich, stay in Zurich
Day 6: leave from ZRH

Posted by Jazz+Travels

Chicago

04/11/17 09:48 PM

7811 posts

This explains the passes :
http://www.seat61.com/Swiss-trains.htm#Swiss_travel_pass_&_Swiss_transfer_tickets
you should go with
(2) The Swiss Travel Pass & Travel Pass Flex: Unlimited travel during your stay..

Posted by Sam

Green Bay

04/11/17 10:08 PM

20023 posts

The answer is you need to do some arithmetic. Go to www.sbb.ch/en and add up the full fare ticket price for each journey you want to do. Then compare that to the cost of a pass, keeping in mind that even with a travel pass, the Schilthornbahn above Muerren you still pay 50%. If the amount is greater than 240 CHF per person, then buying a 30-day Half Fare Cards will save you money, and the Half Fare Card almost always saves you the most money.

Posted by Jamie OP

San Jose

04/11/17 10:21 PM

52 posts

The train travel between cities (Zurich, Bern, Interlaken, Lucern) is about 140 CHF according to Rick's train map (https://www.ricksteves.com/travel-tips/transportation/trains/switzerland-rail-passes). The Swiss travel pass also covers local transportations and museums, that is the part I'm not very clear, also there's the convenience of not having to buy ticket each time...

Posted by FastEddie

Florida

04/11/17 10:41 PM

1443 posts

Grindlewald, Lauterbrunnen, and Murren are all close together so there is no need to shift hotels. Pick one and stay there on days 1-3.

Stay in Luzern on days 4 and 5. Luzern has a direct rail link to the Zurich airport (2 per hour, 70 minutes), so there is no need to stay in Zurich on day 5 unless you have specific interests there. Tourists usually like Luzern much more than Zurich.

Posted by fishernancy1

04/11/17 10:54 PM

2 posts

*Swiss Travel Pass or Berner Oberland Regional Pass???*
Our travel plans look similar to Jamie's. We'll be in Switzerland four days longer and a little later in the month (9th through 18th). Going to the exact same areas but for a tad longer each place. Am confused about the Berner Oberland regional pass and what benefits one gets with that rather than the general Swiss Travel Pass. If the weather holds out we'll stay in the Berner Oberland area as much as possible. Right now we just have the nights of the 10th, 11th and 12th booked in Lauterbrunnen because we're thinking it's low season and we should be able to get a room in the town we want to go to on a whim according to how the weather is. Is this a bad idea?! Anyway, that's an aside. I'm really just trying to figure out whether the 4 day BO regional pass makes sense or not. We want to hike, hike and more hike and then bike too (weather permitting) so we'll want to pop around the region as much as possible.