Swiss pass

If you buy your Swiss tickets online, you can request the family card which will entitle your two childrent to travel free as long as they travel in the company of one parent with a valid ticket. If you wait until you get to Switzerlan, you will need to ask for the Junior Card. These cost 30CHF each. Same features, different name.

One can obtain the Family Card for free with a Swiss Pass or other pass even when buying in Switzerland. Please refer to the Swiss Travel system website for more information. Junior Card is available for 30 CHf if you are buying tickets instead of using passes or Half Fard Card. M., the choice between a Flex Pass and Swiss Pass ( consecutive days) depends on how many days total you will be there, and how many long trips. Vs. Short trips from a base. Neither one will give you more than 50 % off the high mountain lifts. We generally go with a Flex Pass for 3 or 4 days, using those for our longer trips, and all else is 50% off. Only once in 4 trips did we use a Swiss Pass, the 15- day, as we planned to be moving a lot and using it every day. So if the length of your trip matches one of the Swiss passes, that might work as well as a Flex pass for your. Two people will get the Saver price.

When you are going to Appenzell, just make sure it is not Monday. You will learn the translation for "geschlossen". We were there recently, and it was still a very nice town to walk through. If you have time, the cheese factory in Stein is nearby and is worth touring. A bus (180) runs from the ST. Gallen train station to Stein.

Thanks so much for your help! Okay my flexipass question. What day is actually considered a travel day on your flex pass? We will take a train from Zurich to Interlaken on one day Saturday (then to Lauterbrunnen on that same day) then on Sunday we go to Murren for 5 nights. From Murren (friday) we will take the train to Apenzel. Apenzel and Ebenalp for 3 days. On Monday we will take the Train from Apenzell to Zurich. On the days when we are taking the lifts, etc in Lauterbrunnen and Appenzel does that count for a day on the pass or is it just the long train travel days? Thanks for any advice:)

A day on the Flex Pass is a full day, no matter how many rides you take. but it provides full coverage only to transport between towns, villages, etc. (including the cablecar up to Mürren). It covers the recreational and sightseeing lifts (like the Schilthorn above Mürren) only at 50 %, no matter whether you are using a "covered day" on the pass or not. The Flex Pass comes with little boxes where you enter the dates you choose to use it. A 4-day Flex, for example, will have 4 boxes for you to enter your free travel days. All other travel is 50% off. The way I like to use a Flex Pass is to cover our 3 or 4 most expensive trips, and then use the 50% feature to cover the rest. (Remember that the 50% only works between the first and last dates you use fully covered days.) In your case, you would use Day 1 on the pass to travel from Zurich to Lauterbrunnen. Don't use a pass day to just go from Lauterbrunnen to Mürren the next day; that is an inexpensive ride and you are better off using the 50% feature. Then use your next 1 or 2 covered days for your longer, more expensive trips (probably the transfer to Appenzell region) and remember that once you use the final covered day on your pass you can't get 50% off any more. Do not use a covered day to go from Mürren to the Jungfraujoch. The pass will only cover from Mürren to Wengen and the rest is 25% no matter whether it is a covered day or not. The kids are free with your Family Card no matter whether you are using a covered day or the 50%.

FYI- many of the lodging options in Appenzell include the Appenzeller Card which covers local trains & buses as well as local activities/museums & some lifts (including Ebenalp). You could use a Flex Pass day to travel to the region & stay in accomodation that includes the Appenzeller Card, so you won't need to worry about using extra railpass days for local transportation.
We really enjoyed being able to day hike along the river then hop the train back to town.