Three of us will spend 7 days in the Berner-Oberland area of Switzerland later this month, coming from and returning to Paris. We have TGV tickets to Mulhouse (France) coming in, and then boarding the TGV in Basel when returning to Paris. We only need to travel by train one or two additional days while there, so the 4-day Flexi-Pass looks like the way to go, since there is a 2-for-1 deal available. Can I do the first day of the Swiss Flexi-Pass starting in Mulhouse and going to Murren or does it have to start in Switzerland? Do you think I can purchase the Flexi-Pass in Mulhouse? Finally, when buying the Flexi-Pass, do I have to choose the exact four days of train travel right then? I'd like to keep some flexibility to adjust our train schedule on the fly if there are rainy days during out stay. Finding it difficult to find these answers on-line.
Thank-you!
Posted by
Seattle, WA
17432 posts
You will be fine buying it there. I just like to buy ours in advance to save time. Also, at times there is an advantage to paying in dollars but that does not appear to be the case right now. You do have to consider the foreign transaction fees on a purchase in Swiss francs if your credit card charges those.
Posted by
Seattle, WA
17432 posts
The Swiss Flexi pass coverage starts in Switzerland. You will have to buy tickets from Mulhouse to Basel. And you should buy your Swiss passes in advance you can do it on this website. The problemmis that if there are 3 of you one cannot take advantage of the two-for-one deal. With a Flexi Pass you do not need to choose the dates in advance. The four-day pass will come with four little boxes where you write in the date. You can decide on any given day if you want to use the pass for that day's travel. If you do, write the date in before you board the first train that day. It will cover all subsequent train rides that day. (But gondolas and cable cars above Wengen and Mürren are only covered 50% even if you are using your pass that day).
Posted by
OP
The Sierra, CA
32 posts
Thanks, Lola. Good information. One question Why do you suggest ordering in advance? I had been reading elsewhere that suggests buying the passes at the first train station that you can get them. At this late date (about 10 days before leaving the US), I'm guessing that buying in advance would work if I could get the Pass via: 1) Print the passes online; 2) Have them sent to me by mail if I'm buying from a USA-based entity, or;
3) Could have them sent to my friends who live in Paris (which provides for an extra weeks to receive anything by mail). Maybe it's cheaper to have the Paris friends order the tickets(?). Sorry, the trip is somewhat off the norm. We're thinking that maybe the Half-Fare card is the better option for our third person. We plan to do the Murren to Schiltorn transport, too.
Posted by
OP
The Sierra, CA
32 posts
Thanks again, Lola.