Which rail pass to get????

Elly, you don't say when you are traveling. In Switzerland, you do have the opton of a 2-for-1 saver pass during certain times of the year. It begins again in September and goes to April or May of the next year. Very useful. The saver pass may be either a 4-day consecutive pass or a 4-day flex pass. On off days during the pass period you can use it as a 1/2 fare card. The 1/2 fare card is available all year round for 110CHF. It's good for 30 days. It's good on all Swiss transportation. Yes, you buy it there at any staffed train station. Either pass or card is especially valuable if you are going to the top of the Jungfrau or Schilthorn, Fares are $185 and $90 respectively. A Swiss pass or card covers 50% of this cost. A Eurail pass only covers 25%.

Larry, I'll be traveling in Berner Oberland from approximately August 25-September 2. I will probably have 3 travel days (landing in Zurich, so Zurich to Berner Oberland, possibly a day to Luzern, and then from Berner Oberland to Geneva.) I will probably only go up to 2 different peaks since I am a student and can't spend too much money going up and down one each day. Keep in mind that I will be traveling in other countries after Switzerland, so if I get a Swiss Pass then I'd still need to get another eurail select pass. Does it make sense to get both or just stick with one that will cover everything?

Elly, do you mean 11 days from now?

No, 11 days total in Switzerland. I will be arrive there on August 25th though.

(holding up fingers) Ummm, Elly, that's 11 days from now ;-)

Elly, with the information I gave you above, you don't need a Eurail pass for Switzerland. You don't need two. The 1/2 fare card will cover you completely unless you go up to the top of either the Jungfrau or the Schilthorn. For those two areas, you would pay approx. 88.40CHF extra for the roundtrip to the Jungfrau and an extra 37CHF from Muerren. Other travel around the Berner Oberland is not as expensive. If you were to get a Eurail pass, it would cover you fully on most trains in Switzerland until you reach Interlaken Ost. From there into the Lauterbrunnen Valley and up the mountainsides, there are multiple small rail systems that are not friendly to the Eurail pass. The Eurail pass will only cover 25% of the fares in that area. Since you will be there mostly in August, the 2-for-1 saver card won't work. That leaves the 1/2 fare card for 110CHf. If you can determine if your total train fares will exceed 220CHF, the 1/2 fare card will benefit you. You can see the fares on www.rail.ch. I can tell you that the fare from Zurich to Lauterbrunnen is about 85CHF. You can buy the 1/2 fare card in the Zurich airport train station beneath the airport and begin using it right away. For Italy, you don't need the Eurail pass. For your travels from Florence to Siena or the CT, you will be on very cheap Regionale trains. The high-speeds don't go there. Also, if you go to Rome from Siena, you will also be mostly on Regionale trains. Venice/Florence will be a high-speed. Your pass does not get you on the high-speed until you pay a 10Euro seat resevervation fee. If you had a pass for Italy, it would all of the Regionale trains. Just hop on. No seat reservations permitted. But why would you want a pass for a 7.10Euro train ride.

Larry, when you say to see if all my train fares add up to 220, does that include the fares for riding lifts in Berner Oberland? Or JUST the main train fares (Zurich to Interlaken, Interlaken to Geneva etc)?

All fares on all Swiss transportation - trains, buses, boats, gondolas, etc. The 1/2 fare card works on all of them. You pay just half of the posted fare. This includes the two mountain tops (Jungfrau & Schilthorn), If your total base fares exceed 220CHF without a pass or card, the 1/2 fare card begins to be a better value.