For those who has done the Switzerland tour, is there any kind of day pass or museum pass given to you by the guide that you can use on your free time?
We didn't receive any in our pre- COVID RS Swiss Tour. The hotels usually give you a "mobility pass" for the local buses. We did go to the Transportation Museum as part of the tour, I have no idea if that's still part of the itinerary.
At that time, we bought a half-price card for our own exploring. In trips afterwards , we have purchased the Swiss Travel Pass, but I think that's overkill, unless you're adding extra days. Some of the Swiss Travel Passes are on sale thru May 15.
This is a wonderful, fantastic tour. Enjoy!
Things change some from time to time so the best thing is to contact RS office for the latest info
We were given a pass for the gondola in Murren.
Hi Rachel, I did this tour a few years ago and I don’t remember any passes being included. It is a wonderful tour that is very diverse. You’ll be able to experience Switzerland, Germany, Italy, and France all rolled into one amazing trip! Highly recommend it.
From the RS website:
“You'll get at least 20 group sightseeing events — at no extra cost!
Here's what you'll see and do on our Switzerland tour: Luzern walking tour Lake Luzern boat cruise Rütli Meadow Fortress Fürigen Appenzell orientation walk Ebenalp mountain excursion Bellinzona Lugano orientation walk Lake Lugano boat cruise Ticino cooking class Zermatt Lake Geneva boat cruise Château de Chillon Lavaux wine tasting Local cheesemaker Schilthorn mountain excursion Hiking orientation for day in the Berner Oberland Bern walking tour Swiss culture Q&A Chocolate experience”
I was recently on that tour and in Luzern we were given a city pass from the Hotel des Alpes which provided free local transportation and a discount at many of the local museums. The Transportation Museum is not a part of the official tour, but we did drop some people off there on our way back into Luzern when we had a free afternoon. I went to that museum before the tour started and loved it - ended up spending 4 hours there, including the planetarium show, the Chocolate Experience, and their IMAX theater as well as all the exhibits. I got the all day pass for the museum rather than paying for each part individually and it was worth being able to see and do everything there. Especially since it was a rainy day!
You will love that tour!
We just got back from doing this tour. In each of the larger cities we received a city pass that was good for local ground transportation—buses, trams etc. they were issued by the hotels to encourage visitors ( not just RS tours) to use local transportation. There may have been discounts on some local museums which we did not use. We received a pass to the top of the Schilthorn (once) and a 3 day pass for transport up and down the gondolas to Murren— you can hike down to Gimmelwald and ride back up. It did not include the train to the other end of the valley (it was closed in mid May for renovations anyway.).
If you spend time before or after the tour in Switzerland, consider one of the rail passes as often boats and gondolas are included or discounted. You can get a 3-4 day pass that you can split and use for transport to Luzern, around the lake prior to the tour and for rail transport after the tour.
Did you end up buying a STP during the sale? That often covers Swiss museums.