My husband and I and our 3 kids(14,13,10 yrs old) are flying to Zurich this July 2010 and this is our itinerary:
Zurich-Murren(3days)-Frankfurt(1 1/2days)-Vienna(3days)-Salzburg(1 1/2 days)-Munich(2days)-Fussen(1day)-Zurich(return flight)
Is it cheaper to get 3-Country Eurail Select Saver Pass or get the Swiss Pass or Swiss Half Fare Card or Swiss Family Card or Bavarian ticket, etc? We can skip Frankfurt and Vienna. We can go directly from Murren to Munich and Munich to salzberg if it will be a lot cheaper. Thanks
Posted by
Lakewood, Colorado
19242 posts
The true answer might be to get point-point tickets, particularly for train connections totally in, or with one end in, Germany. However, if you are determined to do it solely with a rail pass, use www.railpass.com.
I don't think their comparison of a rail pass to point-point are accurate, but so far, my tests indicate the website tells you which rail pass is the best deal. I don't know if that includes Swiss Cards.
I really believe that for Mürren-Frankfurt-Vienna and Salzburg-Munich-Füssen-Zürich, you can probably do better with German Rail discount and Bayern-Tickets.
You can find those prices on the German Rail website. Just use a date more than 3 days in advance.
Posted by
Lakewood, Colorado
19242 posts
I feel that the comparison worksheet on the RS website is a little too simplified. And the map on this website is sometime terribly inaccurate; like RailEurope, it fails to take into account less expensive trains, discounted fares, and changes in the exchange rate. There is really no substitution for doing the leg work yourself. Here is the table I actually use.
Posted by
Seattle, WA
17284 posts
In our experience the best thing for Switzerland is some kind of Swisspass; multi-country passes do not work as wll (often require supplements on some routes). And Germany offers such great discounts on Lander and other tickets tht you are better off just going point to point there. sometimes you can buy advance tickets at great discount too, especially for families.
What might work best for you is a 3-day Saver pass for Switzerland for the two parents, with a free family card that will let the kids travel for free. Use this to go zurich to murren, murren to the border on your way to Munich, and one other day. If you don't plan to use transport (lifts) while at Murren, then consider a simple Transfer Ticket for the journey to and from Murren.
Then check Bahn.de for discounted tickets for the German portion of your trip. Someone here will know how far ahead to look--maybe it's 60 days? We got a fantastic discounted fare for Zurich to Stuttgart and return. You'll need to know the various routes to Munich (via Austria or via Bodensee) and figure which gives you the best deal.
Posted by
Lakewood, Colorado
19242 posts
The German Rail discounted tickets say they are for up to 3 months advance purchase, although I've never tested whether that is 3 month exactly, or the equivalent, 92 days. However, on the most popular routes, they sell out quickly, so it is important to keep watching the German Rail website. They have to be purchased at least 3 days in advance, but in most cases, that's not early enough.