We are a family of 4 (w/ 2 kids 12 & 16) going to France and Switzerland in late June & July. We will be doing one round trip to Bayeaux from Paris for 2 nights, then a trip from Paris to Murren (via Interlaken). We will stay in Murren 5 nights, then fly out of Zurich. What is our best option for tickets? Also, would it be worth it to get the BO regional pass?
Thanks!
Posted by
Seattle, WA
17440 posts
Hi Tamara, often the best choice for a trip like this is point to point tickets in France and a Swiss pass of some kind for Switzerland. Here's why. Nthe F/S pass for adults isnin 1st class only, but the youth pass is 2d class, so you are paying extra. Also, it does not offer a free Family Pass that will cover travel of your younger child for free. Finally,mitt does not provide as much coverage for high mountain lifts as a Swiss pass. The Berner Ooberland pass does not offer a free Family Card either, you would have to buy one for your 12 year old. So the best option for you is probably a 3-day Flex Pass ( saver) for 3 of you and a Family Card to cover the younger child, or a Half-Fare card for 3 of you with Family Card for the child. A 3-day Flex pass fully covers 3 days of travel on trains and boats, and gives you 50% off travel on other days, as long as they are between the first and last day of use. It also gives you 50% off high mountain lifts ( 25%on the Jungfrau train above Wengen). The 12 year old is free on everything. The Half-Fare card gives you 50% off everything, including the Jungfrau, but includes no free days. You can find a chart comparing coverage and giving prices on the Switzerland page of the Railpass section of this website.
Posted by
OP
Portsmouth, NH
17 posts
Thanks Lola. So if we get a swiss pass, we should buy a ticket from Paris to the Swiss border then use the the Swiss pass? Would Basel be the best place? Also, can you make reservations w/ the pass or do you need to?
Posted by
Seattle, WA
17440 posts
Yes, you would buy a ticket on TGV to Basel, and the Swiss pass will cover from there. Youndon't not need reservations on trains traveling within Switzerland. While you can reserve seats for an extra fee ( a few francs), we have never found it necessary. In some 8 weeks of training around Switzerland over several trips, we have encountered only one really crowded train, and that was going into Zurich onnthe day of a big parade. The Street Parade is usually the first Saturday in August, so if younger traveling to Zurich that day you might want reservations. Otherwise, no need.
Posted by
Minneapolis, MN, USA
8700 posts
Lola has given you excellent advice. If you book well in advance (up to three months allowed) at voyages-sncf.com or tgv-europe.com, you can get a Prem's fare as low as €15.00 for Paris-Bayeux. If you do same for Paris-Basel, you can get a Piccolissimo fare as low as €25.00.