We are traveling in June and visiting Switerland, Italy, Netherlands/Belgium and Germany. We are flying for the longer distance routes. The only RT train ticket we would need is from Zurich to Fussen, Germany onto Salzburg and back to Zurich. These other routes are one-way: Zurich to Lauterbrunnen, Lauterbrunnen to Cinque Terre area, Amsterdam to Bruges and Bruges to BrusseIs. Would it be better for my husband, I and 2 teens (13 and 15) to buy a 4 country Eurorail pass or point-to-point train tickets? I was told I have gone on the Bahn website and can't seem to find pricing or correct scheduling. Is there a night train from Lauterbrunnen,SW area to the Cinque Terre area? It seems like a waste of a day if we take the train in the morning. What is the best way from Zurich to Fussen, Germany and then to Salzburg?
Posted by
Frankfurt am Main, Germany
2779 posts
I'm not too familiar with train tickets but one thing you could do is use the Bayern Ticket (Bavaria Ticket) which is cheap and good for 2. Check bahn.de for it. You could take a Swiss train to Konstanz and then board a boat to Lindau, which is the 1st (and only) Bavarian town at the Lake of Constance. The boat ride is great fun and very scenic and from Lindau all the way to Freising (German side of Salzburg) the Bayern Ticket is valid.
Posted by
Elk Grove, CA, USA
6898 posts
I can address a couple of them. A 2nd class ticket for one adult from Zurich Flughafen (airport stop) to Interlaken will cost 67CHF. Current exchange rate is 1:1. The trip will take 2.5hrs. with 1-2 train changes.
The trip from Interlaken to Cinque Terre will take 7.5hrs-8.5hrs. Expect up to 3 train changes. I can't pull up the fare but I would expect about 250E for all four (close to $400).
Zurich to Fussen will take just under 6.0hrs with up to 4 train changes. I'm unable to pull up the fare but I can see the schedules.
Note on passes. 1) The countries must have adjoining borders. A journey from one country to another must cross their common border. You cannot cross a country that is not covered by the pass. 2) Passes do not cover seat reservations on the faster trains. The long segments of your train journeys will most likely be on these faster trains.
Posted by
Minneapolis, MN, USA
8700 posts
With a Select Pass you CAN cross a country which is not covered by the pass if you buy a ticket to cover the portion of the trip in that country. See this page: www.ricksteves.com/rail08/select.htm.
You can leave Lauterbrunnen at 22:33, change at Interlaken Ost, change at Spiez, and arrive at Bologna Centrale at 05:19. The Spiez-Bologna leg is a night train. From Bologna you'll probably change in Parma and La Spezia before getting to one of the Cinque Terre towns. For timetables for the whole route go to www.bahn.de. Click on the drop-down menu in the upper right-hand corner for English. Enter Lauterbrunnen as your departure point and your choice of a Cinque Terre town as your arrival point. After you get summary timetables, click on "Details for all" to see the connecting points.
Take an IC train from Amsterdam to Bruges (34.80€). Take a regional train from Bruges to Brussels (12.30€). No advance purchase necessary for either route.
Posted by
OP
Matthews
18 posts
Thank you for all the help. It looks as if point-to-point will be less money. I am assuming I would need reservations for the night train to Cinque Terre? Can you buy those tickets before I leave to Europe? I do have a relative in Switzerland that could purchase them over there.
Posted by
Minneapolis, MN, USA
8700 posts
No need to buy Lauterbrunnen-Spiez tickets in advance. The fare is 17.20 CHF.
You can book the Spiez-Bologna night train on the Swiss Rail site and you will get a fare quote by e-mail. You can also book by calling Swiss Rail and booking over the phone.
Booking well in advance (up to 90 days allowed) will be to your advantage. According to the Trenitalia site, the standard 2nd class fare for a bunk in a four-person couchette is 135€, the Smart Price 2 fare is 71€, and the Smart Price fare is 45€. For a bed in a two-person sleeper the standard fare is 165€, the Smart Price 2 fare is 101€, and the Smart Price fare is 75€. However, you cannot book these on the Trenitalia site because you can only pick up the tickets in Italy.
The fare for Bologna-Vernazza (just as an example) is 16.40€.