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Railpass vs Point-to-Point

Posted by on

Hello all,

I am in desperate need of some advice. I will traveling through Switzerland, France, Spain, & Italy in a couple months. I will mostly be in Switzerland and France though. I have looked at the Switzerland-France 6 Day pass which is $375, I have also looked up all of my routes for point to point and if I buy them in advance it is roughly the same price, but I will have to stick to a more rigid schedule. Here is my itinerary and a few of my questions.

Basel > Interlaken (round trip)
Basel > Luzern (round trip)
Basel > Paris (one way)
Flight to Nice
Nice > Aix-en (one way)
Aix-en > Nimes (one way)
Nimes > Barcelona (one way)
Flight to Florence

Question #1 - If I buy point to point tickets do they also count as my reservation?

Question #2 - Should I buy point to point tickets as soon as possible?

I have also looked at a 8 day Select Pass for these 4 countries. My concern is the reservations that go along with the pass. I don't want to spend tons of money on a pass that I still have to pay for reservations with. If anyone has any suggestions please let me know.

Thank you,

Zach

Posted by
21153 posts

1) Tickets bought now include reservations. Of the trips you listed, only Basel-Paris, and Nimes-Barcelona need to be bought now. Swiss trains don't need or offer reservations. Nice-Aix can be done with local trains (no res) and Aix-Nimes includes an IC train with a reservation, but it is included with the ticket.
2) Basel-Paris can be as low as 29 euro, but at least 39 to 46 euro is more normal NOW. Nonrefundable nonchangeable.
Nimes-Barcelona can be had for 48.90 euro NOW, but changeble-for-a-fee tickets can be had for 58.70 euro.
Nice-Aix is 39.50 euro Tarif Normal (everyday price).
Aix-Nimes is 23 euro Tarif Normal.

Swiss tickets are generally one price, but there are some advance purchase Super Saver tickets available inside of 30 days for up to 50% off. It sounds like you have a place to stay in Basel, thus the RT tickets.

Skip the rail passes and do point to point tickets, you can still maintain some flexibility, but book the major trips like Basel-Paris and Nimes-Barcelona now for the best deals. If you have lodgings booked, this should not be a problem. Pretend they're airline tickets.

Posted by
16895 posts

Faster TGV trains within/to/from France don't encourage schedule flexibility. You either book the advance-discount tickets for reserved dates, times, and seat assignments or you book seats well ahead with a rail pass (since the number of pass holders is limited on each train and can sell out early). The most flexible option is to buy tickets when you're really ready, but probably at full price.

The budget flights that you have in the mix can be a good option for both time and money.

A Swiss Travel Pass or One-Month Half-Fare Card is more flexible to use within Switzerland, since those trains don't need reservations. The duration of your stay affects a pass choice (e.g., if your stay fits into 3 or 4 consecutive days), as well as whether you qualify for a youth discount (under age 26).

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