fcuklp

I will be arriving Basel airport very early in the morning(1st day) and try my luck to get a connecting flight 90 minutes later. If I missed that flight, what will be my cheapest option and how I shall spend 3 days before reaching Venice anytime of the day by the 4th day ?

My preference will be spending those first 3 days in Switzerland but that means I need extra and unexpected budget, as Swiss is expensive. Can someone give some advice which rail pass shall I get and which point to leave to exit Switzerland so that I can reach Venice eventually in the cheapest manner and also estimate for me how much will it cost just on all the transport ?

Alternatively, if transport cost makes much difference, I will just take the more direct route from Basel to Venice by road or rail, stoping and spending a night point-by-point in places between, any suggestions ?

Looking from the map, the most direct route out of Switzerland will be via Lake Como to Milan to Venice by rail. If I do that, I hope to arrive Milan by noon on the 4th day.

If I am really caught in such a bad situation, Can I get advice in Basel airport or head to their city's tourist office ? I can only speak English.

Thank you all.

kybourbon

You can buy tickets Basel/Milan for as little as 30€, but they require advance purchase (30 days I think). If you stay in Swizerland for three days, you might want a Swiss Half Fare card, but it depends on how much you plan to travel around.
https://www.sbb.ch/mct/wi/shop/b2c/start.do

kybourbon

Correction - 30chf, not 30€.

wobbers

I don't quite understand, if you miss the flight then why would you have to spend 3 days in Switzerland - just hop on the next train, but of course the ticket will cost more than if purchased in advance.

fcuklp

Thank you.
My connection flight is to somewhere in Germany and from germany I fly to Venice in day 4.
If I miss the connection flight, I will choose to spend the 3 days in Switzerland.
Will the Transfer Card or 3 days Pass work out to be cheaper than the Half fare Card if I go more places ?

kybourbon

Without knowing where an itinerary in Switzerland, no one can say what card might be best or whether you even need one. You can read a little more about which pass may be right and the Swiss trains here:
http://www.swisstravelsystem.ch/en/

fcuklp

Thanks kybourbon,

I have checked that before but don't understand how the Transfer Card works.

nytraveler

This sounds like you're afraid you may miss a leg of your flight. If these are all separate flights that is fine. But if any of this is booked as a single ticket and you miss a leg - the rest of the flights will be cancelled, since you will be considered a no show.

Are these all individual tickets - that is one from wherever to Basel, one from Basel to Germany and another one from Germany to Venice (and this seems an incredibly complicated routing.

fcuklp

Yes, I booked them seperately.

altamiro

>I have checked that before but don't understand how the Transfer Card works.

It's just a set of two tickets - from any entry point to Switzerland to any other point in the country, and from any point in the country to any exit point.

Sold for a fixed price independent of destination, so on some routes it may be cheaper than just a normal single tickets.

Echnaton

The probability that you will miss your flight is low. In 95% of the cases, these short flights are on time, especially early in the morning.

But it is wise to have a plan b.