parkplace

I am sure this is easier than it seems, but since I'm not finding it easy to figure out, I could REALLY use some informed help/advice from those on this forum who are knowledgeable about Swiss train travel!

I am trying to figure out whether we should buy individual train tickets, or a pass.

Our travel will be:

Day 1: Train from Venice to Milan, Italy.

Day 3: Train from Lugano to Luzern, Switzerland
Day 4: Train from Luzern to Interlaken, Switzerland in the a.m. Mountain transportation up and back down the mountains for hiking mid-mountain; cog train to the "Top of Europe" Jungfraujoch
Train from Interlaken back to Luzern in the evening.
Day 5: Train from Luzern to Zurich

I thought at first we would buy train tickets for the portion in Italy, and then a 3-day Swiss Travel Pass for the portion in Switzerland. However, when I got on the Swiss Travel Pass to see, it suggested pricing the tickets first, and the ticket price seemed to be about half of the cost of the pass; BUT I may have been pricing 2nd class tickets. We think we want to travel first class, at least on the portion from Lugano to Luzern. Depends partly on the cost.

I was also thinking it would be easier to just have the Swiss Pass and not have to figure out how to buy a bunch of tickets at the ticket kiosks or windows. Am I right that we won't need seat reservations on any of those trains, or will we?

Now someone tells me it may be even cheaper and easier overall to get a Eurail pass for the combined Italian and Swiss train travel portions. Is it?

Do we need (or is it advisable to get) seat reservations for the Jungfraujoch train? I don't want to miss our only chance to get up there -- and we are 6 people traveling together.

You help would be VERY much appreciated! Thank you!

PalenQ

Now someone tells me it may be even cheaper and easier overall to get a Eurail pass for the combined Italian and Swiss train travel portions. Is it?>

No unless you are going from Milan to Scily and all over and back to Venice or Milan.

Are those the extent of your train trips you mention? If so no pass would seem to me to be beneficial to you (Swiss Passes and Eurails only give 25% discounts on the Jungfraujoch train)

Go to www.trenitalia.com - the Italian Railways site and see what a Milan to Spiez (changing point off the main Italy-Switzerland rail line to get to Interlaken) - it can be really cheap and Spiez to Interlaken is just chump change (also check Milan to Interlaken-Ost).

You do not need reservations for any of those trains, even the Jungfraujoch train IME - always seems to have enough trains to meet demand - never heard of folks being turned away for a whole day - maybe one train may be full - and first class on that train just costs a few bucks more than 2nd class and availability should even be more.

Anyway for lots of info on Swiss trains check www.swisstravelsystem.com; www.ricksteves.com and www.budgeteuropetravel.com.

There is an early bird special Interlaken-Ost to Jungfraujoch that saves a lot of money but requires an early start.

spaarne

<i> Could really use Swiss train travel help
Posted by: parkplace on May 23, 16 at 5:13pm</i>

Check with http://www.budgeteuropetravel.com/ and give them a call. Byron or Linda can get you on the right train.

parkplace

Thanks for your replies.

PalenQ -- We are going Lugano, Switzerland to Luzern, Switzerland (after making our way by van from Bellagio to Luzern) so Milan to Interlaken doesn't work for us....our hotel will be in Luzern and we'll be making a day trip to and from Interlaken based out of Luzern so Spiez to Interlaken-Ost isn't really in our itinerary. I guess it will be Luzern to Interlaken Ost in the morning, then Interlaken Ost back to Luzern at night, before leaving the next evening for Zurich.

With the exact train travel I outlined in my first post, then, does it make more sense for us to buy individual train tickets than to buy a train pass, either the Swiss one or the Eurail one?

I must say, my friend is pretty convinced that a Eurail pass is the cheapest way, maybe there's a great sale on now?

bvlenci

A Eurail pass will almost never pay off in Italy, and certainly not on a trip from Venice to Switzerland via Milan. You're not taking enough train trips in either country to justify any pass. Ask your friend to show you the numbers.

We were in Switzerland last year, and did a lot more train travel than you're planning. We got a Swiss pass, and didn't even break even, although it was close enough that I considered it worth it for the convenience.

mokka4

Please price out the Swiss Half Fare Card also. It costs 120 CHF/one month and gives 50% off trains, boats and cable cars, including the Jungfraubahn. I usually purchase it on my trips.

Melnq8

In my experience Eurail Passes are only a good deal if you plan to visit several countries across many weeks.

Swiss passes are wonderful things, we use them on every trip we make to Switzerland, but in order to know if it's a good deal for you, you really need to crunch the numbers.

Go to this site:

http://www.sbb.ch/en/home.html

Punch in each individual trip to get the price of point to point tickets.

Add up the cost of the tickets, then compare to the cost of a Swiss rail pass or Half Fare card, etc. Be sure to take into consideration any discount on mountain transport that a particular pass provides, plus things like admission to museums, bus transport, etc.

Swiss rail passes also cover transport to border towns of neighboring countries, so it's quite possible a portion of your Italian segment might also be covered, but I don't know the specific guidelines offhand.

This site might help:

http://www.myswissalps.com/swisstravelpass

Good luck. Swiss rail passes are frustrating to figure out, but very much worth the effort.

Melnq8

PS - I've never reserved a train in Switzerland, ever, but I don't travel in high season. I've also always bought 2nd class tickets - 1st class just seems like an unnecessary added expense in an already very expensive country (to me anyway).

mokka4

Lugano-->Luzern 1st class, one way = 105chf

Luzern-->Interlaken Ost 1st class OW = 56 chf

Int Ost -->Jungfraujoch ROUNDTRIP 1st class = 219 chf

Int Ost -->Luzern 1st class oneway = 28 chf

Luzern --> Zurich Airport oneway first class = 51 chf

So...CHF 459 point to point
or, CHF 120+230=350 with Swiss Half Fare Card (+ 50% off any OTHER trips you might decide on within Switzerland).
Of course, you may choose 1st OR 2nd class as desired!

Melnq8

Well done mokka4 - I might ask you to crunch my numbers for me next time!

PalenQ

anyone contemplating the Half-Fare Card should also investigate the Swiss Transfer Ticket + 1/2 off Half-Fare Card - sometimes a better deal with exact same benefits. Not saying it is best but could be so crunch those numbers again.

Mimar

The Swiss Pass covers boats and buses as well as trains. If you have any time for a nice boat ride on a lake.

Note that the Swiss Alps are not cloudfree all the time. Don't buy expensive tickets for Jungfraujoch until you know it will be clear at the top.

Dukey1

Usually on trains which operate wholly WITHIN Switzerland you cannot even MAKE a seat reservation and you will not need any for the Jungfrau trains...simply be ON the platform and ready to board when the doors open.

PalenQ

Usually on trains which operate wholly WITHIN Switzerland you cannot even MAKE a seat reservation>

On InterCity trains I think you indeed can make resservations but they are always optional (except on specialty trains like the Glacier Express) and few Swiss do - but unless changed recently you can reserve IC trains.

PalenQ

Yes checking www.bahn.de it says reservations are optional on IC trains in Switzerland or at least the ones I checked. so in 2nd class to be guaranteed a seat pay the few francs extra for a seat reservation -in first class I've never really seen a full first-class car.

PalenQ

The Swiss Pass covers boats and buses as well as trains. If you have any time for a nice boat ride on a lake.>

Yes indeedy a iconic Swiss steamer ride on idyllic lakes like Lucerne and the two bookending Interlaken: Thun and Brienz - wonderful days out on each lake with lots of interesting ports of call.

PalenQ

The Swiss Pass covers boats and buses as well as trains.>

Also gives free entry to 470+ Swiss museums such as those in Lucerne.

bakerstreet

I'm back from Switzerland and am copying below a post I have as a separate trip report, in case anyone searching later comes across this post and can benefit from the information.

"Magical day seeing Berner Oberland area from Lucerne base"

I'm posting this because we had one -- ONE -- day to experience the Berner Oberland area and hit the highlights (including going to the Jungfraujoch) and we had to do it while based in Luzern, and it all worked beautifully for us so I'm sharing what we did in case it's helpful to anyone else.

I knew I wanted to do the hike PalenQ and others raved about -- the 90-minute walk from Mannlichen to Kleine Scheidegg and I knew we wanted to try to go to the Jungfraujoch; we had to figure out a route and fit it all in while going out of and back into Luzern on the same day. It worked. Here's what we did:

We (two families of three each, with our 17- and 18-year old daughters) took the 6:05 a.m. train from Luzern to Interlaken Ost, arriving around 8 a.m. Then we took a series of trains up the mountains, going via the Lauterbrunnen route, to Kleine Scheidegg where we got on the Jungfraubahn to the Top of Europe, arriving there around 10:30 a.m. (We stopped in the mountain tunnel one time, not two). We had plenty of time up top, went outside to see the lovely views and take photos, sampled champagne and hot chocolate at the Top of Europe, and then took either the 12:30 or 1 p.m. train out (I think they left every half-hour). We then made our way by train to Wengen. While our train was stopped for a few minutes in Kleine Scheidegg on the way to Wengen, we dashed to the outdoor bar and quickly ordered sandwiches, chips and drinks to go so we could have a picnic on our hike. We got back on the train with the bags of food and continued to Wengen, where we got off and took a gondola up to Mannlichen. I think the gondola ride took about 10 minutes and it was fun. At Mannlichen we began the 90-minute glorious walk to Kleine Scheidegg and enjoyed the spectacular scenery and easy downhill (mostly) stroll amid the spectacular scenery, wildflowers, snow-capped mountains and beautiful skies. We were lucky in that the trail, which had been closed just the week before, was open. That day was Friday, June 24 and we were some of the only people on the trail going our way. We passed maybe 10 other people going the opposite way, which was uphill most of the way and I was glad we were going downhill. I turned around a few times to see the view from the other direction, and I preferred the view going in our direction -- it was simply magnificent. We stopped partway down and enjoyed our picnic and the incomparable views.

When we arrived at Kleine Scheidegg again (our third time there that day, but necessary to do the hike in the direction we wanted), we boarded the train back down to Interlaken Ost but took the OTHER route, on the Grindelwald side, so we could see the other side. At one small train stop we got off of the train to hike down to the next station and see cows along the way -- that downhill hike was much, much steeper than we realized it would be, and the footing was more dangerous. It was also tough on aging backs. I probably would not do that again, but it was an interesting experience. At the next station we enjoyed a glass of wine at the local establishment while we waited for the next train down the mountain, and then arrived at Interlaken Ost in time to have a quick dinner in Interlaken before boarding the last train out to Luzern at 8 p.m., finally arriving back at our hotel in Luzern at 10:30 p.m.

It wasn't easy to figure out in advance what the best train pass/ticket situation would be, so I'll give the information we learned, again in case it helps anyone.

The night before we went to the Berner Oberland area, we went to the train station in Luzern to buy the train tickets. Because of brilliant help poster mokka4 had provided, I was able to suggest to the train ticket seller to look at the option of our buying half-fare cards, and that proved to be the key. We also did all travel by second class, and did not buy any seat reservations. The cost for my family of 3, including the half-fare card, for the entire day of travel (including the train to the Jungfraujoch), was somewhere around $850; just under $300 each. And because we bought the half-fare card, any other train travel was half-price (such as our trip to Zurich). The gondola in Wengen was something like $12 per person.

Note: you need passports for each half-fare card you buy. The people don't all have to be present in the train station ticket office when buying the half-fare cards, but the passports do. And you need to have the half-fare card on you when you are traveling on the train. You can buy a half-price ticket at the vending machines in the station without showing the half-fare card, so when you're on the train and the ticket collector comes along asking for your ticket, he (and they were always "he") will usually want to see your half-fare card as well.

If you're headed to that area and want to see the Berner Oberland but don't have multiple days, know you can see quite a lot in just one!