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Selecting the right Travel Pass (or not at all)

Selecting the right Travel Pass (or not at all)

Old Sep 22nd, 2017, 01:09 PM
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Selecting the right Travel Pass (or not at all)

Hello, i know there have been probably hundreds of questions like this and even more articles i can find online, but my specific case is a bit tricky.

I'll do it short - i'm going on a trip to Lucerne and Italy on November and so far here are the things i know i will do or really want to do:

- November 22nd: Land at Zurich Airport and take a train/bus to Lucerne

- November 22nd-24th: Stay at a hotel at the Altstadt (Old town) of Lucerne, get to the top of Mt. Pilatus using only the panorama gondolas and the aerial cableway from Kriens.

* I'm not interested in any of the museums or the Transport museum, all the things i will do are in or really close to Lucerne and i guess i will use the boat rides on the lake once or twice.

- November 24th: Take a train from Lucerne to Milan, there i'm planning on renting a car.

As you can see i'm not doing a lot of inter-city traveling, you can sum it in Zurich - Lucerne - Milano, therefore i'm not sure how the Travel Pass will save me money, on the contrary it can just cost me more then i would pay without it. In addition i'm not interested in the Museums free admission i will get with it, and since i'm not doing any special Round Trip to Mt. Pilatus it won't save me in that part too much either.

So if you were me, would you pay for some of the Passes or i will do better (and cheaper) without it?

Thank you!
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Old Sep 22nd, 2017, 01:54 PM
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Nope not even close IMO to any pass - especially Swiss Travel Pass or local Tell Pass and scour www.sbb.ch for discounted Lucerne to Milan tickets -if none then look at the Swiss Card which gives you a ticket from Zurich Airport to any place in Switzerland and from that place to any border train station (like Chiasso if going to Milan) or Swiss airport and gives you 50% off on everything in between just like Half-Fare Card does.

1/2 off Pilatus may be a lot - and be sure to do a boat ride on Lake Lucerne - also half-off.

But I think your best bet is regular tickets in Lucerne area and discounted train ticket Lucerne to Milan - also check www.trenitalia.com for that.

Pretty sure about that but I have not done the maths.

Great sights for info on Swiss passes and trains and Lucerne area transports: www.seat61.com -especially check this one about discounted tickets to Milan; www.budgeteuropetravel.com and www.ricksteves.com.

I would recommend taking a lake boat Lucerne to Alpnachstad = nice short cruise and taking the awesomely thrilling ultra-steep railway up Pilatus and cable cars back down to Krens (buses to town center) for variety and a whole different thrill.
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Old Sep 22nd, 2017, 01:55 PM
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https://www.google.com/search?q=pila...w=1745&bih=863

much different that also thrilling cable ways and boats leave right from center of Lucerne - make a loop out of it perhaps!
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Old Sep 23rd, 2017, 12:06 AM
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A bus ticket Lucerne (dp 15.15) - Milan (ar 19.15) costs between 18 and 23 EUR if you book ahead.
Up to Como, it's between 8 and 12 EUR. You may rent your car at Como.
https://www.flixbus.com/?wt_eid=2150...=1506155720306
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Old Sep 23rd, 2017, 12:06 PM
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Thank you for your answers.
The only way to climb to Mt. Pilatus is the Gondolas and Cableway since i'm visiting in November.

Anyway i'll make a little more math to make sure a travel pass is really not necessary.
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Old Sep 24th, 2017, 06:02 AM
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OK November -ditch the lake boat rides too. Can't see a pass even being close.
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Old Sep 24th, 2017, 07:15 AM
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Actually Pilatus is not the high Alps that you could experience by taking a train to Engelberg and then the famous rotating cable cars to Mt Titlis and a real awesome experience - Pilatus is at lower altitude and in November could always be cloudy - consider Titlis for much more of what you may expect in Swiss Alps - ice and snow all around:

https://www.google.com/search?q=mt+t...w=1745&bih=863

Engelberg is about an hour by train from Lucerne then the awesome rotating gondolas.
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Old Sep 24th, 2017, 10:12 AM
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The Tell Pass is the only one to consider:

http://www.tellpass.ch/en/winter/exp...the_tell-pass/

This one you get free I believe at Lucerne hotels:

http://www.luzern.com/en/festivals-events/visitors-card
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