ManishaD

We will be making a 5-day trip to Switzerland during the last week of May, traveling from Geneva to Zurich. We are planning on purchasing the Swiss passes, and was wondering, if we order them on-line before leaving, can we pick up the ticket(s) from Geneva Airport? Or should we purchase them at the airport itself?

Also, related to the Swiss Rail travel, I have 2 more questions:

1) From Geneva, we are heading to Interlaken via Montreux. If we can take the Golden Pass, which would be a better side to sit on so we get a proper view.

2) On our way from Interlaken to Zurich, we plan to spend a day in Lucerne, but we don't plan to stay there. Does the railway station in Lucerne have provisions to store luggage while we are sightseeing during the day?

Thanks, in advance, for your help,
Manisha

Dukey1

Yes, you can store luggage in Luzern at the station (which is huge).

In terms of where to sit on the Golden Pass trains...depending on the timing you might get seats in the very front or the very rear. The train winds its way out of Montreux so there are views of the lake from both sides as it ascends. Unless the train is jammed full you can probably move back and forth into seats which aren't occupied.

As to the passes; are you certain they will be economical for you, especially if you are <B>only</B> going to make a trip from Geneva to Montreux and then onward to Luzern and then Zurich.

ManishaD

Hi Dukey1,

Thanks for such a quick reply!

Here is my itinerary, which is why I thought the Swiss Pass would be economical:

Day 1: Land in Geneva, stay overnight
Day 2: Depart for Interlaken, via Montreux
Day 3: Take train from Interlaken to Jungfraujoch
Day 4: Depart from Interlaken towards Zurich, but stop and spend entire day in Lucerne. Would like to take boat ride, then Cog Railway to Mt. Pilatus
Day 5: Fly from Zurich back to Newark.

From what I am reading about the Swiss Pass, it looks like it would include all the train rides, including the trip to Jungfraujoch, and Mt. Pilatus, as well as offer discounts on cable cars, etc. So do you think it will be economical to purchase the Swiss Pass? Thanks.

Dukey1

The Swiss Pass will only cover your trip up to the Jungfrau for as far as Grindelwald. From there you'll need a ticket on the Jungfrau railway...take a look at this site:

http://www.jungfrau.ch/en/tourism/tr...al-travellers/

china_cat

you have to do the math yourself, but I think the half-fare card could be a better option. The swiss pass only gives you a 25% discount on the trip to Junfraujoch, and the half-fare gives you 50%. This might work out to a better deal, but you have to figure out all the fares and work it out.

I just ordered my swiss pass online, and had it mailed to me. There was no option for pickup on arrival...if you want to do that, just buy it there. My husband likes to have all the paperwork in hand, so we didn't mind paying a little more to have it mailed to us in advance.

Dukey1

Sorry, click on the "fares for individual travelers" and you will see that you get a discount using the SwissPass but it does not cover the entire cost. That said, it might still be worthwhile to get passes. You can check the costs of point to point tickets by going to the Swiss Federal Railways site www.sbb.ch/en and then compare those to the cost of having a pass.

Passes are convenient and allow a lot of spur of the moment travel; I've used them with great success and they also afford transportation on many city bus networks, too.

ManishaD

Thanks for this info, let me then re-evaluate what would be a better cost.

Does the itinerary look reasonable, though? The flights cannot be changed now, arriving in Geneva, flying out of Zurich), but the hotels can be changed still. The main requirement is that we visit Jungfraujoch as well as see other good scenery in the process. Also, the 2 passengers traveling with me are quite elderly even if they are in very good shape.

PalenQ

The exact same Swiss Pass for the past several years has been less expensive if bought in the U.S. or Canada than in Switzerland for some weird reason - I have compared often - not always the case but compare - sometime savings are significant - sometimes little and sometimes cheaper there.

No need to order online - buy at any Swiss train station - may have a mailing fee - no reason to order online!!!!

For Swiss prices check www.sbb.ch - www.swisstravelsystem.com - for U.S. prices check www.raileurope.com; www.ricksteves.com and www.budgeteuropetravel.com - I've bought passes from Byron at the latter for years - even if not buying he'll expertly answer any questions IME.

Golden Pass if I recall right has the more dramatic mountain scenery on the south side - especially in Gstadd area - but I am not sure that this train does not reverse in some dead-end stations and then the scenes will be on the other side. I'd say southward facing seats - on right side of train going towards Interlaken would be a good choice.

check out vaunted VIP seats - very very unique - know of no other train in Europe with them! Like driving the train!

nytraveler

I hate to be discouraging but you can;t count on being able to ascend the Jungfrau - and less so Mt Pilatus on any specific day.

If there are clouds not in the valley but at higher altitudes the top of the Jungfrau can often be totally socked in - and you won't see your hand in front of your house outside. We had to wait for our 3rd days in Interlaken before we got a morning with limited clouds up there. This is less true of Pilatus but can still happen. The day we went up we had time to tour around and climb the stairway and had ordered our lunch at the outdoor restaurant - when fog (I thought but really clouds came in) and we had to grab out food and head for an indoor table. It was not only too cloudy to see anything outdoors it was raining (up there but not at the bottom when we return to lake level).

Definitely check with the trains station - or online - before heading up the Jungrfrau since weather there is often very different than in the valley.

Dukey1

The trip UP to the top of the Jungfrau is spectacular in and of itself even if you don't get this spectacular view when you finally reach the top. You will get PLENTY of views on the way up and down especially if you leave from one "side" say Grindelwald and descend to the other.

In terms of Luzern, there is yet another trip which takes 1/2 day you can take, Take the train from Luzern up to Engleberg and from there the three-stage cablecar up to the top of Mt. Titlis. The last stage is a rotating Italian creation that is kinda unique. The Swiss PASS will get you a discount on the cable car.

Dukey1

And another possibility IF you have or want to take the time and spend the money: when you get to the station in Montreux, consider taking the trip up to Rochers de Naye. The thing is like a "toonerville trolley" which literally clings to the sides of the "cliffs" as it ascends; spectacular views over Lac Leman (Lake Geneva) from the top and you can visit the Marmots, too.

Lots of possibilities and so LITTLE time, believe me!

PalenQ

http://www.goldenpass.ch/goldenpass_booking

ManishaD

I have booked a hotel in Interlaken for 2 nights. But now I am finding out that if we want to actually be in the mountains, we would be better off staying in Grindelwald, or Wengen. Is that recommended?

PalenQ

Yes for first-timers in the area I'd stay in a Grindelwald (my favorite) or Wengen (favorite with older folks) or Lauterbrunnen - Wengen and Grindelwald have the best views IMO. Grindelwald also has, like Interlaken, lots of inexpensive accommodations if that is a key. Wengen less so.

ManishaD

Thanks, I did just that, booked a hotel in Grindelwald. So the itinerary will now be like this:

Day 1: Geneva -> Montreux (Swiss rail)
Montreux -> Interlaken OST (Golden Pass)
Interlaken OST -> Grindelwald (Swiss rail)
Spend night in Grindelwald

Day 2: Visit Jungfraujoch, weather-permitting
Return to Interlaken OST
Spend night in Interlaken

Day 3: Depart for Lucerne in morning
Visit either Mt. Pilates or Mt. Titlis, weather-permitting
Depart for Zurich in evening

PalenQ

Interlaken OST -> Grindelwald (Swiss rail)>

Not sure what you meant by Swiss Rail but SBB - Swiss Federal Railways in German runs mainline trains to Interlaken-Ost but from there it is the Berner Ober Bahn - B O B - not sure of exact name but it honors Swiss Passes in full to Wengen or Grindelwald or Murren - but is not Swiss Railways.

Golden Pass is not owned I think buy Swiss Railways but an entity rolling over both Swiss Railways and non-SBB ones.

Irrelevant really.

PalenQ

A word of caution - trains from Interlaken-Ost to Grindelwald split half way up, with one part of the train trundling up to the Grindelwald Valley and the other half going the other way to Lauterbunnen's valey.

I always see flummoxed folks having to scurry off the train at the split point when the conductor tells them they are on the wrong half of the train for where they are going.

Cars in Interlaken-Ost are clearly marked on the outside as to where they are going - be sure you are in the right half of the train - many it seems do not.

ManishaD

Thanks for the clarification, as well as the tips. I just meant that assuming I buy the Swiss Pass, I would use it to go from Interlaken OST to Grindenwald. Then if the weather permits us to go to Jungfraujoch, I would purchase that additional train ticket.

I am going to travel via Golden Pass from Montreux to Interlaken OST, and later, from Interlaken OST to Lucerne.

PalenQ

reservations are not required on the Golden Pass I believe or if they are just on the Montreux to Zweisimmen segment - and the reservation fee would not be paid by the pass, which pays the rail fare but not optional (or mandated) reservations.

The Interlaken-Ost to Lucerne segment does not require them but station personnel at Interlaken advised me to 'make them if I wanted a seat in a glass-domed observation car' as demand for those can be high.

and regular regional trains run each route that you can just hop on and IME the big windows let you see the same scenery as GP perfectly well.

aliced

There have been viewpoints in all the Swiss forums as to the savings of the half-fare vs. the Swiss Pass. We bought 10-day-swisspass at the train station at the same cost as here in the States; just didnt want to remember one more thing to carry over w/us. If you were to make a certain number of trips up the exact mountains, the half-fare probably runs less; as once up in the higher elevations which are 'private' trains, your reduction goes down to 50% or 75% savings only on the Pass. But, we wanted to hop on quickly with no lines/validations at any stations, (but of course did anyway at Wengen-Mannlichen-Kleine Sch.-Wengen), but the difference is not worth worrying about. Obviously, if the weather is inclement you will not pay the premiums to ascend to higher peaks anyway. And if the weather is superb as was ours, we were happy to spend the extra c.f. The old town Lucerne does not take too long to explore, then stroll east along Lake down to the Transport Museum, it was quite outstanding and IMO far more worthwhile than the Rosengart. You could also catch a boat to it from right in front of train station, right smack there in front of you. Try Opus winebar next to Jesuit Church along water for very good food & drink at reasonable prices by Swiss standards). If you can stop quickly at Lausanne or Vevey before Montreux.