Swiss Travel Pass

Old Nov 22nd, 2016, 10:47 PM
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Swiss Travel Pass

Hi, I need help in my planning. After doing my Maths, I am getting a 8 Days Swiss Travel Pass for my family (2 adults and 1 kid of 8 yrs old) for out 10 nights in Switzerland this December.

Questions:
1. Is it better to buy before or after arriving in Switzerland? I was told by a travel agent here that it's troublesome buying it at the train station as it'll be crowded with long queue and some need to use the machine. My first base is Luzern and I intend to buy there. Is this true?

2. If I buy through the travel agent in my country, the pass is quoted in Euro plus service charges is 5 euro per head. Do I need to pay extra charges if I were to buy the Pass at the ticket counter at Luzern Train Station on the day of my travel itself?

3. If I buy the Swiss Travel Pass at Luzern Train Station, can I make payment by credit card? Is credit card Visa/ Master or debit cards accepted there? I was told I can only pay by cash and I don't wish to carry so much cash while travelling.

4. I saw some supersaver tickets on sales at sbb website that suits one of my destination (my last 2 days which are not covered by my 8 Days Swiss Travel Pass). Is supersaver tickets can be bought by tourists who don't hold any Passes?

Would appreciate any info and advice. Thanking you in advance.

Anny
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Old Nov 23rd, 2016, 12:43 AM
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What's your whole itinerary? In some cases, Swiss Travel Pass Flex, Half Fare Cards or Regional Passes are the better solution.
Which mountain railways plan you to use?
Where will you enter Switzerland? Lucerne is neither a airport nor a border station.

You need of course neither Pass nor tickets for your kid: ask just for the Family Card that you will get for free when you buy your Swiss Travel Pass.

Now to your questions:

1. December is not high season; there will most probably not be long queues. Waiting times at counters in Swiss railway stations vary usually between 0 and 20 minutes.
I suppose you know that the Swiss Travel Pass can be bought online
http://www.swisstravelsystem.com/en/...avel-pass.html

2. At Swisss railway stations you pay the fixed price in CHF, without any extra charge. But check the exchange rates: sometimes it's cheaper to pay abroad and to pay in local curency.

3. Visa/Mastercards are accepted all over Switzerland, at railway counters, ticket machines, supermarkets, hotels and most restaurants. And there are tons of ATMs everywhere.

4. Supersaver tickets can be bought by everybody, but they often get exhausted very soon. For international legs like from Zurich to Basle airport, Basle Loerrach, Konstanz, Milan, etc. you can also get dirty cheap bus tickets
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Old Nov 23rd, 2016, 05:09 AM
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Hi Neckervd, Thanks for prompt reply. My itinerary is as followsbr />
D1: Arriving Luzern (5N) - Train from Paris to Luzern via Basel
D2: Luzern to Zurich (Zurich - Chur - Luzern)
D3: Mount Rigi
D4: Jungfraujoch
D5: Mount Titlis
D6: Leaving Luzern - Zermatt (2N)(Luzern-Bern-Thun-Visp-Zermatt....Thinking of making a stop at Bern)
D7: Zermatt - Glacier 3000
D8: Mount Gornergrant before leaving Zermatt to Lausanne (3N)
D9: Lausanne - Montreux and Vevey
D10: Lausanne - Geneva
D11: Lausanne - Geneva Airport

- Planning 8 Days Swiss Pass for D2-D9
- D10 and D11: Supersaver tickets
- My bases are Luzern (5N); Zermatt (2N) and Lausanne (3N)
- Tickets coming in from Paris - Luzern have been bought long ago at a deal price.
- Bases are fixed as my hotels are all booked but the days in between are flexible.

Any comments regarding my itinerary would be much appreciated. Is there anything I should also consider or not possible to do? Please do advise as this is our first time coming to Europe

Thank you
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Old Nov 23rd, 2016, 10:06 AM
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For lots on Swiss trains and transports and passes,etc yes www.swisstravelsytem.com; and also www.budgeteuropetravel.com and www.ricksteves.com.

You can buy your pass at any train station upon arrival - no need to book online -still have to go to ticket window to activate I believe and check prices for same pass in U.S. - prices often have been cheaper for same pass and no foreign transaction fees. sometimes in past difference has been significant - not sure currently but do check each source.
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Old Nov 24th, 2016, 08:40 AM
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Thanks Anny for your detailed program.

First remark:
you plan to go to many mountain peaks/view points. I suppose you know that the weather is all but predictable in December. It's not impossible that this peaks will be in thick fog or that you will see nothing at all because of a snow storm. That, combined with temperatures which will be below 0 degrees centigrade for sure at Jungfraujoch, Gornergrat and Glacier 3000 and may get below 0 degrees in the other areas too, will make it necessary to have a plan B. If the weather is really bad, it doesn't make any sense to freeze in the clouds of Jungfraujoch or elsewhere.

But the weather could be fine as well and you would then enjoy the panoramas over endless snow mountains glittering in the sun.

This uncertainty makes it particularly difficult to find the best ticket/railpass solution.

The Swiss Travel Pass is fully valid for all the legs you planned, except the following one's where you get reduced fares:
Titlis: 46 CHF/RT
Jungfraujoch: 93 CHF/RT
Gornergrat: 45 CHF/RT
Matterhorn Paradise: 50 CHF/RT
Glacier 3000: 40 CHF/RT

In order to compare tariffs, we should know:

Day 1: did you already get the Paris - Lucerne ticket?
Day 2: what do you mean with Zurich - Chur - Luzern (should it be Zurich - ZUG - Luzern)?
Day 7: do you really mean Glacier 3000 (or may be Matterhorn Paradise)?
Day 10: wouldn't it be better to sleep at Geneva (in order to avoid to buy a RT ticket to Lausanne)?
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Old Nov 24th, 2016, 09:28 AM
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Your travel agent sounds more like lobbyists during an election season. Pointing (true-says this, insignificant-does not say this) scares to the unsuspected to steer the business in its direction.

>>> 1. I was told by a travel agent here that it's troublesome buying it at the train station as it'll be crowded with long queue.

There can be a queue (your TA says this). The SBB station queues move quickly (if you have dealt with Trenitalia, SNCF, Renfe, etc.)

>>> 2. If I buy through the travel agent in my country, the pass is quoted in Euro plus service charges is 5 euro per head. Do I need to pay extra charges if I were to buy the Pass at the ticket counter at Luzern Train Station on the day of my travel.

There is NO CHARGE when bought in Switzerland. But what can make a difference is a happenstance saving depending on when you buy. There can be a lag in price change when the currency of purchase loses value against CHF, but the price currency of purchase has not gone up yet. This can also backfire on you when the exchange rate changes in the opposite direction. Buy paying a handling fee now, you are betting the exchange rate would get worse later. I have seen Swisspass price lag between CHF-USD. I don't know about the CHF-EUR price lag.

>>> 3. Is credit card Visa/ Master or debit cards accepted there? I was told I can only pay by cash and I don't wish to carry so much cash while travelling.

If there is a scare tactic, this is the one. If your TA told you did, its time to ditch your TA (Why are you using one in the first place....?) Switzerland is one of the easiest country to use financial instruments of all kinds. They take cards of all kinds, cash in CHF as well as in EURO (if you have to.) You need to take a procedure relevant for your Visa/MC for your country so as not to trigger a possible fraud card hold because the charges started to come in from a foreign country. If the card gets blocked, you need a contact info to talk to your card issues to confirm that those foreign transactions are legitimate.

I presume you know that your child travels free using the family card when traveling with you https://www.swiss-pass.ch/swiss-pass/.
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Old Nov 24th, 2016, 10:28 AM
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>>> 1. I was told by a travel agent here that it's troublesome buying it at the train station as it'll be crowded with long queue.>

If you buy the pass anywhere you have to have it activated once in Switzerland and wait in the same lines - tell that to your clueless travel agent- may as well do it all the same time (but again check prices for passes bought in US as they often have been cheaper -sometimes significantly - also ask about any handling/mailing fees and check for specials on each end -sometimes a special gives a free day or free mountain top excursions instead of 50% off- these are usually during the off-season).
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Old Nov 24th, 2016, 12:32 PM
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You can take neckervd's advice to the bank about the nitty-gritty of questions you pose - he/she is Swiss and has proven to be right-on all the time IME about such things and super willing to take time to answer in such great detail.
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Old Nov 24th, 2016, 01:43 PM
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The Swiss railways SBB/CFF have just released a revised version of their free app that makes life easier. It is not perfect, yet, but once you have some kind of discount instrument it lets you input it when booking, so that you pay the reduced fare to which you are entitled.
You as the registered user of the app can book tix for other pax traveling with you, and you show the screen of the app to the train personnel, no need for paper tix.

The purchase transaction must have been completed before the train departs (some smartiepants were quickly purchasing tix once they saw a ticket-checker approach on the moving train...no more).
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Old Nov 25th, 2016, 10:52 AM
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The purchase transaction must have been completed before the train departs (some smartiepants were quickly purchasing tix once they saw a ticket-checker approach on the moving train...no more)>

funny but expected-funny they did not see that coming.

michelh -another absolute Swiss expert always willing to help out!
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Old Nov 25th, 2016, 12:55 PM
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I wonder if Swiss Passes can be bought on that app - or half-fare cards, or private mountain trains, etc.?
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Old Dec 1st, 2016, 02:26 AM
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Thanks all for the responses. Appreciate it very much. Am ditching the travel agent for sure. Decision either good or bad will be decided by the weatherman on my arrival day in Lucerne.

Day 1: did you already get the Paris - Lucerne ticket?
Answer: Yes, I managed to get the super saver nonrefundable tickets
Day 2: what do you mean with Zurich - Chur - Luzern (should it be Zurich - ZUG - Luzern)?
Answer: Yup, it's Zug. Thanks for the headup
Day 7: do you really mean Glacier 3000 (or may be Matterhorn Paradise)?
Answer: I mean Glacier 3000. Matterhorn Paradise is better?
Day 10: wouldn't it be better to sleep at Geneva (in order to avoid to buy a RT ticket to Lausanne)?
Answer: Yup, that would be a better option. Can't undo now since hotel has been booked. The consolation is able to get supersaver tickets to Geneva Airpor
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Old Dec 1st, 2016, 05:49 AM
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We buy our Swiss Passes when we arrive in Zurich from NYC. Of course they take Visa/Master Card! Not sure about debit cards though.
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Old Dec 1st, 2016, 09:20 AM
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I usually order my Swiss Pass in advance thru US agents but only because I often find the same pass cheaper here than there -sometimes substantially so -not always and think not right today but check both sides for exact same pass as last several years often cheaper here than there and no foreign exchange transaction fees.

But if about the same yes just wait until any train station like at airports to buy it- if you buy a pass ahead of time you still have to activate it by taking it up to a ticket window (unless coming into Switzerland on a train from another country -then the conductor is supposed to validate the pass on the train so you do not need to get off train and back on.
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Old Dec 1st, 2016, 12:48 PM
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If you buy the X-consecutive day pass online with the print at home option, then your pass has the dates of travel, and you don't have to validate the pass (because the dates are already fixed, which is the point of validation). The conductor simply checks it the first time like every subsequent time (at least that's how it worked for me this past summer).
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Old Dec 1st, 2016, 02:16 PM
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But traditionally Swiss Passes I have bought - hard copies - have said I have six months to activate in Switzerland -so the Q is do you have to put in your exact dates with a consecutive-day pass or is it optional.

Sometimes folks buy passes way in advance because of exchange rates or limited specials that have to be bought before a certain date so am wondering if I order online twk can I leave those dates blank-you may not know of course but curious if it said you must.

Thanks
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Old Dec 2nd, 2016, 07:40 AM
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Pal: If you take the print at home option, I think you have to enter the dates of travel, which dispenses with the need for validation. But, as you noted, you can order a pass for postal delivery that would leave the dates blank and still require validation. At least I think that is the answer.
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Old Dec 2nd, 2016, 09:13 AM
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It's really a pity that your hotels are all booked. That means endless backtracking between Lucerne and the Bernese Oberland as well as between Lausanne and the Bernese Oberland resp. Geneva.

I suppose you know in detail what you want to do at Zurich, by far not the most interesting city of Switzerland. Boat cruises and other outdoor things dont make much sense in winter. May be you are interested in the actual exhibitons of Rietberg Museum http://www.rietberg.ch/en-gb/exhibit...o-shinsui.aspx or in the famous Giacometti exhibition http://www.kunsthaus.ch/en/exhibitio...to-giacometti/ The Swiss National Museum is a alternative too

The medieval city of Bern with the famous cathedral, the clock tower, the parliament building, the shortest rope railway line of Switzerland and a longer one to the viewpoint Gurten and tons of interesting museums and exhibitions (from climate change and future Swiss mountains without glaciers, wild plants food, big rock crystals from the Swiss mountains,big meteoric stones found in the Bernese Jura, the story of the Swiss citizen Albert Einstein and his theory of relativity, the story of the city of Bern from 1191 until now, the private collections of the actual prince of Liechtenstein, the masterpieces of the Swiss painters Cuno Amiet, Ferdinand Hodler, Albert Anker, Arnold Boecklin, Giovanni Giacometti, Le Corbusier (more famous as architect), Felix Vallotton and of tons of French, Italian Dutch, Spanish and German painters up to the big exhibition Paul Kleee and the surrealists) might be more interesting.

Another alternative may be Bellinzona (1 1/2 hrs by train from Lucerne) with 3 famous castles, a tiny but scenic medieval city center and 2 beautiful lakes (Lago Maggiore and Lago di Lugano) only 30 min by train away.

I don't think that you will continue to go to cold/icy snow mountains after having been at Rigi, Titlis and Jungfraujoch.

The train ride from Lucerne to Jungfraujoch will take 4 hrs one way. The way back will most probably take place in the darkness
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Old Dec 2nd, 2016, 10:02 AM
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The train ride from Lucerne to Jungfraujoch will take 4 hrs one way. The way back will most probably take place in the darkness>

and sans pass will cost about $250 return or more. With pass only about $150 r.t.
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Old Dec 2nd, 2016, 11:21 AM
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If going to J'frau be sure to check the weather before setting out to avoid a cloudy wet surprise that would negate much of the thrills of such an incredible place.
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