If buying a Swiss Pass then buy it in the U.S. I just checked prices here and there and the savings are substantial. check out prices in Swiss francs at www.swisstravelsystem.com and at www.budgeteuropetravel.com or any U.S. agent as pricing inside a country should always be exactly the same.

kwren - I'll try to answer any questions here!

Thanks Pal!

We (my husband and me and 2 17 year olds) will be flying to Zurich and taking the train to Grindelwald on a Wed at the end of June. We'll be leaving Grindelwald the following Sunday by train for Lucca, Italy. While in Grindelwald, we'll have the 3 days to hike from Mannlichen to Kleine Scheidigg, go up to First, and either take another cable car or perhaps hike around Murren or Schynige Platte. I've gotten Swiss passes before, but don't know if those would make sense this time given that we will be taking more trips up mountains by cable car and fewer trains. I know that the Swiss pass would get us in and out of Switzerland, which of course is nice, but am having a hard time with non-train travel.

My first big question is how to find out which passes might cover cable car rides. We might go from
Grindelwald to Pfingstegg, from Grindelwald to Mannlichen, and up to First, but we might combine that with the zip-line (Flyer) and Trottibikes. Maybe Half Fare cards would be better.

Any suggestions would be appreciated. Thanks!

One more thing - we aren't going to go up the Jungfrau or Schilthorn so don't need to worry about the big ticket trips in that area.
Thanks

Well the Swiss Pass would cover 50% of all those conveyances, same as Half-Fare Card. Not sure about pass vs Half Fare Card - Card costs about $115 I think to buy - can only buy in Switzerland. But when I recently compared Swiss Pass prices like I said to same pass in Switzerland it was dramatically cheaper in U.S.

So perhaps Swiss Pass bought in U.S. may compare more favorable to Half-Fare Card bought in Switzerland due to the dramatic rise of the Swiss franc vs U S dollar?

I guess I would only look at the 3-day Swiss Flexi Saverpass and then try to track down fares in Swiss francs bought there - at www.sbb.ch for trains and for the lifts google each one for real fares?

I will give this some more thought. Cheers.

About the Half-Fare card - I meant at $115 or actually $120 with today's exchange rate in NYtimes would mean you would have to do $240 worth of travel at half off to make the pass break even. I am not sure you are doing that much travel so regular tickets may be better?

A 4-consecutive-day Swiss Pass - Saaver may well be cheaper than $240 - though you need five days of travel - you could pay the relatively inexpensive fare Zurich to Lucerne. Passes are currently significantly cheaper if bought in the U.S. it seems. check prices in Swiss francs at www.swisstravelsystem.com or www.sbb.ch - Swiss Railways official site and at www.budgeteuropetravel.com or www.raileurope.com - prices in U.S. are supposed to be same no matter where you buy them but mailing fees can be tacked on so ask about that. You may well be better off just buying regular tickets as you go along sans half=fare thingy or pass as you are not traveling that much and not staying long.

cheers

Yes, Pal, I see what you mean. I've started getting prices, but have more work to do on that. The hardest part for me is knowing when a cable car is discounted, but it sounds like you think they might all be half price with either the Swiss Pass or Half Fare card?

If we go up to First and do the package of gondola up, Flyer while up there, and Trottibike down, it is 79CHF normal price or 61CHF with Half Fare card, but nothing is mentioned for the Swiss Pass.

I think if we take the gondola from Grindelwald to Mannlichen, hike to Kleine Scheidigg and train back to Grindelwald, it is 52CHF. There was a note saying 50% off with Swiss Pass, Eurail and Interrail, but nothing said about Half Fare card.

It's not easy to figure this out!!!

I think the benefits of Swiss Pass and Half-Fare card are pretty much identical in terms on lifts to mountain tops are identical - 50% off - Swiss Pass covers in full on days on 100% validty any transport going between two towns or cities or villages but to mountain tops just 50% - with the ohly exception I know Wengen/Grindelwald to Jungfraujoch 25% off vs 50% off with half-fare card. Sounds like in the First deal some non-transport things may be included and why is not 50% with either.

I'm working on pricing, but so far it sounds like we will at least get the Half Fare Card because we almost break even on the trips into and out of Grindelwald (from airport and to Italy)and First. The gondola to Mannlichen and train from Kleine Scheidegg at half price will put us over so definiitely worth some sort of card.

Do we have to get a Half Fare card in Switzerland or is it a better deal to buy them in the US? are there half fare cards for 4 people or is it always one per person?

I am fairly sure Half-Fare cards are only sold in Switzerland in Swiss francs - I think you could order them in advance from www.sbb.ch but I see no reason to do that as they are sold at any train station and there could be mailing fees for ordering online and sending to U.S.?

I think the Half-Fare card price is per person - unlike the Swiss Pass where with 2 to 5 people on one pass it is a Saver Pass and about a 20% discount per person - but again there is one pass with all names on it - fine if everyone travels together and does not wish to go their own way at times.

Add 3% onto any prices in Swiss francs if your credit card, as all of mine do and many do, charge 3% charge for any foreign transaction.

But unless you see differently I think Half-Fare card is strictly per person - unless you have kids - your own kids and not grandkids under 16 then they get a free Family Pass and never pay a dime, even where adults only get a discount.

Swiss franc has gone down a tad since I figured Half-Fare Card - 99 CH francs I believe and you should use around 1.10 dollars to each franc or so plus the 3% if applicable and you also never get the official rate in papers.

Cheers

Regarding the 3% charge for foreign transactions on credit cards - different banks have different percentages, we have a Master Card that charges 1%. That stuff adds up, it's worth shopping around.

Alice

I got a Swiss pass in 2006 with a family card for my 2 kids - 3 traveled for the price of 1! What a bargain! Now the kids are over 16 and there will be a total of 4 of us, all paying. What a difference!!!

Too bad kids are over 16 because there is a current special where if an adult or adults buy a Swiss Pass and they have kid or kids under 16 they get the free Family Pass but also 50% off the adults' Swiss Pass.

Too bad this deal is indeed only available to folks with kids under 16 in tow - supposedly check on that when activating - and there is also some free trips to various mountain tops included!

May I add a few questions to this string? (great information you guys are providing). Here is my situation: 1 adult, 1 child (age 16) and 1 child (age 12), fly into Zurich 6/21, take train to Interlaaken, staying 3 nights in BO(will likely base in Lauterbrunnen or Murren) and then need to get to Munich on 3/24 (late in day). It looks like Swiss Saver Pass (2 discounted adult tickets with free family pass for 12 yr old) is the way to go. Do you agree? Do you recommend 1st or 2nd class? Can the child on Family Pass get a reserved seat in 1st class, or will there be an upcharge? How best to get to Munich? Thanks for any advice.

If the special is still valid - like on other thread is still valid then that IMO would be the best deal and even if it is not the pass - since your kin under 16 always goes free on anything with the Family Pass you get free with any Swiss Pass - but 2nd class is just fine for most folks in Switzerland - especially like going to Murren it is only 2nd class beyond Lauterbrunnen.

If you wanted to upgrade to first class ever and have a 2nd class pass then you would pay the difference between the normal 2nd and 1st class fares - seat reservations are only possible on inter-city trains but not trains in the BO.

Munich - take a train to Zurich and hop direct trains to Munich - Swiss pass would cover you of course to the Austrian border near Bregenz.

Many Thanks.