abshim

So this is my itinerary:
Arrive at zurich airport and takea train to interlaken, to stay put there for the next 5 nights.
Day trip to:
Jungfrau
Zermatt
Lucerne
And one other place (havent decided)
Finally on the6th morning, we go from interlaken to venice!
What are my best options with relation to the swiss pass? A 5 day flexi? Or a 4 day regualr swiss pass? Or point to point tickets? And i read somewhere that a trip from lugano to chiavenna or torini in italyis also covered by this pass. Does it make sense to take that trip and then finally pay for the ticket to venice?
This is a may end-early june trip.
Any help will be really appreciated!
Thanks.

PalenQ

a 5-dy flexipass is almost always not a good choice but the 3-day flexipass would be the only flexipass you would consider along with an 8-straight-day pass even though you may not use a day or two of it.

You may also investigate the Berner Oberland Pass and Jungfraubahn Pass. For lots of great info on Swiss trains and various passes and things like the half-Fare Card check out these imo fantastic sites - www.swisstravelsystem.com; www.budgeteuropetravel.com and www.ricksteves.com.

Pass would take you to Domodossola, Italy - use www.trenitalia.com to buy discounted tickets from there to Venice (Santa Lucia station - on a canal).

Dukey1

I do not understand Pal's assertion that a five-day isn't a good idea. Why not, especially if you are planning to take trips on five different days?

What time do you arrive in Zurich? If you are only doing Lucern as a day trip why not go there immediately from Zurich, spend the day or part of the day seeing the bridges, etc., and then take the train onward? No backtracking involved.

As to Zermatt..are you going mainly to see the Matterhorn peak and the Monte Rosa Massif? Zermatt itself I don't think is all that unique and you can see the entire village in about an hour.

Be aware that the peak itself can be obscured by clouds.

neckervd

"Zermatt itself I don't think is all that unique and you can see the entire village in about an hour". I fully agree. Nevertheless, it has much more charme than Interlaken. Both places are starting points for trips and hikes in the mountains, Zermatt being much closer to the glaciers than Interlaken, however.

But what's about Lugano, Chiavenna and Torino? As long as we don't know if you want to visit these places too (and in which order) it's almost impossible to give you any useful advice.
Lugano - Chiavenna: the Swiss Pass is valid in the seasonal bus Lugano dp 11.55 only
Lugano - Torino: if you travel via Milano, the Swiss Pass is valid up to Chiasso only.

Pepper_von_snoot

Have you looked at the Half-Fare Card?

You cab buy it in the train station at Zurich Airport.

I always save the most money by buying the HF Card.


Thin

PalenQ

I do not understand Pal's assertion that a five-day isn't a good idea. Why not, especially if you are planning to take trips on five different days?>

Let me explain.

The rules of a Swiss Flexipass - you get a minimum of three unlimited travel days to be used anytime over a maximum time period of one month. And in between using the first and last flexible travel day then you get 50% off nearly everything that moves in Switzerland - not only trains but lake boats, postal buses, etc.

Thus a 3-day flexipass is best for most people because if you take what a 4-day pass costs over a 3-day pass - say an extra $40 for a 4-day flexipass more than a 3-dy flexi - then to break even you have to do $80 worth of travel on that 4th day because you would with the 3-day pass get 50% off on travels that day - meaning you'd have to travel $80 worth to break even.

Thus in nearly all cases for a flexipass a 3-day pass is better value than a 4- 5- or whatever length flexipass.

A 5-day flexipass would be a big waste of money as far as I can see for the OP with limited travel plans.

PalenQ

Well a 4-day flexipass costs $53 more than a 3-day flexipass - so you'd have to on that 4th day of unlimited travel do $106 worth of travel to make it break even because if you did not use the 4th day you would still get 50% off as long as your third unlimited travel day on a 3-day flexipass had not been used (once the final day is used your pass expires - one month is the maximum time to use the final day on a flexipass but once that final day is used the pass ends and not 50% discounts.

So since it is impossible about to travel the break even point of $106 on a 4th flexible unlimited travel day most are better off buying the minimum 3-day flexipass and then getting 50% off everything in between the 1st and 3rd and last day of the flexipass.

Capiche?

abshim

Ok from what i understood out of that PalenQ, is that a 3 day pass flexi makes most sense as the 50% discount in between will make me pay less than if i payed extra for the 5 day flexi.
Hmm, thats something to consider.
On the 6th day, we wantto go from interlaken to venice, as soon as possible, not spending any time sightseeing.
We arrive in zurich in the afternoon, so dont think lucerne would make sense on the same day.

PalenQ

Yes IMO either a 3-day flexipass and no more or a consecutive-day pass if it comports to your time there are the best deals. Anything more than 3-day flexipass would be a waste of money to most folks.

On 6th day use your final 3rd flexible travel day to get to Domodossola, Italian frontier station - buy in advacne on www.trenitalia.com a Domodossola-Milan-Venice ticket so in case you're on the few trains that go thru the border to Milan you need not get off the train to buy the ticket and you may if you book in advance get a discount on the Italian portion.

Pepper_von_snoot

Can you use the 3-day Flexipass for a trip up to the Jungfrau?

That is what I would like to know.


Thin

PalenQ

Well yes you get 100% coverage to Wengen or Grindelwald then 25% off form there - if you use an unlimited travel day but if just on a day in between then it would be 50% to Grindelwald or Wengen then 25% to Jungfruajoch without having to use an unlimited travel day on the pass.

PalenQ

With a Swiss Pass you also get discounts off the Jungfraubahn Pass - an option if you are extensively traveling around the Jungfrau Region or doing Schilthorn and Jungfraujoch.

PalenQ

On the 6th day, we wantto go from interlaken to venice, as soon as possible, not spending any time sightseeing.>

Head first by local train to Spiez, a few minutes from Interlaken and on the mainline to Italy - trains now go under the new Lotschberg base tunnel and emerge at Visp just to go into the Simplon rail tunnel - seeing none of the mountains but much quicker than the former up and over the Alps route via the old Lotschberg Tunnel.

Many times now you have to change at Visp/Brig as few trains now go thru the border - use your Swiss Pass to get to Visp/Brig and buy a ticket from that from www.trenitalia.com for the Italian portion so in case you're on one of the trains that still go direct Spiez to Milan Centrale you do not have to get off the train (maybe you could buy that ticket in Switzerland at train stations - I am not sure).

Change in Milan to any of zillions of Milan-Venice (Santa Lucia station - dead-end station on a canal with water tsxis or varporettos (public boats) to take you to your hotel.

PalenQ

I'd take the 8 am train out of Interlaken-Ost as that only involves two changes of train - Spiez and Milan Centrale and gets into Venice at 14:40 or 2:40 pm - if you leave later train links take 2 hour or more longer and you will not get in Venice under early evening.

Not sure when you are going but those train times rarely change. Got this schedule from www.bahn;.de - the German Railways pan-European schedule site that to me is the easiest to use.