We are a family of 4 with 5 days in switzerland. We plan to go to all the lakes and mountains. We are not going to Zermatt since we have no time but would like to see Basel, geneva, Lucerne and the Bernese Oberland.

Which is the best pass to buy. I am getting confused with all the options available.

Be ready for a LOT of feedback and I will start this off with what i KNOW is about to come your way:

In five days there is no way you can get to and even start to see all the places you have mentioned.

My own recommendation would be to cut Basel out entirely; you could fly INto Geneva (and perhaps leave immediately by train for elsewhere).

How old are the children? I think if you get a Swisspass you can get a deal whereby children under 16 years of age can travel with you for free.

You can check passes at the Swiss rail site
www.sbb.ch and click on the English version

Well there are many but unless indicating how many train or lake boat trips you are taking it will be hard to advise. But since your indicate you want to go many places then the Swiss Pass probably is your best bet - especially if your kids are under 16 then they get a free Family Pass that gives them a free pass and free tickets to anything that moves in Switzerland - even things that the Swiss Pass only pays 50% for like aerial gondolas to mountain tops - kids go free. The pass is very useful in Berner Oberland as it covers train travel in full up to Wengen, Murren, Gimmelwald and Grindelwald and also lake boats on the two lakes that bookend Interlaken - a steamer trip will be great fun for the whole family and just flash your pass when boarding.

Check out these sites for superb IMO info on Switzerland trains, passes, etc - www.swisstravelsytem.com; http://www.budgeteuropetravel.com/id3.html; and www.ricksteves.com.

Note Swiss Passes are sold at train stations in Switzerland but since I've been tracking prices for the exact same pass sold in America and in Switzerland the past several years it is usually (but not always) the case that prices are significantly cheaper here then there - why don't ask me but it is a fact. (But again not always so compare prices and keep in mind that your credit card may also impose a 3% fee for purchases in Switzerland (some cards do not but many, like mine, do) - and I believe the Family Pass in Switzerland is not free like here but about $30 (not positive about that but seems what others have said.)

If I had only 5 days, I would go to the Bernese Oberland with stopover in Lucerne. That is a lot of travel time.

This is great feedback. both my kids are below 16 and so I feel that the family pass is a good option. In Lucerne we want to go see Mt Pilatus, Lake Thun and the other lake(can't remember the name). Is it ok to do this in 2 days ?

Also PalenQ where are these passes sold in America ?

@Dukey - we might not do Basel or Geneva and stick only to Lucerne and BO with a day in Zurich.

I have bought numerous Swiss Passes from www.budgeteuropetravel.com for years and can attest to their great service but you can buy Swiss Passes from any travel agent - price being set in stone by Rail Europe, part owned by Swiss Railways and who wholesales the passes to agents - so price is always the same except mailing and handling fees can be added on so check that - but Byron at the place I buy from is always willing to talk on phone and answer any questions, etc. And I would definitely with limited time do Lucerne and the Berner Oberland area - spending more time in the Interlaken area than Lucerne - or splitting time - Lucerne is a short shot by train from Zurich airport if that is your end point. And from Interlaken (Berner Oberland railhead) take the splendidly scenic Brunig Pass train route (part of fabled Golden Pass train route) up and over the Bruning Pass and then down to Lucerne - a tad longer timewise than faster route via Bern but oh so so much more scenic - Swiss Pass valid the whole way, even on official Golden Pass trains, which are tourist-oriented and provide commentary en route - they run a few times a day but there are always regular trains every hour or the same route with the same scenery.

questionmom - where are you landing or arriving in Switzerland at and where are you departing from. a 4-conseutive-day Swiss Pass is the best deal if you can put all your travels into a 4-day period - otherwise look at a 3-day Swiss Flexipass. If we know where you are arriving and departing we can comment on itineraries, etc.

Cheers

>>>Note Swiss Passes are sold at train stations in Switzerland but since I've been tracking prices for the exact same pass sold in America and in Switzerland the past several years it is usually (but not always) the case that prices are significantly cheaper here then there - why don't ask me but it is a fact.<<<

How have you done this tracking? I keep seeing this posted, but no proof.

I've tracked them for years and you can believe it or not. Currently there seems basically no difference but this is the exception. What proof do you want? I am a retired travel writer who specialized in European trains and that is one reason I have tracked various prices for passes and the Swiss Pass has indeed often been significantly cheaper here than there - not long ago I compared prices for someone and the difference was about $40 per person - anyway it is a fact and whether you believe I am making this all up or not (for some nefarious personal reason I guess as you often make accusations about me - totally unfounded BTW) - so you can take my word for it or not - I care not but will repeat that Swiss Passes have often been cheaper here than there - right today that is not true and may actually be a bit cheaper there if your c c does not charge 3% - but it's weird whenever the Swiss franc declines via-a-vis the dollar the prices are about the same or even a bit cheaper in Switzerland but in a week or two RailEurope, part owned by the Swiss Railways, readjusts their US prices so they are lower - this has happened over and over and over during the past years I have tracked the prices and again whether you believe me or not I could care not but it is a FACT! And I always tell everyone when I say that 'to be sure to price compare in francs and dollars' so that the person gets the best deal and I think that is GREAT info and will not be bullied by the likes of you!