JBTravel

If I take the swiss pass for 3 days can I use it in cable cars and ferries?
It's valid in all the trains , right?

swandav2000

Hi JBTravel,

The Swisspass is good for all the federal trains, boats, and buses, but not for the chair lifts and some private rail lines high in the mountains. Here is a link to a good explanation:
http://www.ricksteves.com/rail/switzerland.htm

Have a great time!

s

Patrick

Swiss Pass is good on the lake steamers as well as trains. But it's a real crap shoot as to the discount you will get with it on cable cars. There may be a couple of private trains that won't accept the pass, but I haven't found any so far, including lines like the route to Zermatt which is not covered by Eurail Passes, but is covered by Swiss Pass. Cable cars are rarely free with the pass, usually 25 to 50% discount with the pass, but despite what my little card that came with the pass said, I often got bigger discounts on cable cars and lifts than what they told me I'd get. Also the pass is good for free service on many Swiss city bus and tram service as well.

bob_brown

In the Berner Oberland, my experience has been that you get 25% off most of the rides. For example, the Jungfrau excursion is 25% off the undiscounted price. The Grindelwald = First gondola is likewise 25% off.

The pass right now is selling for $156 2nd class according to the Swiss Rail system web site.

If you rode the train from Zurich to the top of the Jungfrau and back, the cost with no pass is 281 francs.
You would get the trip to Lauterbrunnen free. Thus saving 127 chf.
or about $91.
The trip from lauterbrunnen is
149.60 chf. You would save 25% or 37,40 chf. Or about $27.
the pass saves you $118. It costs you
$156. So on the next two days you would need to amortize $38 in rail costs. It could be done easily.

Melnq8

The Swiss Pass is valid for unlimited travel on most rail, boat and postbus lines throughout Switzerland. The pass entitles the purchaser to discounts (usually 25%) on lines not covered by the pass such as: the train between Wengen-Kleine Scheidegg, the cable car from Wengen-Mannlichen, the gondola from Mannlichen-Grund, the cable car to the Schilthorn, the train to the Jungfrau, the gondola and cable car to the Klein Matterhorn, etc.

We were surprised to learn that the pass also covers some things we weren't expecting, such as the funicular/train from Lauterbrunnen to Murren, and the cable car from Murren to Gimmelwald and Steckelberg.

The pass also covers some of the most scenic trains in Switzerland including the Glacier Express and the Bernina Express. Most scenic trains require a reservation - especially in the high season - and some are subject to a supplement.

If you're traveling with someone else, you might want to look into the Swiss Saverpass, which is good for 2-5 people traveling together and is cheaper than purchasing separate passes.

JBTravel

Hi Melnq8,
It's 2 of us. Me and my husband.

clevelandbrown

My wife and I used the Swiss saver passes. We were staying in a remote location and anticipated having to use the trains every day. I added up our anticipated fares, and the pass cost just a little more, so I got it for the flexibility. This paid off because in some instances the weather was not good when we got to Lauterbrunnen, so we just went elsewhere. When our grandaughter was born, we spent all day on the trains looking for a gift, even ended up seeing Montreux, since we were close (in Gstaad). The busses were also very useful as some of the places we went were off the rail system.