First time in Europe
 

I am planning to travel in Switzerland with a friend from April 14 to 26 (12 days)and would like to have some suggestion for iternerly and accomodation on a budget (Youth Hostel). I am 38 years old, is it applicable for Youth Hostel?

I planned to purchase a packaged tour from Diethelm (Thailand) which provides return ticket BKK-Zurich-BKK, 3 nights accomodation as well as a swiss pass ticket for 4 days.

Therefore, I would like to know if I should buy additional swiss pass 4 days to make a 8 days pass and pay USD55 or buy additional 11 days to make 15 days pass and pay additional USD95 ? There isn't a pass between 8 days and 15 days.

I also want to visit my friend in Bern for a couple of days.

Any suggestion please?

Weena

First time posting here, too... (how do I know that? click on your own name - - this is a useful and undocumented tip that Fodors fails to tell newcomers, for finding any and all of your previous posts)...

So for now, I am simply bringing your message back up "to the top"...

You may not get the answers you seek from the "regulars" here who are most knowledgeable about Switzerland because you didn't say anything about Switzerland in your mesasge header. It's worth your while to read the FAQs here (click on "HELP" - - tiny red letters in the upper lefthand corner) - - you'll see there that you need to mention your destination on the "title" (message header) of your post. Reading the HELP is another thing that Fodors ought to instruct new registrants to do, when they approve your registration.

If you don't gey any or many7 answers to the questions you are asking, try re-posting with a message header like "Seeking info on budget/hostel lodging in Switzerland, this April, coming from Thailand".

Best wishes,

Rex

I can give a couple hostel recommendations in Interlaken. I think you'll be fine as far as your age goes. I don't think it really matters anymore how old you are. (Someone correct me if I'm wrong.) The hostels I have stayed at in Interlaken were: Alp Lodge Backpackers, which would be my first choice, and Balmer's Herberger, which I wouldn't really recommend unless you're up for a frat-party-like atmostphere.

If you do a search here for Swiss Pass you will likely pull up some of the strings that have discussed the question of which, if any, pass is best for you. Also, at the top of the page you can select the Switzerland option, which will bring up all the postings identified as related to Switzerland and you can get a lot of information reading them.

I have not stayed in a Hostel, but I am told that many adults do. I would check with the individual hostels once you have your destinations set to see if your age would be a barrier. I suspect there would be more of a limit on youths staying in elderhostels, as we elders need our sleep, not noise.

Before getting a pass, set your destinations and figure out just how much you will be moving about. I would think you would need no pass to cover your days in Bern, as it is walkable, and you will be with friends. On our first visit, we got passes, as we were staying in a rural village and taking trains, busses, and boats every day, yet we still barely saved with out passes. If you will be staying in a relatively few locations, it may be most economical to just buy tickets as you need them. As you will be with a friend, look into the saver passes, which give a discount for groups. Also, look at the Swiss half fare card, which is relatively cheap and gives a 50% discount.

I would think twice about buying a pass from a tour service. They may offer a good deal, but I think it more likely that they charge more for the pass than if you bought it after arriving.

Enjoy your travel. April should not be crowded, but access to some of the peaks may be limited by weather.

Thank you Rex for your kind advice for my first time posting this message. I will try to repost it again with your adviced header to make it attractive.

I will try to set my route within 13 days and post for suggestion again.

Can't help but wonder why you would be making your pass purchases in US dollars.

To figure out if a rail pass is the best value, you need to know how often you will be using the train. It's simply a math problem. If not traveling daily, you might be better off using point-to-point tickets that you purchase at the train station.

I know there is a hostel in Vevey right on the town square that gets very good reviews, if you happen to be in that area.

I LOVE Switzerland and and guessing you will too! Post again as you plan your trip in more detail. Best regards.