niiharika

I desperately need your help in sorting out my Switzerland travel plans.

I am flying in from India to zurich and then heading to Lucerne via train in the evening. Overnight in Lucerne.

Next day I will head for the round trip of Pilatus Klum and back to lucerne. This I will cover by cruise,cogheel, gandola, cable car and bus. Nearby local sights in the evening.

Next day I move to Engelburg by train. Further to Trussbee by cable car and continue to Stand. Next I take the Titlis rotair. Also keen to try the ice flyer. Back to lucerne.

Day three, I want to board a Panaromic Train, preferably Bernina Express or Goldenpass Line and finally move onto Paris the same night or early morning, the next day.

Need help to sort out these:

1. SWISS PASS: will it cover Pilatus kulm and Mt. Titlis? Are all trains, cogwheel,cables, rotair, iceflyer covered under this pass?

2. How is it different from TELL PASS?

3.Can any pass cover the panoramic trains?

4. Is it possible somehow to commute on two different Panoramic trains on the same day? ( eg; glacier express one way and Bernina the other??)

5. what is the best PANORAMIC train to experience first time.( I will not be heading to Interlaken and JFJ, should i pick a route there maybe?)

6. Finally, what is the best point to end to further move to PARIS, the same night or early next morning?

I will appreciate your help!

Utterly confused and super excited

NIHARIKA

Ingo

First off, when will you be travelling? Are you sure that the weather will be fine on all three days? (Answer is: No.)

1) No. 50% reduction on the gondola/cable car Kriens-Fräkmüntegg-Pilatus Kulm and Engelberg-Titlis. I doubt the Iceflyer is covered by any pass, but I am not sure. It might be covered in the ticket up to Titlis summit. Check yourself on www.titlis.ch

2) Tell Pass covers these mountain trips completely.

3) Swiss Pass does. (Seat reservation is extra.)

4) No.

5) Bernina Express, but IMO too much out of the way for you.

6) Golden Pass to Montreux. Early next morning via Lausanne to Paris.

PalenQ

some great sites to help you chose - Ingo gave what I think also are all the correct answers to your queries - www.swisstraverlsystem.com - has links to all the specialty scenic Swiss train official sites; www.budgeteuropetravel.com; www.ricksteves.com.

neckervd

Lucerne dp 7.05 - Luzern Interlaken Express - Interlaken 8.55/9.08 - Golden Pass Panoramic - Montreux ar 12.13. Visit Chillon castle. Montreux dp 17.09 by Lake Geneva steamboat along Lavaux vineyards to Lausanne Ouchy ar 18.32, dp 19.00 by train - Bellegarde ar 20.51; change at Lausanne and Geneva
Bellegarde dp by TGV 6.43 or 8.08 - Paris ar 9.27 resp 10.49

PalenQ

6) - well Ingo gives the most scenic but not the most practical or best perhaps in your mind route - the best could be the fastest and key - cheapest route from any of the Swiss cities with direct TGV trains to Paris (over differing routes) - Zurich, Bern, Geneva, Lausanne, Basel the key ones - whichever one you can get a discounted ticket - the cheapest on is best to some - then if you have a Swiss Pass you can get to the French TGV without additional charge.

If Lausanne is way more expensive than say Bern or Basel that may affect your decision.

Ingo's route was tailored for you - wanting one of Switzerland's specialty scenic trains, the Golden Pass and TGV next day from Lausanne - but you could as easily the next day do a TGV from nearby Geneva, if cheaper, or Basel, etc.

If doing the Golden Pass consider doing the vaunted VIP seating even though you'd have to pay a supplement for that with a Swiss Pass if you have one.

Ricardo_215

I'm going to Switzerland in may & have been doing some research. It seems that Swiss train prices hardly change, but there can sometimes be reductions - see http://www.sbb.ch/en/travelcards-and...ets/offer.html
If you're quick you may get Basel to Paris on TGV for €25. They become available at 12:00 midnight French time about 90 days in advance. I recently got Paris-Basel for €25 just after 12:00. I checked the next day; they had already gone up to €39. If you are near Milan you can buy ticket with couchettes on night train from Milan to Paris from €35 - these are available about 120 days in advance. If you use Bernina express, you could buy a through ticket from Chur to Milan via Tirano for 70 CHF (+ reservation) on SBB, also, (probably, I think anyway) at any railway station in Switzerland.

PalenQ

3) Swiss Pass does. (Seat reservation is extra.)

some like Golden Pass seat reservations are optional though recommended for observation cars. But you can just hop on.

Glacier Express charges more than a seat reservation but a supplement of about $35-40 with a Swiss Pass.

Bernina Express charges about $12 for seat reservation.

Chocolate train charges $40 or so but includes wine and cheese tasting and snacks I believe.

PalenQ

For your travels it seems the Tell Pass is the best deal and not the Swiss Pass - Tell is 111 CHF for 2 unlimited travel days out of a 7-day period and you get 50% off everything else in between - your travels are concentrated in the Lucerne area - and to get to Paris try to book a TGV from Bern as it appears just out of the coverage of the Tell Pass (though the map was so small I can't really tell.

But forget Swiss Pass or Half-Fare, etc. Tell Pass for you is IMO a no-brainer.