Swiss Pass - Purchase Online or in-Person
 

We will be making a 5-day trip to Switzerland during the last week of May, traveling from Geneva to Zurich. We are planning on purchasing the Swiss passes, and was wondering, if we order them on-line before leaving, can we pick up the ticket(s) from Geneva Airport? Or should we purchase them at the airport itself?

Also, related to the Swiss Rail travel, I have 2 more questions:

1) From Geneva, we are heading to Interlaken via Montreux. If we can take the Golden Pass, which would be a better side to sit on so we get a proper view.

2) On our way from Interlaken to Zurich, we plan to spend a day in Lucerne, but we don't plan to stay there. Does the railway station in Lucerne have provisions to store luggage while we are sightseeing during the day?

Thanks, in advance, for your help,
Manisha

Yes, you can store luggage in Luzern at the station (which is huge).

In terms of where to sit on the Golden Pass trains...depending on the timing you might get seats in the very front or the very rear. The train winds its way out of Montreux so there are views of the lake from both sides as it ascends. Unless the train is jammed full you can probably move back and forth into seats which aren't occupied.

As to the passes; are you certain they will be economical for you, especially if you are <B>only</B> going to make a trip from Geneva to Montreux and then onward to Luzern and then Zurich.

Hi Dukey1,

Thanks for such a quick reply!

Here is my itinerary, which is why I thought the Swiss Pass would be economical:

Day 1: Land in Geneva, stay overnight
Day 2: Depart for Interlaken, via Montreux
Day 3: Take train from Interlaken to Jungfraujoch
Day 4: Depart from Interlaken towards Zurich, but stop and spend entire day in Lucerne. Would like to take boat ride, then Cog Railway to Mt. Pilatus
Day 5: Fly from Zurich back to Newark.

From what I am reading about the Swiss Pass, it looks like it would include all the train rides, including the trip to Jungfraujoch, and Mt. Pilatus, as well as offer discounts on cable cars, etc. So do you think it will be economical to purchase the Swiss Pass? Thanks.

The Swiss Pass will only cover your trip up to the Jungfrau for as far as Grindelwald. From there you'll need a ticket on the Jungfrau railway...take a look at this site:

http://www.jungfrau.ch/en/tourism/tr...al-travellers/

you have to do the math yourself, but I think the half-fare card could be a better option. The swiss pass only gives you a 25% discount on the trip to Junfraujoch, and the half-fare gives you 50%. This might work out to a better deal, but you have to figure out all the fares and work it out.

I just ordered my swiss pass online, and had it mailed to me. There was no option for pickup on arrival...if you want to do that, just buy it there. My husband likes to have all the paperwork in hand, so we didn't mind paying a little more to have it mailed to us in advance.

Sorry, click on the "fares for individual travelers" and you will see that you get a discount using the SwissPass but it does not cover the entire cost. That said, it might still be worthwhile to get passes. You can check the costs of point to point tickets by going to the Swiss Federal Railways site www.sbb.ch/en and then compare those to the cost of having a pass.

Passes are convenient and allow a lot of spur of the moment travel; I've used them with great success and they also afford transportation on many city bus networks, too.

Thanks for this info, let me then re-evaluate what would be a better cost.

Does the itinerary look reasonable, though? The flights cannot be changed now, arriving in Geneva, flying out of Zurich), but the hotels can be changed still. The main requirement is that we visit Jungfraujoch as well as see other good scenery in the process. Also, the 2 passengers traveling with me are quite elderly even if they are in very good shape.

The exact same Swiss Pass for the past several years has been less expensive if bought in the U.S. or Canada than in Switzerland for some weird reason - I have compared often - not always the case but compare - sometime savings are significant - sometimes little and sometimes cheaper there.

No need to order online - buy at any Swiss train station - may have a mailing fee - no reason to order online!!!!

For Swiss prices check www.sbb.ch - www.swisstravelsystem.com - for U.S. prices check www.raileurope.com; www.ricksteves.com and www.budgeteuropetravel.com - I've bought passes from Byron at the latter for years - even if not buying he'll expertly answer any questions IME.

Golden Pass if I recall right has the more dramatic mountain scenery on the south side - especially in Gstadd area - but I am not sure that this train does not reverse in some dead-end stations and then the scenes will be on the other side. I'd say southward facing seats - on right side of train going towards Interlaken would be a good choice.

check out vaunted VIP seats - very very unique - know of no other train in Europe with them! Like driving the train!

I hate to be discouraging but you can;t count on being able to ascend the Jungfrau - and less so Mt Pilatus on any specific day.

If there are clouds not in the valley but at higher altitudes the top of the Jungfrau can often be totally socked in - and you won't see your hand in front of your house outside. We had to wait for our 3rd days in Interlaken before we got a morning with limited clouds up there. This is less true of Pilatus but can still happen. The day we went up we had time to tour around and climb the stairway and had ordered our lunch at the outdoor restaurant - when fog (I thought but really clouds came in) and we had to grab out food and head for an indoor table. It was not only too cloudy to see anything outdoors it was raining (up there but not at the bottom when we return to lake level).

Definitely check with the trains station - or online - before heading up the Jungrfrau since weather there is often very different than in the valley.

The trip UP to the top of the Jungfrau is spectacular in and of itself even if you don't get this spectacular view when you finally reach the top. You will get PLENTY of views on the way up and down especially if you leave from one "side" say Grindelwald and descend to the other.

In terms of Luzern, there is yet another trip which takes 1/2 day you can take, Take the train from Luzern up to Engleberg and from there the three-stage cablecar up to the top of Mt. Titlis. The last stage is a rotating Italian creation that is kinda unique. The Swiss PASS will get you a discount on the cable car.

And another possibility IF you have or want to take the time and spend the money: when you get to the station in Montreux, consider taking the trip up to Rochers de Naye. The thing is like a "toonerville trolley" which literally clings to the sides of the "cliffs" as it ascends; spectacular views over Lac Leman (Lake Geneva) from the top and you can visit the Marmots, too.

Lots of possibilities and so LITTLE time, believe me!

I have booked a hotel in Interlaken for 2 nights. But now I am finding out that if we want to actually be in the mountains, we would be better off staying in Grindelwald, or Wengen. Is that recommended?

Yes for first-timers in the area I'd stay in a Grindelwald (my favorite) or Wengen (favorite with older folks) or Lauterbrunnen - Wengen and Grindelwald have the best views IMO. Grindelwald also has, like Interlaken, lots of inexpensive accommodations if that is a key. Wengen less so.

Thanks, I did just that, booked a hotel in Grindelwald. So the itinerary will now be like this:

Day 1: Geneva -> Montreux (Swiss rail)
Montreux -> Interlaken OST (Golden Pass)
Interlaken OST -> Grindelwald (Swiss rail)
Spend night in Grindelwald

Day 2: Visit Jungfraujoch, weather-permitting
Return to Interlaken OST
Spend night in Interlaken

Day 3: Depart for Lucerne in morning
Visit either Mt. Pilates or Mt. Titlis, weather-permitting
Depart for Zurich in evening

Interlaken OST -> Grindelwald (Swiss rail)>

Not sure what you meant by Swiss Rail but SBB - Swiss Federal Railways in German runs mainline trains to Interlaken-Ost but from there it is the Berner Ober Bahn - B O B - not sure of exact name but it honors Swiss Passes in full to Wengen or Grindelwald or Murren - but is not Swiss Railways.

Golden Pass is not owned I think buy Swiss Railways but an entity rolling over both Swiss Railways and non-SBB ones.

Irrelevant really.

A word of caution - trains from Interlaken-Ost to Grindelwald split half way up, with one part of the train trundling up to the Grindelwald Valley and the other half going the other way to Lauterbunnen's valey.

I always see flummoxed folks having to scurry off the train at the split point when the conductor tells them they are on the wrong half of the train for where they are going.

Cars in Interlaken-Ost are clearly marked on the outside as to where they are going - be sure you are in the right half of the train - many it seems do not.

Thanks for the clarification, as well as the tips. I just meant that assuming I buy the Swiss Pass, I would use it to go from Interlaken OST to Grindenwald. Then if the weather permits us to go to Jungfraujoch, I would purchase that additional train ticket.

I am going to travel via Golden Pass from Montreux to Interlaken OST, and later, from Interlaken OST to Lucerne.

reservations are not required on the Golden Pass I believe or if they are just on the Montreux to Zweisimmen segment - and the reservation fee would not be paid by the pass, which pays the rail fare but not optional (or mandated) reservations.

The Interlaken-Ost to Lucerne segment does not require them but station personnel at Interlaken advised me to 'make them if I wanted a seat in a glass-domed observation car' as demand for those can be high.

and regular regional trains run each route that you can just hop on and IME the big windows let you see the same scenery as GP perfectly well.

There have been viewpoints in all the Swiss forums as to the savings of the half-fare vs. the Swiss Pass. We bought 10-day-swisspass at the train station at the same cost as here in the States; just didnt want to remember one more thing to carry over w/us. If you were to make a certain number of trips up the exact mountains, the half-fare probably runs less; as once up in the higher elevations which are 'private' trains, your reduction goes down to 50% or 75% savings only on the Pass. But, we wanted to hop on quickly with no lines/validations at any stations, (but of course did anyway at Wengen-Mannlichen-Kleine Sch.-Wengen), but the difference is not worth worrying about. Obviously, if the weather is inclement you will not pay the premiums to ascend to higher peaks anyway. And if the weather is superb as was ours, we were happy to spend the extra c.f. The old town Lucerne does not take too long to explore, then stroll east along Lake down to the Transport Museum, it was quite outstanding and IMO far more worthwhile than the Rosengart. You could also catch a boat to it from right in front of train station, right smack there in front of you. Try Opus winebar next to Jesuit Church along water for very good food & drink at reasonable prices by Swiss standards). If you can stop quickly at Lausanne or Vevey before Montreux.

as once up in the higher elevations which are 'private' trains, your reduction goes down to 50% or 75% savings only on the Pass.>

The Wengen/Grindelwald trainto Jungfraujoch is the only example of this I know of so it is not at all a general thing as aliced points out but is specific to the Jungfraujoch, as far as I know - look on the map that comes with a Swiss Pass and it indicates 50% off and 25% off (not 75%) - the Jungfraujoch is about the only one not 50%.

Passes but not half-fare cards also get free entry to 470 Swiss museums and sights - including I believe 50% off the pricey Swiss Transport Museum - have not checked this year but it once was 100% covered - half-fare only covers transportation.

Heading to Interlaken OST from Geneva via Montreux, it looks like we will be reaching Interlaken around 3 pm. As I have booked a hotel at Grindelwald for that night, I would like to go there as soon as possible. How frequent are the trains from Interlaken OST to Grindelwald? How long is the journey, approximately?

Trains trundle from Interlaken-Ost to Grindelwald every hour at :05 after each hour - 15:05; 16:05, etc and take 34 minutes all told. Interlaken-Ost is a small station with just a few platforms - you will see the train marked B O B on its side - the name of the train company operating the line sitting on an adjoining platform probably.

Trains run into the evening.

Actually, I find the answer to my question:

The journey is about 30 minutes, and here is the schedule:

http://fahrplan.sbb.ch/bin/query.exe/en

Note that that train to Grindelwald will split about half way, with one half trundling up the Grindelwald Valley and the other half the Lauterbrunnen Valley - the split is at Zweilutschenen (sp?) and I always see flummoxed folks who are told by the conductor they are in the wrong half of the train and have to scurry off and to their correct half at Zweilutschenen and then may have to even stand the rest of the way.

Be sure you get in a car at Interlaken-Ost that is clearly labeled "Grindelwald" on the outside and not "Lauterbrunnen".

bookmarking

If you never arrove by train in Interlaken before coming from the west the train will stop at Interlaken-West in many ways the main SBB station but all trains continue onto in a mile or so to terminate at Interlaken-Ost - no worry about finding your stop as all trains must terminated there from West station because those mainline standard-gauge tracks end at Interlaken-Ost and narrow-gauge trains take over to go along Lake Brienz to Meiringen and then up and over the Brunig Pass to Lucerne - a sweet scenic route to Lucerne if heading there from Interlaken.

Thanks, I will have to remember that, about the split half-way towards Grindelwald.

As we will be headed to Lucerne the following day, I reserved the Golden Pass train for that part of the journey. Does that go over the Brunig Pass?

Yes in deedy - it does - try to get a seat on the left side of the train when it leaves Meiringen - where the train reverses direction - so sit on the right side of the train when leaving Interlaken-Ost as you see lovely Lake Brienz on your right and then in Meiringen when the train reverses direction you'll have the better views when you descend from the Brunig Pass and pass a series of lovely lakes on your (then) left side.

Another question about the Golden Pass. On the Golden Pass train from Interlaken to Lucerne, I reserved 1st class seats, although I will most probably purchase a 2nd class Swiss Pass (if I get the Swiss Pass at all). I understand that I will have to pay the difference between the 2nd class and 1st class on the Golden Pass. Any idea how much the difference is in the fare?

http://www.sbb.ch/en/timetable.html

On regular trains on that route 2nd class costs 31 CHF and 1st class 55 CHF - I assume the Golden Pass official trains are about the same - so about 25 CHF p.p. to upgrade to first class - why are you upgrading - are there only observation cars in first class - if so on this scenic line the scenery IMO is not really dramatic and the large windows of second class cars should show it just fine.

You can check the official timetable with fares for your specific train on the link above.

Actually, I am not upgrading, I happened to reserve 1st class on Golden Pass seeing that it cost the same to reserve 2nd class. I only found out afterwards that if you purchase a 2nd class Swiss Pass, you can reserve only 2nd class on the Golden Pass, otherwise you have to pay the difference of the ticket cost. Had I known this before reserving, I would have booked 2nd class Golden Pass.

You do not need reservations on the Interlaken-Lucerne part of the GP and can easily make them if you want once in Interlaken IME and being told so by train staff. they said only to make them if you want to be in observation cars as tour groups often fill them largely up.

Oh, I wish I had known that earlier. Every website I read about the GP said you should reserve seats early since they get filled up quickly.

that advice is mainly I believe for the Montreux-Zweisimmen sector and especially for the observation cars. I would go to the station in Interlaken and ask to be sure and make them for a few francs if in 2nd class.

Personally I actually enjoy taking the regional trains that ply the exact same route as the official GP train - the locals are usually IME sparsely full so that I can hop from side to side as the scenery dictates - there are no reservations possible on those locals I believe.

And with large enough windows you see the same exact scenery. Plus these trains go about hourly so may comport to the actual time you want to travel than the few official GP trains.

What kind of activities can 2 80+ travelers enjoy at Grindelwald, and Lucerne, respectively? They are both in good shape, do daily exercise. But as expected, their capacity is limited because of their age.

Lucerne they can take a boat ride on Lake Lucerne and head for some place like Mt Rigi - take the mountain train up to the summit for rave views over the spiny ridge of central Switzerland and the lovely lake below - can stroll around a bit.

Take the train back down and take the boat either to the end of the fjord-like finger of Lake Lucerne - to Fluelen and then take the train back to Lucerne.

Or just return to Lucerne from Vitznau, where the train to Rigi departs from - do a little stroll around Vitznau - have lunch, etc.

Swiss Passes are fully valid on the boats and the train to Rigi and back.

If they can do a fairly flat few mile walk they may want to do the easy Ridge Walk between Mannlichen and Kleine Scheidegg - gently ascending going that way so going the other way may be easier - the Ridge Walk is famous for its views down both into the Lauterbrunnen and Grindelwald valleys - and at The Mannlichen you have rave views over Interlaken far below, lovingly wedged between the two lakes bookending it and views for miles around - one of the most celebrated view points in Switzerland.

From Grindelwald either take the mountain train to Kleine Scheidegg and walk to The Mannlichen or take the aerial cable way from Grindelwald to TheMannlichen and walk towards Kleine Scheidegg - there are benches along the way so they could take it real easy.

Older folk may also love a boat trip on Lake Thun, getting off at say Oberhofen, strolling around the town, having lunch, etc then boarding the next boat or another boat for Thun - walk around that lovely town - and take the train or boat back from Thun.