alexsst

There are 2 of us travelling to Switzerland on below itinerary, and try to figure out which is better option based on below itinerary... pls help

Day 1 - Zurich to Appenzell (Round Trip)
Day 2 - Zurich to Lucerne, Boat Trip & Mt Rigi (Round Trip)
Day 3 - Murren for 4 nights. Going to Lauterbraunnen, Wengen, Gindewald (Round Trip)
- Will do cable car to Schilthorn or Jungfraujoch
Day 7 - Murren to Lausanne on Golden Pass Train (Single Trip)

Day 8 till 14 will be in Paris and return to Zurich on TGV.

TrainRider2011

I'd recommend a Swiss Pass, covers the cost of the majourity of trains, including Boat Trip. 30-50% discount on Golden Pass Trian and Jungfraujoch to be got..

TrainRider2011

I'd recommend a Swiss Pass, covers the cost of the majourity of trains, including Boat Trip. 30-50% discount on Golden Pass Trian and Jungfraujoch to be got..

K2DangerGirl

The Swiss Pass covers the entire fare on the Golden Pass train, but does not cover any reservation fees (necessary if you want to sit in the special seats above the driver). However, it only gives a 25% discount above Wengen or Grindelwald to Junfraujoch, and 50% off the Schilthorn cable car above Murren.

The only way to know for sure what is the best is to sit down and do the math. Get the fares for all your trips at sbb.ch and then figure out the total cost for all your planned trips with each option.

I'd hazard a guess that the Swiss Card will not turn out to be the most economical, as it is meant to get you from a Swiss border or airport TO a location and then back out from that location to the border, acting as as a Half Fare Card in between. Since you are not travelling directly long distances to or from a Swiss border on your first and last days, a Half Fare Card would almost certainly be better than the Swiss Card. To decide between the Half Fare Card and the Swiss Pass, though, you just need to grind through the math.

PalenQ

For your plans the Swiss Pass IMO is by far the best option - for one thing it covers transport up to Murren 100% and you also may travel more than you think - like on a whim taking a lake boat on either lake that bookends Interlaken - a cruise on Lake Thun is superb! (Pass is valid on boats as well).

for lots of great stuff on Swiss trains and passes I always highlight these fantastic IMO sites - www.swisstravelsystem.com; www.budgeteuropetravel.com; www.ricksteves.com. and Swiss Passes have for the past few years often been significantly cheaper if bought in the U.S. than for the exact same pass in Switzerland - compare prices in Swiss Francs at www.sbb.ch (Swiss Federal railways web site) and those in U S dollars to see if that is currently so - and add in the usual 3% foreign transaction fee if your credit card like many do imposed a 3% fee on using it to buy things in Europe as well.

PalenQ

Murren for 4 nights. Going to Lauterbraunnen, Wengen, Gindewald (Round Trip)
- Will do cable car to Schilthorn or Jungfraujoch>

If staying in Murren, which IMO is fantastic, then the value of the Swiss Pass is even more as it does as I say above cover travel down to Lauterbrunnen 100% - either via Grtuschalp, including 100% on the new aerial cablecar that has replaced the old funicular and then of course to all the places you mention all covered 100% - except if going to Schilthorn and Jungfraujoch - the pass would cover Schilthorn from Murren 50% - still a sizeable savings but for Jungfraujoch the pass would be 100% to Wengen (from Lauterbrunnen via train) but then 25% from Wengen to Jungfraujoch and back - again still a sizeable savings over the about $100 and more return fare or so.

PalenQ

the Half-Fare card costs 99 Swiss Francs or about $115 at what I think I just saw as the exchange rate - if you know exactly what trips you will be doing then doing the math is easy - but again you may find that you will once there want to do other things as well so what was previsioned may change - like if funky weather sets in at Murren and you want to do a day trip to a city like Bern that can be enjoyed even in poor weather, etc. And Bern to me is one of Europe's vastly underrated cities.

scatcat

I got tired of doing the math, so I just bought the 4 consecutive day pass. Probably not the best deal for me since I already bought my train ticket from Munich to Wengen. But maybe I'll have the freedom to visit other places that I might not have otherwise spent the Francs for. The dollar is sinking more every day, so it might be a bargain after all.

PalenQ

Well yes a pass simplifies everything and there is no way you will lose much money if any over the Half-Fare card which also costs $115 to get and you can just hop on any train, boat, etc rather than waiting in lines that can take time at ticket windows. and you will ride more things IME than planned! the railpass also allows free entry to over 400 Swiss Museums like some in Lucerne and Zurich.

PalenQ

Regarding Swiss boats and railpasses - like OP is taking on Lake Lucerne, to me Switzerland's most gorgeous lake of all its gorgeous lakes - with a railpass you just hop on and flash the pass when the conductor in his spiffy white sailor's uniform and spiffy cap comes around - but there are classes there - up top is an open-air part that is for first class ticket or pass holders only. and to me it is a far better ride to be perched right on top rather than down below where you can go outside at the rear of the boat.

I am not saying to buy a first class pass because in Switzerland 2nd class is fine and mountain conveyances may have little or no first class but you can pay onboard the difference between the ordinary first and second class fares if it's a nice day and you want to laze in the sun up top.

the Mt Rigi Railway is 50% off with the pass so you have to show your pass at the ticket window in Vitnau and pay 1/2 - for variety you can take the aerial cableway back down to the lake at Weggis, again 50% off with a Swiss Pass - both Vitnzau and Weggis have boat docks and are each nice sweet smallish towns.

PalenQ

Oh and also from Rigi's summit you can continue by train down away from the lake to Arth-Goldau's train station which is only a few minutes from Lucerne via mainline rail.

I walked down from Rigi's summit to Arth-Goldau and it was a really sweet walk - thru bucolic cow pastures and gently enough sloping down.

PalenQ

re Swiss Passes - though you can buy them at any train station in Switzerland, including at airport train stations in the past few years at least these exact same passes have been often significantly cheaper if bought in the U.S. or Canada or other countries perhaps - and with the swift rise of the Swiss Franc I would not doubt there could be substantial savings buying the exact same pass before leaving. Actually I should check on this and report back! Or you can check at www.sbb.ch and U.S. agents selling them like www.budgeteuropetravel.com or www.ricksteves.com or www.raileurope.com. Prices are always the same no matter where you buy in the U.S. at least but shipping fees can be added on so be clear about that - many do not charge any.

PalenQ

anyone pondering buying a Swiss Family Railpass where kids 15 and under travel free on any transport in Switzerland, including to places like Jungfraujoch and Schilthorn then there is a super-duper special right now that gives 50% off the entire price of a Swiss Pass where and kid 15 and under is involved. Too bad but you must have the Family Pass - a kid with you to get the 50% off the Swiss Pass. A great great deal that also has other attractive aspects like some free transports to mountain tops that are normally 50% off only with Swiss Pass.

PalenQ

And if buying any Swiss Pass and living in the U.S. be sure to buy it here before leaving as you can save a lot of money

here are prices in CHF or Swiss francs from www.swisstravelsystem.com - 8-consecutive-day costs CHF 384 p.p. on a Saverpass (two or more names on one pass) and in today's NYTimes a Swiss franc is worth .87 cents U.S. at the official rate

and Swiss Passes bought in the U.S. (prices from www.budgeteuropetravel.com) for the same pass $362 p.p.

$362 x .87 = CHF 315 vs 384 for same pass bought in Switzerland or about 70 CHF more expensive per person - about $61 p.p. cheaper

3-dy Flexipass Saver

CHF 254 p.p. vs $240 p.p.

CHF 240 x .87 = about CHF 210 vs CHF 254 p.p. if bought in Switzerland or about $38 p.p. more if bought there.

And these are official rates which you do not get and if paying in Switzerland with an American credit card many cards also charge 3% extra for foreign transactions so if you have one of those the savings are even greater if bought in U.S.

maybe I am making some kind of mistake as the differential seems too great?

matwoodaustin

PalenQ,

"anyone pondering buying a Swiss Family Railpass where kids 15 and under travel free on any transport in Switzerland, including to places like Jungfraujoch and Schilthorn then there is a super-duper special right now that gives 50% off the entire price of a Swiss Pass where and kid 15 and under is involved"
I've looked for the special you reference, but can't find it. Do you have a link you could send?

PalenQ

Try calling Byron at www.budgeteuropetravel.com - I buy passes from him for years and if this special is still valid which it was last I knew - but there may have been a cut off date - anyway call him to see if still around - find number on web site as I cannot recollect it.