Swiss Pass vs Eurail Pass
 

My two sisters and I will be traveling to Switzerland (6 days) and Italy (12 days) from mid-September until early October. We are debating which pass to purchase based on the number of days we plan to spend in each country. We plan to travel in first class.<BR><BR>I did some research and found the following passes which apply to our needs:<BR><BR>1. Eurailpass Saver for 15 consecutive days for $486 and 21 cons. days for $630<BR>2. Italy Flexi Saver for 12 days for $365<BR>3. Swiss Saver for 4 cons. days for $208 and 8 cons. days for $289<BR><BR>Prices are per person.<BR><BR>I would like to hear your thoughts on which pass(es) we should purchase.<BR><BR>Thanks,<BR>Christie

I've found the best way to answer this type of question is to try your itinerary at:<BR>www.railsaver.com

I second railsaver.com. It will answer your question. <BR><BR>I suggest you buy the Swiss Card (you can get it at ricksteves.com and each get a free book out of the deal). It gives you free transportation from your entry point (airport or border crossing) to your first destination (for example from the Zurich airport to Bern, or wherever your fist stop is, completely free, except for the few journeys that require special reservation). Then you get 50% off for any other trips you take (for up to a month), which is especially good if you're going to be riding cable cars. Then the day you're leaving Switzerland, your journey is free from wherever you leave to the border/airport (Italy, in your case). it costs $110 for 2nd class.<BR><BR>Italy train travel is cheap, especially when compared to Switzerland! I spent 3 weeks on my honeymoon in Italy last summer and trains cost us less than those railpasses you posted. I suggest you buy point to point tickets in Italy.

Just realized you want first class and there are three of you. <BR><BR>I wouldn't bother with first class for short journeys (like Pisa to Florence), but would consider it for long journeys (like Florence to Sorrento). Make reservations ahead of time if you want first class; we wanted first class for one of our long trips, and we couldn't even get a reservation in second class smoking (for on the 'no reservation' car and it was okay). Since you need first class you should definitely get the Swiss Card to save you money! It's $155 for first class.<BR><BR>http://www.ricksteves.com/rail/choosemenu.htm <BR><BR>Since there are three of you, Italy's kilometric pass might be worthwhile, if you are going to be travelling a lot.

Christie, you need to figure out how many trips (especially long ones) you intend to take and base your decision on that. For example, There is a Eurail Select Saver pass that allows travel among 3 countries (incl. Switz & Italy) with varying prices depending on the number of travel days within a 2-month period; for example: 8 days $378, less for 5 or 6 days, more for 10. Surely you are not going to be on the train every day.<BR><BR>The Europass Saver allows up to 15 days for $604, but it is more expensive because it includes 5 countries.<BR><BR>