Swiss rail passes
Feb 14th, 2001, 12:49 PM
#1
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Swiss rail passes
A few weeks ago someone on this forum said Swiss rail passes & cards cost less when purchased in Switzerland instead of from Raileurope. How much less? For example the Swiss saver pass-8 day- is $281 from RailEurope. How much would it be in Switzerland?
Feb 14th, 2001, 01:27 PM
#2
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I have answered this so much I guess one more will not hurt.
The cheapest 8 day pass is about $166 at today's rate of exchange.
BUT!! this rate assumes you are with a companion who has the same pass.
The first class pass, which is unnecessary on Swiss trains, is 405 chf, which converts to less than $250.
If you purchase an 8 day pass alone, then you pay 320 chf for the second class variety, or about $196.
The first class version of the same pass is 480 chf, or about $293.
Why don't you tune into the Swiss national rails system site and see for yourself? The information is not a secret.
The cheapest 8 day pass is about $166 at today's rate of exchange.
BUT!! this rate assumes you are with a companion who has the same pass.
The first class pass, which is unnecessary on Swiss trains, is 405 chf, which converts to less than $250.
If you purchase an 8 day pass alone, then you pay 320 chf for the second class variety, or about $196.
The first class version of the same pass is 480 chf, or about $293.
Why don't you tune into the Swiss national rails system site and see for yourself? The information is not a secret.
Feb 14th, 2001, 01:29 PM
#3
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Individual trip tickets will cost more here from RailEurope (Eurail.
The cost of an 8-day, first class, Saver, one person SwissPass purchased in Switzerland is CHF408, which at today's exchange rate would show up on your credit card as about US$249.
Note that these prices were set at the beginning of 2000. I'm not aware that 2001 prices have been set, or published anyway, yet. When they are they will undoubtedly take into account the then current rate of exchange between the franc and the dollar.
Frankly we've always purchased our SwissPasses in Switzerland whenever it didn't cost extravagantly more to do so. We've had passes mis-issued here which took a lot of time to correct in Switzerland. On the contrary, the Swiss SBB ticket agents are quite efficient and take only a couple of minutes to issue each pass before we take our first train ride from the airport.
Ed
The cost of an 8-day, first class, Saver, one person SwissPass purchased in Switzerland is CHF408, which at today's exchange rate would show up on your credit card as about US$249.
Note that these prices were set at the beginning of 2000. I'm not aware that 2001 prices have been set, or published anyway, yet. When they are they will undoubtedly take into account the then current rate of exchange between the franc and the dollar.
Frankly we've always purchased our SwissPasses in Switzerland whenever it didn't cost extravagantly more to do so. We've had passes mis-issued here which took a lot of time to correct in Switzerland. On the contrary, the Swiss SBB ticket agents are quite efficient and take only a couple of minutes to issue each pass before we take our first train ride from the airport.
Ed
Feb 14th, 2001, 01:33 PM
#4
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One little thing to consider when deciding between 1st and 2nd Class Swiss passes. On one trip to Switzerland we spent about five days traveling around the lakes on the wonderful boats which are free with the Swiss pass. 2nd Class gets you on the boat, but only 1st Class allows you on the upper deck. Fortunately we had 1st class passes and sat up practically by ourselves on many boats, while the lower deck was jam packed.
Feb 14th, 2001, 01:34 PM
#5
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Bob,
Thanks for your help. Yes, there will be 2 of us travelling together. I have tried to get this info from www.rail.ch,
but could only find rail scchedules. What would I click on to get pass info?
Thanks again for your help.
Thanks for your help. Yes, there will be 2 of us travelling together. I have tried to get this info from www.rail.ch,
but could only find rail scchedules. What would I click on to get pass info?
Thanks again for your help.
Feb 14th, 2001, 01:47 PM
#6
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For the record, the bank wholesale rate of exchange today was .5987 cents per franc. So multiple .6 times the Swiss franc price to get a quick estimate.
I used .61 earlier. That rate of course fluctuates every minute.
To find the Swiss pass info.
You know to use www.sbb.ch
When you get there, look at the top for the words in English. Click there and you will have English descriptions.
Go to search. Type in Swiss Pass
Press return or put the cursor on SEARCH and click. The first listing that appears should take you to a full schedule of the Swiss pass prices.
In going over the list, do not ignore the Swiss Card, which is distinct from the Swiss Pass. The Card is helpful if you are doing much on the mountain train and lift systems. For example, the Swiss Card gave me 50% off of the $100 list price to (at the time) to ride the train to the Jungfraujoch. It also gives larger discounts on the various cable contraptions. It depends on where you are going.
If you are a family with 4 children check out the family pass, too. If the children are fairly young, this pass is an incredible bargain for a family of 4.
I used .61 earlier. That rate of course fluctuates every minute.
To find the Swiss pass info.
You know to use www.sbb.ch
When you get there, look at the top for the words in English. Click there and you will have English descriptions.
Go to search. Type in Swiss Pass
Press return or put the cursor on SEARCH and click. The first listing that appears should take you to a full schedule of the Swiss pass prices.
In going over the list, do not ignore the Swiss Card, which is distinct from the Swiss Pass. The Card is helpful if you are doing much on the mountain train and lift systems. For example, the Swiss Card gave me 50% off of the $100 list price to (at the time) to ride the train to the Jungfraujoch. It also gives larger discounts on the various cable contraptions. It depends on where you are going.
If you are a family with 4 children check out the family pass, too. If the children are fairly young, this pass is an incredible bargain for a family of 4.
Feb 14th, 2001, 03:54 PM
#7
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Re first class or second class.
Indeed, FC on the lake boats is desirable. But if one would like to save money on the SwissPasses consider buying second class, and buying an upgrade for any segment (including boats) where you think the added amenity would be worthwhile. (Upgrade at half price, by the way.)
A summary of the most commonly useful Swiss rail deals is at www.twenj.com/swpasses.htm, including a link to the almost-impossible-to-find SBB pages, which by the way have only CHF prices. Among other sources of US prices: Rick Steves.
Ed
Indeed, FC on the lake boats is desirable. But if one would like to save money on the SwissPasses consider buying second class, and buying an upgrade for any segment (including boats) where you think the added amenity would be worthwhile. (Upgrade at half price, by the way.)
A summary of the most commonly useful Swiss rail deals is at www.twenj.com/swpasses.htm, including a link to the almost-impossible-to-find SBB pages, which by the way have only CHF prices. Among other sources of US prices: Rick Steves.
Ed
