Swiss Transport Questions
 

Hi

I've spent hours researching Swiss trains and transport and passes. Truthfully, I'm still confused. I hope if I write out my itinerary and a few questions you can help direct me. I think that the Swiss Travel Pass Flexi for 3 days is what I need, but I'm certainly not sure.

Day 1
Travel from Zurich Airport to Interlaken (have a ride from there to Grindelwald lodgings)
Day 2 and 3
Hope to visit the villages and paths by mountain transport, and take a boat trip on Lake Brienz or Lake Thun (anyone prefer one to the other?)

Day 4, 5 and 6 on Lake Maggiore in Cannobio. Probably won't be using public transport.

Day 7
Take train from Bellinzona to Milan

Basic questions are these:

Is the Swiss Travel Pass Flexi the best for us?

Are there discounts for buying early?

Do I really need a first class pass to ride on the top of a lake boat?

From whom do I reserve and buy tickets from Bellinzona to Milan?

I not only appreciate your help, but I really need it.

"take a boat trip on Lake Brienz or Lake Thun (anyone prefer one to the other?)" -- I preferred Lake Thun, but BOTH are wonderful. No bad choice there!

Sorry, I can't help you with the rest.

kja, thank you.

I'm not sure we will be able to do both, but I'm glad to have your vote.

If you have time, consider visiting Thun itself, or the castles nearby (Hunegg and Oberhofen). And the Ballenberg Museum just outside of Brienz gave me a few pleasant hours. But whatever else you do, leave yourself PLENTY of time for the Bernese Oberland itself - stunning!

Hi tuscanlifeedit,

I'm sorry I can't help with directing you to the best Pass or Card for your trip. I'll just say that whenever I had to figure it out, I would do a spreadsheet, and you also may appreciate doing something like that. That way, you can see what each trip costs, as well as the various combinations that are available. Every time I did the spreadsheet, the Half Fare Card came out as the most economical way for me to travel -- but usually not by much, maybe 100 chf or so.

These days I skip doing the math and just get the Half Fare Card.

Yes, you do need to have a first-class ticket to ride on the top of the lake boats.

Sorry can't help with the rest of your questions --

Have fun as you plan!

s

We used the Swiss consecutive day pass last year after setting out all our travels on an excel spreadsheet to compare (it takes a while but was worth the time and effort). We got 10% off as we bought 2. I know we got quite a few discounts around Swiss sights with the pass (we learned to show it everywhere we went to see if they offered a discount).

I don't know about the rest sorry.

The last answer is reserve and buy from the SBB site for train to Milano. I am not aware of discounts for early purchases. Ticket can be printed at home. Worked for me in the past.

The half fare card would apply to the border but you still need to travel remainder of distance in Italy. Man in Seat 61 website has good info.

Just to chip in, you can pay a supplement to upgrade your 2nd class tickets to 1st class in an individual basis. So if your boat from Thun to Interlaken is crowded when you embark you can go to the ticket office and pay the supplement. There is no need to pay for 1st class unless you want to.

I think you should look strongly at the Swiss Transfer Ticket as perhaps your best bet - it gives you are ticket to use trains and buses or whatever to get from any Swiss airport or border station to any destination in Switzerland and then it gives you a ticket to go from that location out of Switzerland to any border station or airport - use it to go to Domodossola, Italy and look at Trenitalia.com for cheap tickets to Lake Maggiore - say Stresa - even at full fare as they are AND with the STransfer thing you can buy a Half-Fare Card at half-off or about $65 (Swiss Transfer Tickets only sold outside of Switzerland thru RailEurope (part owned by Swiss Railways) and their agents (some I give below) - Half-Fare Card then will give you 50% off everything that moves in teh Jungfrau Region - all gondolas, boats and even the pricey Jungfraujoch Railway (which is only 25% off with a Swiss Pass - even first class on the boats (yes IME the open-air top deck up front is first class only - you can pay an upgrade on board with a 2nd class pass).

Swiss Flexipasses no longer give 50% off on in between 100% covered travel days but you can also buy the Half-Fare Card with a pass at 50% off and there are no more Saver Passes as of 2015.

The Swiss Transfer Ticket's two covered journeys in and out do not have to be to the same place (confusing language may seems that it does but it has been clarified that you can come in say at Zurich Airport and leave via Domodossola.

Anyways some great info of Swiss trains and passes, etc. check www.swisstravelsystem.com; www.budgeteuropetravel.com (any questions call Byron there aa I have bought passes from him for years and IME he will expertly answer any question about passes, half-fare cards, etc even if not buying!) and www.ricksteves.com.

Not sure why you are leaving from Bellinzona if you are on Lake Maggiore - Stresa to Milan is quicker and cheaper.

Are there discounts for buying early?>

No discounts per say but prices can flucuate both for passes bought in dollars and those in Swiss francs in Switzerland (where you may have to pay a % for foreign transactions on your c card) - U.S.prices have often been for the past several years cheaper for the same pass for some reason so check both sources and if little difference just buy at any Swiss train station.

But there are bonuses that pop up - like a free day on a pass or free trips to mountain tops not fully covered - these come and go as the market situation dictates I think so best IMO to put off buying until shortly before you trip because if you buy and then later a special pops up you're out of luck - not retroactive.

But check both US prices (Swiss Trasnfer Ticket again I think not sold in Switzerland) and Swiss prices for passes and stand alone Half-Fare Cards.

It was a cloudy day and we took a train from Lauterbrunnen to Interlaken and then took a boat trip on Lake Brienz to Brienz. We took a bus from Brienz to the Swiss Open-Air Folk Museum at Ballenberg. The boat trip was very nice and the Folk Museum was worth visiting. Everything was covered by the Swiss Pass.

Lev's day trip is a great one and yes all covered by a Swiss Pass, even the $20 or more open-air museum entry - lake boat and train and bus from Brienz - and on the boat from Interlaken stop off briefly at Geissbach Falls and take an ancient funicular up to the famous hotel and waterfalls - board the next of about hourly boats - the hotel has a nice restaurant and cafe.

Be sure to try to do a lake trip - Lake Thun also makes a neat day out!