Switzerland for a week - need Itinerary help
Jul 20th, 2009, 05:58 PM
#41
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I just looked at the rail.ch site and found tickets from Lauterbrunnen to Paris Est (with two connections: Interlaken and Basel). The Basel connection shows the arriving train on platform 8 and the departing train on platform 9 with 7 minutes in between so I think it could work. The price for two people, second class (without a Swiss Pass) for the entire trip is $401 CHF. An alternative route is Lauterbrunnen to Interlaken to Bern to Lausanne then finally to Gare de Lyon in Paris. There is a special on the rail.ch site for $306 CHF for second class. Looks like the Lausanne to Paris portion is non refundable. I suppose I just need to determine which is a less expensive trip after the Swiss Pass is purchased: Lausanne to Paris or Basel to Paris.
Jul 20th, 2009, 06:18 PM
#42
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Just priced the Swiss Pass, for two second class tickets for 8 days, it is $702 USD on the Swiss-Pass.ch site, and it is $558 USD (without shipping) on Rail Europe for a Swiss Saverpass - which Rail Europe says is the same as a Swiss Pass but for more than one person. It is $654 USD for the regular Swiss Pass on Rail Europe for 2 people, 2nd class.
Jul 20th, 2009, 11:33 PM
#43
The Swiss Saverpass is the exact same as a Swiss Pass, it's just cheaper, and good only for two or more people traveling together. We've used it on every trip to Switzerland except the latest, when we bought the Half Fare Card.
Jul 21st, 2009, 05:40 AM
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Yes i would go either via Lausanne, Geneva or Basel to Paris, whichever is cheapest on voyages-sncf.com or on sbb.ch - times are about the same i think - you need not change stations in either Lausanne or Geneva (or Basel)
Jul 21st, 2009, 12:07 PM
#46
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significantly -as shownina recent thread entitled something like "Where is the best place to buy a Swiss Pass"
that person found that they would save about $75 by buying their passes before leaving rather than in Switzerland.
Compare prices yourself:
http://www.swisstravelsystem.ch/en/ for Swiss Franc (CHF)prices and http://www.budgeteuropetravel.com/id3.html for those in U.S.$ - keep in mind that the current official exchange rate is i believe about .93 cents U.S. to one Swiss franc - and add in about 3% for the usual charge card transaction - and you never get the official rate so say about $1 to 1 Swiss Franc for a quick and rough equivalent rate. Note in U.S. some agents, like RailEurope will charge i think an $18 mailing fee for orders under $400 - which a Swiss Pass order often will be - but other agents don't charge any - so check on mailing fees - passes themselve must be sold at prices set by the Swiss Railways i believe so shopping around for best price is fruitless (in U.S.) but check on mailing fees.
that person found that they would save about $75 by buying their passes before leaving rather than in Switzerland.
Compare prices yourself:
http://www.swisstravelsystem.ch/en/ for Swiss Franc (CHF)prices and http://www.budgeteuropetravel.com/id3.html for those in U.S.$ - keep in mind that the current official exchange rate is i believe about .93 cents U.S. to one Swiss franc - and add in about 3% for the usual charge card transaction - and you never get the official rate so say about $1 to 1 Swiss Franc for a quick and rough equivalent rate. Note in U.S. some agents, like RailEurope will charge i think an $18 mailing fee for orders under $400 - which a Swiss Pass order often will be - but other agents don't charge any - so check on mailing fees - passes themselve must be sold at prices set by the Swiss Railways i believe so shopping around for best price is fruitless (in U.S.) but check on mailing fees.
