Train passes/tickets
 

I'm travelling to Switzerland for the first time and have heard I should buy a Eurorail pass in the USA. BUT I have read on this site it is better to buy a point to point ticket once I arrive in Switzerland. Does anyone have suggestions. And where would I buy a pass in the USA?

You can buy it from www.raileurope.com or at 1-800-4-EURAIL. Or take a look at www.railsaver.com - - although I made a mistake with that on a British itinerary yesterday. <BR> <BR>In general, a pass starts to make sense if you plan to travel by train, an AVERAGE of 250-300 miles EVERY day. <BR> <BR>It might fit for other itineraries, too. <BR> <BR>Best wishes, <BR> <BR>Rex <BR>

Sharon. I think if you concentrate your questions rather than scattering then, quite a few of us who write for this forum can give you lots of helpful information about Switzerland. I suddenly realized you were the person I just responded to about going on day trips. If you are going to travel mainly in Switzerland, get a Swiss Rail Pass IN SWITZERLAND!!! <BR> <BR>There are so many options that not even the Swiss know what they all are. <BR>I don't know what half of them are and I have been there for goodly stretches of time. <BR>First look at this location on the web: <BR>http://www.sbb.ch/index_e.htm <BR>It is the English version of the Swiss train system scheduler. You can learn where and when trains go in Switzerland! (the SBB is the federal system; there are private lines that will not honor 100% some of the SBB passes) <BR> <BR>Then, take a look at this web site page: <BR>http://www.sbb.ch:80/pv/sts_e.htm <BR>It will give you details of the Swiss Pass, Swiss Flexi Pass, and the Swiss Card. The Card is one I used to good advantage because it gave half off of some expensive mountain rides -- like the Jungfraujoch ride from Interlaken Ost. That trip is the biggie of the bunch. I did not mention it above, but it is a great trip if you can afford it. The view from the top is enough to make you jump up and down in delight. We walked the snow track out to a mountain hikers' shelter that was an incredible experience. The wind was blowing, but we were dressed warmly with hoods and gloves. I thought I was about as close to heaven as I might ever get!! <BR> <BR>Undiscounted, the Jungfrau trip from Interlaken Ost is 162 francs, or <BR>about $97.00. <BR>Another great trip is from Murren to the to the top of the Schilthorn. Great views around you up there. It is as good or better than the Faulhorn and the Jungfraujoch, depending on your point of view. (I got a bigger charge out of the Jungfraujoch, personally.) <BR> <BR>Back to the passes. A Swiss Pass gives you 21 days of all day travel for 440 francs, about $260. You can ride a heck of a lot for that price. But note that there are several variations of the Swiss Pass and the Swiss Flexi Pass. You did not say if you were alone or in a family setting. If you are with others, note some of the family prices and the companion prices to see what is the best deal for you. <BR> <BR>Ed will be along shortly to add his knowledge to this discussion, which is a sizeable chunk. <BR>So read what he has to say carefully. <BR>I think he and I agree on one statement: <BR>The view of the Berner Oberland from Mürren is incredible! But there are so many great views out there that it makes me sorry I scheduled myself for other places this summer. (Austria south and west of Innsbruck better have a hell of a lot to offer for me to miss the Berner Oberland this summer!! And great as Vienna can be, it is not the Berner Oberland or the Alps around Zermatt.)

Sharon: do not buy any passes until you check out the Swiss pass prices. <BR>Rex usually has his ideas lined up. <BR>But I have never gotten any bargain from Rail Europe. Look carefully at the page of Swiss Rail Pass prices befote you buy anything. The prices are in Swiss francs or chf. The franc right now is about 56 cents. So for a quick approximation, multiply Swiss prices by .6. But it is actually cheaper than that.

Sharon, if you'll be solely traveling in Switzerland you'll get no value whatsoever from a Eurail pass. I don't know why someone would imply you should buy it if for that purpose. Also, Switzerland is a small country (roughly comparable to the state of New Jersey), so any mileage "rule of thumb" that might be useful elsewhere in Europe has little meaning there, as experienced travelers would know. <BR> <BR>It is quite possible if you do enough traveling in Switzerland that one of several country/region-specific passes might benefit you. <BR> <BR>About train travel in general (and boats, buses and cables) in the country you'll benefit from reading www.twenj.com/swissrail.htm <BR> <BR>Then after you've skimmed through that and given some thought to where you think you might travel in Switzerland, take a look www.twenj.com/swpasses.htm which sketches most of the passes commonly used in the country. It's a somewhat bewildering variety, which is the reason I suggest you not take a look at it until you have some idea of where you'll be traveling, and how often. With that in hand your choice may be pretty easy. <BR> <BR>For the most part the passes are available in the US (or other countries) from several sources, and within Switzerland. Last I looked it's probably just a bit less expensive to purchase in Switzerland, though the difference isn't too great. RailEurope has screwed up my SwissPasses, though, so it's one source in the US I do not recommend. <BR> <BR>You'll be looking at a great deal of information, and if you've not traveled on the excellent public transport systems in Europe you may feel a bit ovewhelmed. (And they're nowhere better than in Switzerland.) Do feel free to drop me an e-mail with your specific questions.