meggies

Going to Lauterbrunnen without seeing "above Lauterbrunnen" would be a big mistake. I am sure the poster is staying in Lauterbrunnen specifically to see as much as possible of what is above. The Swiss Pass is a big plus here. You can go anywhere on a whim, up and down several times a day if you want,though you will pay a supplement for the Jungfraujoch trip. The Swiss Pass covers trains, boats and buses, and there will be times when boats and buses appeal.

spaarne

<i>Train travel So Confussed
Posted by: theshopper on Oct 2, 13 at 11:28am Posted in: Europe Tagged: Switzerland
Would appreciate any & all input.
My husband & I are planing a 40th anniversary trip from May 13-30, 2014.
This is the itinery at this point:
Fly out from Canada May 13 & arrive in Zurich May 14.
May 16 train to Lauterbrunnen and spend 3 nights
...
May 26 train to Haarlem.</i>

You might want to rearrange your trip if you like tulips. Fly into Amsterdam and take it in reverse order so you can see Keukenhof. Here is my photolog: http://tinyurl.com/5nwqzp
Here is the official site: http://www.keukenhof.nl/en/

PalenQ

"man in seat 69">

"woman in seat 69

PalenQ

www.seat69.com - weird it comes out to www.seat61.com so may not be a mistake!

theshopper

Thanks so much for all the replys and information.

I have done a cost comparison for all of the trains in Switzerland and if my calcs are right it would be around $541.00 each 1st class with no card,the Swiss saver pass appears to be $534.00 each 1st class which has many inclusions, bus's boats, museums and so on, making this much more cost effecient. Am I understanding that the difference between the Swiss Pass & the Swiss Saver pass is the first is for a single passanger & the second is for 2 or more people traveling together??

With that in mind if we were to go with the SSP 2nd class it is $200 per person cheaper & then if we chose to upgrade on a specific leg we could for a cost correct??

As someone( sorry so many comments)suggested, I could just wait and book each leg separate ahead of time, when they are available and end up with a good savings. The only concern I have with this is I am not sure of all the stations, so afraid I may book out/or into a wrong station.... OP's.

At this point of our planning stage we are planning the following:
Zurich -The trolley tour, Cruise on the Limmat River & Lake Zurich.
Lauterbrunnen - Trummel falls, Folk Museum, Scenic route to Murren, Grimmelwald, Cable Cars, the Schilthorn
Zermatt - Matterhorn
Lausanne - Waterfront, Vineyards, Chateau De Chillion
Basel - no plans, visit with a friend


With the above in mind does the SSP sound like the right one??

Thanks again for all the help.

Ruth
The Shopper

neckervd

Standard 2nd class fares:
ZRH - Zurich: 7 CHF
Zurich - Lauterbrunnen: 75 CHF
Limmat cruise, Lake Zurich mini cruise: 9 CHF
Schilthorn round trip: 108 CHF
Lauterbrunnen - Zermatt: 87 CHF
Matterhorn Paradise round trip: 100 CHF
Zermatt - Montreux: 70 CHF
Montreux - Chillon round trip: 7 CHF
Montreux - Lausanne - Ouchy - Lausanne: 13 CHF
Lausanne - Basel SBB: 62 CHF

Total: 538 CHF or 600 USD S E C O N D CLASS

I couln't take into account "Trolley Tour" and "Folk Museum" because I don't know what you mean with that.

Schilthorn and Matterhorn Paradise cost about 100 CHF with Swiss Pass

indy_dad

Nice work neckervd. If we use those numbers:

No card: 538 chf

Swiss Saver: 334 + 100 = 434 chf

Half fare: 269 + 120 = 389 chf

Hmm -- kinda looks like HFC. Which goes back to my original comment that it will be "in the ballpark" (and in this case better) for most trips.

I'm sure PQ will come back with half a dozen posts about just use the pass if it is close, no tickets to buy, etc. etc.


OP -- feel free to do what you want. It's good to do some research, but I hope 50 chf here or there isn't going to ruin your trip at any rate.

PalenQ

'm sure PQ will come back with half a dozen posts about just use the pass if it is close, no tickets to buy, etc. etc.>

And he will porbably also say that you may use a pass giving free travel more than you think - like on the not unusual rainy days in the Alps - use it to day trip to some city that is more tolerable in wet weather.

neckervd

It's easy: Theshopper wants to visit only a small part of Switzerland without taking any scenic train:
His basic itinerary is: Zurich - Bern - Spiez - Visp - Zermatt - Visp - Lausanne - Basel, plus Spiez - Lauterbrunnen and back.
He adds to that 2 cableway rides where he has to pay half fare either with half fare card or with Swiss Pass.
If the basic itinerary would be longer or if he would include some scenic railways like Golden Pass, Rigi, Glacier Express, Mont Blanc Express, etc. resp some boat cruises, the Swiss Pass would be more advantageous by far.

PalenQ

anyone pondering a Half-Fare Card should also investigate the Swiss Card - as said belfore gives two train trips from any border or airport to any place in Switzerland and back to any airport or border station - need not be the same - some on Fodor's have found it a bit cheaper overall than the Half-Fare Card even though it duplicates everything the Half-Fare Card does but gives those two trips as well - and you can take any train anytime over the fastest route during the whole day, with stop-offs possible I think like for a few hours some place.

PalenQ

Don't get me wrong Half-Fare Cards (or Swiss Cards) can be great deals for the person who knows exactly what they will be doing travel wise and not do any more - then the calculations are easy but for folks going to say the Jungfrau Region who have not meticulously planned out every move they will make it can be hard to calculate and yes many folks end up doing more travel than they thought.

Half-Fare Cards or Swiss Cards can be great for folks going to one area and spending all of their time in one area - although in some case local regional passes may be better bets - like the Jungfraubahn Pass in the Interlaken/Jungfrau Region.

PalenQ

If the basic itinerary would be longer or if he would include some scenic railways like Golden Pass, Rigi, Glacier Express, Mont Blanc Express, etc. resp some boat cruises, the Swiss Pass would be more advantageous by far.>

not sure of by far but it depends on what type of pass you are talking about - a consecutive-day pass is cheaper per day of travel than a flexipass, good for X number of days of unlimited travel within a maximum of one-month period - a consecutive-day pass for someone who is traveling around, even from a base, every day can be better than the Half-Fare Care or Swiss Card - so it depends on the type of pass. And anyone visiting museums like the famous Ballenberg one overlooking Lake Brienz in the Interlaken area will get free entry with a pass - about a $25 value - or if going to museums in other places like the fantastic Paul Klee Museum in Bern - but in reality few folks going to Switzerland go for its museums but more its outdoor attractions.