Using the Swiss Pass
 

Hi all, I need some clarity on the swiss pass and how it works.
My boyfriend and I are planning to spend about 7 days in switzerland this coming May. We haven't booked any of our rail tickets yet (except for the Glacier Express St. Moritz-Zermatt) but have a good idea of what we want to do. I recently found out about the Swiss Pass and the Flexi pass but I am still unable to determine what would be best for us/if its really worth it. Here is what we hope to do:
- coming in on the 16th from Fussen Germany, after seeing Neuschwanstein Castle to St Moritz.
- Glacier express on the 17th
- Zermatt to Interlaken the 19th. hopefully also to Jungfraujoch that day as well
- spend the 20 and 21 in Interlaken and getting to Montreux. possibly by the GoldenPass Line
- 22nd and 23rd in Geneva and around the lake, visiting Chillon Castle and boat tour etc. before we fly to Nice the evening of the 23rd.

I know there are lots of benefits to the card and I'm sure we would get our value out of it, but when I look to book any train segments on SBB there doesn't seem to be a swiss pass discount option. I'm not sure how the card works, if you just show up and get on the train or not. We don't want to get "stranded" somewhere in case we don't book ahead, because we don't have a lot of time. Is not booking prior to leaving for the trip a big deal? is it really easy to just get on and off as we need or do we need tickets to ensure we will get on the train.

Also is it free-just show the card to get on regular trains? or do we need to purchase a discounted ticket as well.
thanks for any help!
Jeneva

sorry it looks like I accidentally posted twice...is there a way to delete this post?

I asked the editors to delete this post for you. You click on the yellow triangle to alert the editors to all sorts of things.

Thank you Adrienne!

The gems along your itinerary are St. Moritz, Zermatt and Montreux. Interlaken and Geneva are not ugly places, but by far less scenic.
If you go from Zermatt to the glaciers (Gornergrat, 40 CHF with Swiss Pass or Matterhorn Paradise, 50 CHF with Swiss Pass) Jungfraujoch will not bring you much more (except a additional expense of 120 CHF with Swiss Pass).
Chillon castle is at Montreux.
During the summer season, there are historic steamboats plying Lake Geneva from Montreux up to Geneva (free with Swiss Pass).
Glacier Express is free with Swiss Pass, except the seat reservation fee.
It doesn't make much sense to travel all the way from Fuessen up to St. Moritz if you don't want to stay at least 1 full day at this marvelous place.
If I read your post, I get somewhere the impression that you plan to leave Fuessen in the afternoon, to pass through Chur shortly after 6pm in order to arrive at St. Moritz around 9pm, to sleep in one of the expensive hotels there and to go back to Chur with the Glacier Express the following morning (continuing then to Zermatt).
BTW: the most scenic itinerary from Fuessen to St. Moritz goes via Reutte - Nassereith - Imst - Landeck - Nauders - Scuol (all by bus, except the small train through the Engiadina Valley).

I know there are lots of benefits to the card and I'm sure we would get our value out of it, but when I look to book any train segments on SBB there doesn't seem to be a swiss pass discount option. I'm not sure how the card works>

well Swiss passes pass 100% on nearly every train in Switzerland save a handful of specialty trains like the Glacier Express where you still have to pay a supplement with the pass - but these are very very few - and yes the beauty of the pass is you just hop on any train, lake boat, postal cus, city tram or bus anytime - just flash the pass - never need to go to ticket window - you will never ever have any problem getting on trains - do not worry about being stranded - just won't happen anywhere anytime IME of years of railing around Switzerland.

With your travels some kind of Swiss Pass is a no-brainer IMO - but whether consecutive or flexi can make a huge difference.

For lots of great info on Swiss trains, passes, etc I always spotlight these IMO fantastic sites - www.swisstravelsystem.com; www.budgeteuropetravel.com and www.ricksteves.com.

If in St Moritz do not miss IMO taking the Bernina Express at least up the hour or so to the Bernina Pass summit station - walk around the alpine lake lovingly reflected in the glacier that feeds it - Bernina Express IMO Europe's most drmatically scenic railway! (Glacier Express IMO is not nearly as scenic the whole way, becomes a tedious marathon ride for most - it is the most overhyped and publicized rail line in Europe but no nicer than many in Switzerland and not nearly as dramatically scenic IMO as the Bernina Pass Railway.

I forgot to add to the above for any questions regarding a Swiss Pass call Byron at www.budgeteuropetravel.com - I have bought various passes from him for years and he will know everything - ask especially if Swiss Passes again this year as for the past few springs offer a 2 for 1 sale on 4-day consecutive or flexipasses - usually good for travel thru the end of May. But it may no be this year but if so is often announced about now.

Thanks PalenQ for all the great info in how to use the card. I looked at taking the bernina express but read in a few places some people thought it wasn't as great, so that's why we booked the glacier express. The next time we are in Switzerland we will have to do the bernina express and spend more time in general in the country.

Neckervd thanks for the ideas for other places to go from zermatt. I will have to look up those glacier and see if we are able to fit them in. Or even replace some of our temporary plans. I do want to spend more time in montreux but we are flying out of Geneva so we have to end up there.

ttt

Bookmarking

Montreux is just 1 1/2 hrs by train from GVA airport. 4 trains every hour from 5.13 until 22.53.
If you don't want to go from Zermatt to go to the main attractions (Gornergrat, or Matterhorn Paradise or Unterrothhorn) you better skip Zermatt completey.
Same remark for St. Moritz: it's not worth to go all the way from Chur to St. Moritz (2 hrs by train)and to arrrive there late in the evening if you want to go back the same way upt to Chur early the next morning.

Though the Chur to St Moritz Railway - well the famous Albula Pass section, a UNESCO WQorld Heritage Site for its prodigious feat of engineering for cifrca-1900, is one of europes most dramatically scenic rail lines - the tiny train snakes and circles up using a slew of viaducts and tunnels into and out of the rocks - corkscrewing its way up. And if you get to St <Moritz early enough do take the one-hour ride on the Bernina Express to the summit - out of this world glacier-Alpine wonderland featuring scenery never seen on the Glacier Express (which at one time did indeed pass the kind of glaciers the Bernina Express does but since the completion of the Furka base tunnel some decades ago it now tunnels under them - it got its name Glacier Express from the glaciers on the Furlka Pass it once trundled up and over but which now you no longer see a'tal.

A alternate way that IMO would be dramatically prettier and nearly as quick if going to Zermat would be to take the Bernina Express to Tirano, Italy then take the Bernina Express bus to Lugano, Switzerland - spend the nice in this lovely city on a lovely lake - and next day take the famous Centovalli Railways from nearby Locarno - the 1000 Valley Railway which goes largely thru a part of Italy to Domodossolla, Italy with mainline trains to Brig to catch the train to Zermatt. (Swiss Pass valid in full the whole way - Bernina train and bus, Centovalli and from Domodossola to Brig and Zermatt. With a pass you pay a small supplement on the Bernina Express bus to Lugano though basic fare is covered by a pass.

http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/1276

But at least you'll do the famous Albula Pass line - also one of the most dramatically scenic in Europe!

If you don't want to go from Zermatt to go to the main attractions (Gornergrat, or Matterhorn Paradise or Unterrothhorn) you better skip Zermatt completely>

Yes if you just want to see the visage of the Matterhorn - arguably the world's most recognizable summits - thanks to Disneyland I think - but if you just go there to see it it could always be covered by clouds or shrouded by fog - for days at a time sometimes - but like neckerd says to spend a few days exploring this wonderful area is great!

http://www.fodors.com/community/euro...iss-trains.cfm

A thread I have done may have something useful in it for your plans.

Bernina-Express - Centovallina: very goo idea, Palen. I always suggest:
to go by bus from Domo to Brig via Simplon Pass (fine view to the glaciers of Fletschhorn, Monte Leone, Aletsch Glacier, etc.) fully included in the Swiss Pass;
or
to do Lugano - Locarno by boat: Lugano dp 9.30 - boat - Ponte Tresa ar 11.15, dp 11.40 - bus - Luino ar 12.10, dp by boat 12.50 - Locarno ar 14.30
or to combne both and to sleep one more night in the (Lake Maggiore) area.

to go by bus from Domo to Brig via Simplon Pass (fine view to the glaciers of Fletschhorn, Monte Leone, Aletsch Glacier, etc.) fully included in the Swiss Pass;
or>

Yes I have done the Simplon Pass by bus - up and over the pass rather than a train line burrowing under it in the Soimplon Base Tunnel but it does take a lot longer - but if you can do it is is awesome - and yes fully covered by a Swiss Pass but I believe they did charge a 10 Swiss Franc Alpine bus surcharge like I've paid on ones from Meiringen to the three passes.

If taking the iconic Swiss postal bus up and over the Simplon Pass when you cross the border into Switzerland is a tiny village of Gondo (sp?) - imagine it being the place of a huge flood some years back where most of the village and some of its residents got washed away in a torrential flood in this narrow gap in the mountains.

https://www.google.ch/search?q=gondo...iw=853&bih=574

Gondo is rather famous for it's since more than a century closed gold mines, however.

thanks for those photos of a wild and wonderful area.