Which pass for Swiss/Italy trip???
 

Quick trip overview: Arrive Zurich 7/16, to Lucern until 7/18 or 7/19(depending on whether we stop overnight somewhere on our way to Florence - any suggestions on where and if this is a good idea??), travel to Florence(meeting friends who have a car) travel back to Zurich 7/22 from Florence.
Can anyone recommend which way to go - these 2 options seem best: 5 day, 1st class, 3 country Eurail Select Pass(Italy-Switzerland-France) vs. 3day Eurail Italy + 3day Swiss Flexi pass? And where is the best place to purchase? I am not finding Eurail passes on Trenitalia...

Many times a railpass is more expensive than buying point-to-point tickets. Enter your itinerary on www.railsaver.com and be sure to click only if a pass saves me money. You don't seem to be traveling enough to justify a pass. Passes are almost never a good deal for Italy as rail travel is so cheap. Prices between cities(Rome/Florence, Florence/Venice) in Italy will run about 30-35E for ES trains 2nd cl (includes seats) and around 45 for 1st cl if purchased from Trenitalia. A railpass will not include seat reservations and you will have to pay extra for them.

I agree that a pass doesn't make sense in Italy, but a Swiss Flexi Pass might if you're intending to do much tripping around. Public transport is superb in Switzerland - I'm assuming that the Flexi covers boats and buses as well as all trains except the mountain railways, though it should give a discount on those. Also check if it gives free entry to selected museums.

The reason I was looking at a pass vs. individual tickets is b/c the trains to Italy from Switzerland and back are pretty pricey-($114 from Lucern to Florence & $240 from Florence to Zurich, is the cheapest I found)-it would cost just as much as buying passes which would cover all of our transportation needs the whole trip.

Do you mean Luzern to Florence - - and then _back_ to Zurich for $240? (I found $231 on railsaver.com) - - the fare from Florence to Zurich alone is $119, not $240.

Eitherway, railsaver does not find a rail pass appropriate to this itinerary.

Best wishes,

Rex

Thanks for checking...

But a Swiss Flexi pass may well be a good one - 3 days of unlimited travel over a one-month period - 3 days of 100% covered travel and then you get 50% off everything that moves in Switzerland, except cows, for the days in between when you are not using one of your 100% travel days.

As Italian border to Zurich/Lucerne is pricey the pass could be a boon. Passes sold in Switzerland but currently about 15% higher than in US for some reason even though RailEurope, who markets them in US, is part owned by Swiss Railways. RailEurope would charge a $18 mailing fee - i always recommend BETS www.budgeteuropetravel.com for any Swiss Pass as they are experts and you can actually talk to someone knowledgeable - REurope charges an additional $25 just to talk to someone and would charge an $18 order fee for this order, which BETS would not except for rush orders i believe. www.sbb.ch the Swiss rail web site is the only reliable way to get real at station fares in Swiss francs to see if the pass is a good deal. 3-day flexi saverpass in 2nd class is about $156 p.p and would of course cover you for all the Swiss portion. For Italy just buy a point point ticket Swiss border to Florence and back - Eurail Select pass not viable as too expensive and trains in Italy are very cheap. www.ricksteves.com also has good info on Swiss rail travel.

The reason why I suggested a Swiss Pass - and why we have used them on two trips to Switzerland - is that it covers routes and extras not included in the Eurail Pass. We've found it worthwhile in Switzerland, and have just paid point-to-point in other countries: Spain, France, Italy and Germany.

I agree with Suslynne

Plus a Swiss Pass not only covers much more than a Eurailpass in places like the Berner Oberland but it's also available in a cheaper 2nd class version - unlike Eurails which for folks over 25 only come in first class. And though first class always has benefits - on short train rides in this area the difference is not nearly as great. Swiss pass also much cheaper per day than Eurail