HOME   ARTICLES   ABOUT US   LINKS   SPECIAL DEALS   CONTACT

Bargain Travel Europe guide to Europe on a budget for vacation destinations, travel ideas and secret spots missed by travel tours.

SWISS RAIL PASS - Definately Worth It
Travel Switzerland by Train, Bus and Boat

“Aren’t these Swiss Rail Passes wonderful? All the free museums. So convenient?” Okay, so this was an actual quote overheard from a woman somewhat past her child rearing years to her companions in a group of two couples on a first class rail coach while zipping the rails between Interlaken and Bern beside the shore of Lake Thun. A group of American seniors on a Swiss Rail trip. I had been on a rail trip myself through 6 cities and up to snow glistening mountain tops and deep river valleys, by train, bus and at least one boat. All with a rail pass. I had already visited a fistful of museums, all free. Even the curious experience of showing my press pass and only being offered a discount, but showing my Swiss Pass and being waved inside gratis.

The Swiss have built one of the most complete and comprehensive rail systems in the world. Traveling through Switzerland by train is more reliable than by auto, with changeable weather and Swiss trains run like Swiss watches, departing and arriving when the schedule says. In fact this can lead to the temptation to cutting your own schedule so close, you can find yourself huffing to catch a train you didn’t quite leave yourself enough extra time. Yet, another will come along in a half hour.

Kind of Passes Value

Swiss Passes come in a couple of varieties. The full Swiss Rail Pass is purchased for a set number of consecutive days 4, 8, 15, 22 days or one month. These come also as a Saver Pass which is when two people traveling together each buy a pass and is a per person discount price, and a Swiss Youth Pass with a discounted price for travelers under 26 years old. The Swiss Flexi Pass is the same as the Swiss Pass except that it is for a set number of non-consecutive days of travel over a period of time – 3, 4, 5 or 6 days in one month. All passes are available for first class or second class.

Swiss Rail Pass Center Swiss Pass

Are Swiss Passes worth the price? You can certainly purchase point to point tickets for individual trips, but for any significant amounts of planned rail travel in Switzerland the Swiss Rail pass has some real advantages. If you plan on visiting museums or castles or other exhibits, the free entry can make a significant savings. But even if you don’t like museums, should you want to take the scenic train to the top of the mighty Jungfrau or Gornergrat for a view of the Matterhorn, a pass gets you a 50% discount on many of Switzerland’s special scenic mountain trains. In many cities and towns throughout Switzerland the rail pass is good on municipal transportations, busses, subways, street trams, as well as the yellow Post busses which connect the countryside towns and villages. With a pass, you can get off a train on a whim, get on a bus to explore that castle you saw on top of a hill, or take a ferry boat on a Swiss lake.

Bus - Luggage Handling - Bike Rental

A particularly convenient feature of the rail rail system is the luggage service. Traveling around the country on day trips, but don’t want to haul your baggage around? Send your luggage on to your destination. Check your bags at one of 45 main tourist destination rail stations and have them sent on to your planned arrival town. Overnight costs 10 chf per bag, for same day arrival its 20 chf per bag. You can also check in your luggage at any international airport for a flight bound for Geneva or Zurich to be sent on to your ultimate destination, to be picked up by you or your hotel. For international airline flights leaving Switzerland on Swiss International Airlines, Lufthansa and several other airlines, you can check in your bags at a rail station. Want to get of the train and see the landscape or get around a city by bike. 80 rail stations in Switzerland have bike rental services.

First Class or Second Class

What’s the difference between First Class and Second Class? The price difference is around 30% less for 2nd Class. The seats are a little different, a little more comfort and style in 1st, though you might not really notice it much, and all Swiss trains whatever class are clean and comfortable. The real difference is seat competition. Most Swiss local passengers travel in 2nd class. The second class cars can get crowded at times, while in first you can find yourself nearly alone. You pull into a station and the platform is lined with waiting throngs. In first, you glide past them as they board other cars. Some local train routes even have only one car or half a car for first class. Just you and the businessman reading his newspaper. Which class you choose really depends on whether you want to stretch out in your own world or emerse yourself in the buzz of multi-languaged conversations of surrounding fellow wayfarers. Swiss Rail Passes are available for non-Switzerland or Lichtenstein residents, sold through RailEurope, which is partly owned by the Swiss Railways. © Bargain Travel Europe

Get a Swiss Rail Pass
or Swiss Pass Canada Australia

Search best travel deals in Switzerland on TripAdvisor

Web Info
Swiss Travel System

These articles are copyrighted and the sole property of Bargain Travel Europe and WLPV, LLC. and may not be copied or reprinted without permission.

SEE ALSO:

SWISS CHOCOLATE TRAIN
A Sweet Ride from Montreux to Gruyères

GOLDEN PASS LINE SCENIC TRAIN
Panoramic Scenery in Central Switzerland

EURAIL PASS
How Europe Rail Passes Work

SHERLOCK HOLMES MUSEUM - MEIRINGEN
Sir Arthur Conan Doyle and the Reichenbach Falls

Privacy
Legal
Contact

Discover Travel in Europe on a Budget with Bargain Travel Europe ©2006-2010 Winged Lion Entertainment Ventures, LLC