Swiss Rail Passes

Remember my rant about the airlines not offering me a decent group airfare rate for my Girl Scout trip to Switzerland?  Well, I'm happy to report a much better experience with Rail Europe.  They offered me a slightly reduced group rate on their selection of Swiss Rail Passes, and their agents are prompt and helpful.

Trains generally don't open for sale until 60 or 90 days prior to the train departure date (with the exception of Eurostar trains which open up to 6 months in advance).  But one advantage of booking through Rail Europe is that you and your group don't have to wait for that booking window to open.  Upon receipt of your acceptance, Rail Europe then requests space on the train right away so it is confirmed when the train(s) open for sale.  This is a big relief for me since I'm not a procrastinator and like things taken care of well in advance.

Trains are so convenient and comfortable for families.

A Swiss rail pass is definitely a good value when you travel by train in Switzerland.  In my experience, it's the only European country where your rail pass also gets you on lake steamers, mountain-top trains, cable cars, and buses for free or for a reduction in price.  Several of the Swiss rail passes also allow free entrance to over 400 museums and exhibitions.

At first glance, the many choices in rail passes can be confusing.  There's the Swiss Card, Transfer Ticket, Half Fare Card, Family Card, Youth Pass, Flexi Pass, Saver Pass, and the Flexi Saver Pass.  But the Rail Europe website offers a pretty clear explanation of each and a price chart that makes things easier to understand.  I think we're going to go with the 4-day Flexi Pass.  This one allows travelers to ride the train on any 4 days within a month.  It's $158 per girl (15 years old and under).  That will provide us a ride from the airport to our destination of Adelboden and back to the airport again to go home, plus two day trips to wherever we choose, in between.  Perfect flexibility - I like that.

I love train travel!