Decide how many days you need and choose the corresponding pass. The pass is good value in Switzerland so you might find it useful too while you're staying in Lucerne.
I'd suggest the 10 days within 2 months pass or the 7 days one and you buy cheap advance tickets for fixed journeys like Florence - Venice, Venice - Milan.
Not worth using a pass day : Rome Airport to city center and Amsterdam to Schiphol Airport.
Thalys Paris - Amsterdam is very popular and should be booked well in advance (32€ seat reservation). Maybe you can get a cheap advance ticket if you buy know and avoid using a pass day.
Thanks for your kind inputs and help and I will buy advance ticket for Rome to Florence ;Florence to Venice and Venice to Milan by Italia train
so I will buy 10 days Euro rail global pass and start pass day from Milan to Lucerne ?
or shall I take Swiss pass only for 6 days during my stay in Switzerland?
in that case I have to book advance booking from Milan to Lucerne as well as Interlaken to Paris as week as Swiss pass won’t work on Interlaken to Paris train right ?
please guide me what’s the best option for me
I have fixed itinerary and hotels are also booked and I can do advance bookings and I am staying all places very near to train station
Make some calculations. Since November is well outside peak season you may find great advance fares for Basel - Paris (sncf-connect.com) and Paris - Amsterdam (thalys.com).
All Swiss tickets and passes are valid from/to the border point : Chiasso, Domodossola, Basel SBB, etc.
My advice : the Eurail may not be for you as long as you book all trains outside Switzerland in advance. Then within Switzerland choose between Swiss Travel Pass or Swiss Half-fare card (120 CHF) + half-fare tickets. Tickets have a fixed price and can be bought at any point.
Be aware that some cable cars are closed in November.
I have booked tickets from Rome to Florence and Florence to Venice and Venice to Milano
Also planning to buy Swiss pass for 8 days or 6 days
plan to stay in Switzerland for 6 nights and 7 days
please suggest which pass 6 days or 8 days I should buy ?
now from Milano to Lucerne and Interlaken to Paris
how do I book ticket and use by Swiss pass till border
I plan to travel on 7th Nov ~ 15:00 hrs from Milan to Lucerne
13th Nov afternoon 12:00 hrs from Interlaken to Paris
Also if any suggestion how I can maximise my Swiss pass usage in Nov
Thanks in advance
If you're likely to travel a fair bit across the country the 8-day Swiss Travel Pass at 389 CHF may be good value.
Otherwise get the Swiss Half-fare card (120 CHF for a month) and a mix of half-fare tickets + saver day passes for longer journeys. This is usually the cheapest option but it isn't as convenient.
For Milan - Lucerne Chiasso is the border point :
- regional train ticket Milan - Chiasso 6€ or
- Eurocity ticket Milan - Chiasso 17€ (15:10 - 15:58) trenitalia.com
After Chiasso you can take any train with your half-fare ticket or Swiss Travel Pass.
For your journey to Paris :
- EC Interlaken Ost - Basel SBB 12:00 - 14:01 Swiss Travel Pass or half-fare saver ticket -> 16 CHF 2nd/16.20 CHF 1st class
- TGV Basel SBB - Paris Gare de Lyon 14:34 - 17:38 71€ 2nd class/89€ 1st class sncf-connect.com
I guess to make things more convenient for you get the 8-day Swiss Travel Pass + ticket Milan - Chiasso + ticket Basel - Paris.
About Switzerland : in November low-lying clouds/stratus generally cover the lowlands so you'll want to spend most of your time in the Alps (unlikely to have snow though). Be aware of cable car maintenances in the off-season.
Definitely take the Interlaken - Lucerne direct train (even if there's a rail replacement bus for part of the journey due to works). Other ideas include :
- Interlaken Ost - Montreux Golden Pass Express and back via Lausanne and Bern
- Rigi Kulm (fully included in STP)
- Titlis (50% discount with STP)
- Jungfraujoch (very expensive and only 25% with STP, 50% with half-fare)
- etc.
Have you booked Paris - Amsterdam ? Tickets for the 08:24 train are still very cheap (35€ per person), however book ASAP !
HI Brother
I have taken the swiss pass finally for 8 days
need one last help:
For Milan - Lucerne Chiasso is the border point :
- regional train ticket Milan - Chiasso 6€ or
- Eurocity ticket Milan - Chiasso 17€ (15:10 - 15:58) trenitalia.com
Can you suggest any train after 18:00 hrs from Milan to Lucerne?
I will buy ticket till Chiasso but how about reservation for onward journey under Swiss Family pass?
same for return from Interlaken to Paris reservation ?
Need to reach Paris by 19:00 hrs
Thanks and really appreciate your help!
Use the SBB app for timetables, it is very complete. Seat reservations are not a thing within the country.
Your itinerary from Milan :
- EC Milano Centrale - Arth-Goldau 18:10 - 21:42
- S3 Arth-Goldau - Lucerne 21:49 - 22:21 (there are later trains if the EC is delayed)
Buy a Milan - Chiasso ticket for € on trenitalia.com (the ticket includes a seat reservation). Then stay onboard the train and show your Swiss Travel Pass after Chiasso.
Unfortunately you'll miss the scenery due to darkness... :/
For Paris the best itinerary in my opinion is in the above post (12:00 - 17:38).