SWISS PASS- Worth the Dollar?

A common question that pops up when one visits Switzerland is: Shall I purchase a Swiss Pass?
My answer usually would be YES... as it really is worth it. However this does mostly depend on what you plan on getting up to throughout the duration of your stay. If like me you are on a budget trip to Switzerland, (yes it can happen) then I would recommend carefully planning what you wish to do whilst there along with the costs whether it be entrance fees, gondola rides, bus or boat tickets or simply a train ride. It all adds up and that is exactly why it needs to be taken into consideration if you are concerned about getting your money's worth. If you aren't too concerned then save yourself the stress and just buy one haha! It will definitely save you hassle and you can use it to get in for free to museums and galleries across the country. 

On a tram in Basel

The Youth (16-26) Swiss Pass for 2nd class use cost me 221CHF for 4 days. A full price list can be found here: https://www.swiss-pass.ch/swiss-pass/
This allowed me free access to all the museums and art galleries I visited as well as free use of the entire transport system (bus, boat trains and trams) and the entire journey up Mt. Rigi. It discounted my return journey up & back down Mt. Titlis by 50%, that being from Titlis Valley to the top of Mt. Titlis by gondola and revolving cable car. Usually this would of cost me 92CHF bust instead it cost me 47CHF. It also would of included (for free) journeys up Mt. Pilatus and various other destinations and attractions across Switzerland, including the Glacier express!!! but sadly I didn't plan carefully enough. The fact is the Swiss transport system is fast, efficient and what some call a work of art and for it to maintain customer satisfaction they have to charge unsatisfactory ticket prices. If I were to add up the cost of everything, the Swiss Pass most definitely done me justice.

There are other options for freedom of movement in Switzerland, but with slightly different regulations, such as the Tell Pass (for travel exclusively around central Switzerland) or the Swiss Half Fare Card. Check out these links below which take you to various passes dependent on the region you wish to explore and do your research!

Best of the best: http://www.myswissalps.com/

https://www.swiss-pass.ch/
http://www.tellpass.ch/en/
http://www.regionalpass-berneroberland.ch/en 
https://www.jungfrau.ch/shop/en/tickets/bergbahn/angebote/jungfraujoch-top-of-europe/jungfrau-travel-pass-3-days
http://erlebniscard.ch/index.php/en/
https://www.swissrailways.com/en/products/regionalalpspass
https://www.graubuenden.ch/en/


Here is a rough version of my itinerary... it went a little something like this;
(Every time I use transport I will put it in Green to indicate how frequent my use was)

WED 17th MAY
Land in Basel Euro Airport
Bus to Basel Town Center
Chill in town center
Train from Basel to Luzern
Bus from Luzern station to Luzern Hostel
Walk back into town & have a wander
Bus back to hostel 
Settle for the night & Sleep!

THURS 18th MAY
Awake nice and early & breakfast!
Bus to Luzern train station
Train from Luzern to Engelberg 
Bus from Engelberg station to the base of Mt. Titlis (Titlis valley station)
Gondola from Titlis Valley up to Trübsee 
Gondola from Trübsee up to Stand
Revolving Cable Car from Stand up to Titlis
Enjoy the top of Mt. Titlis for around 4 hours & lunch!
Revolving Cable Car from Titlis down to Stand
Gondola from Stand down to Trübsee 
Gondola from Trübsee down to Titlis Valley
Scenic walk through the meadows from Titlis Valley back to Engelberg train station
Train from Engelberg to Luzern
Decide what to do next...
Boat from Luzern to Vitznau (originally was going to be a round trip but then realised if I went up to the top of Mt. Rigi I could make it back in time for the last cogwheel train down to Vitznau)
Cogwheel train up to Rigi Kulm (the top!)
Spent around 15 minutes at the top enjoying the view and taking pictures
Cogwheel train back down to Vitznau
Met a friendly traveler on his way to Luzern, we went to catch the bus together and soon decided to hop off and take a dip in the lake!
Swimming in Lake Luzern & relaxing under the moonlight (watch my vlog about this)
Bus to a random train station, praying I hadn't missed the last train
Train back to Luzern
Grabbed some food
Bus back to Luzern hostel
Sleep!

FRI 19th MAY
Awake early-ish & breakfast!
Walk to the Lion monument and get lost- of course- spend some time taking pics
Walk into town stopping at sights and taking pics
Bus from one part of town to the station
Decide to catch the later train and check out the Luzern Art Museum
Grab some Lunch
Train to Interlaken Ost (planning on going up Mt. Schilthorn but the rain was too heavy)
Train from Interlaken Ost to Bern (no rain yay!)
Tram from Bern station into Bern town center
Spend the afternoon exploring Bern, shopping & taking pictures
Tram around the city (went a little further a field)
Dinner at a nice restaurant
Tram back to the station
Train from Bern to Luzern
Bus from Luzern station to Luzern hostel
Chilled at the hostel then get ready to head back out
Bus to the town center
Walk around and eventually find Max's bar!
Spend the evening making friends, drinking and having fun
Walk back to the hostel as the buses are finished (long walk)
Sleep!

SAT 20th MAY
Awake bright and early for check out & Breakfast
Bus to the town center
One last wander around Luzern
Train from Luzern to Basel
Tram from Basel train station to Basel city center
Spend the afternoon wandering around Basel & lunch!
Tram to Basel Art Gallery 
Tram back to the train station
Bus from the train station to the Euro Airport
Fly back to London!

Peace&Love,
Willow