Traveling Seamlessly in Switzerland

Travelers who want to experience Switzerland and all that it has to offer would be well served to consider purchasing the Swiss Travel Pass for all their transportation needs.

“The best way to travel in Switzerland is by train, bus and boat,” said Isabella Ignacchiti, team leader content & media/trade communication for Swiss Travel System, a Zurich-based marketing company co-founded in 2011 by Swiss Federal Railways, Switzerland Tourism and five private railway companies.

She added that the country has a very dense transportation network with trains that run often and on time: “It is very easy to connect."

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The worry of picking up a rental car, figuring out where to go, following international traffic laws and finding parking are all problems that can be avoided by using the public transportation system.

“And the journey is more enjoyable,” Ignacchiti said.

The all-in-one Swiss Travel Pass provides unlimited travel via rail, bus and boat, as well as public transportation in 90 towns and cities. It also includes some extra perks, such as three mountain excursions and free admissions to more than 500 museums throughout the country.

“It is very convenient to have one ticket for everything,” Ignacchiti said. “You don’t have to plan because it gives you flexibility and convenience.”

For example, travelers staying in Lucerne can wake up, check out the weather for the day and decide either to take a boat ride on Lake Lucerne if it’s sunny and beautiful or go to a museum if it’s raining, she said. In Lucerne, the Swiss Travel Pass can be used to transfer to another area via boat, or travelers can choose to stay aboard and enjoy a three-hour cruise on the lake.

For clients interested in experiencing some of the well-known scenic routes—such as the Glacier Express or the Bernina Express—they can use their Swiss Travel Pass. However, reservations and a small supplement will be required.

The pass can also be used for the Grand Train Tour of Switzerland, which is a 795-mile journey covering eight routes that highlight the country’s most beautiful scenery.

One of the routes Ignacchiti highlighted was the Gotthard Panorama Express, which offers a first-class train/boat combination operating April to October from Lugano to Lucerne.

Travelers aboard the panorama railcar can discover this ancient route with its many myths and legends before boarding a historic paddle steamer on Lake Lucerne, where they sail past landmarks before reaching the city of Lucerne.

In addition to transportation options, the Swiss Travel Pass includes admission to many of the nation’s museums, including the popular Matterhorn Museum, which focuses on the history and development of tourism in the region surrounding the famed Zermatt mountain.

Other museums include the Olympic Museum in Lausanne, the Swiss National Museum in Zurich and the historic Chillon Castle on Lake Geneva.