On Wed, 26 Jan 2005 21:59:34 -0700, randee <[email protected]>
wrote:

    >Usually we get some sort of multi-country pass, since normally travel
    >through at least two countries is involved. I think they are called
    >something like Flexipass Savers. They seem to work out to about 45 Euro
    >per day per person. If we are losing money on the Italian portion,
    >then we are probably saving a lot on the Austrian or German portions.
    >Now if we are not traveling much, we then just get the individual
    >tickets. For example, last year we only visited Verona and Ravenna. So
    >we only needed a round trip ticket between the two. Although in fact we
    >did get hit with a 10 or 15 Euro surcharge on the Padova/Verona part of
    >the trip because we wound up on an IC train.
    >Now this year I do know that a standard 2nd class ticket for just the
    >Zuerich to Andermatt portion of our trip is about 80 Euro, so the pass
    >will be a savings.

It will be a saving on that day, but what is the saving for the
10 or 15 days of the pass? A 10 day pass cannot be justified if
you are going to have such savings on only, say, two days.

In fact, though, it appears from the SBB site that the 80 euros
is for a second class round trip; if both halves are to be taken
on the same day, it is in fact a savings. But the first class
15-day eurail flexi saverpass costs 40 euros per day, and while
it may be convenient it is not a savings if the trips are on
separate days.

************* DAVE HATUNEN ([email protected]) *************
* Tucson Arizona, out where the cacti grow *
* My typos & mispellings are intentional copyright traps *

No, Zuerich to Andermatt is ~80 Euro one way (via St. Gallen to pick up
maps). Some of our upcoming day trips are in the 40-50 Euro category
for second class, such as Salzburg to Graz, but some are ~130 Euro such
as Andermatt-Lucerne-Interlaken-Andermatt, and
Andermatt-Zermatt-Andermatt. I think Graz to Zuerich was up over 100
Euro also. Although I have not priced all the day trips we will take, I
think we will be saving quite a bit on our 10 day pass.
--
wf.

Hatunen wrote:
    >
    > On Wed, 26 Jan 2005 21:59:34 -0700, randee <[email protected]>
    > wrote:
    >
    > >Usually we get some sort of multi-country pass, since normally travel
    > >through at least two countries is involved. I think they are called
    > >something like Flexipass Savers. They seem to work out to about 45 Euro
    > >per day per person. If we are losing money on the Italian portion,
    > >then we are probably saving a lot on the Austrian or German portions.
    > >

    > >
    > >Now this year I do know that a standard 2nd class ticket for just the
    > >Zuerich to Andermatt portion of our trip is about 80 Euro, so the pass
    > >will be a savings.
    >
    > It will be a saving on that day, but what is the saving for the
    > 10 or 15 days of the pass? A 10 day pass cannot be justified if
    > you are going to have such savings on only, say, two days.
    >
    > In fact, though, it appears from the SBB site that the 80 euros
    > is for a second class round trip; if both halves are to be taken
    > on the same day, it is in fact a savings. But the first class
    > 15-day eurail flexi saverpass costs 40 euros per day, and while
    > it may be convenient it is not a savings if the trips are on
    > separate days.

On Thu, 27 Jan 2005 16:02:58 -0700, randee <[email protected]>
wrote:
Hatunen wrote:
    >
    > On Wed, 26 Jan 2005 21:59:34 -0700, randee <[email protected]>
    > wrote:
    >
    > >Usually we get some sort of multi-country pass, since normally travel
    > >through at least two countries is involved. I think they are called
    > >something like Flexipass Savers. They seem to work out to about 45 Euro
    > >per day per person. If we are losing money on the Italian portion,
    > >then we are probably saving a lot on the Austrian or German portions.
    > >
    > >Now this year I do know that a standard 2nd class ticket for just the
    > >Zuerich to Andermatt portion of our trip is about 80 Euro, so the pass
    > >will be a savings.
    >
    > It will be a saving on that day, but what is the saving for the
    > 10 or 15 days of the pass? A 10 day pass cannot be justified if
    > you are going to have such savings on only, say, two days.
    >
    > In fact, though, it appears from the SBB site that the 80 euros
    > is for a second class round trip; if both halves are to be taken
    > on the same day, it is in fact a savings. But the first class
    > 15-day eurail flexi saverpass costs 40 euros per day, and while
    > it may be convenient it is not a savings if the trips are on
    > separate days.

    >No, Zuerich to Andermatt is ~80 Euro one way (via St. Gallen to pick up
    >maps).

Given that St Gallen is roughly in the other direction from
Zurich as Andermatt, that's certainly a horse of different color.
Not a simple trip either, what with having to make a couple of
changes between St Gallen and Andermatt.

    >Some of our upcoming day trips are in the 40-50 Euro category
    >for second class, such as Salzburg to Graz, but some are ~130 Euro such
    >as Andermatt-Lucerne-Interlaken-Andermatt, and
    >Andermatt-Zermatt-Andermatt. I think Graz to Zuerich was up over 100
    >Euro also. Although I have not priced all the day trips we will take, I
    >think we will be saving quite a bit on our 10 day pass.

To each his/her own.

************* DAVE HATUNEN ([email protected]) *************
* Tucson Arizona, out where the cacti grow *
* My typos & mispellings are intentional copyright traps *

I don't have the pdf timetables up on the screen before me but my
recollection is that going via St. Gallen adds an hour or so to the
Zuerich-Andermatt schedule. More miles to collect. Even if you do not
go via St. Gallen you would still have to change in Chur and likely
Disentis if going direct Zuerich to Sargans.
--
wf.

Hatunen wrote:
    >
    >
    > >No, Zuerich to Andermatt is ~80 Euro one way (via St. Gallen to pick up
    > >maps).
    >
    > Given that St Gallen is roughly in the other direction from
    > Zurich as Andermatt, that's certainly a horse of different color.
    > Not a simple trip either, what with having to make a couple of
    > changes between St Gallen and Andermatt.

On Thu, 27 Jan 2005 20:21:46 -0700, randee <[email protected]>
wrote:

    >I don't have the pdf timetables up on the screen before me but my
    >recollection is that going via St. Gallen adds an hour or so to the
    >Zuerich-Andermatt schedule. More miles to collect. Even if you do not
    >go via St. Gallen you would still have to change in Chur and likely
    >Disentis if going direct Zuerich to Sargans.

No changes required direct Zurich to Sargans. Going direct from
Zurich to Sargans, Chur cames after Sargans.


************* DAVE HATUNEN ([email protected]) *************
* Tucson Arizona, out where the cacti grow *
* My typos & mispellings are intentional copyright traps *

I should not stay up so late after a day of chainsawing. That was not
clear. - If you go Zuerich-St. Gallen-Sargans-Chur-Andermatt, to stop in
St. Gallen at the store, you will have to change trains in Chur and
possibly Disentis (depending on the train) to get to Andermatt. If you
go direct to Sargans (not via St. Gallan), you will also have to change
trains in Chur and possibly Disentis. No change is needed in Sargans it
is just a junction point for the two lines.
--
wf.

Hatunen wrote:
    >
    > On Thu, 27 Jan 2005 20:21:46 -0700, randee <[email protected]>
    > wrote:
    >
    > >I don't have the pdf timetables up on the screen before me but my
    > >recollection is that going via St. Gallen adds an hour or so to the
    > >Zuerich-Andermatt schedule. More miles to collect. Even if you do not
    > >go via St. Gallen you would still have to change in Chur and likely
    > >Disentis if going direct Zuerich to Sargans.
    >
    > No changes required direct Zurich to Sargans. Going direct from
    > Zurich to Sargans, Chur cames after Sargans.
    >

On 2005-01-25, randee <[email protected]> wrote:
    > I'm not sure where you got the $180.

From the OP. It was the price differential between 1st and 2nd class on some
rail pass.

    > To use a concrete example, the
    > fare from Zurich to Andermatt via St. Gallen is ~86 Swiss francs in 2nd
    > class and ~142 Swiss francs in first class.

That's all very good. But the discussion was about 1st class pass vs 2nd
class *pass*. Individual tickets never entered the picture.

    > Also, the time you would spend in line at the train station to pick up
    > individual tickets could then be spent reading museum exhibit labels.

What lines? I rarely have to wait for long when buying ticket.

Jesper Lauridsen wrote:

    >
    > That's all very good. But the discussion was about 1st class pass vs 2nd
    > class *pass*. Individual tickets never entered the picture.

Second class Eurail passes are only open to younger people, I don't
recall the exact age limit, but over 2n years old the passes are first
class only. So they became quite a daving if you compare the price of a
(first class) pss to first class individual fares.
    >
    > > Also, the time you would spend in line at the train station to pick up
    > > individual tickets could then be spent reading museum exhibit labels.
    >
    > What lines? I rarely have to wait for long when buying ticket.

We've spent easily over half an hour waiting in the ticket lines in the
Verona and Ferrara stations, to pick two I remember well.
--
wf.

On Mon, 31 Jan 2005 00:29:43 -0700, randee <[email protected]> wrote:

    >Jesper Lauridsen wrote:
    >
    >>
    >> That's all very good. But the discussion was about 1st class pass vs 2nd
    >> class *pass*. Individual tickets never entered the picture.
    >Second class Eurail passes are only open to younger people, I don't
    >recall the exact age limit, but over 2n years old the passes are first
    >class only. So they became quite a daving if you compare the price of a
    >(first class) pss to first class individual fares.
    >>
    >> > Also, the time you would spend in line at the train station to pick up
    >> > individual tickets could then be spent reading museum exhibit labels.
    >>
    >> What lines? I rarely have to wait for long when buying ticket.
    >We've spent easily over half an hour waiting in the ticket lines in the
    >Verona and Ferrara stations, to pick two I remember well.

I've never spent that long in line, even in Rome, which has the
longest lines I've ever seen. Now that Rome (and most other sizeable
stations) has ticket machines, I've never had to wait more than a few
minutes to get a ticket.

--
Barbara Vaughan
My email address is my first initial followed by my surname at libero dot it
I answer travel questions only in the newsgroup