Happy New Year! And welcome to episode 63 of the Holidays to Switzerland podcast. Is this the year that your Swiss travel dreams will finally come true? I hope so.
This breathtakingly beautiful country has to be seen to be believed and it truly does offer something for everyone. But I will warn you – one visit probably won’t be enough!
2022 was a year when many of us were able to start travelling again and whilst there were some busy places in Switzerland when I was there in July, it was nowhere near as busy as I expected.
2023 is likely to be a lot different.
To help you prepare for your Switzerland trip, in this episode of the podcast I’ll share my tips for securing your preferred accommodation and transport, give you an update on the different Swiss transport passes for 2023 and some ideas to consider if you’d like to head to a quieter, less-known destination for a day or two.
And make sure you keep listening to the end of this episode as I have some very exciting news about an exclusive bonus offer for the Holidays to Switzerland audience.
If you’d like to save some money on your Switzerland vacation, you won’t want to miss this offer.
[This post may contain compensated links. Please see my disclosure policy for more information.]
Before we get started, I’d like to say thank you to the team from Switzerland Tourism who are sponsoring the podcast again in 2023. You’ll find lots of practical tips and inspiration on their website, myswitzerland.com so do go and take a look.
Remember, if you need a natural trophy, you need Switzerland.
Click the green button below to listen:
Show Notes
In this episode I discuss:
- Any changes to the various Swiss rail passes for 2023
- The new GoldenPass Express
- Seat reservations on premium panoramic trains
- Why you should make your trip bookings early
- Less-known towns to consider visiting
- The new cableway from Zermatt to Cervinia in Italy
- A Holidays to Switzerland exclusive offer
Topics discussed in this episode
Click the links below for further details.
>> Swiss Travel Pass – an all-in-one transport ticket for public transport in Switzerland.
>> Berner Oberland Pass (previously called Regional-Pass Berner Oberland) – a transport and attraction ticket for the Bernese Oberland.
>> Jungfrau Travel Pass – a transport pass for the Jungfrau Region.
>> Top of Europe Pass – another transport pass for the Jungfrau Region. This pass is being discontinued from April 2023.
>> Tell Pass – a transport and attraction pass for the Lake Lucerne Region.
>> GoldenPass Express – a new panoramic train operating between Interlaken and Montreux.
>> Seat reservations – it is compulsory on some premium panoramic trains to make seat reservations in advance. We discuss which trains this applies to in this episode.
>> Murten and Andermatt – two Swiss villages that were recently added to the UNWTO Best Tourism Villages 2022 list.
>> Switzerland Tourism’s 50 Magical Places list – see the full list here and listen to our podcast episode here.
>> The Most Beautiful Villages in Switzerland association – read our article here and listen to our podcast episode here.
>> Zermatt to Cervinia (Italy) cableway – find out more about the cableway which is due to open in Spring 2023 here.
>> Exclusive offer – we share how listeners can get a 5% discount offer on Switzerland rail packages. When visiting this page, click on the image More Scenic Rail Offers for a full list of all rail packages that the discount applies to. And don’t forget to quote the code HTSWISS when making your booking to qualify.
More Useful Resources
The detailed guides with instructions for purchasing seat reservations on the premium panoramic trains that were mentioned in the episode can be found on the following links:
- Glacier Express
- Bernina Express
- GoldenPass Line (GoldenPass Express and Luzern-Interlaken Express)
- Gotthard Panorama Express
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This episode is sponsored by Switzerland Tourism
Planning a trip to Switzerland?
At Holidays to Switzerland we are passionate about sharing our love of Switzerland and helping you to plan the perfect trip. Read our guide to planning a trip to Switzerland to kick start your travel plans and join our free Switzerland Travel Planning group on Facebook to chat with other past and future travellers.
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