Apr 12, 2011 10:31:02 AM
sumela.banerjee
Posts: 3
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Hi,
Me and my husband are planning to go Switzerland on this July. We are living in Germany.
We want to buy this Swiss halffare card. But it is written over there that it will deliver 2 to 3 weeks before our departure date.
But July is the high season. So is it possible that just before 3 weeks of July we get the mountain train tickets like Jungfraujoch and schlithorn.
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Apr 12, 2011 11:57:32 AM
modarno
Moderator
Posts: 1889
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Hi sumela.banerjee,
That's no problem, as you don't have to purchase tickets for cable cars, lifts, etc. in advance. They don't require reservations. It would not be a problem even if you did want to buy certain tickets in advance; you can get the reduced tickets whether or not you posses the Swiss Half Fare Card at that time. You should just have both the tickets and the Swiss Half Fare Card at the time you're traveling.
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Arno
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Apr 17, 2011 08:29:53 PM
hhami
Posts: 5
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Aloha,
I have question about the Swiss Half Fare Card....do you need to be a Swiss or Germany or Austrian resident to purchase the card or can an a visitor from Hawaii purchase the card for their travels in Suisse? Thank you. Susi
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Apr 18, 2011 03:13:02 PM
modannika
Moderator
Posts: 2118
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Hi hhami! The Swiss Half Fare Card is meant for all travelers, except residents of Switzerland and Liechtenstein. So yes, it's available to United States/Hawai residents as well. Please review all details and ordering options at the Swiss Half Fare Card page.
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Annika
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Apr 18, 2011 04:03:08 PM
hhami
Posts: 5
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thank you. many mahalos. susi
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Apr 21, 2011 01:06:26 PM
kitty3ng
Posts: 2
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Hi
i have just bought the 1 month half fare card. Would like to know if this is different from the half fare travel card 1/2/3 years that is quoted at the sbb website?
In addition, i realized we can actually booked tickets from Switzerland to nearby countries. such as from Zurich to Venezia via Milan . I check it on the website and a price was quoted.
Was just wondering if the price quoted is actually inclusive of the whole train ride to venezia or is it only inclusive of the ride till milan, which is the transiting station?
And do you know if the Eurail pass is actually valid for train ride from St Gallen to Zurich? or it is only applicable to major cities?
Thanks!
edited by kitty3ng on Apr 21, 2011
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Apr 21, 2011 02:21:48 PM
modannika
Moderator
Posts: 2118
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Hello kitty3ng! The Half-Fare travelard for 1/2/3 years is meant for Swiss residents. Within Switzerland, it covers the same area with a 50% discount as the 1 month Swiss Half Fare Card that you bought. There are some bonuses for holders of the Half-Fare Card for 1/2/3 years though. One of them is that a 25% reduction is granted on international trips to Germany and Austria, whereas the validity of the 1 month Swiss Half Fare Card ends at the Swiss border. However, that doesn't make any difference for your trip to Italy/Milan.
When obtaining quotes through the timetable, you should follow the steps in the procedure. During step 2, you can indicate whether you have a reduction for the Swiss leg of the trip (at the lower right corner of the page). Select 'Half-Fare travelcard 1/2/3 years' from the drop-down list. If you do so, the same quotes will be calculated as with your Swiss Half Fare Card, as both passes grant the same discount for the same leg of the trip.
Please review the map we link to under the header 'Swiss Half Fare Card features' at the Swiss Half Fare Card page. It shows the exact area of validity. For your outbound trip, this means that the Swiss Half Fare Card is valid up to Chiasso.
Most Eurail Passes cover travel in national Swiss trains from the SBB (Schweizerische Bundesbahnen), and the line St. Gallen to Zurich is run by the SBB. So yes, a Eurail Pass should be valid there.
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Annika
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Apr 21, 2011 02:31:58 PM
kitty3ng
Posts: 2
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Hi Annika,
You mention that the Swiss Half Fare Card is valid up to Chiasso, however when i attempt to book a return ticket on the sbb website for a trip from Zurich to Milan, it only quoted a price without the breakdown?
Is the fare inclusive of the whole travel ? or does the price only include travel from Zurich to the border station, Chiasso?
Many thanks,
Kitty
edited by kitty3ng on Apr 21, 2011
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Apr 22, 2011 05:52:34 AM
modannika
Moderator
Posts: 2118
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Hi Kitty. The SBB website doesn't give further explanation on how the price is calculated, but if you enter your data as I suggested in my previous post, the 50% discount up to Chiasso should be taken into account. So the price you get to see should be the total fare for a trip from Zurich all the way up to Milan, including the 50% discount for the Swiss leg.
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Apr 26, 2011 08:09:30 AM
sumela.banerjee
Posts: 3
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Hi,
I want to know whether this swiss half fare card is valid to Zurich day card or not.
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Apr 26, 2011 01:46:35 PM
modannika
Moderator
Posts: 2118
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Do you mean that you're trying to find out if there are discounts for holders of the Swiss Half Fare Card when buying the Zurich Card? As far as I know, this is not the case. Please refer to the Zurich Card page for more information and prices. Please note that the Swiss Half Fare Card offers a 50% discount on urban transportation in Zurich as well.
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Apr 27, 2011 05:26:51 PM
rnselv1
Posts: 2
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Can I pick up the Half Fare Card (1 month) at the Brig station? Ticket vending machine or a manned counter? Does the ticket vending machines accept North American (magnetic stripe) credit cards? Manned counter operating hours?
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Apr 28, 2011 03:42:51 AM
-Olga-
Posts: 384
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Hello rnselv1,
Yes, you can buy a Half Fare Card at the Brig station, but I'm pretty sure you will nee a manned counter to do so. Ticket vending machines are mostly meant for point to point tickets. Operating hours can be found on the SBB Website. By the way, you can also order your Swiss Half Fare card online, depending on your date of leave.
Have a nice trip!
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Olga
Häbets guet!
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Apr 28, 2011 04:15:16 AM
rnselv1
Posts: 2
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Thanks for the reply.
Is this true?
When I buy a standard ticket online, it's valid only for the day of travel. But if I buy the same standard ticket at the counter it's valid for 10 days. Can the mods plz confirm?
I'm looking to do Brig - Zermatt- Matterhorn - Zermatt - Brig - Interlaken Ost on Day 1 &
Interlaken Ost - Grindelwald - Jungfrau - Grindelwald - Interlaken Ost - Luzern - Zurich airport on Day 2.
What's my best ticketing option?
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Apr 29, 2011 10:15:29 AM
modarno
Moderator
Posts: 1889
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Hi rnselv1,
This is what the Swiss Federail Railways say about this:
Quote:
"Duration of validity.The duration of validity of OnlineTickets can be different from the validity of those bought at the ticket counter or from the ticket vending machine. In particular, the ordinary return tickets are valid for just one calendar day. Furthermore, the travel days must be defined already at the time of purchase.
Additional conditions for Swiss tickets:
- Normally, OnlineTickets can be purchased at the earliest 30 days before the journey
- Return trip at the latest 10 days after outward trip
"
The best ticketing option is the one you find most convenient. The prices are the same both online and at the service desk of the rail station.
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Arno
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May 10, 2011 04:28:37 AM
sumela.banerjee
Posts: 3
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Hi,
I want to bye online tickets for Jungfraujoch and Schilthorn.
Where can I get that?
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May 11, 2011 03:45:48 AM
modannika
Moderator
Posts: 2118
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Hello sumela.banerjee. You can order these tickets along with your Swiss Half Fare Card through our partner STC (mainly the Schilthorn excursion; Jungfraujoch tickets currently aren't available here) or through the webshop of the Jungfrau Railways.
By the way, would you mind creating a new topic for new questions, instead of adding them to an older topic? This is easier for other forum visitors when they're searching for questions and answers. Thank you in advance!
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Annika
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