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We will be travelling to Switzerland from Italy for 7 Days in Sept with the below rough itinerary.
Venice, Italy –> Zermatt (2nights) –> Interlaken (2nights) –> Lucerne(2nights) –> Zurich –> Paris, France
Zermatt – Will be getting a 2 days ski pass
Interlaken – Travelling from Lauterbrunnen -> Wengen -> Kleine Scheidegg -> Jungfrau -> Grindelwald
Lucerne – Lake Lucerne, Chapel bridge, Lion Monument, etc.And I would really appreciate some good help on the following.
1. Would a 1 month Half Fare Card or a Flexi Swiss Pass be a better choice?
2. If for the Half Fare Card, which would be the first station into Switzerland if travelling from Venice. Would it be Domodossola? Can I get it from there? Or can I buy it from Brig instead?
3. For the 1 month Half Fare Card, are we also entitled to a one trip in(Italy) and out(Paris)?Thanks!
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Hello lynnho, welcome to the forum! As for your questions: a Swiss Half Fare Card would be slightly cheaper than a 3 day Swiss Saver Flexi Pass, the 3 free travel days of which you should use for your inbound trip to Zermatt, the transfer from Zermatt to Interlaken, and your last Swiss trip from Lucerne to Basel via Zurich. A 4 day Swiss Saver Flexi Pass, which could cover your transfer from Interlaken Ost to Lucerne as well, would be more expensive too. The prices for the trips which could count as free travel days in case of a Swiss Saver Flexi Pass are as follows (in 2nd class and per person):
- Domodossola – Zermatt: CHF 50.40
- Zermatt – Interlaken: CHF 74.00
- Interlaken – Lucerne: CHF 55.00
- Lucerne – Basel, via Zurich: CHF 48.00
The total price is CHF 227.40. With a Swiss Half Fare Card, which costs CHF 99.00 and reduces these trips by 50%, the total would be CHF 212.70. As a 3 day Swiss Saver Flexi Pass costs CHF 212.00 (but still offers free travel for only 3 out of the 4 longer journeys mentioned) and a 4 day pass costs CHF 257.00, the Swiss Half Fare Card turns out to be the cheapest option.
The border station from which a Swiss Half Fare Card (or another Swiss railway pass) is valid on your way from Milan, is Domodossola indeed. It wouldn’t be economical to purchase your pass in Brig, as you can’t use it for the first Swiss part of your trip in that case. Although you can purchase your Swiss Half Fare Card at larger Swiss railway stations (including Domodossola), it would be wise to consider an online purchase in advance: direct train connections from Milan to Brig are available, without a change of trains in Domodossola. If you already have your Swiss Half Fare Card, you can start using it rightaway from Domodossola without having to get off and spending time at a ticket corner.
The Swiss Half Fare Card is valid during 1 month throughout Switzerland, so it will also cover the Swiss parts of your inbound trip (up from Domodossola) and outbound trip (from Lucerne up to Basel). No discounts are available outside of Switzerland. A map showing the area of validity can be found through the link ‘Overview of the network on which the Swiss Half Fare Card is valid’ at the Swiss Half Fare Card page.
I hope this answers your questions!
Hi annika
Thank you so much for your answers. It helped alot.
Sorry, I have a few more questions1. For our day trip to Interlaken -> Lauterbrunnen -> Wengen -> Kleine Scheidegg -> Jungfrau -> Kleine Scheidegg -> Grindelwald -> Interlaken, does the Swiss Saver flexi Pass cover this route, or is it more beneficial to use the Half Fare Card?
2. We would like to take the Golden Pass from Interlaken to Luzern, will the half Fare Card be applicable?
3. Are there any discount for Ski Passes in Zermatt either with a Half fare Card or a Swiss Saver Flexi pass?Thank you again.
Hello lynnho! A link to a map showing the area of validity is available on the Swiss Flexi Pass page as well. Between Interlaken and Wengen/Grindelwald, the trip to Jungfraujoch will either be for free (if you use a free travel day) or discounted by 50% (on the remaining days). Between Wengen/Grindelwald and Kleine Scheidegg, a 25% discount applies on all days of the Swiss Flexi Pass. The Swiss Half Fare Card offers a 50% discount on the entire route, so this may be more economical.
The Swiss Half Fare Card is valid for all panoramic train routes as well, including the Golden Pass route between Interlaken and Lucerne. For a special Golden Pass panoramic train, seat reservations should be made though. The (small) fee for seat reservation isn’t included in Swiss railway passes.
The ski pass price overview at the Zermatt website doesn’t mention discounts for holders of Swiss rail passes, so full fares apply here.
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