[Removed user]

3 February 2016 at 11:32:04 #808365

Hello,

We are planning a 5 day trip to Switzerland at the end of February. I have spent days trying to understand which passes work where and which one is best for our tentative itinerary. But I still have some questions and I can’t seem to find a way to call the SBB directly. So, I am hoping someone in this forum can help.

We are 2 adults and one 12-year old child. We plan to fly in and out of Zurich. Our current plan has us travelling by train Zurich-Luzern, then Luzern-Interlakken, then a day trip to Jungfraujoch, and finally back to Zurich. We considered doing Zermatt but I think that might be too much in only 5 days. BTW – we aren’t skiing though we could if it worked out. Our primary goal is to enjoy switzerland in its winter beauty.

The most expensive part of the journey (Jungfraujoch) day drip seems to be the most confusing. I have seen there there is a discount with the half price card, but does that same discount apply if you have the flex pass. Since most of the other trips are pretty cheap, the flex pass or the half price card only seem worth it if we get some significant discount on Jungfraujoch. If you put in interlaken to jungfraujoch in the ticket system, it costs 204CHF roundtrip. But in some places it has advertised prices as 135CHR from Lucern. Some info tells me that the passes work for part of the journey and there is a discount for the other part? We are not married to the day trip originating and ending in Interlaken, but this seemed common from looking at the map.

Also, I understand that our child is free when traveling with us on a “Swiss Travel System” ticket. Is this any ticket (even single tickets) or only passes? It wasn’t clear to me.

So basically we are looking for the best rail options starting and ending in Zurich, something with scenery that includes Lucern for sure and Interlaken perhaps, with a day trip to a must-see scenic winter destination (jungfraujoch but open to other ideas). This should be the lowest total price possible for 2 adults and one child.

Sorry for the confusion but there are so many options and the discount for Jungfraujoch and child traveling free makes a huge impact on which tickets to buy.

Thanks

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[Arno]

3 February 2016 at 12:50:43 #848147

Hi labhum, welcome to MySwissAlps!

If your budget is a priority then please check this: myswissalps.com/forum/ topic/stay-in-lucerne-in-winter-and-get-a-free-tell-pass. That will get you a free rail pass (Tell-Pass) for 2 days. That would get you to Mount Titlis for free, for example. Jungfraujoch is not covered. All pass details are here: myswissalps.com/ tellpasswinter.

Jungfraujoch is best done from Interlaken, or one of the more picturesque smaller towns in the region. That’s because of the long ride to get there. But it can be done from Lucerne if you start early. There are even guided day tours: viator.com/tours/Lucer ne/Jungfraujoch-Top-of-Europe-Day-Trip-from-Lucerne/d576-2460JUNG_L.

The Swiss Travel System is a series of passes, not point to point tickets. You can find all information here: myswissalps.com/ swissrailpasses.

A Swiss Travel Pass Flex is unlikely to be your cheapest option. Apart from the Tell-Pass, you can consider the Swiss Half Fare Card or Swiss Travel Pass. They’re all on the page I referred to. But, you first need to be sure about all of your plans. Then you can find a pass that suits those plans, as explained here.

I noticed you’re from The Netherlands. All information is available in Dutch too. Start here: myswissalps.com/nl.

[Removed user]

3 February 2016 at 13:51:33 #848148

Thanks. I used your spreadsheet where in your example I was able to figure out that Interlaken to Wengen was covered by the passes but that Wengen to Jongfraujoch was covered at different rates 25% or 50% for the flex-pass and half fare pass respectively.

Based on this, it looks like the half fare card is our best bet. The only outstanding part is my second question which has to do with child fares. I read online that children up to 16 travel free with a parent who has a “Swiss Travel System” ticket with the family card. Is the half fare card considered part of the “Swiss Travel System?” And if so, how do we book the tickets online for two adults and one child traveling with us free? It only seems to have the option of choosing a half price child fare and not a free family pass fare. I think that we pick up the family pass in person at the train station as I don’t see a way of ordering it online but I want to book tickets and seats before we get there.

Thanks again for your help.

[Arno]

3 February 2016 at 15:21:35 #848149

Hi labhum,

Glad to hear things are getting clearer! All Swiss Travel System passes are on the page I linked to. The Swiss Half Fare Card is one of them. The Swiss Travel Pass is another one, which indeed only offers 25% off of the last section of the Jungfraujoch ride. But Mount Rigi and boats are free, for example, so the best choice depends on what you plans are, and if you like the convenience of not having to buy tickets.

You’ll get a free Swiss Family Card, which allows the child to travel along for free. So the child does not need tickets. Since the Swiss Half Fare Card works best for you, you do need discounted tickets for the adults. You can buy these on the day. No need to book things in advance. That applies to Jungfraujoch too, please see here.

Websites to purchase the two Swiss Half Fare Cards are listed here. Your best option is to go the SBB webshop at http://www.swissrailways.com/ en and select Online Ticket when asked for delivery information. They’ll e-mail the Swiss Half Fare Cards and Swiss Family Card so you can print them at home.