Swiss Card- purchase ahead or not?

  • Removed user
    Participant
    72625 posts
    30 November 2010 at 11:08:43 #804066

    Hello,

    In December my family of five will travel from Zurich airport to Chur and then immediately on to Arosa. We will stay at the same resort for six days.

    On our return we will take a taxi to Chur (xmas day, and very early trains from Arosa to Chur are limited), then, from Chur, we’ll ride the train back to Zurich. It seems the Swiss Card will be my best choice, so I would like to purchase one for me and one for my wife–our children will then travel free (?)

    My questions are:

    1. How long, approx., will it take my family to make the transfer from the Zurich airport to the Zurich train station?

    2. Should I purchase our Swiss Cards over the internet before we arrive, or can I simply do this when we get to the train station?

    3. Do I need to make sure I also request the Swiss Family Card in order to have my children ride for free?

    4. Should I reserve seats, or is this generally not an issue on the lines I’ll be traveling?

    5. I have heard about baggage transfer service… How can I go about arranging our bags to be taken from the airport in Zurich to Arosa so we don’t have to deal with them ourselves on the train? Must I arrange this ahead of time, or can I arrange this once I arrive at the airport in Zurich?

    Thank you!

    rich

  • Effortlessly learn from the questions and answers in the forum. Receive a daily e-mail with new discussions.

    Removed user
    Participant
    72625 posts
    30 November 2010 at 14:14:50 #832022

    Hi
    1.The train trip from the airport to the main staton takes 10-15 minutes and trains run frequently. I would allow 30-45 minutes for the transfer and connection in Zurich main station
    2. You can purchase it on the internet before you leave or buy it at the airport station.
    3 Request the family card at the time of purchase for children 15 and under.
    4. You do not have to reserve seats as the train to Chur starts at the main station
    5. You can buy baggage tags beforehand. Put them on your luggage before you check in at your home airport. When you get to Zurich airport your luggage will transfer directly from the plane to the train. You do not have to clear customs with your luggage. I have had my luggage on the same train I was on but often it is the next train.
    You can also take your luggage to the rail baggae claim once you get to the airport however delivery will no be confirmed for the same day if you check it after 9AM

    Dick

    Arno
    Moderator
    15471 posts
    30 November 2010 at 15:07:52 #832023

    Hi Rich,

    Where are you from? If you’re from the US or Canada, you can purchase your Swiss Card, Family Card and Rail luggage tags at the same time. Information can be found on the Swiss Card page and at the bottom of this page.

    Please note that the Swiss Half Fare Card is slightly cheaper in your case, but it’s also slightly less convenient, as you need to purchase separate discounted tickets either beforehand or after arrival.

    Removed user
    Participant
    72625 posts
    3 December 2010 at 1:17:17 #832024

    Thank you–very helpful information Dick. You’ve eased some of my trip-planning stress!

    Arno – I’m a US resident living abroad in the middle east. It seems I cannot purchase via raileurope because my home address (middle east) and credit card information (u.s.) are different–no option for non-gcc countries from pull-down menu when I’m entering credit card info… Didn’t get a reply from raileurope customer service to my query about this. Also, and maybe I never got that far, but I saw no way to add rail luggage tags or the Family Card to my order. A little frustrating.

    Anyway–thanks for your help. We are looking forward to being in Switzerland soon!

    Removed user
    Participant
    72625 posts
    11 December 2010 at 2:45:28 #832025

    I would like to ask if the Swiss Card entitles me to buy a “Tageskarte zum Halbtax” ? Or is this only for holders of the half fare card ?
    I live in Philippines, and the DHL postage price is almost the same price as the Swiss Card, 85 CHF. This inflated price is VERY annoying
    My air ticket from Malaysia to Paris is not so much more than this (100 EUR) !

    Is there any way that i can reduce this postal charge , can it be delivered by normal post (I visit in April ) ?
    I suppose that it would be better if i buy one at the airport station on arrival ?

    Martin

    Arno
    Moderator
    15471 posts
    11 December 2010 at 9:02:54 #832026

    Hi Martin,

    Yes, the Swiss Card entitles you to buy a “Tageskarte zum Halbtax”. I noticed that was not mentioned on our Swiss Card page, so I just updated that. Sorry for the inconvenience.

    I understand your frustration regarding shipping prices. Pass prices and shipping prices vary by reseller and by the country of residence. Since we do not sell rail passes ourselves, I can’t help directly. I would suggest to contact the reseller to find out whether there are other shipping options (but please don’t count on it). Our partner Switzerland Travel Centre is charging CHF 30.50 for shipping to the Philippines. I’m not sure where you found a price of CHF 85? The Swiss Card can be purchased at the rail station of Zurich airport as well.

    Enjoy your stay!

  • The thread ‘Swiss Card- purchase ahead or not?’ is closed to new replies.

About MySwissAlps

We’re passionate tourists and locals. We share tips about how to plan a trip to Switzerland. MySwissAlps was founded in 2002.

Get a free account for a worry-free trip

  • Join our 10730 members and ask us questions in the forum
  • Access to member-only promotions
  • Detailed maps and weather forecasts

Planning your first Switzerland adventure?

Get a jump-start with Annika’s 20-minute e-mail course, “Switzerland for beginners”. Subscribe to our newsletter to unlock the course.