Swiss HF Card for me?

  • Removed user
    Participant
    72625 posts
    4 August 2011 at 9:06:43 #804547

    I’m traveling to Switzerland and Italy for two weeks this September and I’m trying to figure out the best rail package. I’m flying into Zurich, spending 5 nights in Muerren, then training over to Venice for the Italy leg of my trip. Will a Swiss HF card be valid on all trains I’ll be taking between Zurich and Venice? I think these will be:

    * Zurich airport to Interlaken
    * Interlaken area trains/cable cars/funicular/etc while we’re staying in Muerren and touristing the region
    * Interlaken to Venice

    Thanks in advance!

    -Jason

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

    Arno
    Moderator
    15471 posts
    4 August 2011 at 14:41:14 #833675

    Hi Jason,

    The Regional-Pass Bernese Oberland would be an interesting option for you, especially now that it is on sale. Please check the network map to see what sections of your inbound and outbound trip will be covered by that pass.

    If you don’t need all the features of the Regional-Pass Bernese Oberland (such as free travel days), an alternative would be the Swiss Card.

    Removed user
    Participant
    72625 posts
    4 August 2011 at 14:56:17 #833676

    Hi Arno,

    Thanks for the quick response! I’m a little confused however…

    The regional pass would cover most of our travel within the Interlaken region (sounds like I’d still have to pay for the Jungfrau train but it would be discounted). We’d still have to buy our Zurich->Interlaken and Interlaken->Venice tickets at full price, right? Also, it says the 7 day pass has 3 days of free travel and the rest are discounted. So If we’re in Muerren for 5 days, 2 of those days we’d still be buying our tickets (but at a discount). Does that about sum that pass up?

    As for the Swiss Card, by the description it sounds like a Swiss HF pass but it includes free transit from the airport to our location (Muerren). It says “round trip” transportation but since we’re leaving via Venice (not Zurich) I assume we’d still have to buy that at full price. Is that all correct?

    I’m also wondering, when we travel from Interlaken to Venice, is that a single train ticket (that can be subject to a discount) or is it multiple train tickets that changes when we cross the Italy border?

    Thanks!

    -Jason

    Arno
    Moderator
    15471 posts
    4 August 2011 at 15:47:48 #833677

    Hi Jason,

    Zurich – Mürren and Mürren – Venice are partly discounted, or partly free if you choose to use a free travel day for those trips. You can check the network map for details. The easiest way to obtain these specific tickets is to buy them locally. The rail personal can issue a ticket for each trip, taking into account free and discounted sections along the way.

    As for the other option: the Swiss Card covers free traveling from any point of entry to any town, and from any town to any point of exit. In your case: Zurich – Mürren and Mürren – Swiss border. The network map on the Swiss Card page shows the details.

    Please note that you probably need a seat reservation for the train crossing the border into Italy. You can best arrange for that well in advance.

  • The thread ‘Swiss HF Card for me?’ 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.