[Removed user]

7 June 2015 at 2:55:19 #807358

My husband and I are travelling by train from Geneva to Wengen this September. During our 5 days there we will mainly be walking. We then travel from Wengen to Milan. I am unsure what is the cheapest way to travel by train for these 2 journeys and whether a pass is the way to go. Thanks

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[Annika]

7 June 2015 at 6:06:48 #843671

Hello Juliek, welcome to MySwissAlps!

You can consider the Swiss Half Fare Card or the Swiss Transfer Ticket Combi. The first one offers 50% off of all tickets (train, cable car, etc.). The second one offers the same, but your transfers from Geneva to Wengen and Wengen to Domodossola (Swiss border) are included, so you don’t need tickets for these trips. You do need a ticket from Domodossola to Milan, please see here for that.

Kind regards,

Annika

[Removed user]

7 June 2015 at 12:03:52 #843672

Hi Annika

Thank-you SO much for your very helpful reply. We are looking forward so very much to visiting your beautiful country.

My first question is whether the Swiss transfer ticket combi includes the cost of the Swiss half fare card or do I need to buy it on top of the price of the transfer ticket combi?

I am also unsure about whether I should just buy the train fares through Rail Europe ( total cost $366) or whether there is a benefit that I as a non experienced Swiss train traveller cannot see to get the Swiss Transfer ticket for slightly more .

We are planning on doing quite a bit of walking when we are in Wengen, and so I am not sure whether we will need to allow for any train or other travel costs while there. Sorry that I am so vague,but it’s a little hard to envisage what we might need.😐

Kind regards, Julie

[kim11]

7 June 2015 at 16:45:43 #843673

>My first question is whether the Swiss transfer ticket combi includes the cost of the Swiss half fare card or do I need to buy it on top of the price of the transfer ticket combi?<

The Half Fare Card is a 60 CHF add-on to the Transfer Ticket. So STT Combi is 154 CHF + 60 CHF = 214 CHF in second class. In your case, the HFC alone is a slightly better price. HFC costs 120 CHF, then tickets Geneva to Wengen (43 CHF) and Wengen to Domodossola (35 CHF) totals 198 CHF with your 50% fare reduction.

>We are planning on doing quite a bit of walking when we are in Wengen, and so I am not sure whether we will need to allow for any train or other travel costs while there. Sorry that I am so vague,but it’s a little hard to envisage what we might need.<

You will definitely make use of much high mountain transport on a walking holiday in the Wengen area. Therefore a travel pass is a must to reduce the expense. We like the Half Fare Card the best and this seems to work well for the rest of your travel

There is no need to buy any tickets in advance. In fact, there are good reasons not to do so! If you buy in advance you are restricted to a certain train/date/time. If you walk up and buy on the spot you can take whatever trains(s) you want, including the ability to hop on and off at stops along the way should you wish. There is no price advantage to buying in advance. Ticket prices are fixed for the year in December. Occaisionally there are SuperSaver fares that come up for sale 2 weeks prior. However, there will not be any such offers in prime touring season to the most popular destinations!

You can buy your HFCs when you arrive in Geneva or through links on this site which does a good job of comparing the various different offers and prices. See http://www.myswissalps.com/sw isshalffarecard for HFC, for example.

For much more information on the region, here is a link to a document I have written based on my 18 trips there. http://www.myswissalps.com/fo rum/topic/tips-about-wengen-and-the-jungfrau-region-by-kim

Come back if you have further questions

Kim

[Removed user]

7 June 2015 at 23:22:56 #843674

Hi Kim

Thank-you SO very much for clarifying this more for us. Just a couple more questions- are you saying that we are better to not book our trips from Geneva to Wengen and from Wengen to Domodossola but should just buy the tickets on the day when we are ready to use them?

Also, is there any advantage to buying the HFC before we go or simply in Geneva?

Thanks so very much for the link to your document on your trips to this area. We are really looking forward to reading it!!

kind regards, Julie

[kim11]

8 June 2015 at 1:08:38 #843675

There is no reason to book your tickets Geneva – Wengen then Wengen Domodossola in advance. To do so does nothing but restrict you to the particular train and time that you purchase. The price will not be different.

The only advantage to buying the HFC before you arrive in Geneva is if you are coming in from far away and will be jet lagged, having the HFC in hand is one less thing you need to remember to do upon arrival! Otherwise just buy it there. UNLESS you are arriving in Geneva via train from somewhere and want to use your HFC to reduce the cost of your trip from the border station to Geneva. Then you need to have it in hand before you get to Geneva.

[Removed user]

8 June 2015 at 1:33:04 #843676

Wow Kim, your advice is superbly helpful!!!

Thank you so very much.

I look forward now to reading your document.

[Annika]

8 June 2015 at 5:25:17 #843677

Hi Juliek,

The Swiss Half Fare Card is available in Geneva, but I would recommend to buy it online. Apart from the advantage of having it in hand on arrival, it’s also the cheaper option. In your case you’ll save around € 21. You can see all purchase options at myswissalps.com/ swisshalffarecard/ price.

That page compares the basic pass prices, but another advantage (in most cases) of buying online is that you can pay in your own currency. That prevents banking fees, and being dependent on the exchange rate of the day if bought in Switzerland. It’s a common misunderstanding that online pass prices are the same as in Switzerland, plus shipping fees. The various points of sale offer different prices (and sometimes promotions, click ‘Discounts’ on that page). In some cases they also offer free shipping or print at home options. We created these ‘pass price pages’ to make it easy to see all the options.

Enjoy your stay in Switzerland! You’ll be visiting one of the most beautiful places of the Swiss Alps.

[Removed user]

8 June 2015 at 8:10:38 #843678

Thank-you so much Annika for your wonderful advice!!

This is a wonderful forum, I have already learnt SO much.

I am thrilled to be able to come to such a beautiful country.

[kim11]

8 June 2015 at 14:13:40 #843679

Annika,

Thank you for clearing up my misunderstanding. This is very valuable information indeed. I have made note of it and, in the future, will not perpetrate the “buy upon arrival” myth!