[Removed user]

26 February 2013 at 7:58:48 #805832

Hi,

My husband & I will be travelling to Switzerland from 30Mar-2Apr13.
We are still confusing with the rail passes, e.g. Swiss Pass, Swiss Card & Half Fare Swiss Card.
Hope you can help.

Below will be our itenary, can you please advise which card will be more suitable for us?

30 Mar 13 – Stay in Bern
Paris – > Bern (TVG night train)

31 Mar13 – Stay in Interlaken
Bern – > Interlaken -> Brienz (Brienz Rothorn Bahn steam rail open on 31 Mar13?) – > Interlaken

01 Apr13 – Stay in Lucerne
Interlaken Ost – > Grindelwald -> Kleine Scheidegg -> Jungfraujoch -> Kleine Scheidegg -> Lauterbrunnen -> Interlaken West – > Lucerne

02 Apr13 – Lucerne to Milan

Appreciate your advice which card will be more suitable for us. Besides, we are from Singapore, where can we get the swiss pass, swiss card or half fare swiss card?

How should we use swiss card /half fare swiss card upon reaching Swiss? Do we still need to buy ticket at the ticket counter?

Thanks a lot for your reply!!

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[Annika]

26 February 2013 at 14:24:01 #838189

Hi Velrine. The most economical solution is a Swiss Half Fare Card. It allows a 50% discount on your trips in Switzerland. This means that you have to buy additional discounted tickets for all trips. You can do so before boarding at the railway stations, either at a manned desk or from a ticketing machine. As for your inbound trip: as far as I know, there are no night train from Paris to Bern. The journey takes about 5 hours, so you can also travel in late afternoon and the evening. You’ll have to change trains in Basel and you can buy your first discounted ticket there. Please consult the Swiss timetable for all connections. Details on the Swiss Half Fare Card can be found here. If you select Singapore as your country of residence in the upper right corner and provide further details, all purchase options will be displayed.

If you want to limit having to buy additional tickets, a 4 day Swiss Saver Pass would be best. You’d only need a regular ticket for Paris-Basel, a discounted ticket Wengen/Grindelwald-Jungfraujoch and a regular ticket for the Italian leg of your journey to Milan (up from Chiasso). More information, including a downloadable validity map and purchase options, can be found at the Swiss Pass page.

[Removed user]

27 February 2013 at 11:01:30 #838190

Hi Annika,

Thanks a lot for your reply. I think most probably we will buy Half-fare card after hearing your advise.

Need your further clarification on below:

1. Is that possible to buy Half Swiss Fare Card online & printed as E-Card ? Else, will we be a able to buy Half-Fare Swiss Card at Basel SBB (not airport) on 30 Mar 13 (Sat), Easter break, at the ticket counter?

2. Is ticket machine available for all the railway station (e.g Interlaken, Brienz) ? Our travelling period is in between Easter holiday, we are worrying prompt sales counter in swiss rail station will be closed.

3. Where can I get the ticket from Wengen/Grindelwald-Jungfraujoch? How many % (25% or 50%) discount if I am holding half fare swiss card?

4. Can you pls advise the price for the below route if I am holding [u]half fare card[/u]?
Paris – Basel
Basel -Bern
Bern – Interlaken
Interlaken – Brienz
Interlaken – Grindelwald
Grindelwald – Kleine Scheidegg – Jungfraujoch
Jungfraujoch – Kleine Scheidegg – Lauterbrunnen
Lauterbrunnen – Interlaken West
Interlaken Ost – Lucerne
Interlaken Ost – Lugano

Thanks again for your help.

[Annika]

27 February 2013 at 14:37:40 #838191

Hi Velrine! Yes, the Swiss Half Fare Card would be for sale at the Basel railway station. Opening hours can be found at the SBB website. Nearly all rail stations provide ticketing machines. You can buy your ticket to the Jungfraujoch from stations along the route, such as Interlaken, Wengen or Grindelwald. The trip is discounted by 50%. Please review the validity map (to be downloaded from the Swiss Half Fare Card page) for a full overview. Prices, both regular fares and the 50% variants, can be found through the timetable and at the Jungfrau railways website.

[Removed user]

4 March 2013 at 9:41:31 #838192

Swiss Pass (8 day saver) *

Half Fare card

no pass Day COST OF PASS : CHF 334.00 120.00 0.00 1 Interlaken >> Lauterbrunnen-1way 3.7 7.4 1 Lauterbrunnen>> Trummelbach Fall ? 1 0 0 2 Lauterbrunnen >> Wengen (1way) 0 3.3 6.6 2 Wengen >> Kleine Scheidegg (1way) 17.25 11.5 23 2 Kleine Scheidegg <-> Jungfraujoch-Rd trip 90 60 120 2 Kleine Scheidegg>>Grindelwald-1way 23.25 15.5 31 2 Grindelwald<-> First- Rd trip 42.75 28.5 57 2 Grindelwald >> Mannichen- 1 way 17.7 17.7 35.4 2 Mannichen >> Wengen- 1way 11.5 11.5 23 2 Wengen >> Lauterbrunnen- 1 way 0 3.3 6.6 3 Lauterbrunnen<-> Murren-Rd Trip 0 15.4 30.8 3 Murren,<-> Schilthorn-Rd trip 38.5 38.5 77 4 Lauterbrunne >>Interlaken-Rd trip 7.4 14.8 4 Interlaken >>Berns-Rd trip 0 31.2 62.4 4 Interlaken West >> Thun,Bahnhof 0 18.5 37 5 Interlaken >>Luzern 0 15.5 31 6 Luzern <-> Engelberg-Rd Trip 0 17.4 34.8 6 Engelberg<->Mt Titlis-Rd trip 43 43 86 7 Luzern < – > Zurich OR 0 7 Luzern < – >Pilatus ? 617.95 461.90 683.80

Hope the above helps. I am also planning a trip there in June and it took me many long hours to get this done ! Enjoy !!

[Removed user]

4 March 2013 at 9:45:52 #838193

Unfortunaely, there data from speadsheet that I have paste did not come out well. The following link are the ticket prices when you visit Jungfraujoch and suroundings .

http://www.jungfrau.ch/en/tourism/travel-information/tickets-fares/

As for the rest of ticket prices please visit the Swiss rail site at http://www.sbb.ch