Swiss Half Fare Card

The Swiss Half Fare Card is ideal for motorists and anyone else who plans to make short trips using funiculars, mountain lifts and other public transportation. You only pay half the normal price for train, bus, boat and many gondolas, funiculars and mountain trains during one month. Your children travel along for free. Moreover, you will receive a discount on urban transportation in a number of towns. The Swiss Half Fare Card is valid for nearly all trains, including special trains such as the Glacier Express, Bernina Express, Heidi Express and Mont Blanc Express. The same applies to bus services: the Swiss Half Fare Card is valid for about all buses, but on some special routes, a surcharge (Alpine Ticket) or a seat reservation is required.

View other Swiss rail passes

Swiss Half Fare Card features

• valid for 1 month.
  Overview of the network on which the Swiss Half Fare Card is valid © SBB;
• a 50% discount applies on travelling by train (1st or 2nd class), bus and boat;
• a 50% discount applies on most gondolas, funiculars and mountain trains;
• a 50% discount applies on urban transportation in several towns, including Basel, Bern, Geneva, Lucerne, Winterthur and Zürich;
• also valid on several lines in surrounding countries: Basel - EuroAirport (France), Martigny - Chamonix Mont Blanc (France), Brig - Domodossola (Italy) - Locarno via the Centovalli railway, Lugano - Chiavenna (Italy) - St. Moritz, Lugano - Tirano (Italy), Zernez - Malles (Italy), Buchs/Sargans - Liechtenstein - Feldkirch (Austria);
• at any time, an additional day card can be purchased allowing 1 day of free travelling;
• various discounts on guided city tours in Basel, Bern, Geneva, Lausanne, Lucerne, Schaffhausen and Zürich;
• various discounts at several hotel chains, including "Hotels with a Bookmark", Swiss Backpackers and Minotel;
• with the STS Family Card, children, stepchildren and foster children from 6 up to and including 15 years old travel for free if accompanied by at least one of their parents. The STS Family Card can be supplied with your order for free;
• a 50% discount applies on tickets for children from 6 up to and including 15 years old who are not accompanied by either of their parents. You do not have to purchase a Swiss Half Fare Card for them;
• children up to and including 5 years old (family and non-family) travel for free if accompanied by an adult, unless you want to reserve seats for them in special trains, such as the Glacier Express. This applies to a maximum of 4 children per adult.

Not included in the Swiss Half Fare Card

• seat reservations and surcharges.

Please note that services not listed above are not necessarily included in the pass. If you need any services that are not included in the Swiss Half Fare Card, please review the alternative rail passes.

Alternatives to the Swiss Half Fare Card

Is the Swiss Half Fare Card not exactly what you are looking for? The following rail passes might fit your needs:

• Swiss Transfer Ticket: if you just need a return ticket to your destination;
• Swiss Card: if you want discounted travel, but also a return trip to your destination;
• Swiss Flexi Pass: if you intend to visit more than one region. The Swiss Flexi Pass provides unlimited travel on a couple of days and discounts on tickets you purchase on the remaining days;
• Point to point tickets: if you will only make a few trips;
• View all Swiss rail passes.

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How to purchase a Swiss Half Fare Card

• Prices and purchase options for the Swiss Half Fare Card can be found in the upper right corner of this page;
• The Swiss Half Fare Card can be purchased at larger train station in Switzerland as well;
• The Swiss Half Fare Card can not be purchased by residents of Switzerland and Liechtenstein;
• When you purchase a Swiss Half Fare Card, you need to posses the passport or identity document that you will take along while travelling. A separate passport photo is not required.

More about the Swiss Half Fare Card

• Overview of the network on which the Swiss Half Fare Card is valid © SBB
• Timetable for Switzerland
• Seat reservations and surcharges
• For an exact quote on the price of rail passes for your party, please enter the order system listed under "How to purchase a Swiss Half Fare Card". You don't have to pay until you have confirmed your order.

Where to buy your Swiss Half Fare Card