[Anonymous]

13 March 2022 at 15:38:05 #826649

family of 4 from us (2 adults, 16 and 14 yr old) coming to Switzerland in mid-June 2022. Looking at the 4 day swiss pass and have a few questions. Question #1 – Can you get the child-companion travel pass ahead of time or is that only available in stations in Switzerland because of passport photos needed.

In addition to the Swiss pass I noted above on the 1st and last day of trip going to purchase direct super saver tickets from Zurich to Lucerne and back from Lauterbrunnen to Zurich respectively.

Question #2- Lastly how long if I need to get the co-travel pass for my 14 yr at the train station should I give myself if arrive at 10:15 on flight to Zurich to collect our bags, go to train station to get pass before trying to board the 11:38 out to Lucerne? Logistics is always fun.

Question #3 – Since I can purchase those saver tickets some 60-days in advance do I need to have the Child C0-Travel pass in hand or already purchases to get those discounted direct tickets for my under 14 year old I noted above?

Thanks in advance for your help – Bill

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[Annika]

Reply 1 of 8 • 13 March 2022 at 16:18:13 #939486

Hello Bill, thanks for joining MySwissAlps!

So you’re looking at the Children’s Co-Travelcard for the days on which you don’t have a valid Swiss Travel Pass, right? Assuming the 14-year old you’re traveling with is your own child, it’s the Junior travelcard you can use. Please refer to http://www.myswissalps.com/train/ticketspasses/practical/discounts and http://www.myswissalps.com/juniortravelcard. Both the Children’s Co-Travelcard and the Junior travelcard should be purchased on a railway station in Switzerland. They don’t request a passport photo for these products, but you do need to bring along your own passports and official identification showing the child’s date of birth.

It’s hard to predict how long you’ll need after your flight has landed. To be honest, I wouldn’t get Supersaver tickets for trains that have to be caught after a flight. If any form of delay occurs and you miss your train, you’ve can’t use your Supersaver ticket anymore, as it’s valid for that specific train only. Moreover, it’s not guaranteed that a Supersaver ticket will be available. Please read about these restrictions at https://www.myswissalps.com/traintickets/switzerland.

In order to simplify things, you may look into a 6-day Swiss Travel Pass instead: https://www.myswissalps.com/swisstravelpass. This will cover all of your travel days. The 14-year old can travel along for free on all days. You won’t need additional regular or Supersaver tickets, nor a Junior travelcard or Children’s Co-travelcard. And you won’t be tied to specific trains, but you can just hop on and off whenever it suits you.

I even think it’s cheaper than your current plans. The price difference between a 4-day and 6-day Swiss Travel Pass is CHF 78 (2nd class). To give you an impression of what you’d pay on your first and last travel day without a valid Swiss Travel Pass:

• A normal ticket Zurich Airport-Lucerne costs CHF 30 (2nd class). Supersaver fares, if available, might be about CHF 21.
• A normal ticket Lauterbrunnen-Zurich Airpost costs CHF 81.60. Supersaver fares, if available, might be CHF 59. Or you could get a Saver Day Pass. Its lowest possible price is CHF 52, but that’s not guaranteed: https://www.myswissalps.com/saverdaypass.
• A Junior travelcard costs CHF 30.

So my advise would be to get 6-day Swiss Travel Passes for the adults, a 6-day Swiss Travel Pass Youth for the 16-year old, and a free Swiss Family Card for the 14-year old. You can buy all these products online in advance through https://www.myswissalps.com/swisstravelpass/price.

I hope this helps!

[User]

Reply 2 of 8 • 13 March 2022 at 17:05:57 #939487

That was outstanding advice Annika. I went back through my fuzz math and agree with you that the 6th day seems to be a better value with greater flexibility for around similar pricing overall. The challenge now is our 1 day where we wanted to go 1 day to the Top of Europe – JUNGFRAUJOCH trip. I was looking at one point the alternative of the Regional-Pass Berner Oberland pass because most of our 4 days are packed into this area and their much cheaper special priced ticket of $0 for the 14 yr old and $99 for each of 3 adults in our part vs the extra costs on the Swiss pass when even discounted. Not sure what day and weather we would want to go up so an adv purchase for that excusion is expensive. Can I book that trip later when buying the Swiss pass say now? Any advantages as well to buying the swiss pass while in US vs at train station in the airport in Zurich before arrival?

Thanks – Bill

[Annika]

Reply 3 of 8 • 13 March 2022 at 19:11:18 #939488

Hi Bill,

The Regional-Pass Bernese Oberland provides good coverage indeed: https://www.myswissalps.com/regionalpassberneseoberland. It’s worth your consideration, but you’d have to do detailed math to find out whether it’s the best choice. This process is explained at https://www.myswissalps.com/train/ticketspasses/practical/chooserailpass. The main advantage of the Swiss Travel Pass is its nation-wide coverage. If weather isn’t great around your base town and better in another region, you can get there without any efforts.

Sure, you can get additional tickets later, even at the spot right before boarding. For Jungfraujoch I’d advise to wait until you’re sure that weather is good enough to enjoy the views at the top. More information about Jungfraujoch tickets is here: https://www.myswissalps.com/jungfraujoch. I think it’s a wonderful experience, but if you’re in doubt because of the price, there are plenty of other great scenic trips in the Jungfrau region: https://www.myswissalps.com/jungfrauregion/activities, and in the wider Bernese Oberland: https://www.myswissalps.com/berneseoberland/activities.

In general it’s much easier (and sometimes even cheaper) to get your rail pass online in advance: http://www.myswissalps.com/train/ticketspasses/practical/wheretobuy.

Have fun preparing, and let us know if you have further questions!

[User]

Reply 4 of 8 • 14 March 2022 at 0:30:15 #939489

Thanks again Annika. Besides buying a pass for my 14yr old on my Swiss Pass Account. Is it better for my 16 yr old and wife to each buy their own under their own account to make boarding easier for all involved. Any tricks or recommendation regarding that? Again thanks so much for the detailed responses and assistance. Your time is greatly appreciated – Bill

[Anna]

Reply 5 of 8 • 14 March 2022 at 7:31:22 #939490

Hi Bill,

Getting on the trains is very simple here. There are no gates to go through, you don’t even need to present a ticket to board a train. You simply get on a train, find a seat and enjoy your trip. Sometime during your journey a train/ticket inspector might come around and this is when you are obligated to show your valid tickets and/or railpass (either printed or on your mobile).

Useful info about travelling with Swiss trains: http://www.myswissalps.com/train/practical/howtotravel

Regards,

Anna

[Annika]

Reply 6 of 8 • 15 March 2022 at 10:18:18 #939491

Hi Bill,

As a tourist, you don’t need a SwissPass or a SwissPass account. It’s confusing because the names look a lot alike, but you only need the Swiss Travel Pass and there’s no account required to purchase that. Please find purchase options for the Swiss Travel Pass, Swiss Travel Pass Youth and Swiss Family Card here: https://www.myswissalps.com/swisstravelpass/price.

Information about the difference between the SwissPass and Swiss Travel Pass is available here: https://www.myswissalps.com/train/ticketspasses/practical/swisspass.

[User]

Reply 7 of 8 • 15 March 2022 at 12:50:36 #939492

Thanks Annika. Is there a better time of the yr to buy the pass – any sales? We are traveling as I noted previously mid-June this summer so was just wondering based on historical trends. I see there was a cancellation policy up to 4 days prior with the Switzerland Tourist Centre but when I read the terms and conditions it seemed substantial without if we were need to evoke that on our trip unfortunately so now I am leaning purchasing upon arrival at the train station in Zurich.

[Anna]

Reply 8 of 8 • 15 March 2022 at 13:43:13 #939493

Hi Bill,

You can certainly purchase the Swiss Travel Pass at the station upon arrival. The advantage of advance purchase is that you can skip the line at the ticket counter and head straight to your destination.

Currently there is no promotion on the Swiss Travel Pass.

Regards,

Anna