[Ebyrud]

8 January 2020 at 18:00:30 #824831

Can I get a discount for swiss train tickets because I am old (69 years) ?

Erik, Norway

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[User]

Reply 1 of 6 • 8 January 2020 at 18:30:39 #927674

Hi Erik and welcome to MySwissAlps!

Unfortunately there is no senior discount on the Swiss rail passes or tickets. You can see the available discounts options at http://www.myswissalps.com/train/ticketspasses/practical/discounts.

If you already know your itinerary, have a look at http://www.myswissalps.com/train/ticketspasses/practical/chooserailpass, where you’ll find a useful guide with a calculation spreadsheet, which helps you to choose your rail pass. The downloadable spreadsheet also includes links to the “Where it’s valid” page for all available passes, be sure to study it carefully. With a good rail pass you can save lots of money. It worths to check it.

Ildiko

[rockoyster]

Reply 2 of 6 • 8 January 2020 at 21:29:03 #927675

Hi Erik,

There are no discounts on tickets or passes for seniors.

[Mark]

Reply 3 of 6 • 9 January 2020 at 2:24:18 #927676

Hi Erik

since I’m 66 I would not say 69 is old. In the US we would say 69 is the new 50. Besides we in the US think everyone in Norway is blond and healthy and probably skis to work.

But I, like you, always ask if there is a senior discount.

Mark

[JohnYorks]

Reply 4 of 6 • 9 January 2020 at 10:17:57 #927677

Hi Ebyrud

It’s not strictly correct to say there are no discounts for Swiss train tickets for seniors (or, at least, for Swiss rail travel).

Interrail offers a substantial senior discount – about 10% off their freedom tickets – to residents of European countries. There are broadly two offerings – single country tickets (eg Switzerland) and ‘Global’ tickets (actually, not global at all, but 33 countries in Europe in one ticket). So you can buy a global ticket and travel all the way from Scandinavia to Switzerland, Finland, Italy, Portugal and a host of other countries in the scheme. You are limited to one out-and-back ticket in your own country of residence.

There are limitations – you have to pay a supplement on faster trains in some countries (especially France), but Switzerland is almost entirely supplement-free, except for a few touristy panorama trains. Interrail is accepted on maybe 95% of trains in Switzerland (which is a heck of a lot!), but excludes the Jungfrau mountain lines south of Interlaken, other high-mountain lifts and railways and some city / metro services, and also doesn’t include the extensive bus network. Generally, if there’s a resident population in Switzerland and a train to it, it will be free on your Interrail ticket.

But there are huge advantages. There are many permutations of available ticket, and the longer your chosen period, the more ridiculously cheap it becomes. For instance, at current rates in British pounds, a 15-day all-Europe ticket is £343, 22 days £401, 1 month £519 and 2 months £568. There is even now a 3 months Interrail ticket at little more than the 2 month. There are also tickets that allow rest days with no travel.

Interrail has recently been offering a further ‘sale’ discount of 10% – a hidden disadvantage to that is that the company will not accept cancellation or return payment in this extra offer.

I enjoyed a 22 day Global ticket in 2018, and apart from UK-Switzerland journeys and wonderful quick trips into Italy and Austria, spent most of it in Switzerland. I was never short of fantastic places to go or felt restricted by the limitations such as no bus rides. In fact, using the ticket very extensively enabled me to venture off the more trodden tourist tracks to discover real gems – the local services on the Bernina line, Appenzell, French-speaking Switzerland in the Jura, around St Croix and into the mountains behind Aigle. In fact there were so many places still unvisited that I plan another Interrail ticket in 2020. I also discovered that travelling slow and easy made me realise that Switzerland is a huge country, packed into a small space.

Using the ticket is a piece of cake!

And as I was 71 during my 2018 trip, I was definitely not too old to have my ‘Gap Year’ – or rather, ‘Gap 22 days’.

Best wishes

John

[Ebyrud]

Reply 5 of 6 • 9 January 2020 at 10:57:42 #927678

Hi John

Thank You for very good information for Interrail tickets. I think that type of trainticket will be the best for me. I have been in Switzerland earlier and love the country. Thank You.

Erik

[User]

Reply 6 of 6 • 9 January 2020 at 17:18:58 #927679

Hi there,

John, thank you for the correction, yes, you are right. Interrail Switzerland and Interrail Global Pass do give discount to Seniors (60+) and also Youths (12-27).

Erik, you can read about these rail passes at http://www.myswissalps.com/interrailglobalpass and at http://www.myswissalps.com/interrailswitzerlandpass/. You can also see the prices under the label “Price”, where you also have the opportunity to buy them.See their validity map under “Where is it valid”.

Ildiko