Do Swiss train ticket prices go up closer to date?
A traveler plans a trip to Switzerland and seeks advice about train tickets. They're taking several train segments, including from Zurich to Lucerne and Interlaken to Zermatt. The traveler wants to know if train fares increase as the date approaches or if they can wait until the day before to book tickets.
- Regular Swiss train tickets stay the same price throughout the year, changing only when the timetable is updated in December.
- The Swiss Half Fare Card allows you to book tickets at a 50% discount, so no need to worry about rising prices for standard train tickets.
AI-generated summary-
I’m a month out to the start of my trip to Switzerland. Based on advice I got here about the mountain trains (Jungfraujoch, Schilthorn etc.) I decided to defer buying those train tickets until I get to Interlaken so that I can make a more informed decision based on the weather etc. This makes sense but I also noticed that these prices on the jungfrau website are fixed and do not change the closer you get to the date.
I also have inter city trains that I am taking, here are my segments:
Zurich Flughafen to Lucerne
Luzern to Interlaken
Various trains in the Interlaken area that aren’t covered by the local free pass (Harder Kulm, Schiniyge Platte etc.)
Interlaken to Bern
Interlaken to Zermatt
Zermatt to St. Moritz (Glacier express already booked so disregard this segment)
St. Moritz to Zurich
Question: I got some conflicting info from a YouTube channel that train fares rise steeply as the date approaches. However, when I check on sbb for a few days from now I don’t find this to be true. Do I need to be booking these segments now to save a lot of money or can I simply book my train ticket the day prior to my departure when I am in Switzerland ?
I don’t have a pass but have a Half Fare card so I need to book each of my segments individually.
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Hi Johnny4111,
Regular Swiss train tickets have the same price all year. They change only once a year, when the Swiss timetable is updated around mid-December.
There are some special types of tickets though, for which prices can go up the closer you get to the travel date. The main ones are the Saver Day Pass and the Supersaver ticket (the latter ones aren’t always available).
The type of tickets and their pricing conditions are explained at
Our timetable guide explains how to find standard fares in the timetable. Since you’ll be having a Swiss Half Fare Card, you don’t have to change the 50% discounted price that’s displayed by default. Please see “How to find standard ticket prices, option 2: advanced timetable website” at http://www.myswissalps.com/timetable.
Does that help you out?
got it, thank you very much, this indeed confirm it for me
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