How does the Family Card work for mountain trips?
A traveler named shulien81 is planning a trip to Switzerland and wants to buy two half fare cards for themselves and a family card for their kids. They are curious if the family card can be used for mountain trips on Jungfrau and Titlis and what passes would be best for their itinerary which includes various locations like Lucerne and Zermatt.
- The Swiss Family Card allows children to travel for free on mountain transportation like Jungfraujoch and Titlis.
- The Swiss Half Fare Card is a great choice for travelers visiting multiple regions, especially if you have a car.
- It's best to check parking options and costs in advance while visiting different areas.
- Consider starting your mountain visits early in the day for clearer skies.
- Make sure to verify which passes apply to specific routes, especially in the Zermatt mountain areas.
AI-generated summary-
Hi
We plan to buy 2 half fare cards for my husband and for myself. I understand that with it the family card comes free which entitles children 6-11 to travel free if accompanied by an adult. What about Jungfrau and Titlis? Is the family card valid on these trains? Do the children get 50% reduction or free travel with family card for mountain trip please?
Thank you
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Hi shulien81,
The Swiss Family Card allows children to travel along for free on all routes, including mountain transportation such as the Jungfraujoch train and the Titlis cable car.
You can get both your Swiss Half Fare Cards and your Swiss Family Card online through one of the retailers listed here. The easiest option would be http://www.swissrailways.com, allowing you to receive online print at home passes without any additional shipping or handling fees.
Thank you Annika! We still undecided whether to go for Half Fare Card or Bernese Oberland Regional Pass. We will have our car with us and the plan itinerary is as below
Tuesday 12/7 – Drive to Lucerne from Colmar. Sightseeing Old Town and if we have time we plan to do Golden Round trip. Overnight in Lucerne (Radisson Blu)
Wednesday 13/7 – Check out from Radisson Blu and drive to Ballenberg Open Museum. Spend half a day there. Afterwards drive to Grindelwald. We will stay in Grindelwald for 3 nights (Hotel Bodmi)
Thursday 14/7 -Jungfraujoch (weather permitting) -half day. Then sightseeing Grindelwald
Friday 15/7 – Lauterbrunnen, Murren, Wengen (is this possible in one day?) – no hiking but mainly nature photography +/- Schilthorn
Saturday 16/7 – Check out from Hotel Bodmi early then drive to Lake Blausee. Spend couple of hours there then drive to Zermatt. Check in Chalet Hotel Schonegg in Zermatt. We will stay here for 3 nights. Sightseeing Zermatt after check in hotel.
Sunday 17/7 – Matterhorn (weather permitting but not sure how far is Gornegrat from the hotel – do we need to take train from Zermatt or just walk?). Is Klein Matterhorn doable on the same day too?
Monday 18/7 – Walk around maybe do easy trails with the kids.
Tuesday 19/7 – Check out from Chalet Hotel Zermatt then drive to Chillon castle. Spend couple of hours there (not planning to go inside the castle but mainly taking photos). Then from there drive to Reims for overnight stay before crossing the Eurotunnel the following day back to UK.
Which pass do you think would suits us best? I was thinking if we have some sort of pass we will park our car at the base hotel then travel around with public transport. Is it worth getting Tell Pass as well? Any advice would be very much appreciated. Thank you.
Hi shulien81,
A Swiss Half Fare Card makes most sense, as it’s valid throughout the country. You plan to visit several regions, so this is easier than purchasing several regional passes. And in the majority of cases the Swiss Half Fare Card is the best choice for those traveling with a car. Minimizing the amount of car traveling, leaving the car at your hotel/in your base town and enjoying local trips by public transportation, is a good plan. Mind to check parking options and costs in advance.
As for your further questions: yes, you can easily combine Schilthorn, Lauterbrunnen, Muerren and Wengen within one day. On most summer days, skies will be clearer in the early morning, so if you want to visit the Schilthorn it could make sense to do this first. This is just a general pattern though, and checking short term local weather forecasts is important.
The cog train to the Gornergrat leaves right next to Zermatt’s railway station. Please find information on our Gornergrat page.
Thank you Annika for your advice. May I ask you one more advice if thats ok please. I was just wondering is it possible to cover both Ballenberg open museum and Lucerne old town sightseeing in one day? We have two options so far
Option 1
Arrival day – stay in Lucerne for 1 night. Lucerne sight seeing.
Following day – check out from hotel in Lucerne then drive to Ballenberg open museum. Spend half day there then straight to Grindelwald (our 2 base for the next 3 nights)
Option 2
Arrival day – Lucerne sightseeing then to Ballenberg open museum. Drive to Grindelwald afterward and stay there for 4 nights.
which option is better do you think please? thank you
Another question is does the family card valid for travelling in Zermatt mountain areas? I read on the Zermatt website and it only mentions Junior Travelcard so I thought I check with you here. Thank you
(Junior and Grandchild Card benefits
Children up to the age of 16 travel free with the Junior and Grandchild travelcard when accompanied by a parent or grandparent – on all the transport facilities of Zermatt Bergbahnen. Furthermore, young people aged 10 to 16 benefit from a 50% price reduction)
Hi shulien81,
You could easily spend an entire day in the Ballenberg Open Air Museum. If you’re satisfied with a shorter visit too, the combination with sightseeing in Lucerne should be possible if you start early.
The Swiss Family Card is valid on all routes indicated on the STS rail pass validity map, as explained here. You could use the Swiss Half Fare Card validity map for details. As you’ll see, quite some mountain transportation around Zermatt is included, such as Gornergrat, Klein Matterhorn, Sunnegga and Schwarzsee.
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