15485 posts
Hi Den,
Validation is a thing of the past mostly, that needed to be done once before your very first trip. You may have read that in an old forum post. Nowadays you’ll receive your pass via e-mail and print it at home. You simply board the train and only show the pass on request, which is during the ride and not when boarding. Please find all up to date information here: http://www.myswissalps.com/sw isstravelpass/howtouse.
Purchase options are listed here: http://www.myswissalps.com/sw isstravelpass/price
Fines will be in CHF, not Euro’s, but you won’t be fined with a valid Swiss Travel Pass.
Enjoy your trips!
72625 posts
We just returned from Switzerland. We bought our Swiss Travel Passes at the tourist location at the Zurich train station (instead of online) and let me tell you (1) well worth it and (2) only ONE TIME in four days did anyone ever ask us for our train ticket! We rode the train many times, hopped a boat in Thun (we showed the pass there just so we didn’t have to pay) but I was shocked that we almost go through the whole trip and nobody asked to see it! Just my two cents.
72625 posts
We were asked each time for tickets or Swiss Travel Pass in May. On our first trip we were asked to show our passports also.
I read we needed a valid ticket or pass to transport luggage ahead to another train station, but were not asked to provide it.
72625 posts
I think I made 1 trip to Luzern where I wasn’t asked to show my ticket which I was surprised at.
But to be asked only once in 4 days of travel is indeed very strange!