[Removed user]

23 January 2011 at 23:10:31 #804096

Dear Annika,
Is the 5-day swiss pass (2 kids travel free) similar to Half-fare travelcard 1/2/3 years?

I would like to book:
Paris – Basel – Interlaken
Lucerne – Salzburg
1. Which areas are covered under the 5-day swiss pass?
2. What will be the cost if i purchase rail pass for 2 adults & 2 children (kids travel free) for the above itenary?
3. Can I book the itenary from sbb.ch chosing the half-fare travelcard option if i have the 5 day swiss pass?
4. Will it benefit in terms of cost if i purchase an additional junior card for CHF 20?

Looking forward to your expert advice

[Arno]

24 January 2011 at 2:47:32 #832107

Hi Woody,

I’m not Annika, but I’m going to try to answer your questions anyway 😉

The Half Fare Card for 1, 2 or 3 years as offered by the SBB is similar to the one month Swiss Half Fare Card which is usually sufficient for tourists. Both provide 50% discounts throughout Switzerland. The Swiss Pass is different and offers free traveling on 4, 8, 15, 22 days or 1 month. There is no 5-day Swiss Pass available.

As for your further questions:
1. Please see the map we link to from the Swiss Pass page. The short answer is that the entire country is covered: regular trains, buses, boats and urban transport is free. Mountain transportation is discounted by 50%.
2. The timetable allows you to lookup the prices. The Swiss portions of the trip are free (Swiss Pass) or discounted (Swiss Half Fare Card). In order to see the fares when traveling with those passes, choose “GA 1 year” (Swiss Pass) or “Half-fare travelcard 1/2/3 year” (Swiss Half Fare Card) when asked for.
3. See answer 2.
4. No, in both cases you should just order along the Swiss Family Card in order to let your kids travel for free. Please note that if the Swiss Family Card cannot be ordered along with your Swiss Pass or Swiss Half Fare Card (some resellers cannot provide it), you can just get one for free at any manned train station in Switzerland.

[Removed user]

24 January 2011 at 2:52:40 #832108

Thanks Arno.
Just to reiterate that I understood. I can book Paris – Basel chosing GA 1 year of “Half-fare travelcard 1/2/3 year” which is similar to the Swiss Family Pass I have (the agent has given me 2 travel passes for the adults and stated that both my children will travel free).

[Arno]

24 January 2011 at 12:29:24 #832109

Hi Woody,

I pointed out the way to purchase tickets from a town outside of Switzerland to any town inside Switzerland; it allows you to purchase one ticket for the entire journey and get the appropiate discounts for the Swiss portion of the trip. As Basel is a Swiss town on the French-Swiss border, a trip Paris – Basel is in fact just a trip in France. Swiss rail passes are not relevant for that trip.

Only trips including a Swiss portion would require you to fill out “GA 1 year” or “Half-fare travelcard 1/2/3 year”, whichever is appropiate.

[Removed user]

24 January 2011 at 23:32:55 #832110

Thanks for the clarification Arno
appreciate it