[Anonymous]

18 August 2010 at 20:24:59 #803966

Hi,
I am confused which one to choose between “Swiss Card Vs. Swiss Saver Pass Vs. Swiss Half-Fare Card”, please help me out to decide.

Travelers: 1 Adult and 1 Youth

Day 1: Paris – Bern (1-way)
Day 2: Bern local tour
Day 3: Bern – Interlaken (1-way morning and hotel check-in)
Day 3: Interlaken – Lauterbrunnel – Interlaken (2-way)
Day 4: Interlaken – Jungfraubahn – Interlaken (2-way)
Day 5: Interlaken – Grindelwald – Interlaken (2-way)
Day 5: Take Lake Brienze Cruise in Interlaken
Day 6: Interlaken – Schilthorn – Interlaken (2-way)
Day 7: Interlaken – Luzern (1-way morning)
Day 7: Luzern – Mt Titlis – Luzern (2-way)
Day 7: Luzern – Zurich Airport (1-way evening)

1. Which one is best in my case out of 3 passes ?
2. If Swiss Half Fare Card is preferred, Can i buy tickets with 50% discount online ?
3. Should i take tickets at the station or online ?
3. Which website is best to book tickets online with the swiss pass or half fare card?

Thanks in advance
Aj.

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[Annika]

Reply 1 of 3 • 19 August 2010 at 2:45:47 #831715

Hello aklbudati! In your case, a Swiss Half Fare Card is the cheapest solution. A Swiss Pass is less cost effective, but will still save you over CHF 120.00 per person compared with buying regular tickets for the trips you mention. (Just a little note: a Swiss Card doesn’t come in handy here, as it offers a free trip from the border or airport to your destination and back. Both sections in your case, between the border and Bern, and then again between Lucerne and Zurich Airport, are too short and inexpensive to make the Swiss Card a cost effective option.)

The Swiss Pass offers a more convenient way of travelling than the Swiss Half Fare Card, as you don’t have to purchase tickets for each train and boat journey. The Swiss Half Fare Card does require you to purchase discounted tickets for each trip. These discounted tickets don’t have to be purchased online. You can buy them at the spot before boarding, from ticketing machines or desks at the railway and cable car stations. Only the ticket from Paris to Bern should be booked online in advance, as it’s an international journey which requires seat reservation.

You can order your Swiss Half Fare Cards on the Swiss Half Fare Card page, by selecting your country under the header ‘Order your Swiss Half Fare Card here’ (be sure to click ‘Show more countries’).

Swiss passes can be ordered through the Swiss Pass page, following the same procedure as with the Swiss Half Fare Card. In fact, it would be best to purchase a Swiss Saver Pass for both the adult and the youth (as a combination of 1 regular Swiss Pass and 1 Swiss Youth Pass turns out to be more expensive than a Swiss Saver Pass for 2 people).

[User]

Reply 2 of 3 • 19 August 2010 at 20:46:24 #831716

Hi Moderator,
Thanks for the details, its really a great help.

As per your recommendation, i am going to buy Half Fare Card. When i am searching fares from Interlaken to Murren in sbb.ch/en website – i saw an offer “Murren – Schilthorn” 2-way pass/ticket for CHF35.70 with half fare card. Is it good to buy this also along with half fare card or take individual ticket with 50% disccount with half fare card? Now i went back to sbb.ch and i was unable to see the same offer – can you guide where to look at?

I also saw one offer from Interlaken-Jungfraubahn for CHF 83 2-way with half fare card. Shall i take this one also?

Thanks,
Aj.

[Annika]

Reply 3 of 3 • 21 August 2010 at 4:05:07 #831717

Hello Aj. I’m not able to find the Schilthorn offer at the SBB website. Maybe you’ve seen it at the Swiss Travel System website, from which you can order your Swiss Half Fare Cards? In any case, the offer is not cheaper than purchasing your reduced ticket at the spot.

As for the Jungfraujoch offer: I can’t retrace this one, but I think there’s a temporary error in the excursion list of the Swiss Travel System website (as the Schilthorn excursion is mentioned twice, whereas the Jungfraujoch excursion should probably be displayed there). The regular half-fare price for a return journey from Interlaken to Jungfraujoch is CHF 90.90, so the CHF 83.00 offer (if it turns up again) may be a special and cheaper offer.

So in all: yes, you could order along the tickets for Schilthorn and Jungfraujoch along with your Swiss Half Fare Cards. Please note though that you’ll have to enter a travel date for these tickets, and that the tickets will only be valid on these dates. This means that you won’t be able to adapt your travel plans to weather circumstances. If that doesn’t appeal to you, you can also purchase your discounted tickets at the spot before boarding. But if your itinerary is fixed anyway, it’s convenient to order these tickets along with your Swiss Half Fare Card order.