Does the Swiss Travel Pass include urban transport as well?
A traveler is planning a trip to Switzerland, arriving in Basel at the end of September. They are looking for advice on what to do in case of bad weather, particularly regarding activities in Basel, Interlaken, Lucerne, and Lugano, while also inquiring about the coverage of the Swiss Travel Pass for local transport.
- The Swiss Travel Pass covers buses and trams in cities including Bern and Basel, making travel easy and flexible.
- If the weather is bad, consider boat trips on the lakes or visit museums in cities like Basel and Interlaken for indoor activities.
- For sunny days, take advantage of the Swiss Travel Pass’s coverage for alternate destinations like Locarno and Lugano, and consider scenic trains instead of faster ones.
AI-generated summary-
Does swiss travel pass covers also bus/tram in cities like Bern for example?
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Yes
And that is one of the reasons why the the Swiss Travel Pass, far from being ‘pricey’, is in fact priceless (https://www.myswissalps.com/travel-ticket/swiss-travel-pass/). On arriving in any Swiss town or city you can just hop on any bus or tram. No messing around while you decide which ticket to buy.
As is constantly being emphasized on this forum, and elsewhere, the STP is valid on all Swiss public transport except purely tourist lines. (Public transport is ‘Not Just Trains’.)
Happy travelling on buses, trolleybuses, boats, trams and (I nearly forgot!) the occasional train.
Roger
Further to my previous reply, I notice from your previous threads that you are likely to be flying to or from Basel airport. I would therefore stress that your STP will be valid on the route 50 bus between the airport and the SBB station. And that is so even though the airport is on French territory!
In April this year I used my STP on Basel route 50. I was NOT flying to/from Basel. I just wanted to try out the new high-tech buses used on this route! They are battery-electric low-floor single decks – 25 metres long! And just hop on the bus using any door. (I think that there are five! No need to show your STP to anyone, unless an inspector gets on and asks to see everyone’s tickets.)
Happy travelling
Roger
Got it!
By the way the final plan is:
26 Sep: arrive in Basel at 14:30. Really bad weather -> no idea what to do in the afternoon. Night in Basel or Interlaken.
27 Sep: Brienzer Rothorn but due to the railway issues I’m thinking about Murren. But with 12 degrees max temp and 90% chance of rain -> I’m not sure it’s the best option. Night in Lucerne.
28 Sep: Rigi/Pilatus but of course it will rain again all the day so no idea what to do. Night in Lucerne.
29 Sep: Visit Zurich & Something else, transfer and night in Chur.
30 Sep: Chur – Tirano – Milano – Home
Any advice is welcome 🙂
Teo
Very much out of the top of my head.
26 Go to Interlaken via Bern, making sure that you have got overnight accommodation in Interlaken or nearby.
27 If weather bad, confine yourself to the boats on the lakes, and/or no higher than Murren and/or Wengen. Remember STP valid up to those villages, but not above.
In afternoon go on to Lucerne. There are rail replacement buses from Interlaken (and Brienz) to Meiringen. Train from Meiringen to Lucerne.
28 Boat on Lake Lucerne. Unless the weather is dire, go up Rigi from Vitznau and/or Klewenalp from Beckenried. Exceptionally, these mountain lines are free with STP. (Forget Pilatus – only 50% discount with STP.)
29 Suggest you only take a decision when you see the weather forecast. Rush to the mountains if the weather is good.
30 Has to be as planned.
But remember the enormous flexibility the STP gives you. That is crucial to what you do 26-29 September
Best wishes
Roger
True, most of the plan is yours and Annika 🙂
Thanks again!
I see that Lugano will be the only sunny area on Saturday and it’s just 1:40h ride from Lucerne.
Any suggestions for this part of the country?
The IC2, IC21, and EC trains take only 1h 40mins because they go through the longest railway tunnel in the world (57 kms). the ‘Gotthard BASE tunnel’ You miss a LOT of scenery.
I SUGGEST the following.
If you leave Lucerne at 07 18 on the IR26 ‘Treno Gottardo’, that train takes the old ‘Panorama’ line via Airolo, and gets to LOCARNO on Lake Maggiore at 10 27.
Locarno is smaller than bustling Lugano. STP valid on all local buses; on the boats it is valid only on the local Swiss boats to Brissago and Magladino. When you have had enough of Locarno, catch the RE80 train to Lugano. Trains run at 22 and 52 minutes past each hour, take 32 minutes.
At Lugano your STP is valid on the little funicular down to the city centre, all the local buses, and on all the boats on Lake Lugano.
Return from Lugano through the BASE tunnel on a fast IC21, IC2, or EC train. These fast trains leave Lugano at 02 and 30 past each hour. But note most northbound departures will be bound for Zurich; for Lucerne you will usually need to change at Arth-Goldau.
Best wishes for your Swiss travels.
Roger
Hi Teo17,
To add to Roger’s helpful replies.
Firstly weather wise, unfortunately weather tomorrow is pretty rainy all over Switzerland. I am unsure if you are familiar with Basel but you may find some ‘all-weather’ activities to do there – visit one of the many museums, sightsee the city via the trams. If it’s not too heavy, grab an umbrella and just wander the city.
Additional Basel activities can be found here in our Basel travel guide:
Should you head to Interlaken, again if the rain is not too heavy, a boat trip on either Lake Brienz or Lake Thun could be enjoyed. Thun itself is lovely, there is Thun castle (entrance is included with a Swiss Travel Pass). More information in our Interlaken guide here, there’s a section on “Bad-weather activities” for more ideas:
In Zurich, if you like enjoy cycling events, the UCI Cycling and Para-Cycling World Championships are currently being held this week, with the last day being Sunday 29th. However, if you were planning on sightseeing the city, getting around central Zurich is rather tricky at the moment, with many diversions on the tram/bus routes. That said, visiting Uetliberg and visiting the Lindt factory in Kilchberg is still doable. Our Zurich guide can be found below:
For visits to Locarno and Lugano, handy information about these two towns can be found in our Ticino guide:
Also, you can download the Swiss Travel Pass coverage map in the link below. Here you will be able to see all the modes of transport that are included:
Wishing you a great trip ahead. As Roger mentions, keep tabs on the weather forecast (https://www.myswissalps.com/planning/practical/weather/forecast/). You may find, there are breaks with no rain and having the Swiss Travel Pass will allow the flexibility to travel elsewhere.
Kind regards,
Yolanda
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