[Anonymous]

21 April 2019 at 18:10:46 #821122

I am travelling with my wife at end of May for 8 days. I want to check if it is cheaper to buy individual tickets to all places individually or buy the SwissTravel Pass for my below iternary.

Day 1 : Arrive in Zurich – zurich sightseeing

Day 2 : The Rhine Falls – Day trip from Zurich, Travel to Grindelwald in evening

Day 3 : Day trip to Jungfraujoch – from Grindelwald

Day 4 : Day trip to Aare Gorge and Reichenbach Falls – from Grindelwald

Day 5 : TBD/ Grindelwald sightseeing

Day 6 : Grindelwald to Lucerne travel

Day 7 : Lucerne sightseeing

Day 8 : Lucerne to Zurich airport

I want to check if it is cheaper to buy individual tickets to all places individually or buy the Swiss Travel Pass. Also which is the best option for me Swiss Travel Pass or Half fare pass.

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[Annika]

Reply 1 of 11 • 22 April 2019 at 8:02:30 #909986

Hi Itsdeepak, welcome to MySwissAlps! A rail pass will for sure be cheaper than buying individual tickets. Whether you’re better off buying a Swiss Travel Pass (myswissalps.com/swisst ravelpass) or a Swiss Half Fare Card (myswissalps.com/swissh alffarecard), can only be decided once you’ve made calculations based on your travel plans: myswissalps.com/train/ ticketspasses/practica l/chooserailpass. An 8 day Swiss Travel Pass would be the most convenient option in terms of flexibility and ticketless traveling, but if costs are an important factor you’ll have to make a detailed comparison.

[User]

Reply 2 of 11 • 22 April 2019 at 9:42:44 #909987

Hi Annika,

Thank you for your reply.

I am looking for indivisual ticket prices to compare the passes. If we want to go for sightseeing in Zurich, Grindelwald or Lucerne then are there ticket machines at each bus stop to buy indivisual tickets? I am just looking if we can get any flexibility on at least local sightseeing on these cities. For trains to travel between these cities I am thinking to book ticekts in advance.

[rockoyster]

Reply 3 of 11 • 22 April 2019 at 9:57:15 #909988

You probably won’t need buses or trams to see most of Luzern and Zurich. You could cover all of Grindelwald on foot in less than half an hour.

Using your itinerary you need to do the sums based on the cost of all your planned trips on trains, boats, cable cars etc. You can find the fares for any trip using the SBB Timetable (http://www.myswissalps.com/ti metable). If you are not familiar with the timetable it will pay to first read the instructions on that page.

When you go to buy a ticket the fare you see on the right hand side of the page will normally be the half-fare price. Double it to get full fare.

[User]

Reply 4 of 11 • 22 April 2019 at 12:55:24 #909989

Thank you for your answer. I did the calculation and found out that Swiss half fare card will be best for my 8 day trip. My stay in Zurich, ucerne and Grindelwald is not in centre, So I will need to take at leat one bus/tram to get around some place where I can walk and explore these cities. DO I need to buy the bus/tram tickets in advance? Will there be any machine available at bus stop? Is there any app where I can see timetable and also buy ticket immediately when I make any urgent plan?

I just want to know if it is flexible to travel by bus/tram when I go for seightseeing within these cities.

[Arno]

Reply 5 of 11 • 22 April 2019 at 12:59:07 #909990

Hi Itsdeepak,

It’s mass transit with no need to book in advance. There are indeed ticketing machines. The Swiss Half Fare Card itself can be purchased from several websites, listed here: http://www.myswissalps.com/sw isshalffarecard/price.

[User]

Reply 6 of 11 • 23 April 2019 at 19:00:09 #909991

Thank you for all replies so far. I managed to estimate my 8 day trip itarnary. Request you to help me with below queries.

1. I did the calculation and found out swiss half fare pass will be best choice for me. Please find attached excel with calculation and let me know if my understanding is correct or I need to consider some other factors.

2. Do train tickets have discounts if I buy it in advance? In general do train prices fluctuate in swizerland?

Attachments:

1. 31ac42b7-39dd-4df4-aa5e-b835337f838b.xlsx

[User]

Reply 7 of 11 • 24 April 2019 at 5:08:33 #909992

Hello Itsdeepak,

Nice to see you’re getting along in your planning. As far as I can see your calculations are absolutely right on the spreadsheet, without having checked them in detail.

Normal, discounted half fare train tickets have the same price in Switzerland, whenever you buy them This can be online in advance, for comfort, at the train stations or the ticketing machines, any of these options work:
– http://www.myswissalps.com/tr aintickets/switzerland halffare

The so-called SuperSaver tickets, a special offer you can consider, does fluctuate, because you are bound to travelling a fixed train with this ticket option. For details:
– http://www.myswissalps.com/tr aintickets/switzerland

For certain days (e.g. Day 2) you can also look into the Saver Day Pass as an option to regular half-fare card tickets, as it might save you a bit of budget.
– http://www.myswissalps.com/sa verdaypass

Happy exploring.

Best,
Steph

[rockoyster]

Reply 8 of 11 • 24 April 2019 at 5:34:28 #909993

If you plan to have a smart phone with internet access while you are travelling then the SBB Mobile app is very handy for looking up timetables and buying tickets on-line whilst on the move.

Also see this thread for buying discounted fares in advance.

[User]

Reply 9 of 11 • 28 April 2019 at 15:27:55 #909994

1. It is mentioned in Jungfraujoch forum page that “Only buy the tickets once you are sure the weather is clear enough to enjoy the view from the Jungfraujoch.” Also it is mentioned the tickets may sold out on busy days. We are planning to travel on 27 th May. Is it advisible to buy tickets in advance or should we wait to make sure weather is good?

2. How to reserve seat for Jungfraujoch train? Is it necessary to reserve seat in advance?

[Arno]

Reply 10 of 11 • 28 April 2019 at 16:07:51 #909995

Hi Itsdeepak,

1. You can buy the prior day, for example, once you have seen the short term forecast. Or, in May it is most probably find to buy just before your trip. Please see http://www.myswissalps.com/ju ngfraujoch/tickets.

2. Please see the same link, thank you.

[rockoyster]

Reply 11 of 11 • 28 April 2019 at 20:46:07 #909996

2. See bit.ly/2JQKKSh.