Swiss Travel Pass vs point-to-point tickets
A group of four adults from Australia is planning a trip to Switzerland, arriving in Zurich on April 22 for two days before traveling to places like Lugano, Lucerne, and Lauterbrunnen, aiming to visit Jungfraujoch and Schilthorn. They are seeking advice on the best way to purchase rail tickets, as their initial research has been confusing.
- Consider purchasing the Swiss Travel Pass Flex for non-consecutive travel days, as it's the most convenient option.
- Evaluate the Swiss Half Fare Card if you prefer buying tickets as you go, which can save money on point-to-point fares.
- Use helpful resources like spreadsheets available online to determine the best travel pass based on your itinerary.
AI-generated summary-
HI, we are a group of 4 adults (approx. 60 year each from Australia) and was wondering whats the best way to purchase rail tickets for our upcoming trip to Switzerland. We are arriving in Zurich (22/4) for 2 days, and are travelling to Lugano, Lucerne (via Fluelen Train and boat to Lucerne), Lauterbrunnen, Lucerne and back to Zurich airport 30th April. The days are not consecutive travel and hope to visit Jungfraujoch & Schilthorn as well. My research to date has been conflictive and CONFUSING. Any ideas? Thanks in advance.
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G’day Netts and Welcome to MySwissAlps,
Lugano to Lauterbrunnen is quite a trip. You might want to have a look at reordering you plans for a bit more efficient routing. Eg Zurich – Lauterbrunnen – Luzern – Lugano – Zurich. Just a suggestion.
You can get a Swiss Travel Pass Flex which allows for non-consecutive travel days.
The STP is definitely the best for convenience. But the Swiss Half-fare Card can also save you quite a bit if you don’t mind buying tickets as you go. Full-fare point to point tickets are never going to be affordable for 8 days travel.
Based on your personal itinerary you should read “How to choose the best travel pass” (http://www.myswissalps.com/train/ticketspasses/practical/chooserailpass), download the handy spreadsheet calculator and do the math. The spreadsheet also includes links to the “Where it’s valid” page for all available passes. Be sure to check those pages for each pass you are considering. Study the map AND read all the text on those pages to fully understand what is covered by the respective pass.
For checking timetables see http://www.myswissalps.com/forum/topic/checking-train-timetables.
Hi Rockoyster, sorry our travel is from Lugano to Lucerne (Gottard express), then next day Lucerne to Laterbrunnen. Netts
My bad, I misread what you described. 😖
Hello Netts,
Nice to hear you’re all heading to Switzerland.
The choice of the best rail pass/ticket option is often tricky due to the large variety of possibilities. The first link Rockoyster shares is for sure worth reading, also, don’t miss the spreadsheet.
I think you will want to look into the Swiss Half Fare Card, the Swiss Travel Pass for your itinerary, please find details on both passes in below links:
– http://www.myswissalps.com/swisshalffarecard, valid a month, you could start using it already in Zurich
– http://www.myswissalps.com/swisstravelpass, valid 3,4 or 8 days, you could tart using it only once you leave ZurichFor a general overview of available tickets and passes use below link:
– http://www.myswissalps.com/train/ticketspassesHappy calculating and please feel free to get back to us anytime.
Best,
Steph
If you are planning on visiting museums but not sure which ones, do you calculate that into the cost? Since the Swiss Travel Pass covers most museums, it seems like that would make it more cost effective.
Thanks, Kath
We are traveling from Stuttgart, Germany to Lausanne. Do we buy a ticket for the entire trip or just to the Swiss border (or which station) and then use the STP for the remaining portion of the trip?
Thanks, Kath
Whether you add in Museum entry fees os up to you but it may be difficult if you don;t know which ones you will visit. When I did the sums I just treated museum angry as an added bonus not a deciding factor on which pass to use.
You should have a look at http://www.myswissalps.com/traintickets/germany. It is possible you could get a cheap saver fare from DB that will take you all the way through to Lausanne quite cheaply and save you using a day off your Swiss Travel Pass. Otherwise just get a ticket to Basel and use Swiss Travel Pass from there.
http://www.myswissalps.com/timetable
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