Traveling with a Swiss General Abonnement
A traveler named lng2fr is seeking advice on whether they can use their General Abonnement to travel on a TGV train from Basel to Zurich. They live near the border and need to know if they can take this route for a quicker travel option.
- The General Abonnement does not cover TGV trains entirely; you will need to buy a ticket, but you'll get a 20% discount on that ticket.
- For the Basel-Zurich route, the Swiss portion is generally covered by the GA, but it's best to confirm details directly with SBB for clarity.
- During promotions, consider the Swiss Travel Pass for unlimited travel options if you're planning more extensive trips around Switzerland.
AI-generated summary-
Can I take à TGV in switzerland with à swiss Général Abonnement swiss pass?
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Hello lng2fr,
Welcome to MySwissAlps.
The General Abonnement travel card allows Swiss citizens unlimited traveling by public transport for a year. As a tourist, you need a different kind of pass. You can find them here. The Swiss Travel Pass is one of your options. It also allows unlimited traveling and is similar to the General Abonnement.
I am unsure when you are visiting Switzerland but there is a Swiss Travel Pass promotion at the moment and you can benefit from extra day(s) travel. More details here: https://www.myswissalps.com/swisstravelpass/promotions
You may find these links helpful too:
- https://www.myswissalps.com/train/ticketspasses/practical/chooserailpass
- https://www.myswissalps.com/train/ticketspasses
Kind regards,
Yolanda
I m not à tourist. I live on the boarder and I work in switzerland.
I already have the général abonnement bécause I travel for the work and I just wanted to know if I can take à tgv between basel and zurich because the time of the train passés better for me and Its quicker.
Hi lng2fr,
Thank you for explaining the situation further.
In regard to traveling with your GA on a TGV train between Basel and Zurich. You will still need a ticket on this route but it would be discounted by 20% with your GA. See here for more details:
I hope this clarifies.
Kind regards,
Yolanda
This TGV train shows up in the normal SBB schedule between Basel and Zurich. I would think the portion totally within Switzerland would be covered by the GA card. From the way I understand the site that you linked to, I think the discounts are for the portion in France. I’m not sure about this, but I travel a lot on a GA card all over Switzerland and I’m sure I’ve hopped on some trains that are part of this TGV line and I’ve never had a problem. There is no indication on the SBB app that the train connection from Basel to Zurich is priced any different that other trains throughout the day.
Just my opinion on this!
I too think that’s the case. Basel-Zurich is part of the GA validity area. The remark about the up to 20% reduction at http://www.tgv-lyria.com/ch/en/booking/timetables-and-fares/SBB-travelcard is probably about an entire trip between Swiss and French cities. As the Swiss leg will be free with a GA, the entire trip will as a result be discounted. But the way it’s described there can certainly cause confusion.
Ing2fr, in case of doubt I think it’s best to contact SBB directly.
No need to contact SBB. All international trains , once within Switzerland, can be used by anyone with a valid ticket.
Yes, that’s how it works. But we like to refer to the SBB as the official source for GA info, as it’s not one of the tourist rail products. We also mention that for other visitors who may read this thread.
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