When to buy Swiss Travel Pass and book activities
A traveler named bb is planning their first trip to Switzerland in September, with a home base in Thun to explore the Bernese Oberland. They have flights and apartments booked and seek reassurance on their loose travel plans, specifically about when to purchase their Swiss Travel Pass and whether any pre-bookings are necessary.
- Buy your Swiss Travel Pass a few days in advance for printing convenience and to avoid any issues with your booking.
- It's fine to keep your plans flexible; you can buy tickets for mountain visits a day or two in advance based on weather conditions.
- Consider the Bernese Oberland Pass with a Half Fare card if you're focusing on that region, as it may save you money and hassle.
AI-generated summary-
Hello all.
Our trip is about a month away and I have flights/apartments booked. I have researched each of the towns we will be staying in, compiling a list of activities and day-trips that can be done on the fly (i.e. no pre-booking). One home base is Thun, which is when we will travel to and explore Bernese Oberland.
We are thinking of buying our STP a few days before the trip, in Sept. Is there any reason to buy it asap/August? I have Swiss metro and weather apps downloaded.
Also is there anything I might be missing in terms of pre-booking? It is our first trip to Switzerland so we don’t have specific mountain tops or locations that are must-sees, as everything is sure to be dazzling. It is unusual for me to not plan/book more so I’m looking for reassurance that having loose, tentative plans is an appropriate way to travel in this country (from all I’ve read, it appears to be fine, especially in Sept).
If you have any tips/advice to share, please do so.
Best regards,
bb
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Hi bb,
The Swiss Travel Pass can be purchased from any of the websites listed here, whenever you are ready: http://www.myswissalps.com/swisstravelpass/price. It will be e-mailed within minutes, so you could even wait until the day you start using it, although I’d recommend a few days ahead of time.
There is no need to pre-book mountain top visits. You can buy ticket one or two days ahead of time once you’ve checked the weather forecasts, or on the spot. You’ll find specific tips for each mountain here: http://www.myswissalps.com/activities/naturalsites/mountains.
Have fun!
Hi bb, if you wish to print a hardcopy of your STP, then it is advisable to purchase it about 5 days before you arrive. This also gives you a little leeway incase something goes wrong eg putting the start date or name or DOB wrongly (it happens) and you need to contact the vendor.
Another plus point about having a printed copy is incase your phone runs out of battery or something happens along the way with the wifi connection. I usually have a printed copy for each traveller and also a spare set to keep even if I can access it via the sbb app..
If you are only doing the Bernese Oberland area – maybe you may wish to do your maths whether a BO Pass with a Half Fare card will work out cheaper. The BO Pass lets you hop on and off the trains and mt rides without the hassle of getting a ticket every time you wish to take the rides. Just scan the pass at the ticket turnstile and off you go. The exceptions will be the train from Eigergletscher to Jungfraujoch and the ride to Birg or Schilthorn in Murren. You will get discounted tickets for those.
You can check out the differences in the price and validity map on this website under Passes/Regional Pass.
Thank you Arno and traveljet. I will buy the STP ~1 week beforehand and I will take printed copies with us. Great to know we are in good shape and we are very excited to the trip!
Hi Bb,
I only chanced upon your 1st thread detailing the places you will be staying. Yes the STP makes sense. Have a great trip and hope to hear from you after your holiday. All the best 😊👍🏼😃
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