Geneva/Alps - 5 Day Pass - 2 Free Days+ 3 50% Days

Hello, I'm planning to buy a 5 day Geneva/Alps pass to use in September. I have a dumb query.

I assume that if I wanted to travel on Day 1 and use a 'free day', I would not need to buy a ticket for my journey but my pass would be checked on the train. Is this correct ?

If on Day 2 I wanted to use a "50% discount day', what do I need to do ? Do I need to buy a ticket at the railway station or can I buy a ticket on the train ?

All help much appreciated.

Welcome to MySwissAlps, CharlesW!

Don't fear asking 'dumb' questions. Swiss rail passes are rather complex and we're glad to help. The Regional Pass Lake Geneva-Alps works exactly like you described. On free travel days, when using covered routes, you don't have to buy a ticket and you can simply board trains, buses or boats and show your pass when asked for. Mind that even on free travel days, there are a few routes that do require discounted tickets. You can check the exact validity overview at www.myswissalps.com/re gionalpasslakegeneva/v alidity. There's a downloadable map and an explanation of how to interpret it.

As for additional discounted tickets: on non-free travel days (or on discounted routes on free travel days), you'll have to buy a 50% discounted ticket before boarding. You can do so at railway stations, either at a manned desk or at ticketing machines. These have clear instructions in English. 50% discounted tickets are very common in Switzerland and you can easily select the "1/2" variant. If you need tickets for a boat trip or cable car, you buy them before boarding too. Just show your Regional Pass and you'll get a discounted ticket. If an officer checks your tickets along the way, show both your Regional Pass and the additional ticket.

Purchase options are listed at www.myswissalps.com/re gionalpasslakegeneva/p rice.

Many thanks for the reply. I now understand.