No Swiss rail pass savings after calculating
A traveler is planning a trip to Switzerland in about three weeks, traveling from Zurich to Lucerne, then to the Bernese Oberland with a base in Wengen, and finally to Basel. They are confused about whether to buy a rail pass because their calculations suggest they won’t save money with the available options, and they seek clarification to avoid making a mistake.
- Consider the Swiss Travel Pass for unlimited travel across Switzerland, as it covers trains, buses, and boats, plus discounts on mountain transport.
- If you plan to spend most of your time in the Bernese Oberland, look into the Regional Pass Bernese Oberland for the best value and coverage.
- For a tighter budget, the Swiss Half Fare Card can provide significant savings on ticket prices, especially for multiple trips.
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I will start off by saying this website is amazing. Deciding whether or not to need a rail pass is giving me a headache even after I have utilized almost every resource/tool that has been provided. We leave in about 3 weeks and will be traveling by public transport starting from Zurich to Lucerne, to Bernese Oberland (base is in Wengen) to Basel. I used the wonderful excel sheet provided and after looking up how much of an estimate the total trip should cost we don’t break even with the half fare card or any of the other passes. I just want to make sure we don’t end up making a mistake by not getting one….
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I don’t know what you budget or general financial situation is (clearly), but a general rule for railway holidays in Switzerland is : if you want the least ‘hassle’ factor, buy a holiday travel pass of some description, even if it will cost a bit more than you would like (that is going to happen anyway as Switzerland is a costly country to visit for many people.
You don’t say how much time you are spending in each place, but the best pass for the Berner Oberland region is generally the Berner Oberland Pass, especially as the ‘free’ validity extends way beyond the Berner Oberland itself. The best way to supplement this nowadays is to buy a Saver Day Pass in advance for days when you are mainly outside the Berner Oberland. These passes give you a whole day of unlimited travel across the whole of Switzerland which means you can get from A to B via the simplest or most outlandish route – whatever you choose
Hi curlyq and welcome to MySwissAlps.com!
Thank you for your kind words regarding MySwissAlps.com and the forum.
I understand that choosing a Swiss rail pass can be difficult as there are so many options. As 1960man wrote, the right rail pass depends on your itinerary, your budget and your needs.
In case you would like to travel ticketless, the Swiss Travel Pass (http://www.myswissalps.com/swisstravelpass) is for you. That gives you free traveling between cities and towns by trains, buses and boats and also grants you a discount on mountain transport.
If you are spending most of your holiday in the Jungfrau region, I recommend a regional pass like the Regional Pass Bernese Oberland (http://www.myswissalps.com/regionalpassberneseoberland/) or the Jungfrau Travel Card (http://www.myswissalps.com/juniortravelcard).
How long are you staying in Switzerland? Can you share your itinerary a bit more details? Like how many days are you spending in each place?
Ildiko
Hi curlyq!
Yes, picking the right pass can be challenging. Good to hear you’ve been calculating your options.
If you’ll be traveling between Zurich, the Bernese Oberland and Lucerne by train, and if you plan to use any train, bus, boat or mountain transportation during your stay in Wengen, I can hardly imagine that normal full-fare tickets are best for you and that none of the passes offer any savings. Just to check:
- Are you sure you’ve included all trips (transfers from town to town, day excursions with boats or mountain transportation, urban rides by tram/bus)?
- Did you enter full-fare prices to compare with, and not accidentally the 50% discounted prices that are displayed by default in the Swiss timetable? If you’re not sure, you can check the paragraphs about finding normal ticket prices at https://www.myswissalps.com/timetable.
To break even with a Swiss Half Fare Card (https://www.myswissalps.com/swisshalffarecard) you’d need to spend CHF 240 per person worth of normal tickets. That amount is quickly reached. Just some examples or full-fare prices:
- Zurich-Lucerne: CHF 25
- Lucerne-Wengen: CHF 47.40
- Wengen-Basel: CHF 75.40
This already adds up to CHF 147.50 per person. Let’s say you’ll also be making a mountain excursion from Wengen, for example to Männlichen (https://www.myswissalps.com/schilthorn). A full-fare return ride Wengen-Schilthorn would cost CHF 130.40, so at this point you’ll already start saving with the Swiss Half Fare Card. If you add any further trips from Wengen, savings will only add up. This will very probably apply to other rail passes too.
I hope this provides some insight.
I do like that explanation Arno!
Thank you so much for your replies everyone! Arno, I have no idea what I did wrong but when I did point to point from Wengen to Shilthorn I did not even get close to that amount, so thank you so very much for opening my eyes to a more realistic amount haha. Hopefully your guys’ response will be enough for my mom to realize we need some sort of a pass. We will be in Lucerne for a little over a day and 2-3 days in Jungfrau region, we have a tight itinerary, but I’m still excited regardless and hope to come back sometime in the future 😉
What you need is not a pass, you need the Swiss Half Fare Card. It is not a pass, yet it entitles you to buy tickets at reduced fares, granting up to 50% off.
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