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Oh! I’m very pleased I have spent few days in Schweiz in July. Next year, mabye, we wouldn’t be able to pay for the Schilthorn and others trips. 2019 edition of Swiss Travel Pass will become useless.We were traveling on almost all of the removed cars/trains.
To be honest STP price is high and removing mountain excrusions will make it less attractive.
Hello Lucas. I think part of the problem with making certain mountain trips free is that they become too popular. We arrived at the Stanserhorn at 8.50 am on a Sunday morning last month and were given a ticket for the earliest ride available, which was 11.10! This was very inconvenient, so we went on to Beckenried and up to Klewenalp instead (which was a lovely trip and highly recommended, but not included in the STP). Perhaps we should all suggest a reduction in price rather than an increase to compensate for the loss of these journeys….
Hi Sz zycinski and welcome to MySwissAlps!
Indeed it is a shame with some of the 2019 changes, but if you are still traveling regularly on your holiday in Switzerland, the Swiss Travel Pass may still be a good deal for you (certainly more convenient than buying tickets for every trip you take).
Once you’ve planned your itinerary you can check out page here: https://www.myswissalp s.com/train/ticketspas ses/practical/choosera ilpass & use the excel sheet to compare costs and find out which pass is the best economically (if any).
Hi Gladys,
I 100% agree with you – the free mountain trips were overwhelming I think for those mountains – too many people visiting.
I’m surprised Stanserhorn was so busy, it is one of the quieter mountains for tourists. But I imagine on a Sunday morning most mountains are very busy due to locals going out too (Nothing much else to do on a Sunday in Switzerland as much is closed). Nice to hear good things about Klewenalp – haven’t been there myself!
Now, I think with most mountains being discounted 50% it spreads out the demand better as people will go where they like (or where is most convenient for their itinerary) rather than go out of their way to go to a “free” mountain.
I know Swiss railways is considering eliminating the Swiss Half Fare TravelCard (resident version of the Swiss Half Fare Card) and then lowering fares for everyone in the hopes more locals will buy use the trains more.
Hello, We are traveling from Zermatt to Zurich on train in Sept. This is the only train travel we will be doing. I am looking to purchase the Saver Day but there are dotted lines on the ‘official’ map between Visp and Spiez. Does that mean that the Saver Day Pass is not good on that train? Also is the red train going from Zermatt to Visp included (I remember years ago that it was not part of the Swiss Pass). Thanks you.
Hi Kdeakyne and welcome to MySwissAlps!
Keep an eye on the legend on the map (top right). Dashed lines, like those from Spiez to Visp are tunnels and still fully covered. It is the smaller dotted lines that indicated price reductions only.
The red train? I’m not sure what you mean there. But the route is fully covered by the Swiss Travel Pass as shown on the PDF map. https://www.myswissalp s.com/swisstravelpass/ validity
If you took the Glacier Express panoramic train then you would have had to make a mandatory reservation as well on that route. https://www.myswissalp s.com/glacierexpress
Also is the red train going from Zermatt to Visp included (I remember years ago that it was not part of the Swiss Pass).
Guess it must be the Glacier Express Kdeakyne was referring to. If this is the case, seat reservation is mandatory even with an STP due to it being a special “panoramic” train.
Note that ordinary trains (like the Matterhorn Gotthard Bahn) travel on the same route and reservation is NOT necessary.
Yes, that was my guess too. 🙂
So ceouple of questions on this.
– The excursion to Schilthorn is 50% discounted from where? I am assuming all rides till Lauterbrunnen, Postbus to Stechelberg, cable car rides between Gimmelwald and Murren are still free? Is the 50% discount only when we buy tickets to Schilthorn?.
Hi Madhavparimi
Welcome to MySwissAlps! Yes, your assumptions are correct. Please see here for 2018 info, we’ll update for 2019 later:
Thank you. I was looking into 2019. 🙂
The Swiss day pass is 52 CHF. The 8 day Swiss Travel Flexi Pass is 57 CHF.
So why buy the 8 day pass?
Does the Swiss day pass cover all forms of transport on the map including boats? Does it cover the museums?
The info says says the swiss saver day pass can be used for free travel on “urban trains”. Are these the suburban trains in the city or are they outside the city?
Hi Paddington,
Both products are similar as for what they cover, but only the Swiss Travel Pass gets you free museum access. Note that most people are best off with a Swiss Travel Pass (CHF 49.75 per day), not the Swiss Travel Pas Flex. The Saver Day Pass being cheaper for 8 days or so is in many cases only theoretical. It requires buying two months ahead of time, with no refund if you later decide you can’t travel or don’t need the passes after all. Also they can sell out and prices vary. If you would need multiple Saver Day Passes for late September/early October, for example, you would need to buy today and even then only some days will be CHF 52 and other CHF 70. Swiss Travel Passes are a lot simpler, can be purchased later and are 85% refundable. Having said that, a Saver Day Pass can be a good additional product if one needs an extra day of unlimited traveling before or after a Swiss Travel Pass, for example.
Happy travels!
Thanks Arno, that is very helpful.
I have worked out that the Swiss Passes are better for me than the Eurail passes so it is just a matter of working out the best one! I may need an extra day over the STP so the Saver Day Pass might work for me on one day.
Can I buy a STP in 2018 for use in 2019 at the 2018 prices? Or will the new 2019 prices apply to all passes valid for 2019?
From what I can see the Eurail pass doesn’t cover buses anywhere or any of the mountain transport in Zermatt. Eurail doesn’t cover most of the mountain transport around Lucern. Eurail only covers one of the boat trips. Eurail pass doesn’t cover city trains. Where as the Swiss passes do or give you a reduction.
Eurail pass is a bit cheaper if you are two travelling together but I think the Swiss rail passes work better for us.
Hi Paddington,
I don’t think the companies who sell the Swiss Travel Pass have them for sale for 2019 yet but you can try and buy one with a start date of 2019 and see if it lets you. https://www.myswissalp s.com/swisstravelpass/ price if they do sell it it is probably at the higher price.
Yes, the Swiss Travel Pass gives much better coverage in Switzerland. Usually the Eurail passes only work out to be a good option when you also have a lot of travel in other countries that you would save money on also. So overall, factoring in many trips over several countries, you may end up saving money.
Yes my rail trips in Italy are short and infrequent.
I’ve just discovered the Tell pass! I have to go through the comparison nightmare again!
I’ve added the 2019 prices for some of the regional passes to my original post as well.
How far in advance can I purchase the Swiss Travel Pass? Could I purchase a pass at the 2018 rates for use in 2019? I am looking at traveling in Switzerland in mid March 2019.
Hi Chadbangerte,
You can check with the online retailers here and see what you can get for March – some are selling now but rates may change soon of they haven’t already. http://www.myswissalps.com/sw isstravelpass/price
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