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Hi all,
I will be arriving in Switzerland in a couple of weeks, and I was wondering which pass should I get?
My route will be Zurich-Zermatt-Wengen-Geneva. Weather permitting, I would like to do a mountain excursion or two.
Any recommendations?
Many thanks!
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Hello Ivanhoe and Welcome to MySwissAlps,
Sorry but there is no magic answer to that question.
A clearly mapped out itinerary will provide you with the basis for deciding which pass (if any) suits.
Using your itinerary you need to do the sums based on the cost of all your planned trips on trains, boats, cable cars etc. You can find the fares for any trip using the SBB Timetable (http://www.myswissalps.com/ti metable). If you are not familiar with the timetable it will pay to first read the instructions on that page.
When you go to buy a ticket the fare you see on the right hand side of the page will normally be the half-fare price. Double it to get full fare. With A Swiss Travel Pass it is free provided it is shown as free on the Area of Validity map ( PDF downloadable from http://www.myswissalps.com/sw isstravelpass/validity).
You should read “How to choose the best travel pass” (http://www.myswissalps.com/tr ain/ticketspasses/prac tical/chooserailpass), download the handy spreadsheet calculator and do the math.
Hi and thanks for your reply.
I checked the timetable, and I got different prices: one train lists the price at CHF 49 and the next one at 25.80. Which doesn’t really matter, since, when I click on it, the price changes to CHF 64! am I doing something wrong?
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Hi Ivanhoe,
You’re looking at “from” prices for travelers with discount passes and special tickets with restrictions. You’d best ignore all prices you’ll see initially, click the red button and select “No discount” for the regular price. This is explained under ‘How to find ticket prices’ on http://www.myswissalps.com/ti metable.
Thanks. I think in the end I’ll go for the Swiss HF card.
Good pick. That makes the most sense for your itinerary. Been doing it now 21 years in a row.
Hi Ivanhoe888,
You can find prices for the Swiss Half Fare Card on our website here: http://www.myswissalps.com/sw isshalffarecard/price
It would be more convenient to buy it online. It can be emailed to you and printed at home (saving you time at the airport train station and giving you a copy to print out again in case you lose your pass).
Very helpful, thanks.
My question is, don’t I have to go to the train station anyway to buy tickets for my destinations? Unless I get them online as well – after I buy the HF card?
Yes, you do need to go to the train station to buy tickets (unless you buy them using the excellent SBB mobile app). BUT, if you buy your HFC card on line it will come to you as an email attachment. Then you can print multiple copies and stash them in multiple places in case you lose one and, of course, have it resident on your computer so you can print it again if you lose all of them! You will need to show a hard copy (along with your ticket) while on the train. If you wait to buy the HFC at the train station you will get one copy only. Scary thought! At least for me.
Don’t buy your train tickets ahead of time. Much of the travel in the area is weather dependent and if you buy a ticket in advance then change your mind about what you want to do that day you are out the money. There is no cost advantage to buying in advance. With exception of SuperSaver tickets for long hauls which can be a great deal. However, then you are committed to the day and specific train you’ve already bought the ticket for.
I didn’t think of that. Very helpful, thanks!
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