Still have 1/2 Card Questions! Thanks

Good Morning,

We have tried to figure out which option is the best and came up with the half off ticket. We think!! However it is funny the system won’t let us go into May to figure out our ticket prices from Lucerne to Lugano this morning?

I do still have a few questions. We are traveling from Gengenbach Germany to Lucerne. How would we secure the discount on our ½ off cards. Do we just buy a ticket to Basel and then use our ½ card to continue. I think there is already a discount since there are 2 of us traveling together over age 60 when we buy it in Germany? Also how does the ½ card work when we travel from Lugano to Milan (to get another train to Verona). Can we use the card for that first part of the trip.

If we decide to purchase the ½ travel card when and where do we purchase since we might be buying our first ticket in Gengenbach Germany before entering Switzerland. I see if we buy it on line we cannot get a e-ticket, or should we have them send it to us here in the States before we leave. If that is the case when does the month start that we have on the ½ off card?

Thanks Lary1047

Hi Lary1047,

Tickets within Switzerland have a fixed price, so you can just check ticket prices for any date. It won't be different in May. Tickets in and to/from other countries may get more expensive when the date gets nearer. Also they often require seat reservations. You need to book a ticket from Gengenbach to the first station where your Swiss Half Fare Card is valid (Basel or Schaffhausen, depending on the route). There, you can purchase a 50% discounted ticket for the Swiss portion of the trip.

For Lugano to Verona, you need a regular ticket from Chiasso to Verona. And you can get a 50% discounted ticket for Lugano to Chiasso.

I don't know about discounts in Germany for seniors, but if you split the tickets in two sections as explained above you can get that discount on the German leg.

There are several resellers where you can buy the Swiss Half Fare Card, the ticket for Germany, and the ticket for Italy, all in one go. In your case, being a US citizen, www.raileurope.com would be a good choice. Please find all resellers here:

• myswissalps.com/swissh alffarecard/price
• myswissalps.com/traint ickets/germany/price
• myswissalps.com/traint ickets/italy/price

I'm not sure I understand your last question, but the start date on the Swiss Half Fare Card should be the day you reach Switzerland.

We just posted a video on the Swiss Half Fare Card page, perhaps that helps you out as well.

HI Arno,

I went over your information that you sent me and what Great Help it was to us. I want to thank you both for helping us in our decisions on which Swiss Card to purchase. We have decided to purchase the Half Off Card to, let you know.

Thanks again to both of you and your quick responses.

Lary1047