MySwissAlps.com features ads, commercial and non-commercial Swiss Half Fare Card & Swiss Travel Pass details
-
I am planning a car trip with my wife to Switzerland and I am looking for someone who will help clarify the details of the use of Swiss Travel Pass and Swiss Swiss Half Fare Cards. Although I plan to travel by car, there is a discount on mountain trains for most of the interesting attractions.
When it comes to SHFC, in theory, buying the https://www.swiss-pass.ch/swiss-half-fare-card/ card for 120 CHF I have a 50% discount on most attractions –http://www.myswissalps.com/swisshalffarecard/validity including those that interest me Jungfraujoch, Gornergrat, Grindelwald-First, Titlis, Eggishorn.
However, after reading the entry of a rockoyster expert on the forum http://www.myswissalps.com/forum/topic/swiss-travel-pass-vs-half-fare-pass I completely lost my mind. I totally don’t understand now how SHFC works and why we eventually pay 240CHF?
I also don’t know if when I buy Good Morning Ticket to Jungfraujoch I could combine these promotions and reduce the morning ticket by half?
The last uncertainty is the entry on this page http://www.myswitzerland.com/pl/planowanie/transport-accommodation/bilety/swiss-half-fare-card/- “3 days a month” – appears only in Polish translation so maybe it’s a mistake. I hope that this card is not valid only 3 days in month period 🙂
When it comes to STP, everything looks clear (along with the fact that, unfortunately, the most expensive attraction Jungfraujoch gives a 25% discount instead of 50%). There is a promotion http://www.myswissalps.com/swisstravelpass/promotions – thanks to which if I understand right we have free reservations at Jungfraujoch and Swiss Coupon Pass. Here I am not sure how it is technically done – whether I have to buy a ticket for Jungfraujoch online in advance and if not how I will receive the Swiss Coupon Pass.
-
No, you have misunderstood Rockoyster’s comments. You pay CHF 120 to buy the half fare card. Once you have purchased the card, you must then buy any tickets you want at 50% off the normal fare. This means that your travel will always cost more than CHF120. It is like owning a car. You buy it for a certain amount, but it won’t take you anywhere if you don’t buy fuel to make it move.
As Rockoyster explains, you must but a certain amount of tickets with a HFC in order to ‘break even’ overall.
“When it comes to STP, everything looks clear (along with the fact that, unfortunately, the most expensive attraction Jungfraujoch gives a 25% discount instead of 50%).”
The Jungfrau railway management know very well how many people want to visit this ‘tourist trap’, so they make as much money as they can out of tourists, so they only relunctantly give discounts , hence the 25%. They know that under normal circumstances, enough long haul tourists will be attracted, by the ‘thing’ that is Jungfraujoch, to pay up.
The ‘thing’ to many observers is nowadays tainted by being too much like a theme park, and overpriced. You have the option to omit it from your trip. You get a great view of the Jungfrau from Mürren which is a cheaper place to get to and a much more pleasant place to spend some time.
There are two other threads on at the moment where I have talked about Mürren , and Gornergart as the better spectacle.
Hi dominikjeske, and welcome to MySwissAlps.com!
Let’s start off with the Swiss Half Fare Card:
- it’s valid for 1 month: http://www.myswissalps.com/swisshalffarecard. I can’t tell what’s on the Polish website, but a 3 day validity period certainly does not apply to the Swiss Half Fare Card. It could refer to the Swiss Travel Pass (http://www.myswissalps.com/swisstravelpass) or Swiss Travel Pass Flex (http://www.myswissalps.com/swisstravelpassflex) instead ;
- it costs CHF 120 per person (http://www.myswissalps.com/swisshalffarecard/price) and then allows you to buy discounted tickets. As explained by 1960man: what Rockoyster referred to is that you reach a break-even point if you plan to buy regular, full fare tickets worth CHF 240 or more. From that point on, getting a Swiss Half Fare Card becomes cost effective;
- the Good Morning Ticket can’t be combined with further discounts: http://www.myswissalps.com/jungfraujoch/tickets.
As for the Swiss Travel Pass and Jungfraujoch seat reservation promotion:
- you’ll first need to buy a Swiss Travel Pass and a Jungfraujoch ticket online as explained at http://www.myswissalps.com/swisstravelpass/promotions, through http://www.switzerlandtravelcentre.com. After your purchase, you’ll receive instructions and a promo code for the Swiss Coupon Pass and seat reservations through e-mail. Details of this promotion are dicussed at http://www.myswissalps.com/forum/topic/free-reservations-to-jungfraujoch-more-discounts;
- opinions on the Jungfraujoch (http://www.myswissalps.com/jungfraujoch) vary. I for one do think it’s a very special experience, due to the engineering of the train ride and the breathtaking views at the snow-capped mountains and the Aletsch glacier up there. I expect the place to be less busy than usual this season.
Last but not least, this page explains how to calculate which pass makes most sense for your travel plans: http://www.myswissalps.com/train/ticketspasses/practical/chooserailpass. And here’s helpful information about traveling by car: http://www.myswissalps.com/car.
I hope this answers your questions!
@1960man – thanks for clarification. Today after your comment and reading again now I understand what Rockoyster was trying to explain.
Also thanks for showing alternative to Jungfrau (Mürren) – I will definitely consider this option
@Annika – thanks for you detailed answer – you definitely answered all my questions. Now I will read and recalculate all things.
This forum is great 🙂
You’re welcome dominikjeske, glad we could be of help! Let us know if you run into further questions :-).
- The thread ‘Swiss Half Fare Card & Swiss Travel Pass details’ is closed to new replies.
