Swiss Half Pass and Junior Travelcard

Hi.

I am from Singapore and planning a trip with my family to Switzerland in Nov this year. Our group is made up of 2 adults and 2 children aged 7 and 10 years old.

1. I read that the Swiss Half Pass is more economical and would like to check if is it a must to purchase the it beforehand? Or can I purchase it at the airport or any rail station when I reach Switzerland?

2. I also read that the Junior Travelcard is for children 6 to 15 years old. For this card, does it mean that once we purchase this card each for my children, they travel for free throughout and I do not need to buy any more train tickets for them? What about cable car to the mountains?

Thank you!

Hi Snowy,

Thank you for joining MySwissAlps!

1. Whether it is more economical for you depends on your travel plans. In most cases some kind of pass/card will save you money, but I don't know if the Swiss Half Fare Card is the best choice for you. There are other passes too. You'll find lots of information here: myswissalps.com/ train/ticketspasses. Be sure to compare your options as explained here.

All purchase options are listed on the Swiss Half Fare Card page. You can buy it at the airport, but it's more convenient to simply print it at home. That way you don't have to wait for a ticket office, which may take some time at airport train stations. If you print it yourself you can purchase discounted tickets from the machines, which is much quicker.

2. You don't need a Junior Travelcard. You can get a free Swiss Family Card, and also print that at home. It allows your children to travel along for free everywhere, without tickets.

To print at home, you can visit the Swiss Railways webshop at www.swissrailways.com/ en. Pick the pass or card you prefer. After filling out your address, they will show the delivery options. Pick "Online Ticket" from the bottom of the list. They will e-mail the pass (no delivery fees) within 1-3 business days.

Hi Arno

Thank you so much for your prompt reply and detailed information, it helped greatly!

Do any of the Swiss Pass, Swiss Half Fare or Swiss Family Card, apply to train tickets to Milan too? After Switzerland, we will be travelling to Milan. Thank you for your help!

Hi Snowy,

The Swiss part of such a trip is covered. For a detailed explanation, please see the last paragraph of the "How to use" tab of either the Swiss Travel Pass page or Swiss Half Fare Card page.