[Removed user]

17 November 2015 at 14:35:30 #808134

Hi everyone,

I am getting really confused with all these options here: I am Swiss and have a Half-tax, but my (European) partner does not. We will be spending X-mas vacation in Switzerland (we both live abroad) and I am getting really confused about what travel option to choose for him.

He will travel from the Airport to Lucerne, and then we might be doing some day excursions to mountains close nearby (Titlis, Rigi or so; we can get tickets to get up these mountains for free, however, we first need to get there by public Transport;)).

Then we will go to Wallis a few days (we need a postauto for 40 min), back to Lucerne, and then to the Airport We will decide things rather spontaneously depending on the weather.

If I understood correctly, Interrail does not include Postauto travel? So if we buy an interrail-pass, we would have to pay additionally for Postauto tickets, right? What pass should we choose? I thought Interrail might be the answer, but I am not so sure anymore since we might need Postautos some days… On the other hand, we could pay it in cash… my Partner has a Bahncard 25, but I guess this won’t help much in Switzerland?

Many thanks, best wishes,

Elise

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[Arno]

17 November 2015 at 15:31:22 #847018

Hi Elise,

What about getting him a one month Swiss Half Fare Card? That way you both get the same discounts. How it works and where to buy one can be found here: myswissalps.com/ swisshalffarecard. More options can be found here.

Interrail passes indeed do not cover buses. Note that Interrail is for European citizens only. I’m not sure where your husband is from, but if he’s not from Europe a Eurail Pass would be appropriate. However, no buses included in those passes either.

[Slowpoke]

18 November 2015 at 16:12:10 #847019

Grüezi Elise-

I’m certainly not going to disagree with Arno, since he and Annika know more than everyone else about all the passes that are available.

Although I too live in the US, I have Swiss address available and so also have the Halbtax.

Don’t be shocked when you find the one month half fare card for your partner costs almost as much as a one year Halbtax. Tourists pay. 😉

There is also a pass which gives you “free” travel to your first destination (Luzern) from the port of entry, half fare while you travel around for a certain number of days, and then “free” from your first destination (Luzern) back to the port of entry. As an example of one way that it is used, it is designed for people who come in for a week or so of skiing, and only travel to the ski region, stay there and use the services, then go back to the airport.

I think it is called a ……Flex Pass Combi, but wait for Arno or Annika to “refine”my answer. 😉

Hope this helps,

Slowpoke

[Arno]

18 November 2015 at 18:52:32 #847020

I think you’re referring to the Swiss Transfer Ticket, Slowpoke. That one only pays off if the trip from the airport to the destination and back is a long one. I assume Elise will fly into Zurich, so in that case this won’t be an option as the first trip is only to Lucerne.

Anyway, the second in link in my previous post shows all the options.

[Slowpoke]

18 November 2015 at 19:04:53 #847021

Thanks.

Maybe I’ll get them straight some day.

i did not realize that it required a long journey to the first destination to make it pay off.

Slowpoke

[Removed user]

18 November 2015 at 19:10:58 #847022

Hi, thanks for all these recommendations, very useful (also for other Swiss friends in similar situations, i.e. living abroad with non-Swiss partners). My partner is European, so we will go for Interrail I guess, or maybe the Halftax for one month (although it looks like, if we use public transport a lot, Interrail is going to be cheaper).

Many thanks again. 🙂

[Arno]

19 November 2015 at 7:23:53 #847023

If you consider Interrail, then be sure to compare it to a Swiss Travel Pass. Interrail basically covers the same as the Eurail passes I mentioned before: trains are covered (but some in Wallis are only discounted), buses are not covered, only a few cable cars are discounted. The Swiss Travel Pass has much better coverage, but it depends on your plans whether Interrail suits you just as well. This page is useful: myswissalps.com/train/ ticketspasses/practica l/ chooserailpass.