Which Swiss Card to purchase

leebnpng

2 posts
new member

Oct 21, 2010 - 8:53 PM

i will travel to Switzerland in Nov and stay there for 4 days.

Day 1 - Reach Geneva Airport and take train to Zermatt
Day 2 - Zermatt - Thun (will take cable car to Matterhorn)
Day 3- Thun - Interlaken Ost - Luzern
Day 4- Luzern- Basel then take night train to Praha

which swiss card is most suitable for me? Half-fare card or Swiss card? Can i use half-fare card for cable car to Matterhorn?

thanks.

Annika

7157 posts
expert &
moderator

Oct 22, 2010 - 1:49 PM

Hi leebnpng. In this case, it makes a difference whether you'll be travelling alone or with someone else. If you'll be travelling with another person, you could use a 4 day Swiss Saver Pass, which is cheaper than a regular Swiss Pass for one person. The total costs of your travel plans would then be CHF 221.00 (as this is the price of a Swiss Saver Pass and as all journeys you mention are free with a Swiss Saver Pass). A regular 4 day Swiss Pass costs CHF 260.00 and this wouldn't be economical.

In both cases, the Swiss Half Fare Card would turn out to be slightly cheaper, with total costs of CHF 216.00 (this consists of the purchase of a Swiss Half Fare Card of CHF 99.00, and the half fare price of the trips you've listed).

The cable car to the Matterhorn is reduced by 50% with both the Swiss (Saver) Pass and the Swiss Half Fare Card. On the detail page of each pass you'll find a link to a map showing the exact area of validity.

I hope this helps you decide!

MySwissAlps.com recommends to read this:
All Swiss rail passes How to choose a pass?

Last modified on Jan 27, 2020 - 11:14 AM by Arno

leebnpng

2 posts
new member

Oct 23, 2010 - 2:05 AM

Thanks for prompt reply. Forgot to mention that i am traveling alone. I think i will get Swiss Half Fare card.

Besides, i plan to take golden pass line from Interlaken to Luzern at 15:04 on 11/11/2010. What time are the area getting dark during Nov? Should i take the earlier train in order to enjoy the scenery along the journey?

Based on SBB website, the goldenpass line seem to be on construction between 25/10 - 14/11. Should i give up the goldenpass line and take other alternative route to Luzern?

thanks and have a nice day.

Annika

7157 posts
expert &
moderator

Oct 23, 2010 - 11:35 AM

The train section between Meiringen and Giswil, which is part of the Golden Pass line, is indeed interrupted on November 11. You'll have to travel by bus instead of train on this part of the route, which will make the total journey a bit longer. This also goes for regular trains. The replacing buses will perfectly connect to the trains, so you don't have to worry about that. If you still don't like the idea of having to change to a bus on your way to Lucerne, you can also travel from Thun to Lucerne using a direct route (via Olten).

In November the sun will set around 17:00, so the last part of the journey may be dusky already. To prevent this, you could indeed travel to Lucerne a bit earlier.

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