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Ticket type: Public transport pass
Season:
all year
Valid for max. 15 days
Included area: SwitzerlandWhat's included in the Swiss Travel Pass? 
The Swiss Travel Pass is Switzerland's all-in-one pass for tourists. This is what it includes:
- You'll get free unlimited traveling for 3, 4, 6, 8, or 15 consecutive days.
- Trains, buses, boats, and city transport are free.
- Cable cars, cogwheel trains, and funiculars to the mountains are discounted by 50%, and in some cases by 25% or 100% (find details and exceptions here).
- You can visit more than 500 museums for free.
- The Swiss Travel Pass is available for 1st and 2nd class traveling.
- Children travel along for free with the Swiss Family Card.
Swiss Travel Pass prices
| Duration | Price 2nd class (2024) | Price 2nd class (2025) | More information (youth discounts, 1st class, prices in EUR/GBP/USD) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3 days | CHF 244 | expected in summer 2024 | getyourguide.com |
| 4 days | CHF 295 | expected in summer 2024 | getyourguide.com |
| 6 days | CHF 379 | expected in summer 2024 | getyourguide.com |
| 8 days | CHF 419 | expected in summer 2024 | getyourguide.com |
| 15 days | CHF 459 | expected in summer 2024 | getyourguide.com |
Discounts
- Swiss Travel Pass Youth: 30% off the pass price for youths/students up to and including 24.
- Swiss Family Card: children, stepchildren, and foster children from 6 up to and including 15 travel for free (even on routes where the parents just get a discount), if accompanied by at least one parent with a Swiss Travel Pass. You can get the Swiss Family Card free of charge while ordering a Swiss Travel Pass. Children who travel on their own get a 50% discount on the pass. Please find more options here.
- Children up to 5 travel along for free. They don't need a pass.
- There are group discounts.
- There are no special fares for seniors.
Where to buy the Swiss Travel Pass
You'll find recommended points of sale below. You will receive the Swiss Travel Pass via e-mail. All you need to do is print the pass or store it on your phone.
Offered by GetYourGuide: www.getyourguide.com
- Easy, online, free cancellation in most cases
- Best Price Matching: GetYourGuide will pay the difference if you find a lower price.
- Extra Support: if you buy here, MySwissAlps can also assist if you have questions about your order.
Offered by HappyRail: www.happyrail.com
- Excellent prices in all currencies. No additional fees.
- Extra Support: if you buy here, MySwissAlps can also assist if you have questions about your order.
- Experienced team of train travel experts
Offered by Official SBB shop: switzerlandtravelcentre.com
- Official webshop of the Swiss Federal Railways (SBB), operated by Switzerland Travel Centre (STC)
- Instant delivery through e-mail in 5 minutes
- Free cancellation until 1 day before travel, if you choose the FLEX OPTION. No questions asked.
- Extra Support: MySwissAlps can answer most questions regarding your order as well.
Swiss Travel Pass promotions
Find the latest promotions and discounts offered by the various pass vendors below.
Get a 5% discount on the Swiss Travel Pass with promo code: MSA-HO-5. Additionally, you'll receive a CHF 10 cashback. Free cancellation.
You need to be logged into the Headout website to qualify.
Find mountain trips and other activities offered at discounted rates if your own a Swiss Travel Pass or Swiss Travel Pass Flex.
Get a group discount on the Swiss Travel Pass or Swiss Travel Pass Flex.
Swiss Travel Pass - scenic train discounts
| Scenic train | Discount |
|---|---|
| Bernina Express | Free:
Seat reservations: no discount. |
| Centovalli Railway | Free:
Seat reservations: no discount. |
| Chocolate Train | Discount 40%:
|
| Glacier Express | Free:
Seat reservations: no discount. |
| GoldenPass | Free:
Seat reservations and surcharge for Prestige class in GoldenPass Express: no discount. |
| Gotthard Panorama Express | Free:
Seat reservations: no discount. |
| Lötschberg Mountain Railway | Free:
Seat reservations: no discount. |
| Voralpen-Express | Free:
|
Swiss Travel Pass - mountain excursions
Trips to the below mountains are either free or discounted for Swiss Travel Pass holders.
| Mountain | Discount |
|---|---|
| Bettmerhorn | No discount:
Betten to Bettmeralp (cableway): 50% discount. |
| Brienzer Rothorn | Discount 50%:
|
| Bürgenstock | Discount 50%:
Lucerne to Kehrsiten-Bürgenstock (boat): free. Stansstad to Bürgenstock (bus): free. Hammetschwand lift: no discount. |
| Cardada-Cimetta | Discount 50%:
Locarno to Orselina (funicular): 25% discount. |
| Corvatsch | Discount 50%:
|
| Eggishorn | Discount 50%:
|
| Glacier 3000 | Discount 50%:
|
| Gornergrat | Discount 50%:
|
| Grindelwald-First | Discount 50%:
Adventure activities: discount varies |
| Harder Kulm | Discount 50%:
|
| Jungfraujoch | Discount 25%:
To Wengen and Grindelwald (train): free. |
| Männlichen | Discount 50%:
|
| Matterhorn Glacier Paradise | Discount 50%:
|
| Mittelallalin | Discount 50%:
|
| Monte Brè | Discount 50%:
|
| Monte Generoso | Discount 50%:
|
| Monte San Salvatore | Discount 50%:
|
| Monte Tamaro | Discount 50%:
|
| Niesen | Discount 50%:
|
| Parsenn-Weissfluhgipfel | No discount:
|
| Pfingstegg | Discount 50%:
|
| Pilatus | Discount 50%:
Lucerne to Alpnachstad (train): free. Lucerne to Kriens (bus): free. |
| Rigi | Free:
|
| Rochers-de-Naye | Discount 50%:
Montreux to Haut-de-Caux (train): free. |
| Schilthorn | Discount 50%:
Stechelberg to Mürren (cableway): free. Lauterbrunnen to Mürren (cableway + train): free. Lauterbrunnen to Stechelberg (bus): free. |
| Schynige Platte | Discount 50%:
|
| Stanserhorn | Free:
|
| Sunnegga-Rothorn | Discount 50%:
|
| Titlis | Discount 50%:
|
Swiss Travel Pass - other discounted and free activities
| Activity | Discount |
|---|---|
| Boat Basel | No discount:
|
| Boat Lake Brienz | Free:
|
| Boat Lake Geneva | Free:
|
| Boat Lake Lucerne | Free:
|
| Boat Lake Lugano | Free:
|
| Boat Lake Maggiore | Free:
|
| Boat Lake Thun | Free:
|
| Boat Lake Zurich | Free:
|
| Castles of Bellinzona | Free:
Mini train: no discount. |
| Chillon Castle | Free:
|
| Gruyères | Free:
|
| La Maison du Gruyère | Free:
|
| Maison Cailler | Free:
|
| Rhine Falls | No discount:
To Schloss Laufen am Rheinfall and Neuhausen Rheinfall (train): free. |
| Säntis | Discount 50%:
|
| Swiss Museum of Transport | Discount 50%:
|
| Swissminiatur | Discount 30%:
|
Free public transport routes for Swiss Travel Pass holders
We've listed some of the most popular included routes.
| Route | Discount |
|---|---|
| Austria to Switzerland |
No discount:
|
| Basel to Zurich |
Free:
|
| France to Switzerland |
No discount:
|
| Geneva to Zermatt |
Free:
|
| Germany to Switzerland |
No discount:
|
| Interlaken to Zurich |
Free:
|
| Italy to Switzerland |
No discount:
|
| Lauterbrunnen to Mürren |
Free:
|
| Lauterbrunnen to Wengen |
Free:
|
| Zurich to Zermatt |
Free:
|
Swiss Travel Pass coverage map
The map shows where you can travel for free or with a discount. The basic rules are:
- Trains and buses to villages are free.
- Transport into the mountains (by cable car, funicular, cogwheel train, et cetera) is discounted.
- City transport (trams, buses) is free in over 90 towns.
- Boats are free, except for special cruises such as dinner cruises.
- Seat reservations are not included (and rarely required).
- The Swiss Travel Pass is valid in Switzerland only. A few train and bus routes crossing the border allow free traveling too. Examples are EuroAirport (France) to Basel, Brig to Domodossola (Italy), Domodossola to Locarno (the Centovalli line), and buses in Liechtenstein.
- Bus routes around Grindelwald: free traveling applies on all bus lines within the village. You will get a 50% discount on tickets for the other lines, like Grindelwald to Bussalp, Grosse Scheidegg, and Schwarzwaldalp.
How the map works
- Free and discounted traveling is explained in the upper left corner of the map. Solid and dashed lines are free. Dotted lines are discounted.
- Traveling with the Swiss Travel Pass applies to all trains that operate on the indicated lines and that are listed in the timetables. The train type (InterCity, local, panoramic) and the operating company do not matter. The Glacier Express, Bernina Express, GoldenPass, and other panoramic trains are thus included.
- Red dashed lines indicate tunnels. Free traveling applies there, just as for the solid red lines. Frutigen to Visp is an example of such a route.
- There are too many bus routes to fit on the map. In principle, all public bus services in and to towns are free of charge.
How does the Swiss Travel Pass work?
Keep the pass on your phone. You can travel as much as you like on trains, boats, buses and trams. You don’t need tickets. Just board and enjoy the ride. You do need to buy a discounted ticket for most cableways and other mountain transport.
How to start using your electronic Swiss Travel Pass
The Swiss Travel Pass is ready for traveling once you’ve received it. Simply keep it on your phone.
- You will receive a PDF file. This file has a code that train staff can scan from your smartphone.
- You may also receive a link to add the pass to a wallet app on your smartphone. You can use this instead of, or in addition to, the PDF file.
- Optionally you can print backup copies of the pass on A4 or letter-sized paper.
- The pass is ready to use if it includes all information like the start date, passenger name, and birth date. Your passport number won’t be displayed on the pass. Your name may be truncated if it’s too long to fit on the pass, but that’s no problem.
How Swiss Travel Pass travel days work
- The Swiss Travel Pass travel days are consecutive. If you don’t travel on such a day, it still counts as a travel day.
- The time of validation is not relevant. There’s no difference between validating it on July 15 at 08:00 or July 15 at 19:00 PM. July 15 still counts as your first full day of traveling, and the pass is basically valid from 0:00 AM that day. In this example, an 8-day Swiss Travel Pass can be used for traveling on July 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, and 22.
- Validity ends at 5:00 AM of the day following the last day. That allows you to complete late-night trips, even after midnight. In the above example, validity ends on July 23, 5:00 AM.
Seat reservations
You don’t need seat reservations for 99% of all trains and buses in Switzerland. You can simply board with your Swiss Travel Pass.
Exceptions are some international trains and some panoramic trains like the Glacier Express and Bernina Express. If you need or want seat reservations, you have to arrange for them separately. Seat reservations are not included in the pass.
What to present on board the train, bus, or boat
Once you’re on board, you will need to present your Swiss Travel Pass to ticket controllers upon request. The controller may want to check your passport as well, to make sure you’re the owner of the presented pass.
Additional tickets
There are two types of trips:
- Trips on routes that allow free traveling. You can just board any train, bus, boat, et cetera on such routes. You do not need a ticket.
- Trips on routes that allow discounted traveling. This mostly applies to transportation into the mountains. You need to arrange for a discounted ticket. You can do so online or at the ticket office of the cable car. Present your pass to make sure you’ll get the discount.
There are a few mountain routes that are free with the Swiss Travel Pass. If you can’t scan your Swiss Travel Pass to enter the cableway or funicular, ask the personnel upon showing your pass. They’ll get you a free ticket to open the turnstiles.
Why we use the Swiss Travel Pass ourselves
We choose the Swiss Travel Pass for about 70% of our trips to Switzerland. It pays for itself with our mix of long and short journeys, hikes, and attractions.
We love our flexibility. With the Swiss Travel Pass, we can change our plans on the spot. Examples:
- We were on our way from Thun to the Schilthorn, but the weather in the mountains was disappointing. So instead we got off the train in Interlaken. We made a relaxing boat trip back to Thun, while it was still sunny on the lake.
- On a beautiful day, we planned to visit Stanserhorn and Bürgenstock. After these visits weather was still so brilliant that we added an unplanned 3rd excursion to Rigi Kaltbad.
We did all of this without wasting money on tickets we didn’t fully use, and without buying anything extra.
Why others choose the Swiss Travel Pass
Most other travelers prefer the Swiss Travel Pass over other options too. Please see the train pass buying statistics.
Swiss Travel Pass is a very good value of money: even if it seems to be expensive at first, with my itinerary I covered its cost already by 3 days (when compared to buy ordinary point-to-point tickets).
We could make the best use of the Swiss Travel Pass for local travel and we had flexibility to change our plans.
Swiss Travel Pass is excellent! We went everywhere by train, boat or bus all included.
Free day trips with the Swiss Travel Pass
The map and the overview of discounts allow you to find all benefits you’re entitled to. Some of our personal free favorites are:
- the Rigi cogwheel train;
- the trip up to Stanserhorn;
- the Swiss open-air museum in Ballenberg;
- entrance to La Maison du Gruyère (cheese factory);
- entrance to Maison Cailler (chocolate factory);
- entrance to Chillon Castle.
Alternatives to the Swiss Travel Pass
The Saver Day Pass is the easiest option if you need a full day of travel before your Swiss Travel Pass starts or after it ends.
Alternatives if you don’t travel for exactly 3, 4, 6, 8, or 15 days
- If you only need to travel for one or two days, point-to-point tickets or the Saver Day Pass are worth looking into.
- If you plan to travel for 7 days, for example, an 8-day Swiss Travel Pass is often still the best option. You can do the math to be sure.
- If you’ll be traveling between 10 and 14 days, it can still be advantageous to get a 15-day Swiss Travel Pass. That’s because the price difference between an 8-day and 15-day pass is small.
- Do you need an extra day of travel, e.g. for day 9 on top of an 8-day pass? Then again point-to-point tickets or the Saver Day Pass may work for you.
Swiss Travel Pass for more than 15 days
The Swiss Travel Pass is valid for up to 15 days. Consider the below alternatives if you stay in Switzerland for longer than that.
- If you need a pass for 30 days, the most convenient option is to buy two 15-day Swiss Travel Passes of CHF 459 each. The cost per travel day is CHF 30.60, which is good value.
- Likewise, if you need a pass for 23 days, you can buy a 15-day and an 8-day Swiss Travel Pass of CHF 459 and CHF 419 each. The cost per travel day is CHF 38.17.
- If you don’t need to travel every single day, the 15-day Swiss Travel Pass Flex of CHF 479 allows you to travel for 15 days within one month. The cost per travel day is CHF 31.93.
- The one-month Swiss Half Fare Card is an alternative if you are willing to give up on ticketless traveling. You’ll have to buy discounted tickets for all your trips.
- There is also a Swiss Half Fare Card for one year: the Half-Fare Travelcard. Apart from this, there is the 1-month GA Travelcard for unlimited traveling by train and bus (not mountain transport). Find more information here.
- Eurail and Interrail passes allow unlimited traveling as well, but these passes are very different from the Swiss Travel Pass. Be sure to study the details before deciding.
Swiss Travel Pass FAQ
-
How do I know if the Swiss Travel Pass is my best option?
It likely is your best option if you have planned a lot of traveling. In that case, the pass is cheaper than point-to-point tickets, and ticketless traveling is more convenient. It allows you to be flexible.
The Swiss Travel Pass is best if you stay for 15 days or less.
-
Is SwissPass the same as Swiss Travel Pass?
No, the Swiss Travel Pass is for tourists, while the SwissPass is a completely different product for Swiss residents.
The Swiss Travel Pass was called “Swiss Pass” until 2014. Nowadays, the SwissPass is a digital product mainly used by Swiss residents, and it has nothing to do with your Swiss Travel Pass. Find more details here.
We recommend keeping things simple: buy your Swiss Travel Pass from any of the websites listed on this page. These websites are geared toward tourists. The pass you’ll receive is ready to use from the first validity day. There is nothing else you need to do.
-
Do I need a SwissPass account for my Swiss Travel Pass?
No, you don’t have to add your Swiss Travel Pass to a SwissPass account or any other account. Simply keep the pass on your phone. You don’t need anything else.
-
Is the GA Travelcard the same as the Swiss Travel Pass?
No, the Swiss Travel Pass is for tourists, while the GA Travelcard is a similar product for Swiss residents. But there are more differences. The GA Travelcard doesn’t offer free entrance to museums like the Swiss Travel Pass, for example. And the Swiss Travel Pass is much easier to purchase.
Find more information about the GA Travelcard here.
-
Who can buy the Swiss Travel Pass?
The Swiss Travel Pass can be purchased by anyone except for residents of Switzerland and Liechtenstein.
-
What if I want to travel 1st class with a 2nd class Swiss Travel Pass?
If you have a 2nd class pass, you can still choose to travel in 1st class on occasional trips. You can buy an upgrade ticket at the rail station. It costs half of the difference between the 2nd and 1st class fare for the route you wish to travel.
-
Is the Swiss Travel Pass Youth different from the Swiss Travel Pass for adults?
The Swiss Travel Pass Youth is exactly the same as the Swiss Travel Pass. There is no difference other than the price: the Swiss Travel Pass Youth is a discounted version for anyone up to and including 24 years.
-
What if I travel where the Swiss Travel Pass is not valid?
You will have to buy a regular ticket for the part of the trip that is not covered.
A trip that is not completely covered by the Swiss Travel Pass is a common scenario if you travel to or from a neighboring country. You can check the map to find which part of your trip is covered.
Example: you travel from Milan to Interlaken. As you can see on the map, Domodossola – Interlaken is covered by the Swiss Travel Pass. So you need to buy a ticket Milan – Domodossola. You don’t need to get off the train in Domodossola. You have paid for the entire trip with the ticket and pass, so you can stay seated.
-
Does the Swiss Travel Pass offer discounts apart from travel?
Yes, you get free entrance to museums and discounts on day trips.
Your Swiss Travel Pass works as a Swiss Museum Pass too. Normally this is a separate product for which you’d have to pay. You can enjoy hundreds of museums for free.
There are tickets for events and other day trips that include both transportation and admission. You will get a discount because the transportation is already included in the Swiss Travel Pass. Essentially the Swiss Travel Pass works much like the GA Travelcard for Swiss residents. That means that in most cases where the GA entitles to a discount, the Swiss Travel Pass will provide that same discount.
-
Is there a Swiss Travel Pass for one day?
No, there isn’t. For one day of travel, a Saver Day Pass could be an alternative.
Other websites of interest
- shop.switzerlandtravelcentre.com: official SBB tourist webshop
- www.museumspass.ch: find included museums
More to prepare for your trip
Tickets
Compare rail passes
Scenic trains
Other passes you may consider
The Swiss Travel Pass is the most popular travel option in Switzerland, but there are other passes and tickets too.
Swiss Half Fare Card
Berner Oberland Pass
Saver Day Pass
Itineraries for the Swiss Travel Pass
Find suggested itineraries to use your Swiss Travel Pass to the fullest.
Best of the Alps
Ultimate scenic trains
