TGV discounts to use? Swiss train deals? Paris to Zurich

When are you traveling to Zurich and how old is the middle child? 362 euro seems high to me. Using the price calendar on en.voyages-sncf site, mostly I see costs from a low of 125 euro to 295 euro. Only Sunday travel is that high. These are for nonrefundable tickets
If you get some sort of Swiss Pass, you can get a Swiss Family Card and offspring under 16 travel free. Swiss Travel products are expensive. How many days will you be there and is Zurich-Luzern-Engelberg it as far as travel goes.

I agree with Sam, do you actually want to got to Zürich on your first night in Switzerland, or to Luzern?
Zürich is not usually considered one of the "must sees" of Switzerland. If you are staying in Luzern, then get off the TGV in Basel, and go directly to Luzern. In this case you need to buy tickets to Luzern, not Zürich.

I'm wondering if I'm seeing the same site as you? Two kids are 20 and older, one is 15. You both make a good point - our ultimate destination on that travel day is Engelberg, so maybe we can skip Zurich altogether.

So, that begs the "best way to travel by rail with a family in Switzerland" question. It seems like once we get into Basel we would benefit from some kind of deal. What is the best resource to check to figure this out?

I'm anticipating train travel now from Basel to Luzern to Engelberg, then cable cars and cog trains , then around town travel in Luzern, including perhaps a boat trip on Lake Luzern. After that, we'll simply have a direct ride from Luzern to Zurich, and transport to the airport.

Do families buy just one half fare pass and apply it to all future tickets for the family?

Thanks again for your illuminating replies :-)

Laurie

I just checked the Paris to Basel TGV and it is even more expensive than Paris to Zurich! Same Lyria train. I wonder if it is more cost effective to head to Zurich first? Or, maybe there is some combo I haven't discovered yet?

This is a challenge. I thought booking this much in advance would be a benefit... and when I look at the prices if I were booking in a few weeks, those prices are indeed higher.

Thanks,
Laurie

Laurie,
What you should be checking is Paris to Engelberg, that is where you actually want to get to.
www.sbb.ch is giving CHF 163 for Paris to Engelberg for one person for an arbitary date in May.
For 2 x adult, 2 x 17-25 and 1 x 10-16 it gives CHF 793.00 = € 763 = USD 808

https://www.capitainetrain.com is giving various prices starting from €68 per person for Paris to Basel only. The extra costs for Basel to Engelberg (Capitaine train is my preference for France, but it does not cover Switzerland).
I don't see how Paris to Basel can be more than Paris to Zürich. After all, you could always buy a ticket to Zürich and get off at Basel. Which website are you looking on?

A Swiss halb-tax abo (half fare pass) costs CHF 120 per person for 1 month or CHF 175 per year. If you are doing more than CHF 240 of train travel per person in Switzerland it is worth it. Click here for details.
It all depends on what other train travel you are planning in Switzerland. If it is a lot, a Swiss pass may be an advantage.

Chris, thank you. I just changed the search to Paris to Engelberg and the best rate for an adult was $125.

Since we're stopping in Basel first, I wonder if that is the point to purchase a half fare card, or some other discount?

Is there a way to knock that price down further with passes or discounts?

Thanks,
Laurie

Laurie, the Swiss pass situation is complicated (aren't they all).
You need to list out all your train trips in Switzerland, add up the cost and work out whether to pay full fare, buy half price passes or full passes (or even local passes for the Engelberg area).

Yes, you can get off at Basel and buy your passes, or you can buy them online beforehand. Trains Basel to Luzern are 2 per hour, so it doesn't matter if you miss one.
If you have a full Swiss pass, that is valid from Basel. and in that case you only need to buy a ticket Paris to Basel.

Chris, I really appreciate your advice. Basically, I'm trying to figure out how to get to Engelberg ( 2 nights with a day trip to Mt. Titlus), and then back to Luzern, hoping for stress free travel on the public transportation while in the city for a couple of days.

If we were staying longer, the Swiss Travel Pass would be a no-brainer. I'm attracted to the museum and transportation features, but not sure if we'd get our money's worth for the five days we'll be in Switzerland. It seems like that pass only offers partial discounts for the mountain excursion we're planning.

Laurie

To answer your other question, I was on the SNCF site and got a quote for 398 euro for five of us.

Now I'm checking into Rail Europe and capitainetrain.com...I had heard that Rail Europe was more costly, and thought booking direct with SNCF was the way to go. Apparently, that is not always true!

Thanks for the half fare info. I feel like the fog is clearing a bit...

Laurie

Laurie, last time I checked capitainetrain.com covered France but not Switzerland. They would only be able to sell you a ticket Paris - Basel. You would have to buy a ticket Basel Engelberg in Basel. But, since Swiss railways do not offer a discount for advance purchase, there is no financial disadvantage in doing it that way.

P.S. Titlus is recommended. Pick a clear day.

The TGV train (such as Paris to Basel) is the only part that needs to be reserved and that has advance-purchase discounts. The TGV may ask your ages but basically does not offer age-based discounts. Any Swiss pass or Half-Fare Travel Card kicks in from Basel onward, so don't buy any separate Swiss tickets before deciding which version you want.

You have 2 adults, 2 youths, and 1 child (age 15) who qualifies to use the free Swiss Family Card. I understand your Swiss routes to be spread over 5 days, like this:

Day 1: Train from Basel to Engelberg - 47 francs

Day 2: Day trip around Engelberg - (a pass gives 50% lift discounts)

Day 3: Train to Luzern - about 9 francs + other sightseeing

Day 4: Day trip around Luzern - (train, bus, tram, boat, & museums could be covered by a pass but Kreins-Pilatus-Alpnachstad would get 50% discount)

Day 5: Train to Zurich - 25 francs

The Swiss Half-Fare Card for one month probably is the best deal for this trip, at $128 or 120 francs per person for the 4 oldest. The child still travels free with the Swiss Family Card. Then, you buy all transport tickets as you go for half price (no museum discounts). When buying online or from machines, just indicate that you have the Half-Fare Card. You will show both pieces on the train.

Thanks, Laura. I spent some time today with a Rail Europe agent, and we crunched some numbers. I thought I had it all figured out...and now your info has added a new consideration.

He said that the Swiss Family Card only works with the Swiss Pass to enable my 15 year old to travel free. We priced out the Swiss Pass vs. the Half Fare, and it was pretty close. It sounded like the SP was the way to get the best discount if we were going to visit Mt. Titlus (weather permitting).

Are your prices reflecting the half rates on your days 1-5? I was quoted $156 for the adult half rate card - your price looks better!

And finally, is the museum pass part of the Swiss Pass good for any sights beyond the Transportation Museum in Luzern (considering we're staying there, as well as Engelberg?) Maybe the all inclusive pass isn't going to get us that much more that we would use beyond ease of train travel? Perhaps it is better for travelers who are there longer?

We were able to grab some good early booking rates for the TGV from Paris to Basel - but it seems like people are saying that there's no real advantage to booking Swiss train tickets ahead of time. Is that your experience, Laura?

Thanks,
Laurie

Chris, I checked out Capitaine this evening and found the lower rates I'd been hoping for from Paris to Basel!! Thank you so much for that recommendation.

Is there anything I should know about booking with them? I have e-tickets on hold now, and got everyone the same good rate - better than my agent at Rail Europe was able to achieve. So that is a triumph!

I think between that rate for the TGV and deciding on the Half Fare Card in Switzerland for 4 of us and the Family Pass for the 5th one to travel free, I've got things as well planned as they could be.

I can't tell you how thankful I am for the support received in this forum! (I'm also thankful that this was my Spring Break, so I had the time to devote to figuring this all out right at our "booking horizon"!)

Laurie