Hello! I know many have asked this question, but I'm getting overwhelmed by all the options. What is the best train pass to purchase for a trip that will go from Zurich, stop for one night in Luzern, then off to Wengen for 2 days, and back to Zurich?
Thank you!!
You really can't go wrong with a Swiss Half Fare Card, which will also give you discounts on the lifts & trains throughout the Lauterbrunnen Valley, which you will take when you stay in Wengen.
OK, thank you! Are there any tickets I need to purchase in advance? Or should I do it when I get there? Will I need any additional tickets aside from the Half Fare card, or does that cover all the trains?
Half Fare Card is just that -- a CHF120 (or thereabouts) card that allows you to purchase needed tickets at half-price -- so yes, you will need to buy tickets for every train, bus or cable car. But not hard to do -- bought the HFC and Lausanne-to-Murren tickets at the Lausanne station then we just flashed the card on the Lauterbrennen bus and paid the half-price fare, same for Schilthorn cable car.
You can buy a half fare card (and any associated children's passes) on either the SBB (Swiss Federal Railways) website, or at a border or airport rail station.
Details here: https://www.sbb.ch/en/leisure-holidays/travel-in-switzerland/international-guests/swiss-halffare-card.html
It entitles you to buy tickets at half price (aka children’s fare), so you still have to buy tickets for each trip, but they will be ½ price. If you buy your tickets from a machine, you will be given two options: "Without Half-fare-card" and "Half-fare-card / Children".
See here for a simulation of how to use a ticket machine: https://www.sbb.ch/en/iframes/automatic-ticket-machine-simulation-SBB.html
Got it. Thank you! This has been very helpful.
Actually my experience is that the Swiss Rail passes rarely pay for themselves. Simply buy the trips you need.
