Buying Swiss Travel Pass in Switzerland

I'm traveling to Switzerland in mid-September for 15 days. I plan on buying my Swiss Travel Pass one or two days before I leave the United States. That way I can print a copy or two and also figure out how I want to use it on my phone. I am going to use the railroad network to move around to multiple locations during my trip and I fully expect to do that even if the weather is not good, so I see no reason to wait on getting the STP until arrival.

I chose the STP because I am taking 5 different panoramic trains as I move from location to location. The more regional passes like the Berner Oberland pass would not cover all of these. I am admittedly paying a little more for the STP than using the Half Fare Card might be -- even more if I leveraged Super Saver or Saver Day pass pricing. But I see a convenience value in not having to buy individual tickets for every train ride.

I definitely will not buy my pass until very close to the departure for my trip just in case something happens and I cannot go on the trip.

Our trip covers all train travel between each city. I would purchase a pass for transportation once we have arrived at our hotels and to get the 50% discount on the mountain excursions. Also would use the Swiss Travel Pass for the Switzerland portion of the train to Berlin. I think I will wait till we arrive in Switzerland to purchase the pass based on the weather forecast. Just wanted to make sure we can purchase a pass once in Switzerland.

For travel to Switzerland this summer, we were debating whether to buy the Swiss Travel Pass online before leaving the U.S. or after arriving in Switzerland. Right before leaving in late June, the STP was priced at $500 US for 15 days on Rick Steves site. We waited until arriving in Zurich, and they had a special price of 420 CHF, equivalent to $470 US at the time, for 30 days. A real bargain!

About once a year there is some type of fare sale on the various Swiss Travel passes. Since I've been following this, each year it's somewhat different, and usually in the spring. Who knows what will happen next year, but it's good to watch for it! Safe travels!

You can indeed just buy them upon arrival in Geneva. Now with only 2 nights in 4 locations you have created a bit of a problem. You cannot take advantage of regional passes, as they are not that short, and you are betting that the single day you have to explore each area will be a good day. Normally for such a short trip I would suggest you limit yourself to two bases.

I think the best pass for you will be the Half Fare Card. Get that in Geneva.