I am confused on the the need for a Swiss half price travel card
My itinerary is ZRH airport to Bern 2 nights then to wengen 2 nights then to basel for 5 nights
I total up all SBB tickets at full price at 157 USD purchased 3 weeks in advance
so adding at Half price card at 140 USD seems to be a waste?
Am i missing something? Is the train up to wengen seperate from SBB ?
Thanks in advance
Did you double the price shown on SBB? It defaults to half fare card pricing. I would be very skeptical that you can spend 9 nights in Switzerland and only spend $157 on trains. I think you’re miscalculating or underestimating the amount of times you’ll be on trains.
yes i did the full price 2nd class
ZRH airport to bern 32 CHF
Bern to wengen 45 CHF
Wengen to basel 50 CHF
Ok, but you’re not going to train anywhere when you’re in those places? You’re going to sit in Wengen for 2 days and only go places on foot? In Basel for 5 days you’re going to walk everywhere?
I’m assuming you’re going these places to see things, which often require trains/cable cars to do…
You need to have 240 CHF worth of full fare train tickets to make the HFC pay off. If you don't have that, then you don't get it.
If you are staying at a hotel in Basel, you will get a guest card the lets you use local transportation in the area, trams and buses for free, including to Basel Airport, which is actually in France.
But I do not get the same costs you got
ZRH to Bern 59 CHF
Bern to Wengen 45 CHF
Wengen to Basel 79 CHF
That is still only 183 CHF, not enough to justify an HFC.
many thanks for all the help
If you are only taking a few trips having the HFC is indeed not advantageous. Swiss public transit is priced such that it becomes better value the more you use it. If you are only going to use it a couple of times you just pay full price... You're just not spending enough time in Switzerland.
Do pay attention though: From ZRH to Bern you should not buy a supersaver ticket (as that is inflexible) but a normal ticket, which is 42,- CHF.
Those prices look to be much lower than what I see: Zurich Airport to Bern, 59 CHF unless you get a SuperSaver ticket for 41.40; . Wengen to Basel, regular fare 79 CHF; SuperSaver fare 59.
And if you are going to rely on SuperSaver fares, make sure you know how and when to buy them, and the restrictions.
Super Saver Tickets are fine for your second 2 journeys, but not for your day after you land in Zurich, Super Saver tickets are train specific. So if you are delayed landing and miss your train, it is invalid and you will have to buy a new full fare ticket.
You will also be provided with a Bern Ticket during your stay in Bern:
"From your very first overnight stay at a tourist accommodation in the city of Bern, you will receive a Bern Ticket for your entire stay, which lets you travel for free on public transport in zones 100/101 operated by the LIBERO Association."
When we have out of town guests it is often the case that we do not get them a HFC, even if we do a mountain excursion or a few train trips. It does not always result in a savings to do so.
You'd save a bit of money with the half fare card if you plan on doing a big mountain excursion out of Wengen such as Schilthorn or Jungfrau.
Otherwise, no savings indeed.
many thanks for all the tips
btw do train tickets go up on SBB closer to departure like on DBahn?
No, the full fare price is always the same. Super Saver tickets, which are train specific do go up until they are all sold out, then only full fare tickets are available, like DB Sparpreis tickets.
Yep, travelling today at full prices, I make it 183 Francs, so buying a half tax would not make sense.
There have some dramatic changes to SBB prices this year, so it is best to make no assumptions and check all calculations.
