Please sign in to post.

Do I need to book a specific local train in advance with half price cards?

Dear travellers,
I am visiting Switzerland after 17 years and that too planning a last minute trip now. I hope that someone can guide me with answers to the following questions. I read up on sbb.ch and some other sites, but can not find a very clear answer to these.

On the same day- Leave Grindelwald Grund -> Bern spend 3/4 hours in Bern-> Geneva for the night
Question: I have bought the half saver card. I want some flexibility in terms of when I leave Grindelwald, how much time I spend in Bern and the arrival time in Geneva. I would like to play it by ear.

In order to avail the discount, is it a must that I buy the fix train time tickets in advance online? Or can I buy a Grindelwald -> Geneva ticket for that day and be flexible in times?

I have a similar question from the following segment as well-
Zurich -> Luzern -> Spend few hours in Luzern -> Grindelwald

Can I buy in advance a ticket for Zurich- > Luzern-> Grindelwald without choosing specific train times with half saver card?

Posted by
7209 posts

As long as you don't buy a "Super Saver" ticket (which is for a specific train/time) then you can be as flexible as you want. Stop along the way, get back on a later train, all along the way.

Posted by
8889 posts

No. There is no "booking". It is a "turn-up-and-go" service.
Swiss tickets are valid on any train on the date shown on the ticket, you do not specify a train. There is no point in buying in advance, there is no discount for so doing.
Just buy your ticket from the ticket machine (or from the manned ticket desk), There will be buttons marked "Full fare" and "Half Fare/Child". You select the second one (obvious). You can buy on the day when you get to the station, or if you are passing through the day before buy your ticket then, but remember to select "another date" and enter your date of travel.

BTW, a Swiss Half Price Card is valid on all transport, Trains, buses, boats and city transport (trams and buses).