Help with Rail / Transport Passes

I was going to suggest the Swiss Travel Pass, as I like the convenience it provides, but I see your trip is for 18 days. The Swiss Travel Pass only goes up to 15 days.

It looks like Zermatt has a Peak Pass. I’m not familiar with it, so I can’t provide advice on that one. But that might be an option to start your trip and then you could use the Swiss Travel Pass.

https://www.matterhornparadise.ch/en/Information/Tickets-prices/Peak-Pass

Another option is to use the half fare card for the entire 18 days. That, as the name states, will give you ½ off everything.

Looks like a great trip by the way. 😊

To be honest I was considering the 15 day flex rail pass but was trying to leave the question open ended to see what replies came back...

The Swiss Travel Pass Flex might be a good option. Make sure you’re familiar with selecting your travel days. Detail here:

https://www.myswissalps.com/swisstravelpassflex/howtouse

For your non Pass days, the supersaver ticket (you need to commit to day and time) or the saver day pass (you need to commit to day, not time) might be good options for you. Detail here:

https://www.sbb.ch/en/travelcards-and-tickets/buying-options/saving.html

Thank you! Perhaps you could give me guidance on how to access information on the special train lines ...such as the Golden Pass Rail Line?

Actually now that I look at my trip I think that I do not have the option to take the Golden Pass rail as it appears to travel in only one direction and I am heading from Interlaken Ost to Luzern. Is that correct? Or is there an option that I am missing?

See the info. here:

https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/switzerland/golden-pass-vs-passenger-train

The Golden Pass Line is just a marketing label attached to the Montreux - Interlaken - Luzern route. It is a normal service an off course trains go both ways, and at regular times throughout the day. No need for reservations.

Best for you is probably the Half Fare Card combined with local passes.

I would also suggest you stay in Vevey or Montreux, rather than Geneva.

Interlaken Ost to Luzern via Meiringen and Brünig is at the same time every hour, every day, in both directions.

Thank you....Your replies are saving hours of searches. I've started the spreadsheet to help best organize my trip and expenses and best determine which pass I need. I am not sure how to figure out the cost of the various boat excursions that are offered? Such as the paddle steamer I mention in Lake Luzern versus the boat from Luzern to Fluelen; and the Lake tour on Geneve. Any suggestions on how to get those costs?

Perhaps I'm an outlier here but don't get too hung up on spreadsheets. Things cost what they cost, and it's part of the trip. Try to economize where you can (getting lunch from Migros, for example) and then spend what it takes to have the trip you want to take.

You are in one of the world's most expensive countries, but you're going there because it's worth it.

While I understand that, I do have to make decisions about where the dollars will go and would like to do it before I get there. And yes, I will not be penny pinching but some of these excursions can set you back quite a bit. The support here has been wonderful and non- judgmental... I very much appreciate that. So please, if anyone can provide info on how to get pricing on the boats, please do share.

Given the duration of your trip and with your list of excursions, it looks like the Half Fare Card and the Swiss Travel Pass are more or less a tie. The benefit of the Half Fare Card is that it would cover you every day.

Half Fare Card costs Fr. 120, Swiss Travel Pass costs Fr. 449 for 15 days "flex".

For mountain excursions, the ticket cost with a Half Fare Card is usually the same as with a Swiss Travel Pass. Exceptions are Rigi (covered 100% by STP) and Jungfrau (only 25% discount with STP): let's assume those two even out and call it a tie.

The difference is with train and boat rides between towns: those are fully covered on days when STP is active, vs. 50% covered with HFC.

So, to make the STP worth the price, you would have to use 449-120 = Fr. 330's worth of Half-Fare train and boat tickets. A Zurich-Zermatt-Lausanne-Wengen-Luzern-Zurich route costs about Fr. 200 with the half fare card, but once you add excursions to Bern, to Pilatus, boat trips on lake Geneva, etc. you'll probably go over Fr. 300.

Personally I'd buy the Half Fare Card because I never do all the day trips I plan to do on any given trip, but the STP is convenient for sure.

That explains it the best. Does that Berner Oberland card have any value above the Swiss Travel Pass or Half Fare? We are there 6 days. Honestly, I haven't even looked at it...and don't even know how much it costs.

The Berner oberland pass never made sense to me, because I never saw how I could use the various trains enough to make it cost effective. Maybe someone has a different experience, but I doubt it.

Helene, I’m having the same issue, and in spite of all the research, I’m still confused! My husband and I are retired, and after a riverboat cruise, we are leaving Basel heading for Montreaux. We will be on trains 6 out of 7 days including the the Glacier Express, along with boats and probably museums. We’ll end up in Zurich to fly home. I’m just not sure which pass will be the best way to go. HELLLP,please!

You need to tell us the number of days in each location. The Berner Oberland Pass combined with the Half Fare Card can be a money saver. It covers the "Golden Pass" from Saanen to any location in the B.O. trains in the B. O. with discounts from Gletcher to Jungfraujoch and backand Muerren to Schilthorn and back and on to Luzern.

Ok... days at each location. Here goes:
Zermatt: 3
Geneve: 2
Wengen: 7
Lucerne: 4
Zurich: 2

The 8-day Berner Oberland Pass costs 380 CHF, but with the Half Fare Card, it is 250 CHF. Since the Half Fare Card costs 120 CHF, it is like getting a Half Fare Card for 110 CHF for use for the rest of your trip. The Berner Oberland Pass covers a lot more in the Wengen than the Swiss Travel Pass.

Thank you that! I was able to see the price of the Berner Oberland pass but didn't realize it would be further discounted. My one question posted earlier is still hanging out there I am not sure how to figure out the cost of the various boat excursions that are offered? Such as the paddle steamer I mention in Lake Luzern versus the boat from Luzern to Fluelen; and the Lake tour on Geneve. Any suggestions on how to get those costs?

And to the person who is equally befuddled it is starting to appear to me that the half fare card is the better option...but I am still working my way through.

Thanks for this post and the replies. I feel like the more research I do the more confused I am. Lol.
I'm still torn between the HFC and the BOP or the STP with the two free day promotion and BOP. I want to start booking trains as I'm going in two months. Maybe I'm over preparing but this part is difficult.

Brent, I know exactly what you’re saying! I’m just over two months out myself! I need to book the Glacier express because all my hotel res are made and I need a specific day. Is anybody clear enough on this to steer us to the right pass? I think the options are very confusing

If you value convenience, the STP is the answer. You just hop on the various transportation modes covered and sit down. The conductors come by later to check your Pass. You don't book trains in advance, unless you're getting seat reservations for one of the scenic trains, such as the Bernina Express. However, as many here will advise you, you can ride the regional trains that run on the same tracks as the panoramic trains , and no seat reservations required. What is your time worth to you- how many hours have you spent trying to decide which pass is right for you, just to save $50? Hmmmmmm.....

I’m with Pat, you cannot beat the convenience of the Swiss Travel Pass. You can jump on any train or boat you see without having to stop and buy tickets. Yes, buying tickets on the SBB app is easy, but you still have to take the time to look up the journey and purchase the tickets. Plus, with the Swiss Travel Pass, you’re not even thinking about how much all the trains, boats, trams, and buses cost because they are already paid for. If I had the Half Fare card, I’m not sure I would move around as much. I’d be thinking about, well if I pop on down to Lauterbrunnen for dinner, it’s going to cost me x amount of dollars to get up and down.

Plus, the Swiss Travel Pass gets you in the museums and castles for free and upper deck on all the boats.

This is the website for the Lake Geneva cruises (with timetables and fares)-
https://www.cgn.ch/en/
and this is the one for the Lake Lucerne boats-
https://www.lakelucerne.ch/en/

Thank you! My understanding is that when you use the STP on the boat you burn up a day. When you go to the museum or ride a cog rail for a discount do you impact your rail days as well?

Yes, if you have the Flex Pass, each day you use the Pass, counts as one of your days. If you have the regular Pass, it is valid for x amount of days—you chose the start date. The Pass covers all your travel on those days with the exception of some mountain excursions that are not covered 100%.

Your situation is a little unusual in that you will be in Switzerland more than the 15 day max on the Pass. A lucky problem to have. 😊 For my first trip to Switzerland in 2021, I was in Switzerland for 17 days. I bought tickets for my first couple of days, and then used the 15-day Pass after that.

It really doesn’t have to be complicated. If you want the convenience of not having to buy tickets, the Swiss Travel Pass is a good option. If you don’t mind having to buy tickets, the half fare card with or without local Passes is a good option.

Helene, what do you mean you "burn up a day"? You can use the STP all day on various covered modes. Perhaps you are referring to the flexible days pass, not the consecutive days pass?
Safe travels!

The problem with the STP for your journey is that in Berner Oberland, it only gives a 25 pc discount for a lot of your excursions, like Wengen to Kleine Scheidegg, Jungfraujoch, and 50 pc for others like First, Scilthorn. The B.O. pass covers all of these fully except the Jungfraujoch, which gives at least a 50 pc discount.

In Zermatt, you still have to buy tickets for the Gornergrat, Glacier Paradise, at a 50 pc discount.

Now I understand! I was getting confused by some of the answers in the different threads I was reading. So with the STP, I can use the pass all day long, as stated previously. But if using the flex pass on a non rail day for a boat, as asked by one of my responders, I will use up one of my days (or as I stated, "burn up a day"). But still not clear about the museums. If I am not traveling and use the STP to enter a museum, does that mean that a day is utilized?

If I am not traveling and use the STP to enter a museum, does that
mean that a day is utilized?

With the Swiss Travel Pass (not the flex version), you’ll have the Pass from Day 1 (your start date) to Day 15 (the end date). Within those 15 days, all your museums are covered. You're not selecting to use a travel day or not, because your travel days are already set—the 15 days between the start and end of your Pass.

If you have the Flex Pass, using the Pass for a museum, would count and as one of your days, even if the only thing you did that day was visit a museum. It would also cover anything else you did that day. Same with the boat rides. If you have the Flex Pass, a ride on one of the boats counts as one of your days.

The benefit from the Swiss Travel Pass (not the flex version), comes when you are using the Pass for multiple things in one day. When I’m in Switzerland, I’m all over the place, doing multiple things with the Pass each day. I also make a point to include many of the things that the Pass includes. I have been to Mt. Rigi in Lucerne multiple times, because I love the boat and train ride. And it’s covered 100% with the Pass.

If you’re someone who is going to stay in Murren and just do a lot of low elevations walks, and not use any of the transportation, the Swiss Travel Pass would not make sense. It really depends on the type of traveler you are and things you plan to do.

I should add too, that if you are using the Flex Pass, to get the most benefit out of that, you would use the Pass for your most expensive days. If you are just walking to a museum one day, it would make sense to just pay for your ticket and not use the Pass for that day.

Thank you for explaining the pass. Now I understand it completely.

or at least until my next question (lol)...but I am certainly more comfortable with my knowledge now. And hope my questions come with less frequency.

And of course having said that I do have a question, with the STP when you purchase a discounted ticket are you considered to have used a day on the STP for that discounted ticket?

It’s the same as if you were using the Pass for a museum or boat. If it’s the Flex Pass, yes it counts as one of you days. Anytime you are using the Flax Pass, it counts as a day.

With the Swiss Travel Pass, you would be getting the discount with you 15-day Pass. You’re not selecting any days with this Pass other than the start date.

Thanks to all of you for your comments. I did the spread sheets and for those of you looking to save money the Half Fare card is definitely the way to go. For those seeking convenience, the Swiss Travel Pass is the Ticket....as you consistently told me. But I needed to take the time and needed to plan my trip, so it was well worth it. I will be back and thank you for you patience and kindness.

I like the 30-day Halbpreis ticket, myself. It does mean that we need to buy tickets all the time, but that's pretty easy.

We did use a Swiss Pass on our first trip, which allowed us a certain number of days out of two weeks or so. It MIGHT have been a better deal financially, but we wanted to get on the train on more days than that, and spontaneously, so we wound up spending time and fretting about whether we should use the Swiss Pass THIS time - or pay for the tickets THIS time so we'd still have the days left on the Swiss Pass for another trip.

Back again! My understanding with the Swiss Rail Pass one does not have to purchase tickets for the trains. Though I also understand for the heavily traveled trains it is wise to book tickets in advance. That said, how difficult is it to purchase tickets if one is a novice with the Half Fare Pass?

The more I read about the different passes, the more confused I get. Everyone is very nice to share their experience and advice so hoping you can help with our upcoming June trip or suggest a good resource to figure this all out:

Arrive Geneva- train to Lausanne 1 night
Train from Lausanne to Paris 3 nights
Train from Paris to Montreux 1 night
Train from Montreux to Lauterbrunnen 3 nights
Train from Lauterbrunnen to Geneva 1 night-fly home next day

We want to visit Schilthorn or Jungfraujoch while in Lauterbrunnen but concerned about the cost. Would one of the travel passes or half fare cards make sense for this along with our train travel? We are two adults and two kids under age 25. We realize Switzerland is an expensive country to visit but just want to make the smartest decisions with the money we are spending. Also, we know that the Swiss travel passes will not be helpful for our to/from trip to Paris. We are all set with hotels in all destinations.

Though I also understand for the heavily traveled trains it is wise to book tickets in advance

Buying a ticket in advance gives you no more right to a seat than for someone who buys a ticket with his app minutes before the train departs. What does guarantee a seat is to purchase a seat reservation for 5 CHF.

Swiss trains do not limit the number of people boarding a train. If no seats available, you stand until a seat opens up.

@dabek_m
Best to start a new thread rather than tagging on a separate question to the OP's question.