Innsbruck to Zurich with Swiss Travel Pass June 2107

Are you sure there is a direct train? I'm not an austrian train expert but looking at www.oebb.at for your dates I don't see any direct trains.

Looking at the www.sbb.ch website (which is a bit easier to navigate) I looked at the price for your travel route on 03 June 2017 with 3 changes. The 2nd class fare is 78chf without a Swiss Pass and 32chf with a Swiss Pass. You specify your pass during the booking process.

There is also a train that leaves at the same time but with only 2 changes.

It looks like there is construction work on the rail line this summer, so they have replacement bus between Feldkirch and Sargans. You will have to make a transfer regardless. Yes, if you buy the ticket at SBB, just put in the proper box that you have a Swiss Travel Pass and they will give you the price to the Swiss border and free thereafter. Show your pass to the conductor when you board the train in Sargans if it needs to be validated, they may want to see it on the bus as well.

Some times if you buy an advance purchase Saver ticket, the discount will trump the Swiss pass savings. That is, if the cost of a Saver fare from Innsbruck to Zurich will be less than the full fare from Innsbruck to the Swiss border.

Edit: It looks like it is best to buy these tickets from https://tickets.oebb.at/en/ticket
This gives a ticket price of 61 EUR for two as far as Sargans. SBB price is signicantly more.

Sam, Thanks for taking time to help me. I have found a direct one-way Innsbruck to Zurich on raileurope.com. It shows when I DO NOT enter the Swiss Travel Pass. It leaves at 0745 on 3 June 2017.

When I enter the trip search on raileurope.com WITH the travel pass the site says, "...trip is temporarily unavailable for online booking...try your request later..."

The price of the non-travel pass one-way ticket is $98 per person. What additional observations may you or anyone have on my situation.

I just paged through the www.sbb.ch site. It is showing a replacement bus between Feldkirch and Sargans starting Monday May 29 to Sunday, July 2. A definite hint that there is a construction project scheduled for these dates. The NightJet train does go direct, but it appears to be on a diversion track as between Feldkirch and Zurich, it shows a stop in St Margrethen, not its normal route through Buchs and Sargans.

If you have a Swiss Travel Pass, buy a ticket at www.oebb.at, for a ticket as far as Sargans for the best price. I am seeing 61 EUR total for 2 adults, Sparschiene (nonrefundable, advance purchase now), but it looks like you will need an American Express card to make the transaction.

As is often the case with RailEurope - the train it's showing you is NOT direct. If you search for that same journey on the Austrain Railways website you'll see that the RailJet 360 journey actually involves changing to a bus in Feldkirch then changing again in Sargans to a train ICE 72.

I've always recommended avoiding RailEurope because usually you pay more (not always) and you never "really" know what you're getting. Even though RE is leading you to believe you'll have a direct train - obviously that's not the case.

Here is the official announcement (google translate version) of project No 323

323 29.05.17 to 02.07.17
08:00: 20:00: Sargans Feldkirch ICE / TGV / RJ , EC / IC ,

Construction work: Zurich HB - Feldkirch The railway line is interrupted between Zurich HB and Feldkirch.
The international trains run between Zurich HB and Feldkirch.
There are replacement buses Sargans - Buchs SG - Feldkirch.
Please note the changed departure and arrival times.
Duration of 29.05.2017 08:10 to 02.07.2017 20:00.
The online timetable www.sbb.ch has been adapted.
Please note the information at the station.
Please note the speaker announcements in the train. 15.03.17
13:55

Tim and Sam, I truly appreciate your input. It helped very much. I trust the Rick Steves site will take a look at this dialogue as it applies to the European rail ticket/pass site that they refer their users to. Thanks again.

Tim and Sam, I'd appreciate a comment on the following approach other advisors suggested that they found on the Austrian ticket site www.oebb.at: I purchase a ticket to Sargans (just inside SW) on the 0745 train that indicates service from Innsbruck to Zurich -downtown. This will involves transfer to bus which I assume connects with the remainder of the train trip to Zurich. For this leg within SW I will use my Swiss pass. Thanks again Ken

You can buy this ticket on SBB.ch, and enter your Swiss Passes to get the correct price. It shows 64 CHF for the two of you. The journey on that 7:45 departure is Innsbruckmto Feldkirch by train, trainsfer to Sargans by bus, and then Sargans to Zurich by train.

Or you could choose a later departure if you wish---there are many options.

I looked at this before and buying from Oebb is 61 EUR and SBB is 64 CHF (Innsbruck to Zurich with a Swiss Pass) for 2, so at current exchange rates, SBB is a couple dollars cheaper.