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Rail Pass questions

Posted by (Massachusetts) on

I'm planning on buying the half fare card combined with the Berner Oberland pass for the days when we are in the Jungfrau area. We are going to Switzerland for a week in August. One night in Lucerne, 4 nights in Lauterbrunnen, and two nights in Basel. I have the SBB app in my phone ready to go. I have some questions about purchasing logistics. We are two adults and one teenager.

-Is the half fare card valid for a month?
-Can I purchase the half fare card ahead of time and then start it's validation when I arrive in Switzerland?
-I am planning on purchasing the Berner Oberland pass using my half fare card because I believe that makes the cost of the Berner Oberland pass half the original price. Am I understanding that correctly?
-I can purchase the Berner Oberland pass when I arrive in Switzerland?

Posted by
17417 posts

Yes, the Half Fare Card is valid for one month (30 days). If you buy online in advance, you can choose the start date—-set it to whatever you like.

How old is your teen? If 15 or under on the dates of travel, you can request a free Family Card with your HFC, and the teen will travel everywhere with you——trains, boats, lifts, etc.—-for free, without any other pass necessary.

The Half Fare Card does not cut the cost of a BO Pass in half, but for a 6-day or longer pass, the price is reduced enough to nearly cover the price of the HFC, and you have the HFC to use for all your travel outside the BO Pass Validity region.

Here are the prices: https://www.berneseoberlandpass.ch/prices-tickets/

Note that if your teen is 16 or older, up to 25, they can get a “Youth” fare for the BO Pass. If the rest of your travel in Switzerland is just Zurich to Luzern, and Bern to Basel, there is little if any benefit to a HFC for the teen.

You can buy the BO Pass online ahead, rather than wait until you reach Switzerland. But it wlll save you time to buy it ahead, rather than standing in line at a ticket window somewhere.

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