We are spending two weeks in Switzerland for our honeymoon this September and are having difficulty understanding which rail pass to purchase.
Our itinerary:
Arrive in Zurich
Zurich to Bern
Bern to Murren
Murren to Zermatt
Zermatt to Montreux
Montreux to Geneva
Would love any suggestions!
Are one or both of you under 26?
@Sam - no we are both over the age of 26
or this one
https://www.sbb.ch/en/leisure-holidays/travel-in-switzerland/international-guests/swiss-halffare-card.html
Read the benefits of each and choose according to the mountain excursions you have planned
A Swiss Half Fare card is usually the biggest bang for your buck. You'll have to buy tickets every time you travel but they'll all be discounted by 50%.
The 30-day Half Fare Card almost always results in the most savings, but you do have to purchase tickets for each journey. Just the journeys you outline amount to about 314 CHF worth of full fare tickets per person. With a Half Fare Card costing 120 CHF, your costs will be 277 CHF. A 15-day Swiss Travel Pass is 485 CHF, so you can see you will be paying quite a premium for the convenience of a pass.
Now how many little side trips you plan on will add to that. The trip to the Schilthorn from Muerren is covered by the Swiss Travel Pass. But other mountain lifts only give a 50% discount, like the Gornergratbahn in Zermatt. The Jungfraujochbahn above Wengen only gives 25% discount. The Half Fare Card always gives a 50% discount for everything, mountain lifts, boats, city buses and trams.
Oh wow - so helpful! Thank you all! Sounds like for our trip, we should be doing the Half Fare Card. We will definitely be doing mountain excursions while in Murren and Zermatt and may even add in Gruyeres for the Alpine Cattle Descent in Charmey, so that 50% discounted rate will sure help!
