We will travel to Switzerland the first week of September. Fly into Zurich, to Lucern for 4 nights, to Lauterbrunnen for 4 nights and on to Colmar for 6 nights.
I have read that the Swiss half fare pass plus the Tell Pass and Berner-Overland pass is a worthwhile purchase. Do you agree?
Posted by
11 posts
The Tell Pass doesn't appear to have a discounted Half Fare Card option, so I would skip it if you are buying the HFC. The Berner Oberland Pass does have a discounted option.
It's really not a problem to buy tickets half fare as you go. You avoid over-paying for an expensive pass that you aren't able to fully use. Also, you can purchase the Saver Day Pass for about ~50CHF (with HFC) starting two months in advance. You can buy that for any truly long-distance travel days if you really want the convenience of Hop On/Hop Off. Note that the Saver Day Pass won't cover all of the cablecars/mountain trains, but it will generally cover most trains up to a town (e.g., it covers up to Murren and Wengen but not beyond) and lake steamers, etc.
Posted by
Chicago
3130 posts
you can purchase the Saver Day Pass for about ~50CHF (with HFC)
starting two months in advance.
The Saver Day Passes are available 6 months in advance. The earlier you buy, the lower the price. With the Half Fare Card, you get can purchase a Saver Day Pass for as low as CHF 29.
https://www.sbb.ch/en/tickets-offers/tickets/day-passes/saver-day-pass.html
Posted by
Washington DC
28078 posts
The CHF 52 price is for a Saver Day Pass without a Half-Fare Card. For folks who don't plan to use much transportation high up in the mountains that isn't covered, a few Saver Day Passes might be a cost-effective option. Buying eight SDPs would be less expensive than an 8-day flex pass, and the price gap widens significantly as fewer travel days are contemplated. However:
- You'd need to have your specific travel days solidified way ahead of time to catch the introductory price of CHF 52. The SDP is date-specific.
- It would be prudent to have trip insurance, because I think the SDPs are non-refundable.
- At least some other SBB products have features that could be useful for folks traveling with children. As far as I know, the SDP does not.