Has anyone done the sums, its hard to work out so many variations of prices. My Swiss rail trips in January 2020, after 10 days rail trips Austria. are: (1) Buchs-St Moritz; (2) day trip St Moritz-Tirano return same day. (3) St Moritz to Zermatt (4) Zermatt to Luzern. (5) Luzern to Zurich. ALSO be doing mountain excursions Matterhorn, Titlus etc etc. Trip (5) is a cheap one but looking at 4 day flex is about $82chf a day and most trips full price are much less than that, doing both Glacier and Bernina Express using normal rail ticket. Seems to me that best value is the Swiss half fare card for 120chf for 1 month ??? appreciate anyone who may have done similar trip. Thanks
Posted by
Kansas City
272 posts
It is hard, but I do think that you’ll have to price it out for yourself considering everything you may want to do. Some people suggest making a spread sheet. Make sure you are considering that the prices on the SBB website assume that you have a half-fare card.
Posted by
Green Bay
21160 posts
Normally the 1-month Half Fare Card will give the best value. What is the total time you will be in Switzerland? Maybe an 8-day Swiss Travel will work. Also, plan on any skiing while there?
Posted by
OP
2 posts
Thanks, no skiing for us just sightseeing, the 8 day pass wont suit as we only be travelling by train 5 days at most and that inc 1 day Luzern-Zurich which is low cost, haf fare card looks best option but Swiss trains must be hardest to cost out with so many variables and lots of swiss trains not included in Eurail pass unlike every other country as we also doing 4 days train in Austria so an 8 day Eurai flex be fine but apparently this doesnt cover any Swiss trains below Interlaken and lot of mountain cog wheel and other trains????
Posted by
Basel, Switzerland
8889 posts
lots of swiss trains not included in Eurail pass
Yes, it is difficult to work out what a Eurail pass covers. It is a matter of which rail companies have signed up and which haven't. There is a list of companies covered on the website, and you then have to know which company runs which route. Swiss don't even need to know that, it doesn't matter as Swiss internal tickets cover all companies.
They also don't give a list of what is not covered (why would they, that would be negative?).
apparently this doesnt cover any Swiss trains below Interlaken
A Eurail pass does cover trains below (leading to) Interlaken, both the BLS route from Bern via Spiez, and the Zentralbahn route from Luzern. What it does not cover is the routes above Interlaken further into the mountains to Grindelwald and Lauterbrunnen (BOB = Berner-Oberland-Bahn).
Otherwise, sorry, you will have to do the sums yourself. My guess is that a Half Price Card at CHF 120 is the best option.
This will also give you a reduction on some mountain excursions, which can get pricey.