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Swiss train travel - questions

Posted by (Toronto) on

My husband and I (late 50s) will be in Switzerland from Sept 16-24 and then into France. We will have back packs and travel by trains. I have done research and it seems to make sense that we purchase the half fare card for our time in Switzerland, but I still have a couple of questions that aren't crystal clear to me!

Our itinerary - Zur to Luz (2 nights), Luz to Zermatt (3 nights), Zermatt to Grindelwald (3 nights), Grindelwald to Strasbourg (2 nights), Strasbourg to Paris (5 nights)

1) It appears that the point to point tickets remain the same price if I purchase today or 40 days from now - correct??
2) Should I pre-order the half fare card - is there one website better than others to purchase from?
3) I think we want to avoid pre-purchasing supersaver tickets to allow us the flexibility and not get locked into a specific time/train to travel. However when I look on SBB site for next few days, I still see supersaver rates available, so maybe we could still get that rate vs point to point when we get there.

4) Saver Day pass - these appear to fluctuate in price and also when I look at dates right now just a few days out - there is no saver day pass available - are these sold in limited quantities? Does the half fare card make these passes half price or just a slight discount (when I did a dummy booking with one passenger with half fare and one with no discount the difference was only 3 CHF - 49 vs 52)
5) Saver Day pass might be an attractive option on our Zermatt to Grindelwald travel day as we'd like to get to Grindelwald, drop our bags and then head over to Lauterbrunnen and go up to Murren. From what I can see on the rail map, the funicular and train from Lauterbrunnen to Murren are included and it looks like the gondola down from Murren to Stechelberg and bus back to Lauterbrunnen station are included too? Do I have this right and all this would be included in a jam packed day with the Saver Day pass which right how is 44 CHF vs the point to point only for Zermatt to Grindelwald is 47.10CHF?
5) From Grindelwald we train to Strasbourg France. Should I buy a separate ticket just to Basel to get the half fare applied on that section and then purchase a separate ticket from Basel to Strasbourg in the Basel station - in France it appears that point to point tickets go up in price the closer you get to travel so maybe I should purchase that section now?

Sorry for so many questions - Thanks!

Posted by
16254 posts

No need to pre-order the Half Fare Card—- you do not need to have it in hand when you buy online tickets or passes. You do need to have it when you travel, of course, but you can buy it when you arrive if you like.

The Saver Day Passes are limited in number and they do sell out. I see then available for a week from today (15/08j for 54 CHF with a Half Fare Card, versus 47 CHF for the p2p tix from Zermatt to Grindelwald. So it is a good option for your plan that day.

But why go to Grindelwald to drop off your luggage first? With the Saver Day Pass, you can go straight to Lauterbrunnen and put your bags in a locker there while you ride up to Mürren.

You are correct that the Saver Day Pass will include travel to Mürren and back to Lauterbrunnen, whether you go by cablecar to Grutschalp (no more funicular there) and train from there, or bus to Stechelberg and cablecar from there. Even though those are high mountain lifts, which are usually not included, they access a village, so most passes will cover the transport to and from. You cannot go above Mürren on the Schilthornbahn or the Allmendhubel funicular, however, as those are classified as recreational lifts, not necessary for residents.

Posted by
4402 posts

make sure you've checked in with the Man in Seat 61 regarding trains

Posted by
485 posts

Hi, Lola did a great job of answering your questions. I will only add answers to 1 and 3


1)Yes, point to point tickets remain the same price

3)Yes, sometimes there are supersaver tickets available for the train/route you want on the day of travel. Often when you buy them very close to your travel date there is not much of a discount anymore. There are no refunds or exchanges - if you miss your train or your connections you need to buy another ticket (if the train is late, causing you to miss a connection, in this case it is not your fault and the ticket is valid on the next available connection).

Posted by
1642 posts

One last tip: Often when there are no supersaver tickets in 2nd class available there are still such in 1st class. And on some routes they are available till 1 hour before departure.

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