Swiss Travel Pass 25% off—Purchase from Nov. 11 – Dec 11

Way to go GIRL! You buy that pass and travel all over Switzerland! So happy you can. Take advantage of this!!!

Hi there! Am trying to understand the Swiss Pass. They say the flex pass is for a month. How do they define month? Is it from the first of the month or 30 days after the date you want to start traveling. For example is it possible to book June 15th to July 15th or just June 1 to June 30th? Thanks in advance

Do you know if this discount is available if you buy this pass in person at the train station?

I need to be in Switzerland this month, and had bought our train passes, but then the country closed down to Canada (we had 5 cases thousands of miles from me, but .. . anyway). So cancelling flights and hotels was nothing, but cancelling the pass required an email with reasons (they list some that aren't eligible, like a missed flight, or a delayed flight). My reason was "not allowed in without 10 quarantine" and "not allowed on public transportation". The next day I had a lovely personal email and my refund.

So I'm now allowed to travel again (and must, due to family concerns), but I hesitate to book this pass again before I'm actually on the ground in Switzerland. Will I get the same deal in person? Or do I just book online and go through this again if I can't get there?

Sigh

Hi Nickelini, the discount for the Swiss Travel Pass is only available if purchased on-line. And, the sale price is only good until Dec. 11th. So, if you buy the Pass in person in Switzerland, you will not receive the discount. I loved having the Pass and would have purchased even if not on sale. But, because the discounted Pass is refundable (check the terms), you might consider purchasing again on-line.

Sorry for all your troubles in cancelling and rebooking everything. Good luck and best wishes to your family.

Just wanted to remind everyone that there are still a few days left to get the sale price. If you are traveling later this year or next year, don't hesitate to purchase the Pass at the low price. It is refundable if you need to cancel. Just check the terms as the time to cancel varies slightly depending on who you purchase from.

I went with the 1st class 15-day and do feel a little guilty as it was almost $700!! But, hopefully, I won't have to worry about crowded trains.

Safe travels!!

Carrie , Don't feel guilty . I first purchased Swiss passes ten years ago . Then , as now , a few minutes , back of envelope style , it was immediately apparent that it was the way to go . As far as first class, I realized , years ago it was a better choice than second class .As I always purchase train tickets in advance , at lowest prices , I rarely pay much of a premium for first over second ., More available luggage space , so no scrambling for a place for one's bags , and generally a much less crowded coach .

Steven, thanks for the reassurance. As this will be my first solo trip, I figured not having to worry about finding a seat would help to alleviate some of my anxiety about traveling alone. I’ll just take a few extra train trips to make the additional cost worth it. 😊

Carrie…..the last day that we were in Switzerland in September we finally got help on how to know which train cars were first class or not from the outside as you board……..I got all twisted out of joint as we did not always take advantage of that after paying for it with our Swiss pass……pretty sure the train gut told us that the first class cars have a yellow stripe painted on the side of them…..and the other problem is that many times you have to run down to the front of the train to get yourselves into a first class car……making you almost late to board…..we missed sitting in first class from Lauterbrunnen to Zurich because we each had a big piece of luggage and the car that had the most luggage space for us was not the first class one😵‍💫……once we got ourselves and luggage in we did not want to have to move all of our stuff!

Hi Jane, I learned too that if you check the SBB app, if you click on train info. I think it was, it will show you what cars are first and second class and where to stand on the platform. We of course learned this after we got “lost” on one train and were trying to open the door to the front of the train. 😊 I just don’t know about these trains. It’s certainly a learning experience.

this answer was unfinished - back to elaborate

sorry for the delay getting back. Meetings all day.

The first 3 pictures show the carriages without a yellow (or orange) stripe which indicate second class and with either a long or short yellow stripe indicating first class. There will also be a very large "2" or "1" on or next to the door. This is the case throughout Europe, including the UK.

yellow stripe https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/regional-swiss-train-10811329 and https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/switzerland-alps-saint-moritz-february-2021-1922727491

or just over the door https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/brig-switzerland-may-23-2014-swiss-227573356

The electronic sign on the platform will show the sectors (sektor in German, secteur in French) for the arriving train. If you look closely you can see A-B-C-D-E-F (or sometimes less if the platform is shorter) with green for second class and yellow for first.

matches sign https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/geneva-switzerland-24-september-2016-informational-605063063

Then all along the platform there will be indicators of not only the platform number but the alphabetical sector. These match the diagram. Sometimes, as in Germany, the electronic sign will have a row of 1s and 2s instead of colours. But it is actually pretty easy to break the code once you know what you are looking for...

platform sektors https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/lausanne-station-evening-343890338

Hi Nigel, Thanks for the pictures. They are very helpful. I feel like I should have gone to train school before I left the US. 😊

Completely agree……could have gone to train school before my trip in September and it would have made my life a lot easier!!! Thank you Nigel!!!