hi,
My trip will be next year 2020, mid may. I understand with swiss travel pass (STP) very useful in europe. Once i reach zurich airport, can i straight away use it to ride to zurich HB ? Should i present my STP to the ticketing counter before i hop in the train ?
Please advise
angel 7105
If you have already bought your Swiss Travel Pass before you arrive you just go down to the platforms at the Airport station and get on the train. The Pass is your ticket. You can also buy it at the ticket office at the Airport Station, then use as the previous instruction.
But before you buy the Swiss Travel Pass you should cost all your travel and see if this particular pass is the best for you. Without knowing your full itinerary it is impossible to to say. I suggest you do a spreadsheet with every journey you are considering taking and then look at the Swiss Rail Website www.sbb.cg/en for the English version and cost the trip. If you intend doing mountain trips especially the trip to Jungfraujoch you may well find the Swiss Half Fare Card valid for one month and in 2019 costing 120CHF a better choice. It really does what it says. The Swiss Travel Pass usually gives you 50% discount on mountain railways and cable cars etc. The exception is the trip to Jungfraujoch where you travel free to Grindelwald/Wengen then get 25% discount on the rest of thre trip from there to Jungfraujoch and back.
This is a duplicate (or similar) question. I already answered the other one under Transportation: https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/transportation/swiss-travel-pass-2ab947b4-56a4-4c65-be34-f2c9603fd88d
"I understand with swiss travel pass (STP) very useful in europe" - It is only valid in Switzerland (and a few cross border lines). NOT the rest of Europe.
"Should i present my STP to the ticketing counter before i hop in the train ?" - No you just get on the train.
Trains do not have "check in" or any other of the horrible features of air travel. You just walk off the street onto the train.
Except the ticketing counter at Zürich airport station is a good place to buy your Swiss Pass.
Treat is as an "access all transport" pass (which is what it is). No procedures, no nothing!
Edit: Pauline has a typo in her link to the SBB (Swiss Federal Railways) website.
It should be: https://www.sbb.ch/en
"ch" is the abbreviation for Switzerland, not "cg", that is the Republic of Congo!
Chris apologies, i have a new computer just not used to the keyboard.
