I just want to double check, our tour will end in the morning in Luzern. We will then take the train to Lauterbrunnen, spend the rest of the day in the area, sleep in Lauterbrunnen, spend the next day in the area and take the train from Lauterbrunnen to Zurich in the evening for a plane leaving at 6am the next day. I have looked at both the Swiss Half Fare Card and the Swiss Travel Pass. I can get either of those cards at the train station in Luzern, right? Most dotted routes are 50% off with the Swiss Travel Pass? I buy the Half Fare Card in Luzern and then buy my train ticket to Lauterbrunnen or buy the Swiss Travel Pass and just get on the train? Thank you for clarifying my pass questions!
Posted by
Green Bay
21140 posts
Since your fare from Luzern to Lauterbrunnen is just under 40 chf, and the fare from Lauterbrunnen to Zurich is just under 80 chf, just paying the fare is the cheapest option. Think of it this way, the Half Fare card is 120 chf, more than the cost of the tickets, so anything else will cost you money. You need over 240 chf of tickets to justify a Half Fare card. You don't make the grade, just buy the tickets.
Posted by
OP
13 posts
Thank you for the reply! We will be using the lifts for hiking while we are there but I have not narrowed down what hikes we will do yet. If I can get the passes I need morning of I will wait and check the Berner Oberland weather forcast the day before and decide our hikes and the number of lifts we will need. There was offers of epasses and mailing passes and I just want to make sure I don't need that done. Also one map for Swiss Travel Pass seemed to include lifts at 50% and one seemed just to be trains, buses, and boats.
Thanks!
Posted by
Rick Steves' Europe
16895 posts
Yes, you can buy either one in stations there. The dotted lines, such as Muerren-Shilthorn are generally 50% off with Swiss pass products. However, in the area of Wengen-Kleine Scheidegg-Jungfraujoch, the Swiss Travel Pass gives 25% off, versus 50% with the Half-Fare Card. This is footnote #1 on the Swiss Travel System map.