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Swiss Travel Pass vs Half Fare Card (Lake Geneva + couple day long trips)

Hi there!
My husband and I are planning a trip to Switzerland in late July. We'll be based around Lake Geneva (Lausanne) for 7-8 days and will not have a car so we'll be heavily relying on public transport. For the most part we'll be using trains/boats to get around the lake everyday between Geneva, Lausanne, Yvoire, Montreux with a couple day trips to Interlaken and Gruyere most likely. We're not planning to do the major mountain excursions due to time and distance but might consider seeing Mont Blanc as a day trip since it's closer than Zermatt or Jungfrau and it would be wonderful to do a cable car excursion in the Alps.

We'll then be based in Annecy for 5-6 days after. We're trying to decide whether a Swiss Travel Pass is more cost effective or if the half fare card makes more sense for us. Any recommendations/feedback would be much appreciated (about the rail pass or otherwise about our trip plans! We're definitely open to suggestions, especially from those who have done similar trips)

Thanks so much!
Nida

Posted by
8161 posts

The Swiss Travel Pass covers all of the lake excursions and regular trains and makes things more convenient because you don't have to buy tickets you just hop on and show the pass. There is a mountain excursion via cogwheel up to Rocher de Naye from Montreux:
https://mob.ch/line/ligne-montreux-les-rochers-de-naye/?lang=en
Like the Half Fare Card, the Swiss Travel Pass gives you 50% off.
There is a bus (the most efficient way ) from Annecy to Chamonix; if you plan to go up to the top of Mont Blanc book you place the night before after checking that it is going to be sunny or partly cloudy. Usually it is clearer early in the morning.