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Swisspass.ch question… Swiss train travel plans

Posted by (Michigan) on

I’m looking into organizing our train travel and just want to be sure about a few things, please:

On the SBB site, I was routed to this page. Login.swisspass.ch

It looks like I am being asked to login before buying tickets. I did not remember doing this several years ago when I bought our half fare card and family pass. I seem to remember having actual cards that we showed that were scanned during our travels. Maybe this is the way to go digital? I just want to be sure I’m making the correct first step. (My email address did not show up as already having an account.)

Do I need to create an account now? Are there benefits to creating an account?

I don’t think I need to buy or reserve any passes ahead of time, do I? Please confirm for these plans:

Arriving Zurich
Will purchase HFC
Then purchase either 8 or 10 day Berner Oberland Regional Pass (staying 9 days, then heading to France on day 9)
Then use BO pass for region, then half fare to get to France.

After Alsace stay, we will return to Switzerland.
Bern using HFC, then city pass
Zurich Airport using HFC.

Have I planned this correctly?

I’m not quite sure how to book the trains from Lauterbrunnen to Colmar, and Colmar to Bern. I think I should use SBB for each, to use the HFC - is that right?

Thanks for any expert help you can provide!

Laurie

Posted by
2515 posts

I can’t speak to this website specifically, but I do recommend the digital pass vs the paper pass. Last year, we bought the HFC and BO Pass at the train station. We received paper passes with a bar code on the back. The bar code gets scanned at a gate when entering cable cars and funiculars. We were a group of 6, and none of our bar codes worked. We had to wave over an employee to help us each time. What a hassle! People with their passes on their phone had no problems.

As for the train from Lauterbrunnen to Colmar: you’ll need to buy a ticket from Basel SBB to Colmar. There are several day passes that might be helpful. If you happen to be traveling on a weekend, you can use the ALSA+ Group Journee (Alsace Territory) pass for up to 5 people for about 39€. https://www.ter.sncf.com/grand-est/tarifs-cartes/tarifs-regionaux/alsa%2B-groupe-journee

To get to Basel SBB, you would use the BO Pass to get as close as possible (Bern?), then use the HFC to purchase a ticket from there to Basel.

Posted by
21028 posts

Yes, you now need to open a SwissPass account to buy tickets on-line. But you do not need to buy any tickets online.

Posted by
2448 posts

The so called "Swiss Pass", and the associated website have actually nothing to do with the "Swiss Travel Pass" for tourists.

What is the "Swiss Pass"? It is a small, credit card sizes red and white card, that has your picture on it, and that locals use to store products like local commuter passes, the Generalabo, the Halbtax, and even ski passes on. PAy attention next time you are on a Swiss train: You will see a lot of people pulling out a small red card, and the conductor will check that with his phone. You can store the card also on your phone and that is how I use it.

But the website also serves as a "single sign in" spot for all public transport sites in Switzerland. So yes, if you plan to buy any sort of pass or ticket on line you should create an account.

Having an account will make it possible to re-retrieve your passes and tickets if you lose the printout, and to have them appear in the SBB app on your phone.

For Lauterbrunnen to Colmar, and Colmar to Bern you can just buy tickets on www.sbb.ch (and if you do that with an account they will appear in your phone). SBB can sell through tickets to any station in France. You can also buy that ticket at the station in Lauterbrunnen.
You can use your phone to buy tickets for multiple persons btw.

Posted by
1030 posts

Yes, you now need to open a SwissPass account to buy tickets on-line.
But you do not need to buy any tickets online.

No true, you can buy as a guest and have the ticket delivered vie email.

Posted by
2448 posts

Buying as a guest has all kinds of issues though. I would strongly advise everyone to create an account if they plan on buying tickets online.

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