We will be traveling to Switzerland for a last minute trip in August for 6 weeks, we are trying to figure out the most cost effective way to see the things we would like to see. There is a 1 month GA Travel card, a 1 year half fare travelcard, continuous day travel cards, flex travel cards, and the 30 day Swiss Half Fare card. Then their are the specialty cards that cover other adventures we wish to participate in such as the Tell Pass for our time in Lucern (3d), Jungfrau Top of Europe Pass for Grindelwald (4d), Bernese Oberland Regional pass for Interlaken for some outlying areas like Adelboden falls (4d), and the Peak Pass for Zermatt (3d). In addition some of the cities offer guest passes for transportation and museums within said city (which makes continuous day passes seem obsolete unless you use a single city as a base), some guest passes are offered for free such as St. Gallen and some not so free such as Zurich. All of our travel within Switzerland will be by train for the most part, except 2 side trips, one with BlaBlaBus and one on a Swisstours bus. I know if we book ahead we can get supersaver fares but have less freedom while engaging in our activities as we will be on a stringent time table to leave and return. We booked and paid for the chocolate train out of Montreux and have paid for reservations only on the Glacier Express and Bernina Express we pay those fares prior to the trips at the end of our 6 weeks in Switzerland so need a pass to cover them also. Just city to city travel would be simple, however, its all cog trains, chair lifts, gondolas, cable cars, gliders, funiculars, ferries etcetera where pricing these passes gets tricky. Nobody really talks about the GA card, it seems cover quite a bit- I just don't know, I am befuddled. Does anyone have any suggestions regarding travel and these cards?
Posted by
Green Bay
20140 posts
The GA Travel card is a minimum of 6 moths subscription. It may get billed at 340 CHF/month, but it wll be 6 months before you can cancel it.
https://www.sbb.ch/en/travelcards-and-tickets/railpasses/ga/adults.html
Posted by
Forest Grove, OR
11333 posts
The analysis required to ascertain the best combination of passes is mind-boggling. You need to figure out a balance between money-saving and convenience. Based on many trips to Switzerland in the past 10 years, I would guess you will need two half-fare cards (one for the first 30 days and one for the remaining 2 weeks) and a Berner Oberland Regional Pass for 8 days. The Zermatt pass may be a good idea, too. The Jungfrau Pass has some limitations, like it does not cover the gondola from Stechelberg to Mürren.
The only way to make certain of the costs and potential savings is to run a spread sheet. Do not buy anymore tickets until you have decided on passes. If you had purchased a HFC you’d have saved on the chocolate train.
Posted by
OP
7 posts
Thank you Sam, this is the info from the website, but I could not see anything regarding a 6 month period?
The 1-month GA Travelcard: the GA Travelcard for a month.
If you would like to travel around for a month as if you had a GA Travelcard, then the 1-month GA Travelcard is just the right product for you.
The 1-month GA Travelcard: the straightforward travelcard for a month.
The 1-month GA Travelcard is available for children and young people (under 25(?)Show note 25) and adults (aged at least 25) in 1st and 2nd class. 1-month GA Travelcard for adults 2nd class 420.00 1st class 685.00
The 1-month GA Travelcard is valid for one month from the start date of your choice(?)Show note choice.
is personal and not transferable.
can be used without a Half Fare Travelcard.
is not automatically renewed.
cannot be deposited.
If this was the case would this be a good deal? Would this be the way to go?
Posted by
OP
7 posts
Thank you for the advice Laurel,
The spreadsheet is a great idea- We have so much going on I will give it a try for at least some of the activities we are dead set on=)
We are still in the twilight zone on a good part of it. The more we research the more we find, its a last minute trip, we usually spend months planning, I don't know what got into us.
Posted by
Green Bay
20140 posts
Thank you Sam, this is the info from the website, but I could not see anything regarding a 6 month period?
It is from the verbiage on the website I showed.
Minimum contract term of six months.
Every GA Travelcard has an initial minimum contract term of six months, regardless of the payment interval. After that, you decide whether to continue your travelcard or cancel it at the end of each travelcard month, giving notice of one travelcard month.
The 1-year Half Fare Card, on the other hand, costs 185 CHF. Just remember to cancel it at least one month before it renews automatically.
https://www.sbb.ch/en/travelcards-and-tickets/railpasses/half-fare-travelcard.html
Posted by
Northamptonshire, England
32795 posts
You are both right - it is two different models with the same name, except the "trial" one is only one month and not renewable.
Posted by
OP
7 posts
Thank you Sam and Nigel,
Do you happen to have any ideas for us which route would be most cost effective taking into account the specialty passes. Prices for 2 persons / the GD 1 month trial (840CHF) and a Half Pass (268CHF) or Travel pass (370CHF) *Travel Pass we could cancel on our way out after our 6 weeks are finished. Another option- Half Pass or Travel Pass plus Tell Pass (380CHF), Jungfrau top of the world pass (290CHF), B.O Pass (300CHF), Peak Pass (268CHF), and Oscar Card (60CHF). Either way we will probably have to purchase a day pass for both GE and Bernina Express as we have only paid for reservations thus far. Any better ideas would be very welcome! Thank you all=)