Tutorial on the Half Fare Card vs Swiss Travel Pass

Thank you for sharing. Swiss Family Fun provides good information for trip planning. The one thing that was probably assumed is that one has to have an itinerary determined to analyze costs. Also, some may not look at what a "city" card provided by hotel covers.

That is a great point, Dave. City cards, regional passes, and the like are another element, as is having a good idea of your itinerary at least in terms of locations duration. It is the analysis that confuses a lot of people so Tanya’s short cuts help. You can lose your mind deciding on whether or not a pass will save you money, but I can attest to the convenience, enhanced by SBB’s excellent app.

I saw many people paying wayyyyy too much for tickets here in the Berner Oberland in the past three weeks. A family of 5 paid CHF 22.00 to ride two stops on the 141 bus and it took over a minute for the transaction, holding up the bus. Imagine if they’d read up, bought an HFC, and had the app? Also, a lot of people stand in line for the cable ways to buy their tickets while pass holders go right through the turnstile.

She definitely explains things really well!

Also, a lot of people stand in line for the cable ways to buy their tickets while pass holders go right through the turnstile.

For anyone traveling without a pass, it might be helpful to know you don't have to stand in those long lines. You can buy mountain tickets through SBB or the various mountain websites.

To purchase on SBB app

1. Select your departure point (hotel bus stop or train station) and then set your destination as the top of the mountain, eg. First (Grindelwald)
2. When you look at the details of your journey you will see the gondola icon for the last section. When you expand this you will see stops at Bort and Schreckfeld before reaching your final destination, First. This is a ticket that will take you all of the way to the top of the mountain.
3. Select a return ticket to cover your entire outing.

SwissNomad - so true about the app and yet they stand in line. It amazes me how little research people do before traveling anywhere, but especially overseas. A very high cost in lost time and money.

Thank you for this Laurel. I read all the Switzerland posts on here and am clueless about these passes and we want to spend 2 weeks in BO in 2027.