I am leaving for Europe on Sunday (6/29) and I'm afraid there isn't much time to get the Swiss Half Fare card mailed to my home. Can I purchase an e-ticket? I would also require 2 family pass as I've 2 kids under 12 yrs old travelling with us. Can I buy the Half fare card there in Switzerland itself at the same price? Please advise. Thanks!
-RC
Posted by
Green Bay
20028 posts
Short answer, yes. At the first Swiss railway station you come to.
Posted by
Rick Steves' Europe
16893 posts
They are not available as e-tickets but are sold in person at the airport train station where you arrive for roughly the same price.
Posted by
OP
12 posts
Thanks for the advise!
Posted by
OP
12 posts
One more question with regards to booking the ticket for the sector from Interlaken West to Basel SBB; I noticed the train ticket one-way 2nd class is 29 CHF in sbb.ch website . I was under the impression that if I have the Half Fare card; my kids (age 11 and 7 yrs) could travel free with the family pass as they would accompany both parents with Half fare card. However - the website sbb.ch does not provide that option to utilize the family pass. Hence all 4 of us have to pay 116CHF (29 * 4) for individual ticket for four of us. Is that correct? Am I missing anything? So - what is that the SBB site talk about kids age between 6-16 yrs travel for free by train with family pass if one of the accompanying adult has any of the Swiss Pass. Please help me to understand. Thanks!
Posted by
Green Bay
20028 posts
The SBB website cannot handle all contingencies and permutations. If you have a Swiss Family Card, and a Half Fare Card and you are the parents of the children, then they travel with you free of charge. If you do not believe this, I encourage you to use the "contact" link at www.sbb.ch and ask your question directly to SBB. If it is a weekday before 6 am edt, you will have an answer by noon, otherwise by the next morning direct from the railway company. They are very good about that.