After literally months of research, my friends and I have decided on a Half Fare card for our 6 days based in Grindelwald. We are flying into Zurich, spending the night, then going straight to Grindelwald. We plan on hiking and relaxing for 5 days, then leaving for Italy on Day 6. Now I'm rethinking it YET AGAIN because the Jungfraubahnen pass sounds like it might be a good deal if we want to do several days of easy and medium hiking. Can someone please help me by comparing pros and cons of Half Fare card vs. Jungfraubahnen Pass. I also just read someone else's post about using the Swiss Card along with the Pass. If we are going from the airport to a hotel for the night, can we use the Swiss card's first day as the morning we leave the Zurich main station for Grindelwald (i.e. our 2nd day in Zurich)? Thank you so, so much!
Posted by
Minneapolis, MN, USA
8700 posts
Rick Steves has done the comparison for you. See here.
Posted by
Knoxville, TN, USA
7209 posts
Well first of all you don't use the Swiss Card in conjunction with a Swiss Pass. A Swiss Card will give you a complete ride all the way from your Swiss starting point to your Swiss destination on the first day you use the Card. On the last day it gives you a complete ride from within Switzerland (Grindelwald for you?) to the border or airport (Zurich). All other days in between your transports are discounted 50%...just like a Half Fare Card.
Posted by
Seattle, WA
16338 posts
The webpage link provided in the first answer does a good job of comparing Eurail passes with Swiss passes, but barely mentions the Half Fare Card, and does not consider the Jungfraubahnen Pass at all. That one is a good deal for hiker's, assuming the cost is still 195 CHF. But check carefully the area of validity- note that it does not cover the Schilthorn above Mürren. On the other hand, it does cover the First lift and others you might want to use to reach trailheads for hiking. As Tim points above, you would not combine that with a Swiss Card, which would duplicate your coverage. The only one that might help is a Transfer Ticket, which will get you to and from Grindelwald. Whether that is cost effective depends on your route. If you take the scenic route to Grindelwald via Luzern, Brienz etc., the fare from Zurich is only 57 CHF so not worth half the cost of a TT ($145). I did not check the cost of a ticket to the Italian border so that might make up the other half. There are several routes to Italy from Grindelwald, some faster and some more scenic. On the route GW to Luzern to Milan, you may be able to get discounted tickets from SBB.ch which greatly reduces the cost of that trip (another reason the Transfer Ticket may jot be worth purchasing). It is definitely confusing and not easy to figure out. The answer in part depends on balancing cost versus convenience. If you do not mind buying tickets for each step, the HF Card may be best. But the JFB pass at 195 for six days is a very good price if your travels are limited to the coverage area, and it is very convenient to have a pass rather than buying tickets all the time.
Posted by
OP
Springfield, IL, USA
9 posts
Thank you all for your quick replies. I am thinking now that if the Swiss Card acts just like the Half Fare Card, it makes more sense to buy that and get my rides in and out of Grindelwald for free rather than only half price. I just want to make sure that I can leave from the Zurich HB on my second day in Switzerland and that will be counted as my starting point of the trip in. I will pay the 6 or so euros for the trip from the airport to the HB on day 1. I also want to make sure that the Swiss Card has the high mountain lifts for 50% off and not 25% off. Can you help again? Sorry for my utter confusion on this issue, I'm not usually so inept!
Posted by
Seattle, WA
16338 posts
Those are good questions. Yes, you can use Day 1 of your Swiss Card to cover travel from Zürich HB to Grindelwald; you do not have to start the journey at the airport. Just have the start date reflect that. And yes, the Swiss card offers the same 50% discounts as the Half Fare Card, so the discount on the Jungfraujoch trip is 50% not 25% like the Swiss Pass. Have fun in Switzerland; I wish I were going back this summer!
Posted by
OP
Springfield, IL, USA
9 posts
Thank you for your help and not making me feel like an idiot! We are going with the Half Fare card because the difference between that and the Swiss card will be negligible (I think!) as the Card cost about $100 more and that's about how much we will spend getting in and out on the Half Fare Card. Whew! I'm just glad to have finally committed! Thanks again!
Posted by
Pune, MAHARASHTR, India
19 posts
What about the 'Child below 16 years free' thing? Is this 'Child free travel scheme' valid for both Swiss Card and Swiss pass?
Posted by
Seattle, WA
16338 posts
Yes, but you must request a Family Card when you purchase your Swiss Pass or Swiss Card. You enter the child's name on the Family Card.