Hi, I am new here. I am trying to figure out the best prices for travel in Switzerland by train. I found prices for railpasses on this website, but the only ticket price I have seen was on Monday when "Stew" asked about travel from Basel to Lugano and "Michael" said it was 41 francs. That looks like most of the way across Switzerland, north to south. Our journeys will be from Zurich to Bern to Lauterbrunnen to Lucerne to Lugano. These trips will all be shorter than Basel to Lugano, so it is reasonable to assume each trip will be less than 41 francs? If so, then why do people buy passes for Switzerland? The price on this website for a Swiss pass for 4 days of travel with the Saver discount is $291, which is $72.75 per day, much more than 41 francs. I see the pass can be used to ride lifts but that would cost us extra days and according to the chart here the pass only covers 50%. So why do people recommend passes? Thanks for helping me figure it out. We will be in Switzerland for 2 weeks if that helps.
Posted by
Knoxville, TN, USA
7209 posts
I searched for tomorrow Basel -> Lugano and the price is 41 Chf with a Half Fare Card (a pass). Without the pass the standard ticket price is 82 Chf. Swiss Pass can also give you ease by allowing you to jump on and jump off wherever you want whenever you want for as many times as you want. No standing in line to buy tickets...just jump on. Passes can give you substantial discounts on private railways like the super expensive Jungfrau Trip. Passes are good if you will be doing lots of travel. Many Swiss Museums' entrance fee is covered by the Swiss Pass. If a pass makes sense for your travel then buy it, if not then choose point to point instead. There's no one correct method for everyone.
Posted by
OP
Seattle, Washington, USA
2 posts
OK, so the 41 franc price I saw on this website is wrong? Where can I find the correct prices for your travel plan so I can figure it out?
Posted by
Seattle, WA
17246 posts
You can find the prices for tickets at the Swiss rail website, www.rail.ch (for English). Just be careful, as the default setting is the price with the Half-Fare card. You have to check "adults" and uncheck the Half-Fare option to see the regular price. I think that was the mistake in the post you saw about 41 CHF.