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Train Ticket Cost for Lausanne, Switzerland to Salzburg, Austria with Swiss Travel Pass

Posted by on

I plan to travel from Lausanne, Switzerland to Salzburg, Austria via train. I would have a Swiss Travel Pass. Therefore I am looking for help with the following questions. Thanks!

  1. Can I use the Swiss Travel Pass for the portion in Switzerland? According to the Swiss Travel Pass Map of Validity, the pass would cover upto Feldkirch; therefore can I just buy a ticket from Feldkirch to Salzburg?

  2. I checked SBB, Bahn, and Austria Railway websites. They seem to have different prices for the same trip. therefore does it matter if I buy the ticket from any of them or do I have to buy it from SBB since the trip originates from Switzerland?

  3. Assume I can use the Swiss Travel Pass for the portion from Lausanne to Feldkirch and buy the ticket from Feldkirch to Salzburg, do I need to get off the train and get on the train again at Feldkirch?

  4. Any suggestion on other pass(es) that would save me the money? After Salzburg, I would be going to Munich. I would also be in Switzerland for 8 days before going to Salzburg.

Thank you in advance for your help!

Posted by
17439 posts

  1. Yes, you can use your Swiss Pass to cover the part in Switzerland

  2. No, you can buy it from either SBB or OeBB.

  3. No. See below.

  4. Not a pass, but you can get a “special offer” price on this journey from SBB by buying 2-3 months in advance. On SBB, choose the train you want from Lausanne to Salzburg, and then “buy”. A screen will come up that allows you to enter they type of pass you have (for a Swiss Pass, use “GA” even though is says 1 year). The next screen will show you the standard price (73 CHF) and a Sparangebot (Special Offer) of 42 CHF (at least for the day I checked). This ticket is good only on the chosen train, and these discount tickets do sell out, so I like to buy 3 months in advance.

You may find a similar deal on the OeBB website by searching from Zurich to Salzburg (you will change trains in Zurich and OeBB can only sell the cross-border ticket). Check that, but I find SBB much easier to deal with.

Posted by
8889 posts

1) Yes you can use the Swiss Pass for the Swiss portion. However its validity ends at the last Swiss station, which is Buchs (SG), the last station in Switzerland and the one before Feldkirch.
You can see this on the Swiss Pass Validity map here: https://www.sbb.ch/content/dam/sbb/de/infotexte/uebersichtskarte-sts.pdf
The red line turns grey at Buchs SG.

2) You can buy from anyone. I am surprised DB gave a price for this. I did this route last Tuesday. Actually the other direction, Innsbruck to Basel. I bought from ÖBB because they were cheaper than SBB.
Buy early to get the cheapest price. You will get a "self-print" ticket which contains a barcode which the on-train staff scan.

3) No you do not need to get off the train. Just show your Swiss Pass to the Swiss inspector before Buchs (SG) (again not Feldkirch), and the ticket to the ÖBB inspector after Buchs (SG).

4) Look up about a "Bayern ticket". A one-day pass for Bavaria that includes Salzburg.

Useless facts:
The train changes direction at Buchs (SG)
The train crews changes at Buchs (SG), SBB to ÖBB (or vice-versa).
Between Buchs (SG) and Feldkirch the train passes through Liechtenstein, but does not stop in that country.

Posted by
20 posts

Hi Lola, Chris, thank you for your help. One more question. For the Bayern ticket, can I buy it at Salzburg station (for my trip from Salzburg to Munich) or do I need to get it from a train station in Germany? Thanks!

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