Swiss Travel Pass or single tickets? Doing the maths for your route
By Ganesh ·
How to tell whether the Swiss Travel Pass, the Half Fare Card, Saver Day Passes or ordinary tickets will cost least for your Switzerland trip, what each covers on mountain railways and boats, and a worked example for a first-time route.
Switzerland has more ways to pay for trains than anywhere else, and the best one depends on how much you move around. If you're changing bases often and riding lake boats and city trams, the Swiss Travel Pass usually wins. If you're staying in one or two places and doing a few big mountain trips, the Half Fare Card plus single tickets is often cheaper. Do the sums for your own plan before you buy, using the SBB app or website.
The options
| Option | What you get | Best for |
|---|---|---|
| Swiss Travel Pass (3, 4, 6, 8 or 15 days in a row, or Flex) | Unlimited trains, buses, boats and city transport, free entry to hundreds of museums, some mountains free and others discounted | Moving every day or two, lots of trains and boats |
| Half Fare Card (valid one month) | Half price on almost all trains, buses, boats and most mountain railways | Fewer trips, longer stays in one base, big mountain excursions |
| Saver Day Pass | One day of unlimited travel, cheaper the earlier you buy | One long travel day, such as a scenic route across the country |
| Supersaver tickets | Discounted point-to-point fares on set trains | Fixed plans booked ahead |
| Regional passes (Berner Oberland, Jungfrau Travel Pass and others) | Unlimited travel in one region, including many mountain lines | Several days around Interlaken or Lucerne |
Prices change every year, so check them on SBB or the official Swiss tourism site rather than trusting old blog figures.
Mountains are the deciding factor
Mountain railways and cable cars are where most of the money goes. The Swiss Travel Pass includes some (Rigi, Stanserhorn and a few others) and gives discounts on most of the rest. The Jungfraujoch, the most expensive trip in the country, is only discounted. So:
- If your must-dos are Rigi, the lake boats and city sights, the pass covers them fully and pays off fast.
- If your must-dos are the Jungfraujoch, Gornergrat and Schilthorn, compare the pass discount with the Half Fare Card discount for each, as the difference can be large.
A worked example
A common first trip: fly into Zurich, two nights in Lucerne, three in Interlaken, two in Zermatt, fly out of Geneva. Day trips: Rigi from Lucerne, Jungfraujoch and a lake boat from Interlaken, Gornergrat from Zermatt.
- Write down every journey: Zurich airport to Lucerne, Lucerne to Interlaken (the scenic Luzern-Interlaken Express), Interlaken to Zermatt, Zermatt to Geneva airport, plus the four excursions and local buses.
- Price each one in the SBB app at full fare, then at half fare.
- Compare three totals: an 8-day Swiss Travel Pass plus its mountain discounts; a Half Fare Card plus all tickets at half price; and full-price tickets with one or two Saver Day Passes for the long transfer days.
On a route like this, which changes base three times and includes Rigi and boats, the pass usually comes out ahead. If you cut it to two bases and skip Rigi, the Half Fare Card often wins.
Families
With the free Swiss Family Card, children aged 6 to 15 travel free with a parent who has a valid ticket or pass, and children under 6 travel free anyway. That makes any option cheaper for families, so price adults only.
Questions people ask
Can I buy the pass after I land?
Yes, at major stations or in the SBB app, but buying online before you go lets you plan. The pass is tied to your passport details.
Do I need seat reservations?
Not on regular trains. Panoramic trains (Glacier Express, Bernina Express, and a supplement on GoldenPass Express) need a paid reservation even with a pass, and they sell out in summer.
Is first class worth it?
On summer weekends trains to Interlaken and Zermatt get full. First class is quieter and has bigger windows on some panoramic lines, but second class is perfectly comfortable.
Photo: CH Landwasser 2-zoom by Daniel Schwen, CC BY-SA 3.0 (Wikimedia Commons)
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