Cheap Swiss Train and Bus Tickets
Saving Fares and Discounts on Public Transportation in Switzerland
Cheap tickets, saving fares, and child discounts are available for travel on Swiss public transportation including trains, buses, boats, mountain cable cars, and trams.
Switzerland has a comprehensive and reliable public transportation system that integrates train, postal bus, boat, and mountain cable car travel. Standard fares can be expensive but a range of special and cheap discounted tickets are available to lower the traveling cost of the average traveler. Children usually receive special discounts.
Standard Tickets (Die Gewöhnlichen Billette / L’Abonnement General)
Standard tickets are fully flexible and refundable but relatively expensive. For journeys of less than 115 km, the ticket is valid for a day. For longer journeys, return tickets are valid for up to 10 days with stopovers allowed.
- For tickets bought online, the journey in each direction when further than 115 km may be up to 10 days apart but each leg must be completed within a single day.
City-City-Tickets and City-Tickets
City-City-Tickets provide transportation between two participating cities and add local transportation in the departing and / or destination cities. City-City-Tickets are valid for a day, can be bought in first or second class, for single or return journeys, and Half-Fare Card discounts apply.
- City-City-Tickets can only be bought online.
City-Tickets are similar to City-City-Tickets but provide local transportation only in the destination city. It can be bought at ticket machines or ticket counters.
Click&Rail Online Tickets
Like many other European rail operators, the best discounts for public transportation travel in Switzerland are also only available online. Click&Rail offer special discounts on travel in Switzerland while Click&Rail Europe has special discounts for travel from Switzerland into neighboring countries.
- Switzerland is part of Railteam, which integrates high-speed railway networks and train travel in Western Europe.
Only a limited number of rail routes participate in the scheme and the number of Click&Rail tickets available on each train is limited. Like most European discounted train tickets, Click&Rail tickets are not refundable and come with restrictions.
- Click& Rail is only available in second class and Half-Fare Card discounts apply.
Swiss Day Cards (Tageskarte / Carte Journalière)
Day Cards allow for unlimited travel in either first or second class on trains, postal buses, boats, and municipal transportation. It is available in three basic forms:
- The Day Card (Tageskarte / Carte Journalière) is valid all day on weekdays.
- The 9 O’Clock Day Card (9-Uhr-Tageskarte / Carte Journalière dès 9 Heures) is slightly cheaper and valid weekdays after 9 am or all day on weekends and national vacation days.
- Child’s Day Card (Kinder-Tageskarte/La carte journalière pour enfant) for children under 16 traveling with an adult. (See also deals below for discount when traveling with own children or grandchildren.)
Swiss Day Cards can only be purchased by bearers of the Swiss Half-Fare Card (Halbtaxabonnement / Demi-tarif). Packs of six Day Cards are available at the price of five and may be shared with other travelers.
Child Fares and Discounts
Children under 16 years generally pay half the adult fare. Children under 6 years travel for free when accompanied by a fare paying passenger of at least 12 years – maximum four children per-paying passenger.
Special discount cards valid for a year allow for unlimited travel for children between 6 and 16 traveling with a fare-paying parent of grandparent. The Junior Card for traveling with parents cost CHF20 (USD20) each for the first two children and is free for further children. The Grandchild Card is CHF60 (USD60) per grandchild.
- Further Swiss discount passes are available including the very popular Swiss Half-Fare Card that gives 50 percent savings on most fares and special passes aimed at non-Swiss residents. The Swiss Pass is popular with visitors planning to travel extensively on Switzerland’s excellent public transportation system.
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