Save with a Swiss Boat Pass on Lakes and Rivers

Cheap Half-Price Day Trips and Pleasure Cruises in Switzerland

Jul 5, 2009

The bargain Swiss Boat Pass gives savings and family discounts on sightseeing cruises and day trips on lakes and rivers such as Zurich, Lugano, and Geneva in Switzerland.

Sightseeing cruises on Swiss rivers and lakes are amongst the most pleasurable and relaxing ways to see some of the most beautiful regions of Switzerland. However, day trips and boat excursions on famous lakes including Geneva, Zurich, Lucerne, and Lugano can be surprisingly expensive. Fortunately, the Swiss Boat Pass allow bearers to save up to fifty percent for a year on all regular cruise fares on 16 different lakes and rivers in Switzerland. The Swiss Half-Fare Card and Junior Card give similar discounts.

Save on Cruise Excursions with the Swiss Boat Pass

The Swiss Boat Pass is available in two versions: the Swiss Boat Pass for individuals and the Swiss Family Boat Pass. Both savings passes are valid for a year and are not transferable. The passes are sold by any of the participating cruise companies.

The Swiss Boat Pass gives the bearer fifty percent discount on all regular cruises on 16 rivers and lakes in Switzerland. The pass currently cost CHF70.

The Swiss Family Boat Pass allows parents to cruise for half price while their own children under 16 cruise for free. At least one parent must be present for a child to qualify for the free fare. The family pass cost CHF90 per family.

Day Cruises on Rivers and Lakes in Switzerland

Boating companies in Switzerland often enjoy virtual monopoly powers on individual lakes and rivers. Often only one company is authorized to operate passenger ferry services – competition is generally limited to round trip cruises only and may be cheaper than the monopoly holder but have fewer sailings. The Swiss Boat Pass is generally accepted by these major cruise companies only and not the smaller competition.

In Switzerland, names and information is often available in German, French, and Italian – although conveniently the English Swiss Boat Pass is the official name of the discount savings pass and used in all languages. Swiss boating companies tend to have very long names – as a result, the abbreviation is often used rather than the full names, which can be translated into the different languages. Only the most commonly used abbreviations are listed below for the operators that accept the Swiss Boat Pass.

The Validity of the Swiss Boat Pass

The Swiss Boat Pass is valid on 16 day pleasure boat cruising companies sailing on the following lakes and rivers:

The Swiss Family Boat Pass is accepted by all the listed companies except NLM on Lake Maggiore.

Saving with the Swiss Boat Pass

The Swiss Boat Pass is great value for money for travelers who will sail on several Swiss lakes within a given twelve month period. The most expensive cruise or a full day ticket on Lake Geneva is currently CHF68 in first class and CHF50 in second class. On Lake Zurich, a day ticket for use after 9 am is CHF38 in first class and CHF23 in second class. In each case the same tickets will be half price to bearers of the Swiss Boat Pass.

However, travelers spending long periods in Switzerland and using public transportation extensively can often find better value in the Swiss ½ Fare Pass sold by the Swiss railways. It gives discounts of generally 50% on all regular train travel and is valid on many boats, cable cars, postal buses, and even city buses too. The Swiss Half Fare Pass is available from most Swiss train stations (or online) and cost CHF150 per year.

Families with children between 6 and 16 can also enjoy huge savings with the Junior Card. The Junior Card allows children to travel for free on most trains, boats, cable cars, and city buses if accompanied by a parent bearing a paid ticket. It cost only CHF20 and is valid for a year.

Overseas visitors may also use the Swiss Pass, a general travel pass that is valid on most boats in Switzerland in addition to trains, buses, and cable cars.

The copyright of the article Save with a Swiss Boat Pass on Lakes and Rivers in Switzerland Travel is owned by Henk Bekker. Permission to republish Save with a Swiss Boat Pass on Lakes and Rivers in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.