Travel by Train on the Swiss Pass
Cheap and Flexible Railway, Bus, and Boat Journeys in Switzerland
Apr 29, 2008
The Swiss Pass is a public transportation pass available to non-Swiss residents when traveling on most trains, buses, boats, trams, and mountain cable cars in Switzerland. It is available in several versions and generally good value when long, one-way journeys are planned for which discounted fares are often not available.
The Basic Advantages of the Swiss Pass
Although the Swiss Pass is available in several versions, all passes share the same basic advantages:
- The Swiss Pass allows for unlimited travel on almost all state and private modes of public transportation including trains, inter-city postal buses, and boats. On some private lines – mostly mountain railways and cable cars – it gives only 50% discount and very rarely no discount at all.
- The Swiss Pass is valid on the local public transportation systems of most major Swiss cities and towns.
- The Swiss Pass allows for full flexibility – generally, no need for prior reservations and journeys can be interrupted at will. (The fees for reservations are not included in the Swiss Pass.)
- The Swiss Pass acts as a Swiss Museum Pass too with unlimited access to over 400 museums in Switzerland.
The Swiss Pass is best bought from travel agents outside Switzerland. Once paid, the Swiss Pass is not subject to further currency fluctuations, which helps with budgeting in times of uncertain exchange rates.
The Various Swiss Passes
The Swiss Pass comes in several versions and is available for either second or first class travel:
- The Swiss Pass is a traditional transportation pass that is valid for travel on a number of consecutive days. It is available for 4, 8, 15, 22, or 30 consecutive days of travel.
- The Swiss Flexi Pass is valid for traveling on 3, 4, 5, or 6 non-consecutive days within a one-month period. On these select days – travelers must enter the dates on the pass prior to travel – the pass is valid like the standard Swiss Pass. On other days in the one-month period, the Swiss Flexi Pass has the same validity as the Swiss Half-Fare Card – giving 50 percent discounts on standard fares.
- The Swiss Saver Pass is similar to the Swiss Pass but available for two persons traveling together. The saving per person over two standard Swiss Passes is 15 percent.
- The Swiss Saver Flexi Pass similarly gives a 15 per cent discount for two traveling together under the same conditions as the standard Swiss Flexi Pass.
- The Swiss Youth Pass has the same validity and conditions as the Swiss Pass but is available to youths younger than 26 years of age.
Child Fares
Children under 16 generally pay half the adult fare but special discount apply when traveling with adults. Accompanied children can travel unlimited for a year on a Junior Card (CHF20 / USD20) when traveling with their parents or a Grandchild Card (CHF60 / USD60) when traveling with grandparents. These cards are available from any Swiss railway station.
- Children under 6 years old always travel for free when accompanying a fare-paying passenger older than 12 years old.
The various Swiss Passes can be very good value for money, especially when long train journeys are planned. However, several other discount cards and cheap fares are also available for visitors who plan to use long-distance public transportation less frequently than envisage by the conditions of the Swiss Pass.
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