Switzerland has one of the best public transport systems in the world, but for an outsider it is a confusing array of deals and special offers. Having just completed a 2 week Swiss ski holiday where we spent six days travelling by train there were a few learnings worth sharing.
In this post:
Register for Swiss Pass App and Website
The SBB system provides a great website and app that allows you to register and then make bookings. You can keep most of your bookings and tickets together, download the Apple or the Android version. It supports English, making usage easy. When on the train you then show the QR code for the tickets(s) to the conductor.
You can also buy tickets for local transport in big cities like Zurich via the app. Much more convenient than buying at the bus stop vending machine.
Swiss Half Fare Travelcard
The Swiss Half Fare card is a great investment before most trips. This card gives you half price fares on the bus and train system in Switzerland. You can nominate the starting date so you are not wasting any days when you are not in Switzerland. The Swiss Half Fare Card costs CHF185 for twelve months.
When is it better to buy the Swiss Half Fare Card?
My calculations show that it breaks even after six days of travelling around Switzerland in economy. Halve the number of days if you travel first class . As most of the ski resorts in Switzerland are accessible by an integrated public transport system, this is a no brainer.
I plan to buy one for our June hiking trip in St Moritz in Engadine, to save money on the gondolas and cable cars. We can then use it again for our ski holiday the following January.
The great thing about the Swiss card is that it can often be used on Gondolas and other “tourist” trains eg Jungfrau or Gornergrat. If you are visiting any big cities like Zurich then the half price card applies to your 24hour city ticket.
The ticket is also good for the Postbus as well as the train.
Once you have the Half Fare travelcard you can then buy the discounted train tickets. You can link the Swiss Half Fare Card to your Swiss Pass.
Supersaver lets you Book Early to Save Money on Trains in Switzerland
Once you have confirmed your travel dates you can then go online to book. The earlier you book your travel days the more you save. Some days are cheaper than others, so do your research. You can also apply your half fare card to stack your savings. The best priced tickets are called Supersaver, they are not available on all trips.
Saver Day Pass lets you travel anywhere in Switzerland
If you book sixty days in advance you could consider a Saver Day Pass. This gives you unlimited travel within Switzerland. This is not always cheaper than the Supersaver, but has the convenience that you can change your plans.
One Month Travelcard for the Half Fare Travelcard
For only CHF420 you can convert your Half Fare Travelcard for unlimited economy travel inside of Switzerland. First class is only CHF690. When combined with the half fare card you can travel anywhere inside of Switzerland for CHF20 per day.
Put a different way, once you plan to spend more than eight days travelling you are ahead. You still have the half price card for another 11 months of the year for future trips.
Children can Travel Free with Parents in Switzerland
In many situations children up to sixteen can travel free with their parents. The alternative is to buy a CHF16 whole day ticket, first class is only CHF32.
When you buy a ticket you will be prompted to put the date of birth of each passenger and the lowest price automatically calculated.
Erlebnis Card to for Travel in Valais
A lesser known card for visitors to the Valais Alpine district is the Erlebnis Card, which translates to Adventure Card. This allows unlimited travel on the train (and buses) that connects the district from Zermatt to Andermatt.
It is available in 2, 3 or 5 day cards, and has a duration of one month. The half price card provides a further discount on activities in Switzerland. We purchased the 3 day pass to explore and ski in Zermatt and Bettmeralp.
Pricing of the Erlebinis Card is very reasonable, particularly the five day card when combined with the Swiss Half Fare Travelcard.
| Two Day | Three Day | Five Day | |
| Adult with Half Card | 64 | 75 | 98 |
| Adult full fare | 109 | 142 | 197 |
| Family two adults with 3 children under 16. | 218 | 284 | 394 |
You will be travelling in some of the most picturesque parts of Switzerland on narrow gauge trains designed to twist and climb around the mountains. The trains will travel from Visp at 651m to Andermatt at 1,436 meters above sea level. It is quite different from your regular train trip.
The pass also gives discounts to museums in the area such as the fascinating Matterhorn Museum in Zermatt. The Erlibnis card also provides half price access to the Gornergrat train.
Zermatt, Bettmeralp and Saas Fee by train
Two easy places to visit by Train in Switzerland are Zermatt and Bettmeralp. The advantage of travelling by train to a ski resort is they are much more reliable (and cheaper) than a private transfer. The train system is usually up and running well before the roads are open.
Zermatt is a car free village famous for the Matterhorn and access to Italy for skiing. To access the piste just cross the main plaza to the free shuttle bus. We recommend Zermatt for more advanced skiers.
Bettmeralp is even easier, there are three train stations connected to the main slopes, Morel, Bettern and Fiesh. We booked our tickets on line and collect them at the them at Bettern train station.
Saas Fee and Saas Grund is a bit more effort. You will need to catch the train at Visp and then the 511 bus to Saas Fee. The bus terminal is adjacent to the train station. There is no first class on the bus!
Zurich vs Milan Airports to Access Ski Resorts
If all this sounds too hard there is another option. When skiing in the Valais district of Switzerland we have found that it is cheaper to buy train tickets to Milan airport than it is for Zurich. You can still buy the tickets via the SBB website.
Train tickets can be more than half the price if you start in Milan.
First Class or Second Class Trains in Switzerland
I don’t see much value in travelling First Class on the trains in Switzerland. The second class trains are perfectly acceptable. Once you are on a bus the first and second class experience is identical. Many of the ski resorts require a Post Bus journey for the last few miles.
Of course first class is less crowded and easy to store your bags. As a family we have a separation of duties when boarding the train. The seat grabbers and baggage handlers. This works well for us, but if that’s not your family consider first class
Summary and Recommendations on Catching Trains in Switzerland
I love the Swiss public transport system. Without proper planning it can be eye wateringly expensive. Plan ahead and take advantage of the offers to make genuine savings and have a wonderful trip.
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