Swiss fares don't move
Nobody gets a better price than you. Fares are published, they're the same in February as in July, and buying on the platform costs exactly what booking weeks ahead would have cost. That's unusual, and it's useful, because it means you can work your whole trip out before you've spent a franc.
| One way, second class | Full fare | Half Fare Card | Swiss Travel Pass |
|---|---|---|---|
| Zurich to Zermatt | CHF 125 | CHF 62.50 | Nothing |
| Geneva to Zermatt | CHF 120 | CHF 60 | Nothing |
| Zurich to Interlaken | CHF 76 | CHF 38 | Nothing |
| Lake Lucerne boat | CHF 45 | CHF 22.50 | Nothing |
| Lucerne to Interlaken | CHF 40 | CHF 20 | Nothing |
| Zurich to Lucerne | CHF 27 | CHF 13.50 | Nothing |
When you're better off just buying as you go
A three day pass is $313 (€270). If you're doing one city and a day trip out of it, you won't get anywhere near that in fares, and the rest of what the pass covers is coverage you've bought and won't touch.
Two nights in Lucerne Pay as you go
CHF 54 in fares, and that's the lot
- Zurich to Lucerne and back at CHF 27 each way
- The old town costs nothing, because you walk it
- Nowhere near a pass at $313 (€270)
One mountain, one long train Half Fare Card
$185 (€160) for 30 days
- Halves almost every fare, mountain railways included
- Children 6 to 15 free on the Family Card
- Zurich to Zermatt drops to CHF 62.50
It isn't how many days you're away that settles this. It's how many long journeys you make. A Lucerne weekend with the boat and a day of city transport is CHF 111, and that's a trip nowhere near needing a pass. Add Zurich to Zermatt and back at CHF 250 and you've flipped it in one move. If you're not sure which side you're on, what the popular routes cost will tell you.
The Saver Day Pass is the real competition
Most comparisons stop at single tickets, and single tickets aren't what beats a pass. A Saver Day Pass covers the whole network for a day at a price that moves with demand. On a trip with two big travel days and four lazy ones, it'll undercut everything else on this page.
| Saver Day Pass | What you're getting into |
|---|---|
| Price | From about CHF 52 without a Half Fare Card, about CHF 29 with one, climbing toward CHF 88 as the day sells out |
| Booking window | Up to 60 days ahead, and the cheap ones go first |
| Tied to | One date, which you name when you buy |
| If plans change | No changes, no refund, and your money's gone |
Supersaver singles do the same thing on one route rather than the whole network, discounted up to 70%, and they're good on the train printed on them and no other. Both are properly cheap. Both want the same thing from you: name the day, name the train, and be right about it weeks ahead.
When the pass wins, it wins by a mile
Three journeys the size of Zurich to Zermatt come to CHF 375, and you haven't been up a mountain yet. A three day pass is $313 (€270). However the rate lands that week, that isn't close. And the trains are only the start of it, because your pass is quietly paying for the trams and the museums too.
Everything that moves Covered
Nothing more to pay
- Every ordinary fare in the country, at any hour
- City transport in over 90 towns, so your tram's paid for
- Over 500 museums on the same pass
Mountains Free or half
Three covered outright
- Rigi, Stanserhorn and Stoos cost you nothing
- Twenty-four more are half price
- Jungfraujoch gives 25% on the last leg, and five give nothing
Add it up yourself, it takes five minutes
Write your trip out as a list of journeys and put the published fare next to each one. Add them up in francs. Stop there. That total is what you'd spend paying as you go, and it's the only number in this argument that matters.
Now put it next to $313 (€270) for three days, or $541 (€467) for eight. Comfortably under? Pay as you go. Comfortably over? Buy the pass and stop thinking about it. Land in the middle and the mountains decide it for you, because half price on the ones you actually want turns a near miss into a clear win. There's a longer version of this sum in whether the pass pays off, and the other Swiss passes are worth a look before you commit.
FAQ
How many journeys before a pass pays off?
Two or three long ones. Zurich to Zermatt is CHF 125 one way, so three of those come to CHF 375 against a three day pass at $313 (€270). Short hops don't move the needle, and Zurich to Lucerne is only CHF 27.
Are Swiss train tickets cheaper if I book early?
Ordinary ones aren't, because the fare doesn't change. Supersaver singles and Saver Day Passes are the exception, sold up to 60 days ahead at a price that climbs as the day sells out.
Is a Half Fare Card better for a short trip?
Usually, yes. It's $185 (€160) for 30 days and it halves almost everything, so one big mountain and one long train and it's paid for itself. Zurich to Zermatt drops from CHF 125 to CHF 62.50.
Can I mix a pass with ordinary fares?
Yes, and on a Flexi pass that's the whole point. You pay your own way on the quiet days and activate a travel day when you're actually covering ground.
What if I miss a train on a Saver Day Pass?
Nothing happens, because it's valid all day on its date. A Supersaver single is tied to one train, and if you miss that one you're buying again.
Do children pay if I'm buying as I go?
Under 6 they're free. From 6 to 15 they're free on the Swiss Family Card, and that comes with a pass or a Half Fare Card at no extra cost. It doesn't come with a single fare.