Swiss Rail Pass Discussion
With all of our accommodations selected, it is now time to start the detailed planning for each city we are staying in. The first order of business is beginning to identify which sights we want to see that require us to purchase a train ticket to get to. I addition to the train tickets, we need to know where we will be taking cable cars or specialty rail cars in the places we want to visit.
This is specific to Switzerland at this point in the planning effort, we need to try and determine what type of Swiss Rail Passes we might want to purchase. Switzerland offers several options to tourists, there are passes that cover specific day durations of 3, 4 8, and 15 days, but the usage of the pass is by consecutive days. Then there are slightly higher priced passes called Flex Passes that allow you to use them on a certain number of days within a month, for example, any 3, 4, 8 or 15 days in one month. These Flex Passes would probably meet our needs better than the consecutive day option if all we had to consider was using them for train travel. However, the passes also cover other modes of transportation, but that becomes a day of usage, and may not be economical.
None of the passes fully cover cable car rides. At best, you can use your pass to get a 50% discount on the cable car tickets and passes, but again, that becomes one of your days of usage if you exercise that reduction.
Right now, we will probably be better suited to use what is called the Half Fare Card. It has a duration of one month, and gives you a 50% discount on any purchases for the entire Swiss Network, including the cable cars and boat rides. While boat rides and some museums are free with the other passes, we do not anticipate taking many boat rides, or visiting many museums, so that is not a significant value to us.
In addition, the Half Fare Card is usable on supersaver fares that are significantly reduced in cost anyway. These are limited in quantity and must be purchased well in advance. The price also goes up as they sell. The downside is that the supersaver fares are for specific train times and are not refundable if you miss that connection.
From our trip in 2012, I know we spent quite a lot of time trying to determine if any of the passes were of economic benefit. Before we left, The Swiss Rail Company, SBB, had a half price sale on the passes, so we did end up purchasing them before we left, and they were handy to have at that price. We ended up only using them on specific days, I believe it was a consecutive day pass, and we just purchased tickets for the other train ride days, especially the shorter, cheaper ones. However, our stay in Switzerland was also much shorter.
At the present time, it looks like the Half Fare Card will be our best bet, but as we look at all of our plans going forward, we may opt for a Flex Pass, or even possibly a longer duration consecutive day pass. In the end, if we break even on a pass, it gives us the most flexibility, and we don’t have to purchase any tickets in advance, just hop on the train and go.
Probably the biggest advantage to any type of pass is the discount they give on the cable cars, which are quite expensive. For example, a return ride to the top of Mt. Titlus, one of the highest peaks in Switzerland, and on our list of places to visit, is CHF 96.00 Return per person, return meaning both an up and down ride, CHF is the Swiss Franc. Many of these mountains are ski resorts, so some people may only go one way, especially in the winter, or even bike down or hike down in the summer. A 50% discount with a pass is significant.
The only way to completely make the determination is to have a good idea of what we are planning to see, and pull together all of the costs that might be covered by the passes, either fully, or at a reduced amount. Add them all up and that will help us to make the choice. Luckily, we have some time.
The only ticket we may want to try and purchase in advance is the train ride from Zermatt to Pontresina on the Glacier Express. We already have reservations for our seats, and that is the same extra cost no matter what type of pass we may have. The actual ticket price varies tremendously, and the cheapest ticket is the Saver Day Pass, which can be purchased up to 3 months in advance. Again, they are limited in quantity, and the price goes up as they sell. With a day type pass, that ticket would be covered, but with a half fare card, we would need to purchase the fare in advance to save the most, which exposed us to some possible unrecoverable costs if we had to cancel the trip, …….hello travel insurance coverage.