Is Swiss Travel Pass the best pass in the universe of travel passes?
A guide to optimising transportation cost in Switzerland
A random scouring of the internet produces a report which says Switzerland has the highest cost of transportation in the world. Like other ironic things in the existence of humanity, Switzerland is also a very beautiful country and on top of the list for many travelers. So how does one go about optimizing the cost of travel in Switzerland?
In this post, we shall take a look at getting the most out of travel passes in Switzerland. We are also assuming that one doesn’t know how to drive and thus cars are out of the picture.
Let’s consider you are traveling to the following places in Switzerland ( this is an itinerary shared by someone I know, so do not question the distance and optimisation for this itinerary :) )
Day 1: Geneva
Day 2: Montreux, Vevey and Lausanne
Day 3 - Day 5: Zermatt
Day 6: Interlaken
Day 7 - Day 10: Various places around Interlaken and Lauterbrunnen
Day 11 - Day 12: Lucerne
Day 13 - Day 15: Zurich
Say, you buy a Swiss Travel Pass for 15 days, for 429 CHF, let’s now break down the costs in various places and see how much would it cost without a Swiss Travel Pass, taking all the scenic trains, the bunch of cable cars, and also some boats :D
Before we begin, let me introduce you to some primers in this planning:
Most cities in Switzerland provide you with a transport card for local travel in the city if you are staying overnight, as you are paying city tax.
Download the SBB app for the best routes, timetables, notice around route changes, etc.
The SBB app has a few features for some discounts. Let me also quickly walk you through those features:
You can use the SBB app to buy local transport tickets for an entire day of unlimited travel within a city
https://www.sbb.ch/en/travelcards-and-tickets/tickets-for-switzerland/individual-tickets/city-ticket.htmlA half-fare card helps you slash the prices of most transportation by half. Once this is purchased, it should be linked to your SBB app, using the account you use for login. It breaks even within 4-5 journeys and is valid for a month and also helps you shave off some money from other travel passes within Switzerland.
We will now add all the places most folks visit and quickly check the prices of the journey with and without a Swiss travel pass
You can access the full sheet here. There might be some one-offs or explanation misses on some routes, but I have tried to add links for the sources of the price. You can see that even if you just purchased a half-fare card, it beats the Swiss Travel Pass by 200 CHF. The most optimum price can be achieved by half fare card + a 6-day Bernese Oberland Pass for the itinerary mentioned above. You can change the number of days and add and subtract more places by copying the sheet.
A Swiss Travel Pass is worth it if one has to travel almost every few days and on longer routes, and you happen to visit a lot of museums. Given, it is Switzerland, my advice would be to explore the outdoors. I feel even without a swiss travel pass, one can opt for a day saver and day pass on the half-fare card to save cost.
In conclusion, it is always best to list down the places and travel dates for your journey and take an intelligent estimation of the travel costs.