Tourist travelling to Switzerland

[Ash290]

Hi 

I am a tourist travelling to Switzerland and hope to visit the following areas:

 - Thun, Interlaken, Grindelwald, Launsanne, Gruyeres, Montreux. 

We were going to buy the Swiss Travel Pass ('STP') for 3 days, which allows unlimited travel on trains, buses, boats etc however when purchasing the STP we were given the option to buy the Half Fare Card at a much lower price for a longer time.

Could someone clarify what the difference is between these two passes and if we can go to the areas we want to go with the Half Fare Card?

Thank you,

A

[RolandP · Accepted solution]

Hi @Ash290 

In a nutshell:

The Swiss Travel Pass as well as the Swiss Travel Pass Flex allow unlimited travels on routes indicated on the map: https://www.sbb.ch/content/dam/internet/sbb/de/abos-billette/abonnemente/karte-geltungsbereich-ga-ha...

The Swiss Half Fare Card is NOT a pass. It does NOT offer free travel. With the Swiss Half Fare Card, you can buy tickets at a reduced fare up to 50%. The Swiss Half Fare Card is ideal if you do not take public transport every day. You could combine it with a Day Pass, a Saver Day Pass or a Point-to-Point ticket. https://www.sbb.ch/en/leisure-holidays/inspiration/international-guests/swiss-halffare-card.html

Carefully read the information given on the pages to understand the differences.

Please allow me a personal advice: three days to visit all the places you mentioned above sounds a very busy itinerary. I suggest that you use one of the excellent traveller forums, either myswissalps.com or TripAdvisor's Switzerland forum, to validate your itinerary and understand whether it is doable or not; it also depends on the season. There are many local experts on this forums sharing their expertise and thoughts. Here, we remain at your disposal for any further ticket question you may have.

Best regards,
Roland