The Swiss Travel Pass offers several benefits for travelers in Switzerland, including:
Unlimited Travel: Offers unlimited travel on consecutive or flexible days across the Swiss Travel System network in 90 urban areas.
Flexibility: Available in flexible or consecutive durations, such as 3, 4, 8, or 15 days within a month.
Comprehensive Access: Covers trains, buses, and boats on an extensive network of routes.
Scenic Routes: Includes some of the most scenic train routes in Switzerland, like the Glacier Express and Bernina Express.
Museum Entries: Free admission to over 500 museums throughout Switzerland.
Discounts: Provides up to 50% discounts or free travel on many mountain railways and cable cars, along with other activities and attractions.
Family Friendly: Children under 16 travel free with a parent holding a Swiss Travel Pass.
Convenience: Eliminates the need to purchase individual tickets, simplifying travel planning.
One of the best
benefits of Swiss Travel Pass is that it helps you save a lot of money when compared to the cost of buying excursions and public transport tickets individually.
Here we have listed down the top 10 benefits of the Swiss Travel Pass.
1.Unlimited travel by rail, road, and bus
Yes! It's true. Unlimited travel, no restrictions at all on the Swiss Travel System. This includes rail, boat, tram and bus. You just have to show your Swiss Travel Pass. That's it.
This is a big advantage especially for tourists who are looking to explore Switzerland in depth during the limited number of days they have. Without the benefits of Swiss Pass, travellers would have to pay for every train, bus or tram ride from point to point. This not only becomes a time-waster while you're on a tight schedule but also turns out much more expensive.
2. Children travel free
Children under the age of 16 years can travel absolutely free with a parent. All you have to do is select for a Swiss Family Card while booking your
Swiss Travel Pass.
If you're travelling with kids under 16, Swiss Travel Pass is worth it. Children under 16 years are not only free on the Swiss Travel Pass but also travel completely free on most mountains that offer discounts to passholders.
In essence, you only pay for your children's accommodation in Switzerland. If you were ever at a crossroads as to whether to buy
buy Swiss Travel Pass at all, this should be enough to show you which direction to go in.
3. Free entry to over 500 museums
Museum-lovers will love this benefit. You can enjoy free entry to over 500+ museums in Switzerland. It includes some of the most visited museums such as Olympic Museum, Chateau de Chillon, and the Ballenberg Swiss Open-Air Museum.
"Verkehrshaus" - The museum of transportation in Lucerne offers holders of a
Swiss Travel pass discount of flat 50% on the regular entrance fee to the museum and discounts even on the day pass to the museum.
The day pass provides admission to the Museum, a visit to the Swiss Chocolate Adventure and the Media World and the daily screenings in the Filmtheatre and Planetarium.
4. Up to 50% off on excursions
Mountain excursions can be a bit expensive, but not when you are a Swiss Travel Pass holder. You can enjoy a
discount on Swiss Travel Pass up to 50% of on major must-see mountain excursions in Switzerland.
With over100 million pictures per year, Matterhorn is the most photographed mountain in the world and no first-time traveller would miss the opportunity to visit this peak. Also famous for being on the Toberlone chocolate cover, a visit to
Matterhorn Glacier Paradise would usually cost around CHF 44 to CHF 58 per Adult if you are holding a Swiss Travel Pass. For non-pass holders, the price would range from CHF 87 to CHF 115 per Adult.
Another one of the other most popular attractions in Switzerland is Europe's highest train station: the Jungfraujoch, at 3454 m above sea level. The observatory is located at 3571 m. Being the most popular peak amongst people visiting Switzerland, it is also the most expensive.
Holding a Swiss Travel Pass considerably reduces the cost of
Jungfraujoch tickets. The prices range from CHF 118 to CHF 155 per Adult if you are holding a Swiss Travel Pass. For non-pass holders, the price would range from CHF 185 to CHF 235 per Adult.
Children under 16, usually pay half the adult price on all mountains. However if holding a Swiss Travel Pass/family card, these mountains become free.
Also Mountains like Stanserhorn and Rigi in Lucerne are completely free if you are holding a Swiss Travel Pass.
Stanserhorn is a unique mountain as you travel up in the World's first CabriO®, which is an open double decker cable car. Imagine having this experience free of cost. Non-pass holders have to pay full price.
Mount Rigi, the other free peak in Lucerne if you are holding a Swiss Travel Pass, is fondly called "Queen of the Mountains". Rigi Kulm is the highest point (1798 m) and offers great views of Lake Lucerne, the Alps in the south and the plains in the north, all the way to Germany.
5. Up to 50% on Scenic trains
Switzerland is known for its beauty scenic trains. In fact, there is a Grand Train Tour that takes you across Switzerland on a train. And you if you are holding a Swiss Travel Pass, you again enjoy discounted prices\
The Glacier Express & Bernina Express are Switzerland's two most scenic train journeys and these Panoramic journeys are free with your Swiss Travel Pass. However you need to pay a compulsory seat reservation fee regardless of whether you are holding a travel pass or point to point ticket. This means, the pass covers the cost of your full price point-to-point ticket, which is a massive saving.
The Golden Pass line is another extraordinary journey in 3 different trains, with a panoramic view of breath-taking scenery. Unlike the Bernina Express and Glacier Express, the Golden Pass is not a direct train. You pass three mountain passes, the famous 4000-metre Alpine peaks, 8 lakes and unforgettable views.
In this train, you can travel for free with a Swiss Travel pass. You do not even need seat reservations in 2nd class, although reservations are recommended for some legs of the train. In any case, it comes down to the same principle as the other two panoramic trains; you pay only for the seat reservation and not the full price of the point-to-point ticket.
6. Also available as E-Swiss Pass
E-Swiss Pass allows you to carry your
Swiss Travel Pass ticket on your mobile or you can take a print of it. It is unlike the physical ticket, which if lost, will result in 100% loss of your ticket price.
Therefore, no need to worry about carrying paper tickets. Just show your Swiss Travel Pass on your cell phone.
7. Convenience of an all in one Ticket
If you have travelled before, you would know that more than anything else, time is very val-uable. In such a situation, the last thing one would want to do is stand in line for point-to-point tickets. With the pass, it is easy to just get onto your preferred mode of transport and get on with your day.
8. Available as Continuous as well as Flexi
The Swiss Travel Pass doesn't tie you down to consecutive days travel.
Let's suppose you intend to travel outside your base in Switzerland only for 4 out of the 8 days, you can benefit from the Flexi Pass option.
This option is valid on 3, 4, 8 or 15 freely selectable days within one month rather than 3,4,8 or 15 consecutive days offered in a continuous pass. The Flexi Swiss Travel Pass holders can enjoy the same benefits as that of the consecutive passholders but only on the chosen days of travel.
Travellers who want the comfort of a car but also want the best deals on the mountains and other benefits of the pass should opt for the Flexi option. That way, they can use the pass on certain days and get the best deals on those days.
9. Youth get additional discounts
Children below 16 travel free as we already mentioned.
However, it's okay if your child missed the 16-year cut off for a free family pass. The Swiss Travel Pass offers a youth aged 16 to 25 years a 15% discount on the Adult Swiss Travel Pass. The other
benefits of Swiss Rail Pass though, are the same as an adult Swiss Travel Pass.
10. Saves tons of money compared to multiple single-ticket journeys
Since you will be exploring Switzerland, you will certainly have to travel a lot. Using multiple sin-gle-tickets for train, bus, or boat will be very expensive compared to a one-time payment of Swiss Travel Pass.
Also, you get numerous money-saving
benefits of Swiss Rail Pass like free entry to museums, 50% off on mountain excursions, and many more. To every traveller, the choice is obvious; it is al-ways a Swiss Travel Pass.
Let's take for example, a simple trip to
Mt. Titlis if you had your base in Lucerne.
If you were holding a Swiss Travel Pass:
Journey from Lucerne to Engelberg (Base of Mt. Titlis): No additional Cost, included in Pass
Return Cable car ticket from Base station to the top of Mt. Titlis: CHF 60 per Adult
Journey from Engelberg (Base of Mt. Titlis) to Lucerne: No additional Cost, included in Pass.
If you were NOT holding a Swiss Travel Pass:
Journey from Lucerne to Engelberg (Base of Mt. Titlis): CHF 18.40 per Adult
Return Cable car ticket from Base station to the top of Mt. Titlis: CHF 96 per Adult
Journey from Engelberg (Base of Mt. Titlis) to Lucerne: CHF 18.40 per Adult
So taking the pass is definitely a no brainer.
