How to save money on public transport

If you are travelling to Switzerland you should consider using public transport. Why? Because it’s easy, clean, very good connected and car parking is quite expensive and it’s not so easy to drive in a foreign city. Whether you are flying to Zurich, Basel or Geneva, it’s simple to get into the city centre by train or bus.

But as you might already know, Switzerland is quite pricey. We know this. 🙂 Therefore, we would like to show you some options to save money while travelling in Switzerland.

Swiss Federal Railway

If you want to use public transport in Switzerland you can find everything from the time schedule to the ticket sales on the website of SBB – Swiss Federal Railway

Tell Pass – Central Switzerland

If you will stay in Central Switzerland, which is very diverse and has a lot to offer such as Mount Rigi, Mount Titlis, the city of Lucerne, Lake Lucerne and Mount Pilatus, then you should consider buying the Tell Pass.

The Tell Pass is available for 2 up to 10 consecutive days and gives you unlimited travel access on trains, buses, boats and some mountain railways through Central Switzerland. In Summer the price for a  2-day pass is 180 Swiss francs and for 10 days it’s 300 Swiss francs. A Children’s Tell-Pass is available for 30 CHF (Swiss francs) accompanied by one adult holder of a valid Tell-Pass.

More information on the website of My Switzerland.

Swiss Travel Pass

If you would like to see everything of Switzerland you should go for a Swiss Travel Pass. This all-in-one ticket is the key to Switzerland’s public transport network and allows you to use public transportation (train, bus, boat) in more than 90 urban areas for free. Additionally, the mountain excursions to Pilatus, Rigi and Schynige Platte, as well as the entrance fee to over 500 museums of Switzerland are already included.

The ticket is available for 3, 4, 8 or 15 consecutive days. Children under 6 years travel for free if accompanied by an adult with a valid ticket. Children from the age of 6 up to 16 travel free of charge, when accompanied by an adult and with the complimentary Swiss Family Card.

More information about the Swiss Travel Pass.

Swiss Travel Pass Flex

The Swiss Travel Pass Flex is the same ticket as the Swiss Travel Pass but with more flexibility. It is valid on 3, 4, 8, or 15 freely selectable days within one month, thus combining scope and services of the Swiss Travel Pass with the advantage of increased flexibility.

More information about the Swiss Travel Pass Flex.

Swiss Travel Pass Youth

With the Swiss Travel Pass Youth, young people under 26 years of age travelling through Switzerland benefit from a 15 % discount off the regular Swiss Travel Pass ticket fare.

More information about the Swiss Travel Pass Youth.

Swiss Half Fare Card

With the Swiss Half Fare Card, you can travel by train, bus, boat and most mountain railways at half price. This ticket is the ideal companion for short trips around Switzerland. The Swiss Half Fare Card is valid for one month and costs 120 CHF (Swiss francs).

More information about the Swiss Half Fare Card.

Half-Fare travelcard on the SwissPass

If you are staying in Switzerland for more than one month you can buy a Half-Fare travelcard on the SwissPass. With this ticket, you can travel by train, bus, boat and most mountain railways at half price. The Half-Fare Card on the SwissPass is valid for one year and costs 185 CHF (Swiss francs).

More information about the Half-Fare travelcard on the SwissPass.

Supersaver Ticket

If you won’t use public transportation that much and you think it’s not necessary to buy any of the passes above, then you can look for Supersaver Tickets. These are special tickets, which are only valid on a certain train or bus to a certain time. But they are much cheaper than an ordinary ticket.

You can search for Supersaver Tickets online or if you are looking up your connection here, on the website of Swiss Federal Railway, then Supersaver Tickets are marked with a percentage sign.

And now, enjoy Switzerland! 👋