swiss rail discounts

Hello. Apologies if this duplicates an existing thread; I looked and didn't find anything similar.

Next month I plan to enter Switzerland by train from Germany, arriving in Basel. I will visit Bern, Interlaken and Lauterbrunnen, staying in that area 2-3 days. Then I will travel to Zermat for 1 day, and then to Geneva. It looks like the point to point charge for this rail travel will be about $800 (excluding the Matterhorn sightseeing rail trip). It looks like the best deal is the Swiss pass, but the Swiss Card (half price fares) would also same money. I don't plan to purchase the pass until I arrive in Switzerland. The Swiss pass is about $200. I note that some websites quote different charges. I'm 64 if that matters.

Is this correct?

Many thanks for any suggestions.

Swiss passes are all offered at the same price, buy one from the Swiss Railway Systems website or from the Swiss Travel system website .

I can't tell you which pass will give you the better deal (although you can work it out from the websites if you know your intended journey) however, I can tell you that we easily purchased the monthly half fare card at Geneva rail station (or any other station) on arrival in Switzerland. We were asked for our passports but that may have been just so he could copy the names correctly. The half fare card worked out very well for us. This was two years ago.

Thanks for the information that the pass was readily available. The four consecutive day swiss pass is $273 and the point to point fares are about $800, so there are significant savings.

Does anyone know if such passes are readily available in Basel?

Yes, somebody knows :-) Just walk up to the SBB ticket counter at Basel main station in order to order your pass. Make sure you bring your passport. Reason for this: Only foreign tourists are entitled to buy the pass.

Thanks very much. You answered all my questions.

Hello Rick,

I hope your journey was good.So, which card did you purchase finally? I would need some advise on the same.

I am travelling to Switzerland for 7days(day 1 Zurich Aport to Wengen, day 7 Wengen to Geneva Aport).

Since I will be based in Wengen, I would need to travel to Lucern, Interlaken, Engelberg(Mt. Titlis) mainly in that region. for 3-4 days. So, is the Swiss pass ideal or is the Swiss Flexi Pass the way to go (since it gives flexibility of 4/5/6 days).

Also, one clarification I am seeking is ------ the SWISS PASS covers most of the routes (as per map), so it is as good as a ticket or is it just a discount card.

I mean with the Swiss Pass do I need to purchase a ticket on which I get discount or I do not need to purchase a ticket at all(merely hop on hop off). I am just asking this about the regular train travel.

Regards
Coolaxe

Hello Coolaxe:

First, it's been several months since I studied the rules on the website, so not sure I remember everything. The Swiss Pass is you ticket for travel on Swiss Rail for all journeys. You buy the pass at your first stop in Switzerland and you don't need to buy another ticket. However, there are some private railways that are not covered. Your pass is usually good for a discount on them as well as the cable cars.

I used the pass good for 4 consecutive days and it worked well for me. To decide which pass to buy, determine where you want to go and determine the fare for buying individual tickets and then look at which passes are available to find the best deal.

Have a good trip.

Thanks Rick