Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – the free Swiss Travel System Family Card. It is available on request with every Swiss Travel System ticket and allows children under the age of 16 to travel free of charge when accompanied by at least one parent. You can order the Family Card online or obtain it at all main railway stations in Switzerland. Children under the age of 6 do not require a ticket and travel free of charge.

Children travelling unaccompanied by a parent are entitled to a 50% discount off the entire range of Swiss Travel System tickets.

Swiss Family Card

If you are travelling on the Swiss public transport network with a partner or a group (maximum 6 persons), you can purchase a Saver Pass and take advantage of a 15% discount off the regular Swiss Pass or Swiss Flexi Pass prices.

Swiss Saver PassSwiss Saver Flexi Pass

No – there are no special discounts for senior citizens.

Swiss Travel System tickets are personal, non-transferable and valid only with an official ID card or passport.

They offer different levels of travel comfort. In 1st class, you can enjoy extra legroom, a more spacious seat and a quieter journey.

1st & 2nd class

Please enquire at the Italian embassy or appropriate consulate concerning the required travel documents (passport, visa).

If you wish to limit your travel to a certain region within Switzerland, you can take advantage of either a Regional Pass or a fare network.

Regional Passes Fare networks

If you have already planned your travel programme in detail, it is advisable to purchase the Swiss Pass in advance. There are points-of-sale in many countries and you can also order the Swiss Pass online. Prices may vary depending on shipping fees and currency exchange rates. Please bear in mind that the Swiss Transfer Ticket is not purchasable in Switzerland. If flexibility is important to you and you wish to choose when and where to travel once you are here, we recommend that you buy the Swiss Pass in Switzerland. They can be purchased at all main railway stations.

Ticket Shop

If you intend to travel to Switzerland at short notice, we recommend that you purchase your Pass either at a Swiss railway station or a point-of-sale in your country. If you still wish to order online, please read carefully the delivery times, terms and conditions.

Ticket Shop

Please contact directly the address on your order confirmation.

You can validate your Swiss Pass by presenting it together with your passport/official ID at any attended railway station in Switzerland. Please note that you are required to validate the Pass before your first journey. International trains are the exception – if you are entering Switzerland by train, the train attendant will validate your Swiss Pass.

International trains

Both tickets allow you to travel from the airport/border railway station to your holiday destination and back. The transfer both to and from your destination must be by the most direct route. The Swiss Card also gives you a 50% discount off the regular fare price when you travel by train, bus, boat and mountain railway. Both tickets are valid for one month. The places of arrival in and departure from Switzerland need not be identical.

Swiss Travel System tickets are valid in Switzerland only. If you are planning cross-border travel into Switzerland on a train which requires advance reservation and you are already in possession of a valid Swiss Pass, request the appropriate price reduction when purchasing your international rail ticket. This means that you pay only for your journey to (and from) the Swiss border.

International trains

How to book: When booking an international rail ticket to Switzerland you will be entitled to free travel once you cross the Swiss border – if already in possession of a valid Swiss Pass. On purchasing your international rail ticket, please specify therefore that you are in possession of a "GA" General Travelcard (the Swiss Pass equivalent for residents of Switzerland). This means you will be required to pay only for the part of your journey outside Switzerland – and can then travel on your Swiss Pass from the Swiss border to your holiday destination. Please note however that you cannot benefit from this reduction on connections from Germany and Austria (except on City Night Line trains requiring advance reservation).

It is possible to interrupt a journey while travelling on a Swiss Transfer Ticket. However, the stop must be located on the most direct route from the airport/border railway station to your holiday destination (or vice versa) and must be made on the same day.

More information

If you are flying to Switzerland, you can take advantage of the Fly Rail Baggage service. Simply check- in your luggage at your departure airport anywhere in the world and it will be sent via Zurich or Geneva Airport to the railway station at your Swiss destination. For your return flight, luggage for many international airlines can be checked in at 56 Swiss railways stations. For detailed information, please consult the following link:

Check-in at the railstation

The Swiss Pass entitles you to free travel on trains, buses and boats throughout the whole of Switzerland. Also included are panorama trains such as the Glacier Express as well as public transport in 75 towns and cities. You can find out whether your ticket is valid for a certain route by consulting the area of validity map. Urban areas where public transport is free of charge for Swiss Pass holders are marked with a red and white circle.

 Area of validity (1,002 KB)

Travel on panorama trains is included in the Swiss Pass. Please bear in mind that most panorama trains require a seat reservation and are subject to a supplementary charge. We recommend that you book your seat as early as possible. Travelling on a Swiss panorama train is a special experience – depending on the route, you can enjoy additional services such as a three-course menu, brunch or other highlights. Panorama trains run at certain times only. The same routes are also served by regular train compositions – we therefore advise you to consult the timetable before your panorama trip.

Panorama trains

No – you do not normally require a reservation to travel on Swiss trains. Individual passengers can book seats for certain journeys if they wish to do so. Panorama trains are the exception – on these trains, reservation is compulsory.

Panorama trains Individual seat reservation

As early as possible. Although you are free to make your reservation on the day of your journey, the trains are very popular and might be fully booked on the day you wish to travel. We recommend that you make your seat reservation early to avoid disappointment.

Panorama trains

All Swiss Travel System tickets entitle you to various discounts from our bonus partners – for example, on hotel accommodation or city tours. The Swiss (Flexi) Pass also entitles you to free admission to over 470 museums and a 50% discount off most mountain railways and cableways.

Note: The Jungfrau Railway is an exception. The Swiss (Flexi) Pass, Swiss Youth Pass, Swiss Half Fare Card or Swiss Card entitles you to a 25% discount off excursions to the Jungfraujoch-Top of Europe.

No – free admission is granted only on the days validated for free travel.

More information

Not all mountain railways operate all year round. Please enquire at the respective mountain railway about seasonal opening and operating times.

No, a calendar day counts as a single day. This means that your ticket is valid from 00.00 hrs on the first day of validity. Exceptionally, on the day following the last day of validity it may be used until 05.00 hrs (29 hours in total).

Holders of a Saver Pass receive a ticket with the dates of travel and a control voucher with the names of all passengers. You can use the Saver Pass if only a part of the group is travelling – for example, taking a city excursion, day trip. But the travelling party must carry both (ticket and control voucher).

Swiss Saver Pass Swiss Saver Flexi Pass

Yes – you can either download the Swiss Federal Railways SBB app featuring comprehensive timetable and ticket purchase functions; or receive timetable information via the text message (SMS) service.
Please note that, depending on telephone provider, roaming fees may apply.

SBB AppSMS-Service

No – the EuRail Pass does not offer the same validity as the Swiss Pass. Please check with EuRail directly if you have questions concerning your ticket’s validity.

EuRail

Swiss Travel System tickets can be purchased in Switzerland at most railway stations, as well as in the Tourist Offices of Zurich, Bern, Basel, Geneva, and Lucerne. (Swiss Transfer Tickets cannot be purchased in Switzerland). Swiss Cards can be purchased only at the following points-of-sale: Basel EuroAirport, Basel (Swiss Federal Railways), Brig, Buchs (Canton St. Gallen), Chiasso, Constance (Germany), Geneva, Geneva Airport, Koblenz (Switzerland), Schaffhausen, St. Margrethen, Tirano (Italy), Zurich and Zurich Airport.

Railway station opening times Sales outlets

No – in the event of loss or theft, there is no replacement.

In case of illness or accident, please contact directly the address on your order confirmation.

Your four-legged friend is welcome to accompany you on Swiss trains. You will have to purchase an additional half-fare 2nd class ticket for your dog. This ticket is also valid if you are travelling in 1st class. Small dogs up to 30 cm. shoulder height travel free of charge as carriage hand luggage, providing they are in an appropriate carrier or basket. If the dog is removed from its carrier or basket during the journey you will be charged for a half-fare ticket.

Travelling with a dog

Simply bring your bicycle along for the trip: with a valid bike ticket, you can load your bicycle or your bike trailers (unloaded) onto most SBB trains and private railways yourself. The same applies for most postbuses. If your bike can be folded up and stored in a suitable carry case, you can even take it along free of charge as hand luggage.
Please note that the transport capacities for self-service loading of bicycles may be restricted during periods of peak traffic volume. Be sure to take this into account when planning your trip. For further details concerning trains requiring advance reservation, please consult the following link:

Transportation of bicycles

You can find the opening times of all Swiss railway stations here