Switzerland Made Easy: Book Travel Passes and more

ShowMeTheJourney has teamed up with our Swiss partner, Switzerland Travel Centre so that you can simplify and save money on the rail travel elements of your own Swiss itineraries by choosing:

• one of a range of Swiss Train Passes, or
• booking day trips to mountain peaks, or
• saving money on all Swiss rail tickets with a Half Fare Card.

For those who have had the rather fabulous idea to take multiple beautiful journeys in Switzerland and or to travel on more than one mountain railway, and associated experiences such as cable cars and funiculars, a range of rail passes is available for travel in Switzerland, which enable such travellers to save money.

These passes can also simplify Swiss rail travel as more often than not, those that have them can hop on and off the trains, lake boats and also on some cable cars and funiculars.
They can be used instead of tickets, so you don't have to worry about booking the right travel ticket online; And can avoid multiple visits to the booking desks at Swiss stations.

So ShowMeTheJourney is pleased to have teamed up with our Swiss partner, Switzerland Travel Centre to enable the purchase of Swiss Travel Passes, Half Fare Cards, Berner-Oberland Passes and Tell Passes

Buy Swiss Travel Passes - valid for consecutive days

Buy Swiss Travel Pass - Flex - choose travel days within fixed periods of time, so that you can travel on ideal weather days.

As can be seen on this map - on which the solid red lines are the railways on which Swiss Travel Passes can be used at no additional costs, these passes enable their users to hop off and off the overwhelming majority of trains in Switzerland.
The few exceptions include some of the mountain railways, but when the cost isn't full covered the passes enable a substantial discount.

The scenic mountain railways which are fully covered with a Swiss Travel Pass include the longer routes and networks:

• the Rhaetian railway
• the MGB route across southern Switzerland between Disentis and Zermatt
• the MOB and the ZB railways which comprise the full length of the 'Golden Pass route'; Montreux - Spiez - Interlaken - Lucerne.
• the Centovali Railway
• the trains between Interlaken and both Grindelwald and Lauterbrunnen.

Swiss Travel Pass users only have to pay reservation fees to travel on the Bernina Express, the Glacier Express and Golden Pass Express trains.
Reservations can be arranged with the Switzerland Travel Centre.

The railways on which Swiss Travel Passes enable a substantial discount are the routes which lead up to the summits of mountains; though the Mt Rigi railways are fully covered by the Swiss Travel Pass.
The discounts are:

• Mt Pilatus - 50%
• the Gornergrat Railway up to Europe's highest open air station - 50%
• the steam railway up to Rothorn-Kulm - 50%
• the Monte Generoso railway - 50%
• on to Kleine Scheidegg and Europe's highest station at Jungfraujoch from Grindelwald and Lauterbrunnen - 25%

The cable cars and funiculars fully covered by the Swiss Travel Pass are the Stanserhorn; the Klewenalp; the Stoosbahn and the Brunni cable car in Engelberg.
Cable cars and funiculars on which Swiss Travel Pass users can travel at a 50% discount:

• the rotating cable cars to Mt Titlis
• the cable cars on Mt Pilatus
• the cable car routes from Grindelwald, including the Eiger Express to Eigergletscher
• the cable car to Schilthorn

Swiss Travel Pass can also travel at no extra cost on

• public transport networks in towns and cities
• the Post Bus network, which serves the villages in Switzerland without railways
• and on the lake cruise boats.
• The Swiss Travel Passes also in effect include the benefits of the Swiss Museum Pass over the period of days that the visitor to Switzerland has chosen.

Children under 6 years old travel free. Children aged 6 - 15 years travel for free if accompanied by at least one parent.

Buy Swiss Travel Passes - valid for consecutive days

Buy Swiss Travel Pass - Flex - choose travel days within fixed periods of time, so that you can travel on ideal weather days.

Buy the Berner Oberland Pass

If you want to base yourself in the incredible Jungfrau Region for an extended period of time during April to October, a Berner-Oberland Passs can be great value for money.
Included with these passes are:

• the trains beyond Grindelwald and Lauterbrunnen on to Kleine Scheidegg,
• all of the cable car routes from Grindelwald, including the Eiger Express to Eigergletscher,
• the trains between Eigergletscher and Kleine Scheidegg,
• the trains between Wilderswill and Schynige Platte
• the route between Lauterbrunnen amd Mürren
• the Brienz Rothorn Bahn
• the funiculars in Beatenberg and Oeschinensee
• the cable cars in Meiringen to the Alpen Tower
• the route of the Luzern - Interlaken Express
• the Interlaken - Spiez - Thun - Bern route
• the Lotschberger route between Spiez and Brig via Kandersteg
• the Golden Pass route between Spiez and both Gstaad and Lenk.

In addition the the Berner Oberland Pass provides a 50% discount on:

• the cable car between Mürren and Schithorn
• the trains between Luzern and Engelberg
• the cable car route between Engelberg and Mt Titliis
• trains between Gstaad and Montreux
• trains between Brig and Andermatt.
  Berner Oberland Pass users can also travel between Eigergletscher and Jungfraujoch on tickets which are less than 50% of the usual cost of the end-to-end journey from Interlaken.

Children and dogs are charged a flat rate of CHF 30, no matter how long the pass is valid for and whether you opt for 1st or 2nd class.

Buy Tell Passes

The Tell Pass, named after William Tell, can be a great value pass if you will be spending an extended period of time in locations in central Switzerland including Luzern, Fluelen, Engelberg or Stans.
It covers 2nd class rail travel, buses, lake boats and many of the cable cars and funiculars - the summer map of validity

Lines and routes covered by the Tell Pass include:

• The Golden Round trip up and down Mt Pilatus (not winter)
• Journeys on the PliatusBahn railway (not winter)
• the Mt Rigi Railways and cable cars
• the boats on Lake Luzern
• the trains between Luzern and both Interlaken and Engelberg
• the cable car route between Engelberg and Titlis, including the unique rotating cars
• the Brunni cable car in Engelberg.
• the steam railway up Mt Brienz
• the Stoosbahn - the world's steepest funicular railway + the buses on route 501 between its base station and Schwyz rail station
• the Stanserhorn cable car
• the boat and funicular to Burgenstock
• the scenic railway between Luzern and Goschennen - and on to Andermatt
• the trains between Andermatt and Realp; connect for the Dampfbahn-Furka-Bergestrecke steam railway - not covered by the pass
• the railway between Andermatt and Oberalp; arguably the most scenic section of the Glacier Express route.

The Tell Pass is available for unlimited travel, for 2, 3, 4, 5 or 10 consecutive days in 2nd class, with children's passes a flat rate of 30CHF.

Buy a Half Fare Card(s) valid for a month when visiting Switzerland.
Then when booking the holidays and mountain excursions you can make substantial savings by selecting the Half Fare Card rate!
You can also then obtain a discount when adding many mountain excursions to a holiday package, either online in advance of your trip, or you can be spontaneous and use them at a station on the day of your travels in Switzerland.

You can also use the Half Fare Card to book to obtain a 50% rate on all Swiss rail journeys by mainline trains - the red lines on this map.

Book in advance for your stunning journeys by train to Swiss mountain summits.
Holders of Swiss Travel Passes and Half Fare Cards can use the links below to access tickets at the discounted rate.

to Jungfraujoch

• Round trip by cogwheel train from Grindelwald/Wengen to Europe's highest station, or with Eiger Express gondola via Eigergletscher to the Jungfraujoch.
• Enjoy impressive views of the midlands, the Aletsch Glacier and countless four-thousand-meter peaks.
• Discover the Ice Palace, the stopover at the “Eismeer station” or the Sphinx viewing platform, which is easily accessible by lift.

to Gornergrat

• Roundtrip by cogwheel train from Zermatt to Gornergrat, Europe's highest open-air station at 3089m.
• Enjoy the breathtaking view of the Matterhorn, glaciers and Alpine peaks.
• Use the Gornergrat as a starting point for scenic walks in the area.

to Pilatus Kulm

• ride the cable car between Kriens (base station) and Pilatus Kulm via Fräkmüntegg;
• a journey on Switzerland's steepest railway between Pilatus-Kulm and Alpnachstad;
• take the boat or train between Alpnachstad and Lucerne.

to Schilthorn from Mürren

• Roundtrip by cable car from Mürren to Schilthorn at 2970m.
• Enjoy a breathtaking 360° view from the revolving restaurant.
• Experience the Touristorama with James Bond film highlights, Schilthorn was Blofeld's HQ in “On Her Majesty’s Secret Service”.
  Access Mürren by taking the funicular and railway from Lauterbrunnen.

to Mt Titlis

• Roundtrip from Engelberg to Titlis at 3238m with 3 different cable cars.
• Rotair ride on revolving cable car with 360° view included.
• Also included: Return trip on the Ice Flyer - a glacier chairlift at 3,000m, unlimited use of different snow toys in the TITLIS Glacier Park (park open daily from May to October), a visit to the TITLIS Glacier Cave, plus walk across the TITLIS Cliff walk suspension bridge.

to Glacier 3000

• Return cable car ride from Col du Pillon to Scex Rouge, the location of "Glacier 3000" (at 2971m)
• Enjoy magnificent views of the Alps while crossing the 107-meter-long suspension bridge (Peak Walk by Tissot), which is the only one of its kind that connects two mountain peaks.
  Travel to Col du Pillon base station by taking trains between Aix and Les Diablerets, then by bus.~

to Matterhorn Glacier Paradise

• Round trip by a set of gondolas from Zermatt to Matterhorn Glacier Paradise at 3883m
• Breathtaking views of Mountain Peaks
• Includes entry ticket to the Glacier Paradise.

to Stanserhorn
Round trip by funicular railways and Cabrio Cable Car from Stans to Stanserhorn at 1898m
The Cabrio Cable Car is a double-decker cable car with an open upper deck
The cable car ticket includes the entrance to the Marmot park.