Trains in Switzerland

Getting to and getting around Switzerland

The Swiss didn't invent rail travel. They just perfected it.

Trains are by far the best way to travel around of Switzerland. Swiss trains are numerous, fast, efficient, rigorously in time, terribly scenic, and connect just about every city, town, and village in the country (and if there's no train to some village, 99% of the time there's either a Postbus or cable car to take you down the final stretch).

In fact, the trains are so amazing and useful that if you intend to spend more than three days exploring Switzerland and visiting more than, say, four places, it probably makes sense to invest in a Swiss Pass railpass (or, if you're trip ranges throughout Western Europe, a Eurail or other Europe-wide railpass).

The Swiss Pass

This Swiss railpass provides unlimited travel on the rail system all over Switzerland—and it's an integrated system that includes not just the trains but also the Postbus network and most lake boats and ferries. (Plus there are other freebies and discounts, detailed below.)

Like many railpasses, the Swiss Pass comes in two classes of service (first and second) and in two flavors:

Consecutive day passes

You get four days, eight days, 15 days, 22 days, or one month of unlimited train travel starting the day you validate the pass.

	ADULT (1st class)	ADULT (2nd class)	YOUTH (1st class)	YOUTH (2nd class)	SAVER (1st class)	SAVER (2nd class)
4 days	$406	$270	$305	$203	$345	$230
8 days	$587	$392	$441	$294	$500	$333
15 days	$710	$473	$533	$355	$603	$402
22 days	$818	$545	$613	$409	$695	$463
1 month	$901	$600	$676	$450	$765	$510

Flexi-passes

You can travel on your choice of three to six of days total—they don't have to be in a row—within a one-month period. If you're trip is going to be really focused (or you are the type of planner who knows in advance how many train days you'll be taking), this can cost a bit less.

	ADULT (1st class)	ADULT (2nd class)	SAVER (1st class)	SAVER (2nd class)
3 days in 1 month	$390	$260	$332	$221
4 days in 1 month	$472	$314	$402	$268
5 days in 1 month	$546	$364	$465	$310
6 days in 1 month	$621	$413	$527	$352

Explaining the different Swiss Pass varieties above

• Adult - For travelers 26 and up.
• Youth - For ages 16–25; consecutive-dy pass only. Note: There is a child pass, but children under 16 traveling with their parents can actually travel for free with the Swiss Family Card (it's free, but you must add it to your "cart" before checking out).
• Saver - For groups of two to five adults traveling together; it costs about 15% les less per person (the prices on saver passes below are per person).

Other Swiss Pass benefits and discounts

The Swiss Pass also includes a Swiss Museum Pass granting free access to more than 400 museum.

It also nabs you discounts on some specialized scenic runs (like 25% off the Jungfraujoch train), city tours, cable cars, and some museums and hotels.

The Swiss Card

If you don't want or need to invest in a full-fledged Swiss Pass, the Swiss Card is a good compromise. It is a kind of discount rail card which provides free transport from an airport or border crossing to a Swiss destination.

It then gets you 50% off any train, Postbus, and boat tickets you buy on-site in Switzerland. Nifty.