Swiss rail passes compared
Facts checked in November 2026 against operator sources.
The main alternatives to the Swiss Travel Pass are the Swiss Half Fare Card at CHF 150 for a month, the Saver Day Pass from CHF 52 a day, regional passes such as the Berner Oberland Pass from CHF 240, and the Interrail Switzerland pass from CHF 184. The Half Fare Card is the one that most often beats the national pass on price.
The options at a glance
Adult prices in 2nd class for 2026.
| Product | Price | What you get | Jungfraujoch | Museums |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Swiss Travel Pass | CHF 254 to 499, 3 to 15 days | Unlimited travel nationwide, three free mountains | 25% off from Grindelwald or Wengen | 500 plus free |
| Swiss Travel Pass Flex | CHF 289 to 519, 3 to 15 days in a month | The same on chosen days | 25% off on activated days | Free on activated days |
| Swiss Half Fare Card | CHF 150, one month | Up to 50% off nearly everything | 50% off the whole trip | Not included |
| Saver Day Pass | from CHF 52, one day | Unlimited travel nationwide for a day | No discount | Not included |
| Berner Oberland Pass | CHF 240 to 435, 3 to 10 days | Unlimited travel in one region, nine mountains | 25% off the top section | Not included |
| Interrail Switzerland | CHF 184 to 303, 3 to 8 days in a month | Trains on chosen days | Reduced fare, check with the operator | Not included |
Sources Swiss Travel System and Swiss Federal Railways, checked November 2026.
Swiss Half Fare Card
For CHF 150, about £136, the Swiss Half Fare Card gives visitors up to 50% off trains, buses, boats, panoramic trains, mountain railways and gondolas for one month, and off city transport in more than 90 towns. It also halves the price of Saver Day Passes and Supersaver tickets. Like the pass it is sold only to people living outside Switzerland, and children aged 6 to 15 travel free with a parent on the same Swiss Family Card.
Its strengths are the mirror image of the pass's weaknesses. It lasts a month, so a rest day costs nothing. It gives a full 50% on Jungfraujoch, where the pass gives 25% on the upper part. And the entry price is low, so it pays for itself once you have bought CHF 300 worth of full price travel.
Its drawbacks are real too. You buy a ticket for every journey, at a machine or in the SBB app. There is no free museum entry and nothing is free on Rigi or the Stanserhorn. And it does not come with a youth discount, while the pass does.
Rule of thumb. Add up the full fares of everything the pass would cover outright. If the total is more than about CHF 578 for an 8 day pass, CHF 318 for 4 days or CHF 208 for 3 days, the pass is cheaper than the Half Fare Card. If Jungfraujoch is on your route, add about CHF 49 to that threshold.
Saver Day Pass
The Saver Day Pass gives one day of unlimited travel on the same network as the Swiss annual travelcard. Prices are set by demand. Without a Half Fare Card it starts at CHF 52 in 2nd class and CHF 88 in 1st. With a Half Fare Card it starts at CHF 29 and CHF 49. It goes on sale six months ahead and must be bought at least one day before travel. The cheapest quotas sell out, and the ticket can be cancelled free of charge only within 30 minutes of an online purchase.
It suits the one enormous travel day in an otherwise quiet trip. Zermatt to St. Moritz costs CHF 159 as an ordinary ticket, so even a mid priced Saver Day Pass undercuts it. It does not include the free mountains, museums or mountain discounts of the national pass. A string of four or five Saver Day Passes bought at the lowest price can beat a 4 day pass, but you must fix your dates months ahead and cannot change them.
Berner Oberland Pass prices 2026
The reduced price applies if you already hold a Swiss Travel Pass or a Swiss Half Fare Card, and to travellers aged 16 to 24.
| Consecutive days | 2nd class | 1st class | Reduced, 2nd class |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3 | CHF 240 | CHF 288 | CHF 168 |
| 4 | CHF 280 | CHF 336 | CHF 196 |
| 6 | CHF 350 | CHF 420 | CHF 254 |
| 8 | CHF 395 | CHF 474 | CHF 287 |
| 10 | CHF 435 | CHF 522 | CHF 316 |
Source Swiss Travel System, valid 1 January to 31 December 2026. Children aged 6 to 15 pay CHF 30 with an adult pass.
Regional passes
The Berner Oberland Pass covers the area bordered by Bern, Lucerne and Montreux. Inside it, trains, buses and the boats on Lake Thun and Lake Brienz are unlimited, and nine mountains are free, among them the Schilthorn, Schynige Platte, Männlichen, Niesen and Brienzer Rothorn. It gives 50% off Grindelwald First, Harder Kulm and Titlis, and 25% off the last section to Jungfraujoch. For a week based in Interlaken, Grindelwald or Wengen it usually beats the national pass, which costs CHF 399 for 6 days and treats the Schilthorn as a half price extra.
The Jungfrau Travel Pass, from CHF 165 for 3 days, is narrower still and covers the railways and lifts around Grindelwald, Wengen and Mürren, with a reduced add on fare to Jungfraujoch. The Lucerne Travel Pass, formerly sold as the Tell-Pass, does a similar job around Lake Lucerne and gives free travel on Pilatus. Both make sense only if you stay put in the region.
Interrail and Eurail
UK residents can use the Interrail Switzerland One Country Pass. Adult 2nd class prices for 2026 are CHF 184 for 3 days, CHF 212 for 4, CHF 238 for 5, CHF 261 for 6 and CHF 303 for 8 days within a month. Travellers aged 12 to 27 pay from CHF 138 and over 60s from CHF 166. Visitors living outside Europe buy the equivalent Eurail pass.
Interrail is cheaper than the national pass day for day, and it is a flexible pass by design. But it is a train pass. Local trams and buses are generally not covered, museums are not included, and on the mountains it gives a reduction where the Swiss pass gives a free ride. Rigi, for example, is 50% off with Interrail and free with the Swiss pass. If you are travelling out from the UK by train, an Interrail Global Pass that covers the journey through France and your Swiss days together can be the cheapest answer of all.
Which one for which trip
- Touring the whole country in a week, moving most days, national pass.
- Two weeks at a gentle pace, the 15 day national pass or the Half Fare Card, depending on how often you move.
- One base in the Bernese Oberland, Berner Oberland Pass or Half Fare Card.
- Jungfraujoch and Gornergrat with few train days, Half Fare Card.
- City break with one big day out, Saver Day Pass.
- Arriving from the UK by rail, look at Interrail first.
The sums behind these verdicts are on is it worth it.
Frequently asked questions
Can I combine the Swiss Half Fare Card with the pass?
There is rarely a reason to. The pass already gives the same 50% on most mountains. The one gain would be Jungfraujoch, and CHF 150 is more than the difference.
Is the Half Fare Card valid on the Glacier Express?
Yes, it halves the fare to about CHF 80 in 2nd class for the full route. The seat reservation of about CHF 54 is charged in full.
Does a Saver Day Pass cover mountain railways?
It covers the same network as the Swiss annual travelcard, which includes Rigi but not most high summits. It gives no percentage discounts on other mountain railways.
Can I use the Berner Oberland Pass from Zurich Airport?
No. Its area starts at Lucerne and Bern. You need a separate ticket to reach it, which is where the reduced price for Half Fare Card holders helps.
Is Interrail valid on Swiss private railways?
On most of the main ones, including the lines to Zermatt and St. Moritz. Some mountain railways give only a reduction. Check the operator before you travel.
Which pass is best for a family?
Children aged 6 to 15 travel free with a parent under both the national pass and the Half Fare Card, so compare the adult costs. On the Berner Oberland Pass a child pays CHF 30.