If you're a frequent SBB traveler and hold a full-on GA card, then this is not the best deal in Switzerland for you. However, if you're like us, and you travel mostly by car and only occasionally by train, then do I have a deal for you. The Tageskarte Gemeinde is a GA-Flexi pass that allows you one full day of unrestricted travel on the entire SBB network as well as several local networks for one low price. The actual price varies from district to district, but throughout the Rhine Valley, the train pass costs just 35 CHF.
Each Gemeinde makes available a set number of train passes per calendar day, and many provide an online reservation system, so you can see if passes are available for your desired date. Say there are no more passes available on the date you would like to travel, check with a neighboring Gemeinde to see if they have passes available. I have picked up passes for friends who live outside of my Gemeinde, and they have picked up passes for me. I even picked up some for Mom and Jim to use on their solo trip from Au to Luzern. The passes are non-personal, so ticket controllers only check that your pass indicates the appropriate date. No need to show identification. Easy train travel with no questions asked.
Let's talk numbers, shall we? The figures I will share below are per person, one way, 2nd class, full price.
Here's how much point-to-point tickets from Au to Lugano with a stop at the Morteratsch Glacier would have cost:
Au to Morteratsch: 61.--
Morteratsch to Lugano: 76.--
Total: 137.--
What we paid: 35.-- CHF
Savings: 102.-- CHF! (33.50 CHF for half-fare cardholders)
Here's how much a trip on the Bernina Bus, Bernina Express, and back to Au would have cost:
Lugano to Tirano to Davos Platz: 69.--
Seat Reservations: 24.--
Davos Platz to Au: 39.--
Total: 132.--
What we paid (including 1 seat reservation for the bus and 1 seat reservation for the train): 59.-- CHF
Savings: 73.-- CHF (19.-- CHF for half-fare cardholders)
The best part about the day pass is FREEDOM. You can hop on and off as you wish and even change your destination mid-way through the trip! Have you traveled with such a day pass? Where did you go? How much money did you save? (Do tell!)
Note: Just in case you think this text reads like an advertisement, please know that this is not a sponsored post. I am only sharing this information because I'd like to spread the word about how to save some cash in Switzerland. I wish I would have known about this deal when I first arrived in CH...
Note: Just in case you think this text reads like an advertisement, please know that this is not a sponsored post. I am only sharing this information because I'd like to spread the word about how to save some cash in Switzerland. I wish I would have known about this deal when I first arrived in CH...
http://www.tageskarte-gemeinde.ch/ is an even better way to compare prices and availability of those Tageskarten.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the tip, Javejavor! For readers interested in visiting the site that Javejavor mentioned in his comment, click on the phrase "check with a neighboring Gemeinde" and it will take you directly to that site.
ReplyDeleteThis is amazing! I only wish I'd known about it sooner. Thanks for posting!
ReplyDeleteHi Amanda! I was wondering if you are still in Switzerland? Can you buy this pass if you are no longer a resident? I am/was an au pair and would like to purchase a tageskarte for myself and another friend who is traveling here as well. Thanks for your help! Great post :)
ReplyDeleteDo you know if these cards are valid for trains such as the Goldenpass from Montreaux to Gstaad? We have purchased tickets and are trying to find out where we can use them.
ReplyDeleteHi Paywhen - sorry, I've neglected my blog for the last 6 months so I hadn't a clue that I had some comments waiting for moderation! My apologies for the late reply. Sadly, I am no longer in CH. You don't have to be a resident to use these cards, but you do have to know a resident who can get them for you! Residents purchase them at their town hall, but I have heard rumors that they are much easier to get a hold of in Zurich.
ReplyDeleteHi Mme Lindt, I don't know about that route you mentioned in your comment, but if you go on the SBB website you can find out. If you look at the map that shows the validity of the half-fare card, you'll also see a legend for the validity of the "municipal 1-day travelpass" http://mct.sbb.ch/mct/en/reisemarkt/abos-billette/abonnemente/halbtax.htm