 Poster: A snowHead
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Hi, I’m confused about Swiss rail- before my parents used to organise! Should I book in advance? Trip in Jan. And what is the difference between
- point to point ticket and saver day pass?
Is it cheaper to book in advance or not? And how does return work? It seems return is only same day. Thx for help
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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@Yellowbean37, a point to point ticket is valid only between the two places and the time train you specify. (Edit: I got that wrong, the point to point ticket is valid all day, thanks @Nadenoodlee, I was thinking of the super saver ticket which is only valid for the time train booked). The saver day pass is valid for the whole swiss railway network and all day, so gives you more flexibility if for example you're arriving at an airport and your flight is delayed.
It's cheaper to book in advance, the saver day pass now goes on sale 6 months before the date of travel and increases in price the closer you get to the date. For a return journey on different days with the saver day pass you just buy two of them for the relevant days.
Last edited by Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person on Wed 9-10-24 16:33; edited 1 time in total
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Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
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@Yellowbean37, without ducking the question, there used to be other options and some things like helpful luggage transport.
The site www.sbb.ch/en should take you to the english version and is usually very helpful.
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
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Careful when pricing up tickets there, as sometimes it defaults to assuming you have a local Swiss railcard and you see a lower price.
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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| ster wrote: |
| Careful when pricing up tickets there, as sometimes it defaults to assuming you have a local Swiss railcard and you see a lower price. |
Yes, it _always_ shows the 'halbtax' rate first. Can be very confusing if you're not looking for it. It also uses the half fare as the "from" price when talking about the various saver options available. Be aware.
Also be aware that a normal point-to-point ticket is only valid on a given service, so you should not buy it until you're certain which train you'll be taking. Download and use the mobile app to do so, but make absolutely certain that you have purchased the ticket before the scheduled departure time of the train you're on. Ticket infractions are common and inspectors, in typical Swiss fashion, do not tend to be lenient, so although they may well understand and sympathise with how you were only able to buy the ticket two minutes after departure, they will still issue the fine anyway.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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You’re all wrong, except yes return tickets aren’t really a thing.
A point to point is valid for a calendar day so you can get on any train running that route on that date. Think of it as the walk up fare.
A super saver ticket is only valid for the service booked. Miss your train = new ticket required.
A saver day pass valid for all trains/ boats/ buses etc. in CH’s GA zone, and usually cheapest option but limited availability. Book early if you know your dates.
SBB app is much more user friendly than the website.
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The SBB app also has EasyRide, details here https://www.sbb.ch/en/reiseinformationen/apps/sbb-mobile/easyride.html
It tracks your route and works out the correct fare as you use the public transport network....buses, trains, boats, cable cars etc.
You won't get the super-saver-book-in-advance discounts with this obviously, but it should get you the cheapest fares otherwise.
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@chris_gilmartin, they were very good when I forgot to turn it off, got in the car and drove to Luzern 
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
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Thanks , you just reminded me to book my saver ticket for january 
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If you really want to make a saving ...
if you want to go from say Zurich to Crans Montana.
Explore buying the advance ticket via DBahn from outside Switzerland ...
i.e. Singen to Crans Montana, If you book early enough you can probably get it for €29 and not much more for 1st Class.
See https://www.seat61.com/
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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I generally use the Saver Day Pass as the reference for travel in Switzerland, and plan the journey via the SBB website Travel Planner. If you're flying into Geneva then your starting point is «Genève-Aéroport».
The Saver Day Pass opens 60 days before the date of travel, and I just make a calendar reminder to book the outbound and return tickets as soon as I can. Given the vagaries of flight times, I like the fact that it allows travel any time on the day in question and up to 5am the next morning. Note that it also covers public télépheriques and PostBuses as well. But the price does go up the closer you book to the date of travel.
Note that car rental at Geneva seems to have returned to reasonable pricing, so it's always worth checking this against the train, especially if there's more than one of you travelling. Last trip we hired a car at CHF 38/day all-in, whereas previously the train worked out much cheaper. But this also varies a lot depending on dates and demand.
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And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
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| Nadenoodlee wrote: |
A point to point is valid for a calendar day so you can get on any train running that route on that date. |
I was using the wrong terminology, in fact I meant the normal ticket that I used to buy for a single journey, but it looks like they've massively improved things with these new options, so my info about getting a service-specific ticket is out of date.
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| LaForet wrote: |
The Saver Day Pass opens 60 days before the date of travel, and I just make a calendar reminder to book the outbound and return tickets as soon as I can. Given the vagaries of flight times, I like the fact that it allows travel any time on the day in question and up to 5am the next morning. Note that it also covers public télépheriques and PostBuses as well. But the price does go up the closer you book to the date of travel.
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It used to be the case that the Saver Day Pass went on sale 60 days before the date of travel, but they extended that period last year and as I said in my previous post it now goes on sale 6 months before the fate of travel, see terms and conditions
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