 Poster: A snowHead
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Good afternoon (US) / evening (UK/EU/Switzerland/et al)!
Eight of us are flying to Zurich from Washington DC on 10.3.2007, and from there we're catching a train(s) to Zermatt. I'm currently looking at our train ticket options and would like to know if the Swiss Transfer Ticket applies to a Zurich-Zermatt-Zurich trip?
Thank you!
http://www.raileurope.com/us/rail/passes/swiss_transfer_ticket.htm
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Hokie1, yes, why not? The clue's in the second line of your link:
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| from any Swiss airport to any destination and back |
The standard return fare (also valid for one month) is CHF 237.60 per person in 2nd class (no need to bother with first class on swiss trains). You'll just have to calculate which is cheaper
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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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Ok, so I wouldn't need any additional tickets above and beyond the Swiss Transfer Ticket, correct? The $143 (US) seems like a pretty good deal for a 1st class roundtrip ticket from Zurich to Zermatt and back. Just want to make certain I'm not missing anything in the fine print.
Thanks again!
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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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Take some reading, listening or viewing material. Zur to Zer is a 4.5 hr journey. Trains move very slowly through the mountains. It gets boring after the novelty wears off.
Your pricing sounds low. Swiss Rail is not cheap.
A quick scan of Sbb.ch indicates a 2nd class roundtrip from Zur to Zer will set you back roughly US$285.
If you dig around on the site, you may find a discount for international travelers somewhere (I forget what the type of ticket is called).
But even a discount is only likely to take it down to perhaps US$200 - 250 at best.
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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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Hokie1, the Swiss transfer ticket will do you fine.
Whitegold, Swiss railways are a heck of a lot cheaper than UK ones!!
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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I would email or phone SBB and get clarification.
A rate 50% below the official asking-price sounds too good to be true.
EB -- Everything is cheaper outside the UK 
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Whitegold, a rate 50% below is what the transfer ticket offers. Not to good to be true - just true.
It all depends on the distance/cost of the journey as to how much you save - the transfer ticket is a fixed price regardless of which journey you do. It comes in around £57 in sterling, as opposed to the standard fare of £97 (just under 50% I know, but in the same region)
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EB -- If Hokie1 takes a 2nd class ticket, the difference widens.
It falls from US$285 to US$94. That is a 67% discount.
That sounds too good to be true.
I am still inclined to check with SBB before purchase or departure.
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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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Can't you book online at the discounted price?
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Whitegold, I don't understand what there is to check? Until I bought my Swiss 1/2 fare card, I used the transfer ticket every time I went. It does what it says on the tin....gives you a free transfer from your point of entry into the country (border or airport) to your destination and then back again.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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Hokie1, the transfer ticket is ALL you need. We have done Geneva - Zermatt, and Basle to Grindelwald on them. Excellent value, and a much more civilised way to travel than a hire car or coach transfer
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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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just recieved my Geneva- Wengen transfer ticket in the post. If you book more 7 days at the Sunstar they give to you "free"
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You know it makes sense.
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riverman, more than 7 days at the Sunstar? Are you a lottery winner? 
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Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
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Charlatanefc, You can get 5% off for booking early and a further 5% for booking on line.
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Poster: A snowHead
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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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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stanton, the GA ticket is a bargain for anyone who lives in Switzerland. It's far cheaper than most UK season tickets and covers you for the whole country 
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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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Whitegold, Swiss transfer tickets are not to good to be true, they are just very good, however on some occasions they may not be the best option, if you are travelling for what would be 2 hours driving time or less you may well find that it is cheaper to buy tickets direct from a to b, in this case the journey from Zurich to Zermatt is long and the transfer ticket is well worth the money.
For those that travel in the summer and would like to see more of Switzerland the Swiss Pass is even better value for money allowing you unlimited travel for a set number of days on most trains, postcoaches and lake steamers, it will in general take you to resort/village level in the mountains and give you 25 - 50 % discounts on tickets above that, for most forms of transport you just show the ticket collector your pass, however for a few steamers, coaches and trains you may have to pay a booking fee or small supplement, especially if the transport is unusuall such as for a panoramic railway coach, steam powered lake steamer or tourist specific post coach
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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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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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The station at Zurich airport like that at Geneva airport can be found in the basement of the structure
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...and they will be hapy to print you off a schedule if you don't take one with you.
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I use Swiss Transport Train,busses,trams everyday
Dont be late.
Swiss Trains do not wait, they run on precision timing.
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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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stanton, indeed, but on the bright side they don't leave early either, I once amazed my friends at Interlaken Ost station by not running to catch the train, I knew the time of departure and there were plenty of station clocks arround, they ran and were all puffed out in the carrige waiting for me and yelling at me to run, I smiled and told them that this was Switzerland and that I still had 40 seconds before the train departed, the female ticket collector obviously heard me and laughed but she also nodded towards me and smiled.
It is very rare for Swiss trains to not run on time, in 30+ years of going there I can only think of perhaps half a dozen occasions when they were delayed, once because the German engine broke down twice due to avalanches over the line and once because of a mud slide
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D G Orf, and of yourse the huge power failure last autumn. BUt it's a rare enough occurrence that delays of as much as 5 minutes tend to be front page news
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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Yes indeed they do not leave early.
One Sunday night before Xmas I experienced my first real delay in 2years.
I was on the Basel> Bern IC and the train stopped on route. They calculated & announced that we would be 9mins delayed. Why we were stopped the inspectors came round checked everyones tickets and informed everyone about there connecting trains in Bern. Anyone who was going to miss were given Taxi Vouchers to there destination & that for some people was Geneva !
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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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I love sitting on the train and watching the second hand approaching the top of the clock, knowing that you will pull away as it hits 12!!
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http://www.swisstravelsystem.com/download_sts/uebersichtskarte_en.pdf
If you look closely at the map, there are no reductions for the journeys along the red dotted lines. If you're taking the most direct route from Zurich airport to Zermatt, you will have get from Kandersteg to Goppenstein which is along the dotted line. Does that mean the the swiss transfer ticket is not valid in this case. Perhaps you could take a non-direct route. But then again, one of the terms and conditions of the transfer ticket is that the route must be the most direct. Comments anyone? Has anyone actually done the Zurich airport - Zermatt route on the transfer ticket?
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You know it makes sense.
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rustic_baguette, I'm afraid youve misinterpreted the map, dotted lines cannot be traveled on with a transfer ticket, however the line between Kandersteg and Goppenstein is dashed which simply indicates a great big tunnel, perfectly ok to use a transfer ticket there, if you want to see a dotted line the railway above Wengen to Jungfraujoch is a good example
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Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
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rustic_baguette, welcome to snowHeads
As D G Orf says.....if you look closely, you'll see that it is a slightly different dotted line....indicating a tunnel that has a motor-rail link.
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FAQ
Swiss transfer tickets!
