Help! Trying to figure out train fares on SBB site
#1
Original Poster

Joined: Oct 2004
Posts: 482
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Help! Trying to figure out train fares on SBB site
I am struggling. I'm trying to figure out if I should get a Swiss Travel Pass or Half Fare card. I downloaded the SBB app and have entered all my train travel to figure out what my fare would be without getting a pass. I've selected first class because we will have luggage, are seniors, and I want to make this as hassle-free as possible. I've figured out the fares for:
Zurich to Luzern
Luzern to Interlaken (PE scenic route)
Interlaken to Lauberbrunnen (from there I'll need to get to Murren - is that covered on the pass?)
Then returning
Lauberbrunnen to Interlaken
Interlaken to Luzern (PE scenic route)
Luzern to Zurich
The total is 115 CHF (not including transportation to Murren and busses I may take there). But I have no idea if this is assuming I have a Half Fare Card and even after much googling, I don't see anywhere on the site for me to select Half Fare Card or deselect it under my profile. What am I doing wrong?
Either way, it looks like it probably isn't worth it to get a Swiss Travel Pass, if my fare selections were correct, right?
Thanks for any advice you can give me. My eyes are getting blurry.
Laurie
Zurich to Luzern
Luzern to Interlaken (PE scenic route)
Interlaken to Lauberbrunnen (from there I'll need to get to Murren - is that covered on the pass?)
Then returning
Lauberbrunnen to Interlaken
Interlaken to Luzern (PE scenic route)
Luzern to Zurich
The total is 115 CHF (not including transportation to Murren and busses I may take there). But I have no idea if this is assuming I have a Half Fare Card and even after much googling, I don't see anywhere on the site for me to select Half Fare Card or deselect it under my profile. What am I doing wrong?
Either way, it looks like it probably isn't worth it to get a Swiss Travel Pass, if my fare selections were correct, right?
Thanks for any advice you can give me. My eyes are getting blurry.
Laurie
#2
Joined: Sep 2022
Posts: 299
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If you know specific routes and times you want to get from Point A to Point B I'm sure the ticket schemes are best. If you want to be impulsive, flexible, or don't want to hassle with individual tickets and like convenience of just getting on the train a pass might work but will be more $$$.
#3


Joined: Jan 2003
Posts: 21,148
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The SBB site defaults to Half Fare.
How many days will you be in Switzerland? Will you want to use public transport within the towns you are visiting? Do you plan any lake or mountain excursions? These are all things to consider when looking at passes vs point-to-point tickets.
How many days will you be in Switzerland? Will you want to use public transport within the towns you are visiting? Do you plan any lake or mountain excursions? These are all things to consider when looking at passes vs point-to-point tickets.
Last edited by Melnq8; Jan 25th, 2026 at 12:33 PM.
#6
Original Poster

Joined: Oct 2004
Posts: 482
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Thanks, I got it working. We will be arriving in Zurich from Salzburg and continuing on to Luzern for one night. Then we will make our way to Murren where we will spend four nights before returning to Zurich for one night before our flight. So six days in total. We will be taking transportation in Murren to hikes, etc, but I haven't quite worked all that out yet. This will be the second half of our trip where we are only focusing on easy hikes in the alpine mountains (we're 70.)
#7


Joined: Jan 2003
Posts: 21,148
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A few things from Murren that you might want to include in your transport numbers:
https://schilthorn.ch/8/en/Allmendhubel
https://schilthorn.ch/en/Infos/Timetable__and__Tariff
https://jungfrauregion.swiss/en/serv...-railways.html
https://schilthorn.ch/8/en/Allmendhubel
https://schilthorn.ch/en/Infos/Timetable__and__Tariff
https://jungfrauregion.swiss/en/serv...-railways.html
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#9

Joined: Feb 2003
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There are many easy 2 hours hikes in the area if you are staying in Murren although most of them are on the Wengen side of the valley. The various forms of transportation in the Berner Oberland such as the trains, cable cars, and buses are very expensive. Murren to Schlithorn alone is about 100CHF. You will have to do the maths but we found the Swiss 1/2 fare pass plus the BO Pass worked well for us.
#10

Joined: Mar 2013
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RAILWAY LINE SALZBURG - ZURICH INTERRUPTED FROM JUNE 14th UNTIL THE END OF THE YEAR
There will be no Salzburg - Zurich trains, but you can easily reach Zurich via Munich (train change) or - with 2 changes - via Feldkirch - bus - Sargans.
Please give me your travel dates and I will give you timetables and best fares.
There will be no Salzburg - Zurich trains, but you can easily reach Zurich via Munich (train change) or - with 2 changes - via Feldkirch - bus - Sargans.
Please give me your travel dates and I will give you timetables and best fares.
#13

Joined: Mar 2013
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SBB Press release:
https://www.sbb.ch/en/travel-informa...es-europe.html
As far as I see, https://fahrplan.oebb.at/webapp/?con...!P|TP!H|796155
shows just 3 direct trains Salzburg - Zurich on Spt 16th, all running through Bavaria:
Salzburg dp 2.30am - Zurich ar 10.36
Salzburg dp 6.56 - Zurich ar 13.28 (for Lucerne, change at Zurich airport, same track)
Salzburg dp 16.56 - Zurich ar 23.28 (connection to Lucerne at Zurich HB, but only if the train from Austria arives in time)
and may be Salzburg dp 12.56 - Zurich ar 19.28 (for Lucerne, change at Zurich airport, same track)
https://www.sbb.ch/en/travel-informa...es-europe.html
As far as I see, https://fahrplan.oebb.at/webapp/?con...!P|TP!H|796155
shows just 3 direct trains Salzburg - Zurich on Spt 16th, all running through Bavaria:
Salzburg dp 2.30am - Zurich ar 10.36
Salzburg dp 6.56 - Zurich ar 13.28 (for Lucerne, change at Zurich airport, same track)
Salzburg dp 16.56 - Zurich ar 23.28 (connection to Lucerne at Zurich HB, but only if the train from Austria arives in time)
and may be Salzburg dp 12.56 - Zurich ar 19.28 (for Lucerne, change at Zurich airport, same track)
#14

Joined: Mar 2013
Posts: 9,503
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Actually the fares for the Ausstrian trains are not yet available.
Therefore we cannot yet compare the best through fares Salzburg - Zurich with fares up to the border plus fares for the Swiss leg with or without Half Fare Card.
Timetable via Zurich airport:
Salzburg dp 6.56 - Zurich airport ar 13.17, train change on same platform, dp 13.39 - Lucerne ar 14.51
Much more scenic solution:
Salzburg dp 6.56 - St. Gallen ar 12.14, train change, dp 13.05 by VORALPEN EXPRESS through Appenzellerland - Toggenburg and accoss Lake Zurich (on a dam) - over the Sattel Pass and along Lake Zug and Lake Lucerne to Lucerne ar 15.21
You might also leave St. Gallen a few hrs later in order to have lunch in the medieval city center (Unesco site).
Therefore we cannot yet compare the best through fares Salzburg - Zurich with fares up to the border plus fares for the Swiss leg with or without Half Fare Card.
Timetable via Zurich airport:
Salzburg dp 6.56 - Zurich airport ar 13.17, train change on same platform, dp 13.39 - Lucerne ar 14.51
Much more scenic solution:
Salzburg dp 6.56 - St. Gallen ar 12.14, train change, dp 13.05 by VORALPEN EXPRESS through Appenzellerland - Toggenburg and accoss Lake Zurich (on a dam) - over the Sattel Pass and along Lake Zug and Lake Lucerne to Lucerne ar 15.21
You might also leave St. Gallen a few hrs later in order to have lunch in the medieval city center (Unesco site).
#15
Original Poster

Joined: Oct 2004
Posts: 482
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Thanks so much. My head is kind of spinning right now, trying to figure out all these train schedules and passes. Good scenery is important to us. I'll try and figure it out when I have a clearer idea of how this all works.
Laurie
Laurie
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