Question about SBB saver fares
 

We're off to Germany and Switzerland on Sunday.

We plan to purchase a 15 day Swiss Saver Pass for the time that we'll be in Switzerland. As we'll arrive in Zurich five days before we need the Swiss Pass, I hope to purchase it upon arrival and have it post-dated for five days later.

From Zurich we will head to Germany - I'm trying to sort out the German portion.

I've priced the train fare from Zurich to Freiburg im Breisguu at 64 CHF each for regular fare, and 36 CHF for saver fare. My understanding is that the saver fare is for specific trains and days only.

So my question - in order to get this fare do I need to book now, online or will this fare also be available on a walk-in basis for specific trains?

Are fares lower during non-peak travel times? If so, what are these times? Is there any savings to be had in using Regio trains vs ICE trains?

Tip: you can take a direct bus from Zurich to Freiburg perhaps a lot more cheaply (depending on when you book) than the train. I took a bus using the company MeinFernBus.de in April round trip between Freiburg and Zurich. I usually prefer trains to buses but this bus was just fine. Most of the ride is on a smooth freeway.

For example, I see fares on their website of 10 CHF per person going on December 16, several buses a day, travel time of 2:15 each way.

You do have to book ahead of time, online, and fares do rise as the bus nears selling out (and I guess they do sell out). I had my Android phone with me and was able to show the boarding pass on my phone as I boarded. The bus arrives in Freiburg right at the train station, but in Zurich it is a few blocks away from the train station, in a parking lot with other buses. The MeinFernBus buses are colorful and easy to spot however.

Thanks for the tip Andrew. I seem to recall someone else suggesting the bus a while back, but I forgot to look into it.

We'll be in the Zurich airport - can we catch the bus from there?

I've briefly looked at options - seems we'd need to take a bus from the airport to the main station, to catch the bus to Freiburg. Good option, I'm just not sure we'll be up for those extra steps after 19 hours on planes from Australia, but definitely a money saver.

I don't think MeinFernBus serves the Zurich airport. If you can get a direct train from there to Freiburg then it might be worth the extra money. If you have to to change trains at Zurich central station anyway, if you don't mind dragging your bags two blocks to the bus lot ("Carpark Sihlquai" - I see in Google maps as "Carparkplatz Zurich") you might still consider that to save money (looks like about $25 USD per person). Two blocks may seem like a long way, but I know I've dragged my bags further through more than one airport (e.g. Heathrow). But I guess if you are arriving jetlagged from overseas, you might not want to hassle with it.

(Oh, I replied after reading that last post.)

Will you go to Freiburg only? If you are interested in the Southern Black Forest or the Lake Constance area too or if you are numerous, you may check
meinfernbus Zurich - Konstanz
Laenderticket Baden-Wuerttemberg
Swiss-German border crosssings of
Huentwangen - Hohentengen or Jestetten - Dettighofen; the ticket for the Swiss leg to both places costs CHF 6.60/pax.

Zurich also has direct trains to Stuttgart with deep discounts available (www.bahn.de/en) and you can probably get off somewhere and take a scenic train thru the Black Forest to Freibourg.

Neckervd -

Yes, just trying to get to Freiburg after our arrival in Zurich. Freiburg will be our base for five nights, then we'll take the train to Scuol.

Thanks for the suggestions, I'll take a look.

Most scenic itinerary from Freiburg im Breisgau to Scuol-Tarasp (in summer, if the weather is fine. Count at least 2 days, better 3):

Train: Freiburg - Hoellental (Hell's Valley) - Titisee - Seebrugg (Schluchsee).
Bus: Schluchsee - Waldshut
Train: Waldshut - Schaffhausen
Rhine river boat: Schaffhausen - Stein am Rhein - Konstanz
Lake Constance boat: Konstanz - Meersburg - Friedrichshafen Lindau - Rorschach
Train: Rorschach - Landquart - Scuol

Things to visit:
Waldshut: small medieval city along the Rhine river
Schaffhausen: medieval city center, castle, Rhine Falls
Stein am Rhein: extremely nice small medieval city with castle
Konstanz: small medieval center, close to Mainau Island subtropical gardens
Meersburg: very old castle, close to Unteruhldingen celtic Lake dwellers village
Friedrichshafen: Zeppelin aircraft Museum
Lindau: medieval town on an Island in Lake Constance
Rorschach: departure point of the cog wheel railway to Heiden (stupendous views over Lake Constance), 15 min by train from St. Gallen (baroque cathedral with Unesco site library)

Or maybe 2 or 3 weeks! Great work neckervd as usual.

Appreciate the suggestions neckervd, perhaps next time. We're going directly to Scuol, where we'll spend a week, then it's off to a week near Gstaad.