Has anyone heard of this and used it? I haven't seen it on the RailEurope, etc...sites. But I see it on the Swiss sites. I think you can buy it at a train station in Switzerland. You get 50% off all train rides, etc. I wonder if this would be worth it, instead of buying a whole SwissPass (in addition to my other pass I'll have to buy for Denmark,Germany,Austria).

T.

half fare card costs SF 99 at any station in Switzerland - not sold abroad, why RE doesn't carry it.

A Swiss Flexipass good for one month also gives 50% off everything that moves in Switzerland until your last 100% travel day is used and it's also a free museum pass for over 400 Swiss museums - Swiss Flexipass is often better than the half-fare card because of the 100% travel days and that, as a Saver Pass for the minimum not that much more expensive than the half-fare card.
Two good sources of info on Swiss passes and train travel in Switzerland: www.ricksteves.com and www.budgeteuropetravel.com (request the free European Planning & Rail Guide that has a good chapter on Switzerland and Swiss trains and passes). Swiss passes have much more benefits than Eurail passes so a Swiss pass is often better for Switzerland than the Eurailpasses that include Switzerland. www.theswisstravelsystem.com is the Swiss railways, buses and boats official info site.

We used the 1/2 Fare Card last week in Switzerland and were very pleased with how easy it was to use. It did not take long to recoup our 99CHF spent to purchase the pass.
Several Swiss ticket sellers complimented us on choosing the 1/2 Fare Pass. They said it was the most flexible pass to buy for a vacation in Switzerland.

kbrennan:

Did you also have the SwissPass or Eurail? Or just the 1/2 fare card?

Hi tms99,

I usually get the HFC for my travels in Switzerland -- about four times now. It's usually the best solution for my own travels.

Some people like the convenience & spontaneity that comes with a Pass, so you should also factor that in.

s

If you plan to base in one city and do several day trips to the surrounding areas meaning you will be taking several r/t journeys, then the Swiss FlexiPass will likely save you money. However if you will staying in several different places, I find that it is difficult to justify the cost of the FlexiPass when only making one-way trips vs. the half-fare card.

The cost of the cl. 2 Swiss FlexiPass Saver (more than 1 adult traveling together) per day ranges from 48 CHF per day for an 8 day pass to 69 CHF for a 3 day. Below are the full fares in CHF for several popular journeys in cl. 2:

Basel - Bern: 36
Bern - Luzern: 34
Bern - Lausanne: 30
Bern - Interlaken: 25
Interlaken - Luzern: 29
Zurich - Luzern: 22
Zurich - Interlaken: 61
Zurich - Bern: 45

Many (most?) high mountain lifts and railways, etc. are not covered by the Swiss Pass, though you do get 50% off pretty much anything that is not covered. You do not use a pass day if you only use it to receive a discount unless you have used it to get free travel already that day.

It can be difficult to tell ahead of time whether you will save money or not with the Swiss Pass unless you know exactly with covered trips and discounted high mountain lifts you will be taking in advance. If you think it will be close, it is probably worth it for the freedom and convenience it provides.

The half-fare card, on the other hand, is quite easy to figure. If all of your Swiss journeys will total 200 CHF or more, you will save money with the half-fare card. You can pick one up at any Swiss station. Also, if you are travelling with children you should purchase a Swiss Family Card for 20 CHF that allows children under 16 to travel free with a parent on just about any form of public transportation in Switzerland. The Swiss Family card comes free with any Swiss pass, however you have to request one at the time of purchase.

The cost of the cl. 2 Swiss FlexiPass Saver (more than 1 adult traveling together) per day ranges from 48 CHF per day for an 8 day pass to 69 CHF for a 3 day

that's for passes bought in Switzerland apparently but Swiss Passes are cheaper if bought in U.S. - 8-day flexi saver would be $292 or $36.50/day or 44 CHF/day and 3-day flexi saver would be 156 p.p. or $52/day or CH 62/day - doesn't change overall calculations much but does.
The Swiss Flexi is a better bet for someone doing some longer trips - the example of fairly short trips may not add up to the Half-Fare price, but if say going Geneva-Zermatt or Zurich-St Moritz, etc. then tips the balance to the Swiss Flexi, which also gives you 50% off everything until your last flexible day is used.
But it's a very simple to figure out using real in Suisse prices at www.sbb.ch

It's Soooooo complicated. I will just lay out my basic itinerary and see what you can come up with. I just can't find anything that would total to be less than $600/pp. There are 2 of us.

Day 1: ar Copenhagen
Day 2: train to Hamburg
Day 3: Day trip from Hamburg to the seas or Hannover(RT)
Day 4-5: No train needed
Day 6: See Stuttgart (will be there already, may need subway)
Day 7: Day trip to Munich (RT)
Day 8: Day trip to Black Forest area (RT)
Day 9: Day trip to Nurnberg/Bayreuth
Day 10: Train to Dornbirn, Austria
Day 11: No train needed
Day 12: Day trip to Salzburg (RT)
Day 13: day trip to E. Switzerland (RT)
Day 14: Train to Zermatt, Switz
Day 15: RT train to Gornergrat and possibly cable car
Day 16: Train from Zermatt to Nyon, Switzerland
Day 17: Day trip to givrins/trelex (RT) maybe Geneva (short trains)
Day 18: Day trip to Montreux/Gruyeres (RT)
Day 19: Another day trip somewhere not too far (RT)
Day 20: No train needed

I think I've figured something out. See if this sounds reasonable.

The Eurail Global Saver 15 day pass to begin on Day 2 (Copenhagen-Hamburg). End on Day 16.

Purchase Swiss 1/2 fare card on first day trip into Switz to use for the last 4 days or so of trip (in Switzerland). Cost: ~$80/pp.

Total would be about $635/pp. The trains near Nyon are quite cheap and we'd get 50% off.

Well, if the 15-day pass works for the first part of the trip, you may as well go ahead and get the 21-day pass and be done with it. The 15-day pass plus 1/2 fare card will cost around $635 plus the cost of all your trips in Switzerland. It's $722 for the 21-day pass. It may save you a few bucks or cost you a few bucks more, depending on the cost of the last few trips you take in Switzerland but it sure is a lot more convenient. Especially in Switzerland where there are hardly any trains that require reservations, meaning you can hop on and off as you choose without ever stopping at the ticket counter.

Also, Eurail passes typically gives you half off private railways not covered by Eurail, such as the Gornergrat Bahn.

I was told and I thought I read that the Eurail pass does NOT give 50% off those private rails/cable cars. That's why I was going to get the half fare card as well. My eurail pass will cover me until I get to Nyon, where I will only need shortish trips.

So you're saying that the Eurail Global pass WILL give me 50% off the private trains and cable cars? Hmmm....I guess I'll have to keep researching. Can't afford to pay seven hundred something and then have to pay for complete trips like Brig to Zermatt or Zermatt to Gornergrat, etc.

tms99--
Is there ever a day you're not on a train? Schedule seems overly ambitious, to say the least. When will you be able to relax and smell the coffee, so to speak? I realize you'll be staying in one place and day tripping, but it seems that most of your time will be spent on a train.

Definitely. We will wander around Hamburg probably one day, as that is one of our bases. Also, in Stuttgart we'll do the same. As for Dornbirn, I think it's kind of in themiddle of nowhere, BUT our host will probably drive us around or show some nice places there. I will probably wander around Nyon as well, and on the same day I'll probably visit the very close towns(I was born in a little village just outside Nyon)by train....really 10 minutes, etc. So yes, there will be a few days without major train rides. And of course, in Zermatt we will hike.

I know it seems like a lot of trains, which is why I'd rather buy the passes than point to point tickets.

As you can see, I'm still researching:

3 day Austria Pass $136 2nd cl. June 14,15,16

6 day Denmark/Germany Pass $240 2nd cl. June 6,8,12,13,14 & extra day somewhere

5 day Swiss Saver Flexi $221 2nd cl. June 16,17,20,21,22

Total Pass per person: $597

Can I use the Swiss Pass for the 50% discounts on the special Gornergrat trains and cable cars up there, on a day that I'm not actually using the pass?

Yes you get 50% off everything in Switzerland transport wise, from Gornergrat type trains to regular trains until the last 100% covered day on your flexipass is used up - all days you don't use pass for 100% coverage until you've used the final day of the one-month flexible period.

Eurail to my knowledge gives only 25% off the Jungfrau area railways and nothing on anything else in terms of mountain top railways unless they are 100% covered by the pass and Brig-Zermat-Gornergrat is not and you won't get 25% or 50% off with a Eurailpass.

Really i'd call BETS (800-441-2387) for expert answers to any such questions - i could be wrong.

Sorry, I could be wrong about the getting a discount on the Gornergrat Bahn with a Eurail pass. We were there years ago and I thought we got a 50% discount but perhaps not or maybe things have changed since then. I know you definitely get at least 25% off all trains/lifts above Interlaken, however when we purchased some tickets they gave us 50% off. We simply smiled and showed our pass and paid whatever the attendant asked. In some cases it was 25% off and other times they gave us 50% off and at least one time they let us ride a lift for free that I am pretty sure was not covered - go figure. What I do know is that if you do have a Eurail pass, it always pays to show it and ask for a discount on any public transportation that is not covered.

Back to the Swiss Half Fare Card

a difference between this and the Swiss Pass or Swiss Card regarding 50% off everything... the Half Fare Card also gives 25% off international train trips on trains going to or from places like Germany and Italy - not sure about France or Austria but that could be a factor. Think it's for direct trains but could be for any train connection. But in some scenarios, say to munich from Swiss border apparently does give 25% off (and 50% off to the border)

Ahhh....but here is another rub to add more confusion to the mix. According to a rep from SBB, only the 1-year half fare card gives a discount on international journeys, not the 99 CHF 1-month card. I don't know this first hand, however it is what I was told via email when I tried to get a price quote for a trip from Switzerland to Italy.

ripit: thanks for the correction. Do you know if 1 yr Half Fare card gives 25% on all international journeys, say involving a change of trains in Germany and is it to any country or just some. Well if you have any info thanks if not thanks too.

I am not sure if it gives 25% off on all international journeys. When I emailed SBB to try to get a quote on an overnight train to Florence from Switzerland (as Trenitalia is all but useless), I mentioned that I will have a 1/2 fare card. They quoted me a price that included a discount, however they mentioned specifically that only 1, 2 or 3 year 1/2 fare cards would offer the discount. I am not sure if the discount was 25% off the entire fare either. I think it gives you 50% off the Swiss portion of the journey, but I am not sure how they figure it.