SwissPass Validation
 

SwissPass:
Do they still need to be validated in person at the (airport) SBB office before use?
The last time I arrived in Zurich, the 'new and improved' SBB office was unbelievably slow and understaffed. It took almost 2 HOURS in the queue!

Anyone with a more recent experience there?

There's nothing about validation requirements at the train stations/airport station on the sbb pages. https://www.sbb.ch/en/tickets-offers...avel-pass.html I went through the various More on topic links (FAQ, Miscellaneous provisions and nothing pops up about validation). Just says " Upon request, present your pass along with your passport or identity card to the ticket inspector."

I don't think they do, as they have a start and finish date on the pass, but it's been a while since we used one. We use the Half Fare Card these days. Be sure to put you passport info on the pass if it isn't there already.

If you have the Swiss Flex pass, you do have to enter your start date (on the regular pass, start date is already included).

Thanks!
I thought it was no longer needed, but wanted some validation!
It was a serious trial to wait 2 hours in September 2022! (Well, now that I think about it, we were BUYING the pass then 🙄).

Yeah, those lines at the SBB office in the Zurich airport can be pretty long. We waited in one last fall as well, as we needed to buy a year long HFC, which involved getting our photos taken, etc. Kind of a drag after a long overnight flight.

What is your itinerary this time? A friend and co-worker from the US is here for a week of meetings. We went to Wengen yesterday and are now on the train to Gstaad, going through snow showers. Stayed in Thun, which is overlooked sometimes as a base for exploring the region

https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...8c5db77fb.jpeg
Thun at night

September 2024:
AirBnB for one week in Brienz with a few mountain hikes.
Then 3 days in Stans at a Hotel (Hotel Engel was booked).
Haven't gone up in the open air Cambrio yet.
This is a repeat visit to both areas!