Switzerland/Austria Train question
 

If we take a train from Zurich to Salzburg - will the Swiss Half Pass apply?

Thanks,
Alice

Probably only to the border town of Buchs, Switzerland.
You'd most likely have to pay the rest of the trip into Austria.

You will need to buy a ticket from the border on to Salzburg. I checked and it is possible to get a discounted ticket on RJ for 37CHF. I used the date of May 25 on the sbb.ch site. That is from Buchs.

I forgot to add...if you don't mind spending more time on the train, you can go to the border closest to Lindau and buy a Bayern ticket for 29€ for up to 5 persons. There is a 11:59 train that departs Lindau with only 1 change at Munich.

Okay, so I buy a ticket in Zurich from Zurich to Buchs and use the half pass card. Then in Buchs I buy a ticket from Buchs to Salzburg. What is RJ? Will we have to disembark, or can we stay on the same train? (Clearly, this is not my area of expertise!).

Thanks so much,
Alice

There is a train that departs Zurich at 8:40 and 10:40 that has no changes. You should be able to buy your ticket at Zurich when you get your half price portion. Stay on the train all the way on this particular train. Specify that you want no changes when you buy your ticket. RJ is an Austria based train (I think). It usually has no stops, much quicker than others. I have traveled on Rail Jet from Munich to Salzburg many times. Nice train.

Okay, we were planning to take the 10:40. So we buy the ticket all the way through to Salzburg and they'll deal with the half pass and how much it will get us in Zurich and we're all set - if I under you correctly, scatcat.

And no need to book ahead, right? We can just get our tickets that morning. What time should we plan to be at the Zurich station?

(Can you tell that we always drive and never take trains?).

Thanks for the hand holding, I'm pathetic, I know!

Alice

Alice- you will love the train! Yes, just buy your ticket all at the same time. First give the clerk your half-price card. I have never had trouble with English with anyone in Zurich. Tell the clerk the train that you want-no changes. No need to book ahead. I would buy the ticket the day before, so you won't take a chance of waiting in line. The train will depart at 10:40 on the dot! You can arrive about 15-20 minutes early. The train will probably already be at the track. Enjoy the scenery. And take snacks. Everyone does.