Independent guide · Updated August 2026
Does it actually pay off?
Yes, if you're taking more than roughly CHF 80-100 of trains a day. If you're not covering that much ground, or you're staying put in one region, you'll usually do better with a Half Fare Card or a regional pass.
It depends on where you're going, not just how long you're there. Pop your trip in below and we'll price the pass against it.
Same journeys, same days. The only difference is whether you buy a pass first.
You pay for each train, boat and mountain railway separately.
Most journeys are free once you have it, but a few still cost extra.
Fares in francs, pass prices in dollars and euros, converted at CHF 1 = $1.2033 / €1.0738.
Start with the two national options below. If you are staying put in one region, skip to the regional passes, which often cost less and cover more of the local mountains.
If you are moving around the country
From US $313 (€270) · 3 to 15 days
If you are staying in one or two places
US $185 (€160) · 30 days
These cover their local mountains outright, where the Swiss Travel Pass only discounts them. Find the one that matches where you are staying.
Lucerne Travel Pass
From US $295 · 3 to 10 days
Pilatus, Titlis, Rigi, Stoos and Stanserhorn are all covered in full, and it costs less than the Swiss Travel Pass. If Lucerne is your base, this usually wins outright.
Jungfrau Travel Pass
From US $259 · 3 to 8 days · April to October
Covers the Jungfrau region outright, but the last stretch up to Jungfraujoch is still charged separately. That is the part that catches people out.
Lake Geneva-Alps Pass
Rochers-de-Naye is covered in full, where the Swiss Travel Pass only halves the top section. Worth a look if you are staying around Montreux.
Buy this as well, not instead
Berner Oberland Pass
From US $207 · 3 to 10 days
The only one here that sits on top of a Swiss Travel Pass rather than replacing it. It adds 25 regional cable cars for a fraction of what they cost one by one.
A 3 day pass works out at $104 a day. Stretch to 15 days and you are paying $41 for the same freedom. Only worth it if you will actually use the days.
Three are free. Twenty-four are half price. One takes 60% off, one gives you a measly quarter, and five ignore your pass entirely. Knowing which is which is worth a few hundred francs on a fortnight's trip.
FreeLake Lucerne · Allow 6 hoursMount RigiEvery route up is covered, boat included. One of only three mountains your pass pays for outright.Others pay CHF 76See Rigi →
Half priceLucerne · Allow half a dayMount PilatusGetting to the bottom costs you nothing, and the climb is half price. The Lucerne pass covers the lot.You pay CHF 42See Pilatus →
Only 25% offBernese Oberland · Full dayJungfraujochFree as far as Wengen, then your pass runs out of generosity. The Half Fare Card does better here.You pay CHF 176See Jungfraujoch →No collection point, no ticket machine, no queue.
Zurich to Zermatt one way is CHF 125, so a return plus one mountain covers most of a three day pass. Two long journeys and you are usually ahead.
No. Free as far as Wengen and Grindelwald, then only 25% off the final leg. The Half Fare Card halves the whole route and often works out cheaper.
Under 6s travel free. Children 6 to 15 travel free with the Swiss Family Card, which comes with your pass at no extra cost.
The fare is, on all of them. The seat reservation never is, and on the Glacier Express that is CHF 54. Which routes make a reservation compulsory is worth knowing before you plan around one, and a normal train runs the same Bernina line for a fraction.
From $313 (€270). Free cancellation up to 48 hours before your start date, and the price is the same wherever you buy.