How to Book a Trip on Swiss Rail

Swiss Rail has over 5000 kilometers of track and provides service to every major Swiss city, even those nestled in the mountains. Here is how to book a ride on this vast railway.

Instructions

Difficulty: Easy

Things You’ll Need:

• Computer with Internet access

Design Your Trip on Swiss Rail

1. Call Swiss Rail at 011 ([phone] to book travel, or visit their Web site (see Resources below).
2. Consider booking a trip on the GoldenPass Line, with service from Lucerne to Montreux. Travel through 150 miles of beautiful scenery from Central Switzerland to Lake Geneva.
3. Book a trip on the Chocolate Train, with service between Montreux and Gruyeres, a city known for its famous cheese and for the nearby Nestle chocolate factory.
4. Book a trip on the Glacier Express from Zermatt to St. Moritz, a route that crosses the mountains. Beautiful landscapes abound on this trip, and the journey rivals the destination for breathtaking splendor. This route runs daily.

Choose the Right Pass on Swiss Rail

5. Book a Swiss Pass ticket for travel to multiple cities over several consecutive days. Passes are available in 4-, 8-, 15- and 22-day increments, or you can buy a 1-month pass. They are available for first- or second-class. Prices range from about $185 to over $600.
6. Buy a Swiss Flexipass for more flexible travel between cities. These passes are available in 3-, 4-, 5-, 6- and 8-day nonconsecutive increments, and they're good for 1 month. First- and second-class passes range in price from about $175 to just under $500.
7. Consider venturing to other countries with the Eurorail Select Pass. Available for service between three to five countries with connected borders, these passes come in 3-, 4-, 5-, 6- and 8-day increments and do not have to be used consecutively. Passes range in price from less than $400 to over $800.
8. Consider buying one of the discount train travel cards, the Swiss Card or the Swiss Half-Fare Card. The former includes the roundtrip fare to one destination and half off other travel over 30 days. The latter covers the half-off discount only

Tips & Warnings

• Get a SaverPass if you are traveling with another person. These are available for both Swiss Pass and Swiss Flexipass tickets. They offer approximately 15 percent savings over regular tickets, but you must travel together.
• Buy a Family Card if you are traveling with children under 16. The kids can travel free with a paid adult Swiss Pass or Swiss Flexipass.
• You can exchange money at Swiss Rail ticket counters in train stations.

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