The Swiss Half Fare Card is one of the most popular and valuable transportation passes for travelers exploring Switzerland. It’s simple, flexible, and can save you a lot of money — especially if you plan to use trains, cable cars, boats, or mountain lifts during your trip.
Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links. If you book or buy something through these links, I earn a small commission to keep this website going (at no extra cost to you) so its a win-win!
Get discounts of up to 50% on transportation in Switzerland with the Swiss Half-Fare Card.
Enjoy unlimited use of trains, buses, and boats, as well as most mountain railways, panoramic trains, and public transportation. Benefit from an ideal travel companion for non-Swiss residents who plan short train rides in combination with excursions to the Swiss mountains. Use the card for up to 1 month to buy first or second-class tickets.
For families, save even more on your trip to Switzerland! The Swiss Half-Fare Card grants children between ages of 6 and 16, FREE travel.
🇨🇭 What Is the Swiss Half Fare Card?
The Swiss Half Fare Card allows you to purchase nearly all train, bus, boat, and mountain transport tickets in Switzerland at 50% off for 30 consecutive days.
Think of it as a discount card — not a travel pass. You still buy tickets for each trip, but you get them for half price.
💰 How Much Does It Cost?
CHF 120 per adult
Valid for 30 days
You only need to save CHF 120 in discounts during your trip for the card to pay for itself — easy to do if you’re visiting multiple mountain attractions or traveling between major cities.
🛤️ What Does It Cover?
50% off on:
-
All SBB trains
-
Most regional trains
-
Boats on Swiss lakes (Lucerne, Brienz, Thun, Geneva, etc.)
-
Buses & trams
Mountain lifts & cable cars such as:
-
-
Mount Pilatus
-
Mount Titlis
-
Mount Rigi
-
Grindelwald First
-
Oeschinen Lake Gondola
-
Stoosbahn + chairlifts
-
Schilthornbahn
-
And most others
-
Note: Each mountain lift is different — some give 50% off, some 30%, some are fully included. But the Half Fare Card almost always gives some discount
Start Planning Your Dream Vacation
Download the Complete Trip Planning Guide
🚆 Where Is It Not Fully Valid?
These premium excursions usually offer a reduced fare instead of 50%:
-
Jungfraujoch – Top of Europe (discount varies by route, but still significant)
-
Gornergrat Railway (usually 50% off in low season, reduced discount in high season)
Good news: Using Half Fare for Jungfraujoch can save you CHF 60–90 per person depending on the route.
📲 How Does It Work?
-
Buy the pass online or at any major Swiss train station
-
Download it to your phone or print it
-
When buying tickets, select “Half Fare Card” as your discount option
-
Pay the reduced price
-
Carry the Half Fare Card with you — inspectors may ask to see it
🧭 Who Should Buy It?
The Swiss Half Fare Card is best for travelers who:
-
Plan to visit multiple mountains
-
Will travel between cities (Zurich → Lucerne → Interlaken → Zermatt, etc.)
-
Want flexibility without daily pass restrictions
-
Prefer renting a car but still taking mountain lifts at half price
If your Switzerland itinerary includes even two or three mountain excursions, the card almost always pays for itself.
🧮 Example Savings
Let’s say your itinerary includes:
-
Pilatus: CHF 78 → CHF 39
-
First Gondola: CHF 68 → CHF 34
-
Oeschinensee Gondola: CHF 30 → CHF 15
-
Zurich → Interlaken train: CHF 39 → CHF 19.50
Total without pass = CHF 215
Total with Half Fare = CHF 107.50
Savings: CHF 107.50 — almost the cost of the pass already!
Add one more mountain lift and the pass pays for itself easily.
Final Thoughts
The Swiss Half Fare Card is one of the most cost-effective and flexible ways to travel Switzerland. If you plan on:
-
Visiting more than one mountain
-
Traveling between cities
-
Using cable cars, boats, or scenic railways
…then the Swiss Half Fare Card will almost always save you money while giving you total freedom to plan your days as you go.
Book Your Trip Now!
Below are my favorite companies I use time and time again when I book my travel.
- Travel Coupons & Discounts – Get Cash Back at places like Hotels.com, Expedia, Travelocity, Priceline and many more with Rakuten. Sign up today & get $30!
- My Favorite Travel Credit Card – Chase Sapphire Prefered. This is by far the best way to book travel and earn miles/points while doing so. Use the Chase Sapphire Prefered for booking 3x travel, 3x dining and 3x on streaming services.
- My Second Favorite Travel Credit Card – In my opinion, the second best travel rewards credit card, the Capital One Venture. Use the Capital One Venture card for 2x the rewards on everyday purchases.
- Rental Cars – Search, compare and save on the best rental car company brands all in one place using DiscoverCars.
- Booking.com – Booking has the widest selection of budget accommodation in the world. In our studies, they constantly found the cheapest rooms. I also like their easy-to-use interface and no-money-down policy.
- Hotels.com – Hotels.com is my second choice for finding hotels. I love their selection and easy to navigate website. Use it often for free hotel stays with OneKeyCash.
- VRBO – The most popular vacation rental site in the US. ✓+2 million rentals worldwide ✓19+ million reviews ✓Secure online payment
- Selina Hostel – This is the best hostel accommodation in the world. Their unique CoLive stays, artwork and location are the best. Not to mention, they are a great value travel brand!
For companies, check out my favorite travel companies section that includes even more of my favorite travel companies that will help you value travel!
Previous Post
Next Post
