Why the Swiss Travel Pass is Right for You

Content Editor at Textr

The travel pass Swiss is a cost-effective way of getting around the country if you plan to stay for a few days. Whether you’ll be sightseeing, skiing, or shopping, a travel pass makes it much easier.

To understand why it’s the right option for you, here’s what the Swiss travel pass covers and the benefits it offers.

What Does the Swiss Travel Pass Include?

In short, the travel pass Swiss provides unlimited public transport in Switzerland and Lichtenstein. Switzerland is a relatively small country and it has an efficient public transport network. The travel pass grants you access to:

• Buses
• Trains
• Trams
• Boats 

But it also includes access to seat reservations on scenic country tours and the Swiss museum pass. Unsurprisingly, this grants you free access to more than 500 museums and city tours across the country.

You can get passes ranging from 3-15 days depending on the length of your vacation. Generally, there are offers on 4- and 8-day passes, making these the best value. At the current exchange rates, the prices in US dollars are roughly (for adults): 

• 3 days – $232
• 4 days – $199
• 6 days – $359
• 8 days – $389
• 15 days – $429

Considering the travel pass Swiss gives you unlimited access to so much in the country, it’s incredibly good value despite looking expensive. Buying a travel pass is pretty simple: you just visit the Swiss Tours website to book them.

Is a Swiss Travel Pass Worth It?

The short answer is yes, a Swiss travel pass is definitely worth the money. Provided you’re spending a few days in the country as part of your vacation, you’re almost guaranteed to save money.

Some of the main benefits include:

Cost Saving

Switzerland has an excellent public transport network, and trains and buses will get you pretty much anywhere. But its system is pay-as-you-go, meaning you can rack up some high ticket costs if you’re traveling a lot.

Access to Extras

A Swiss travel pass gets you reservations on routes such as the Glacier Express, which is a scenic tour around the mountains. It also gets you tickets for Switzerland-Italy train routes run by Swiss companies. Then, there’s access to more than 500 museums in the country, too. If you go during a Switzerland winter, you can also add skiing into the mix.

Convenience

Combined with saving money, having a single pass is also convenient. Generally, you can just jump on a train or bus without reserving seats or buying tickets. This makes it very easy to plan journeys and get around Switzerland without much effort.

Choosing the Best Travel Pass

Choosing a Swiss travel pass isn’t too difficult. You can get single-country (just Switzerland) or a Eurail global pass (for 33 countries). After that, you just need to know how many days you’re spending in the country.

Finally, you buy a ticket based on your age and the number of people traveling. Youth passes exist for people under 25, and there are family tickets that provide free travel for under-16s, provided there’s at least 1 adult.

How to Use a Switzerland Train Pass

Your travel pass Swiss comes as an E-ticket in the form of an email. It contains a PDF that has a QR code – you show this to transport staff for them to scan. You can also print the PDF to use as a paper ticket if it’s easier.

Using it is incredibly easy: you present it on trains and buses to be scanned. Alternatively, if you’re using it to buy discounted tickets for other forms of transport, you show it to the ticket booth staff to get your discount.

You can use your Swiss travel pass to book Switzerland mountain excursions by train or cable car. Some are included in the ticket (such as the Glacier Express), whereas others require you to buy an extra ticket. Some of the most popular include the Matterhorn and Gornergrat. There’s also Schilthorn, where scenes from the James Bond film, On Her Majesty’s Secret Service, were filmed.

As mentioned, there are also some routes out of Switzerland covered by the travel pass. These include:

• Basel to France (EuroAirport)
• Brig to Domodossola
• Domodossola to Locarno
• Buses to Lichtenstein

These extra journeys mean that a travel pass is useful, even if you don’t plan to just stay in Switzerland. For example, if you’re planning a train trip around Europe, it gives you access in Switzerland and to further countries.

Things You Can Buy in Switzerland

If you plan to use your saved money from the travel pass to go shopping, there are some pretty obvious options:

Swiss Army Knife

One of the country’s most famous exports is the Swiss Army Knife. You can buy them in various sizes, and shops in the country even offer customized options. Generally, it’s fine to take them back to your home country as long as you follow the airline’s rules.

Swiss Cheese

Switzerland is famous for all kinds of cheese – the stuff with holes in is actually the most boring! If you enjoy cheese, make sure you visit a Swiss cheese plant in the mountains. Plenty of them offer tours, including wine tasting!

Swiss Watch

Numerous famous Swiss watch brands scream luxury, including Rolex, Tag Hauer, and more. And where better to buy a Swiss watch than the country itself? Make sure you’re careful about where you shop, as lots of places inflate prices specifically for tourists.

Use Textr eSIM for Traveling Around Switzerland

Make sure you have your phone coverage sorted for a trip around Switzerland by setting up an eSIM with Textr. It’s more convenient than buying a local SIM and provides wide coverage around the country – and others, depending on your vacation plans.

To understand more and to stay up-to-date with news, follow our social pages. You can find Textr eSIM on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.

Textr’s eSIM service is launching soon, so make sure you sign up for the prelaunch to know exactly when this will happen.

Combining our eSIM with the Textr Team app gives you unlimited calls and texts, too. You can do everything from one app and set up multiple phone numbers for different countries. Considering you get unlimited texts and high-quality call minutes, it’s an easy way to communicate.

Download the app now to learn more.