480 Ways to Save on Travel in Switzerland

First, I want you to know you have come to the right spot if you are looking to save with a Swiss Train Pass! So, if you are you thinking your budget can’t afford to travel to Switzerland, think again! Get ready for 480+ ways the Swiss Rail Pass can save your vacation budget.

Travel in Switzerland is a wanderlust dream come true.

Use these travel-savvy tips and tricks to stay on budget – even in Switzerland. You’ll learn:

How to get FREE entrance fees to museums all over Switzerland.
Which app to load on your smartphone for seamless train transfers.
Which rail pass will best suit your travel needs and budget?

Travel in Switzerland is magical any season of the year and can be enjoyed no matter your bucket list budget. You can imagine my excitement at the opportunity to spend New Year’s in Switzerland. I was beyond thrilled!

You see, I’m a bucket list on a budget kind of dreamer. I never dreamed Switzerland could happen on our family travel budget. So naturally, I started planning immediately. I really had to know if Switzerland was going to fit into our travel budget. Researching airfare using my tried and tested budget airfare hacks. I confirmed the exchange rate against our local currency (British Sterling Pound-GBP to the Swiss Franc-CHF). The exchange rate looked good! At the time the CHF was almost equal with the US Dollar, so slightly in our favor using the GBP.ing

The excitement was mounting!

I was dreaming of Alpine adventures followed by fondue, and gluhwein. Airfare was not too bad for budget airlines during the holiday break, so we bought tickets straight away. My bucket list adventure was really going to happen!

Next, I started researching in-country transportation. I nearly hit the panic button. A single train trip from Basel to St. Gallen was more than the price of our round-trip airfare! My excitement plummeted. Reality had just set in. Were we really going to be able to accomplish this dream to travel in Switzerland on a budget like ours?

I quickly emailed my friend. I must be missing something. It couldn’t be THAT expensive. After some investigating, she actually ended up at the train station asking all the right questions. Come to find out, it was THAT expensive for single tickets! We got it all sorted out. Here is what we learned – a Swiss Rail Pass is all you need.

Top 3 Swiss Tips For Train Travel

Swiss Tip No. 1 Buy the Swiss Travel Pass.

The great thing about the Swiss Travel Pass is that aside from the price (it might seem a bit pricey, but hang with me, K?) it offers so many perks! There are several passes to choose from, so here’s what you do:

Go buy your Swiss Travel Pass.

Read through all the details and decide on either the 4-day Swiss Travel Pass or the 8-day Swiss Travel Pass. Pick the one that fits your needs, plans and fulfills your bucket list on a budget dream.
Buy the Swiss Travel Pass at least a few weeks (if not longer) BEFORE you leave.* This ticket is cheapest when you purchase it prior to arrival. It will be sent to you via email. You’ll need to print it (read their detailed instructions, it’s important) and have it with you for all your in-country travel. Getting it early also allows time to plan your itinerary.

We chose the “All-In-One “ ticket. It’s the one I recommend for families. Here’s why:

Unlimited travel by rail, road, and waterway.
Free travel on most panorama routes.
50% discount off most mountain railways.
Free travel on public transport in 75 towns and cities.
This app will help you find the more than 480 museums you can get into free with your Swiss Travel Pass.
Children under the age of 16 travel free of charge when accompanied by at least one parent holding the Swiss Family Card. At least one parent must have a Swiss Travel System ticket.

After seeing how many places are included in the ticket and the ease of use between different modes of transportation, it’s probably a “no-brainer” why this is such a great deal. But if you needed 480 reasons to convince you to buy the Swiss Rail Pass, well, there they are!

Swiss Tip No. 2: Download the SBB app (the Swiss Train Service) on your phone – it’s free.

The app is SO AWESOME! I’ve traveled on a lot of trains in Europe and this is by far the best train experience I’ve encountered. The SBB app made it so streamlined and simple. Yes, we had to run for a few trains, but that was our fault, not theirs! Swiss transportation is timed so well (it is the land that perfected time, isn’t it?!). If you are efficient, you will have seamless transfers between trains, buses, and ferries. If you miss your connections, just enjoy the view for a few more minutes. It’s always lovely!

Prior to departure, use your SBB app to figure out your transportation route. It will tell you what platform to depart from, and the platform on which you arrive. This helps you estimate how quickly you need to move when you need to change trains or catch a bus or ferry. I’d rather wait for a train than run and miss the train! It’s also wise to double check the app or platform reader boards for any last minute changes.

Train Pro Tip: The time posted is the time of departure. Many trains will be waiting on the platform and you can hop on several minutes before departure. Just check the platform signs, or train personnel if you are not sure. You don’t want to end up in Gdansk!

Swiss Tip No. 3: Don’t be overwhelmed by the more than 480 free museum admissions included in your Swiss Rail Pass.

This enormous list you are given with your ticket is organized by city. While it’s a bit time consuming, it’s worth it to check out the different choices for the cities you want to visit when you travel in Switzerland. You can check out my posts on Bern, Basel, and St. Gallen to get a feel for the best museums in those cities. MySwitzerland.com can also help to narrow down which places fit your itinerary and travel dreams.

With 400+ museums, bus, ferry, and train fare as well as kids going free, that should be all it takes to convince you that budget travel in Switzerland is affordable with the Swiss Rail Pass.

Finally, while you’re working out your itinerary, I know you’ll enjoy these 4 Swiss outdoor activities, and these 6 Tips To Know Before You Go.

* If you are traveling elsewhere in Europe, you may find these Europe by train tours to be a good resource as well.