How to Buy Swiss Train Tickets – The Ultimate Beginner’s Guide To Help You Save Money

In this article, I will be showing you exactly how to buy Swiss train tickets for travelling within Switzerland. I have also included some other useful information on the Swiss transport system. When planning my holiday in the Jungfrau region of Switzerland, I was initially a little confused over how to buy the train tickets. However, I soon realised that it’s a pretty straightforward process.

Switzerland Train System

The train network in Switzerland is run by the Swiss Federal Railways (SBB), which is the national train company of Switzerland.

Based on my personal experience, I can say Switzerland has a really efficient and punctual train system. During my holiday in the Jungfrau region, all the trains arrived exactly on time and I did not experience a single train breakdown.

To check the Swiss train schedules and plan my trip, I used the fantastic SBB official website: www.sbb.ch/en. I found it to be super reliable and user-friendly. Other than checking train schedules, I can also buy tickets through the website (see below under “3. Buying Online From SBB”).

How to Save Money On Swiss Train Tickets

The Swiss Half Fare Card saved me a significant amount of money

Like most things in Switzerland, Swiss train tickets are generally quite expensive. Below are some ways I found to save money.

Swiss Travel Pass – This pass lets you take most trains, buses and boats on the Swiss transport system for free. I recommend buying this pass if you are planning a long holiday in Switzerland with frequent train rides.

Swiss Half Fare Card – This travel pass lets you buy train, boat, bus and gondola tickets in Switzerland at half price. I used this pass and it helped me save a significant amount of money! You can check out my full review of the Swiss Half Fare Card here.

Saver Day Pass – This pass gives you unlimited rides on the Swiss transport system for a day. It is ideal if you are only in Switzerland for a day or two.

Supersaver Fares – This is a limited quantity ticket that lets you save up to 70% off the regular price, and can be used together with the Swiss Half Fare Card. It can only be bought online at www.sbb.ch/en. Routes with supersaver fares are indicated by a black triangle with a % sign. As can be expected, these tickets are extremely popular, so it’s best to book them as early as possible (up to a maximum of 60 days in advance). The tickets do not allow for refunds or change of timings.

Method 1. Buying From Ticket Machine

It’s easy to use the ticket machine

I selected the “Half-Fare Card” option because I had the Swiss Half Fare Card

You can buy Swiss train tickets using the ticket machines at the train stations. For my holiday in the Jungfrau region, I bought all my tickets from the machines except for one ride.

It is very easy to use the ticket machine. Basically I just needed to indicate my destination and the number of tickets. Then I selected the half-priced tickets because I had a Swiss Half Fare Card.

Once I confirmed my selection, the machine printed out my tickets.

The ticket machines are located at the train stations. They operate 24 hours a day, and accept both cash and credit cards.

It is possible to buy train tickets in advance using the machine. For example, I bought my train ticket for Wengen to Interlaken one day in advance.

Method 2. Buying From Ticketing Counter in Train Station

Interlaken Ost Station Ticket Office

Ticketing Counter

Screen displaying train schedule in the ticketing office

Queue number machine

If you prefer human interaction or have problems using the ticket machine, you can always just buy your tickets from the ticketing counters in the train stations.

I bought my train tickets once from the counter at Interlaken Ost station. First, I took a queue number from a small machine.

When it was my turn, I showed the counter staff my Swiss Half Fare Card and bought the ticket at half price.

However, note that the ticketing counters usually close by around 7pm. After that you can only buy your ticket from the ticket machine, or through the SBB website.

Method 3. Buying Online From SBB

Lastly, it is also possible to buy the tickets online from www.sbb.ch/en.

However, I did not buy any of my Swiss train tickets online. This is despite the fact that I am a risk-adverse traveller who prefers to prepare all trip logistics way before my holiday.

The reason is because I needed to take many short train rides for my holiday in the Jungfrau region. If I had bought all the tickets online, I would need to store plenty of tickets on my mobile phone, which would be very messy.

In addition, if I made last minute changes to my travel plans, then I would need to forfeit one or more tickets.

And lastly, it’s really not necessary to buy the tickets in advance. This is because the train tickets do not sell out. Also, prices do not fluctuate, meaning that even if I bought the ticket just before train departure, the price will still be the same as a few weeks ago.

Conclusion

A typical Jungfrau region train

1st class cabin in our Interlaken Ost to Zurich train

I hope you have a clear idea of how to buy Swiss train tickets now! As mentioned above, I bought most of my train tickets using the ticket machines located in the train stations. With regards to the seat class, I only chose the 2nd class seats when travelling within the small Jungfrau region. This is because there is not much difference between the 1st and 2nd class seats for trains in this region. However, when I was travelling from Interlaken Ost to Zurich, I bought the 1st class seats because it was a long ride. The 1st class area was less crowded and the seats were significantly more comfortable.

This article is part of our completely free and fantastic Ultimate Jungfrau Region Travel Guide. Why spend days researching when all your holiday information is simply a click away?