Swiss Travel Pass for Unlimited Train, Bus & Boat Travel

How the Swiss Travel Pass works

The Swiss Travel Pass covers the Swiss Travel System, the joined-up network of railways, postal buses, city transport and lake boats that makes Switzerland one of the easiest countries in the world to explore without a car. The continuous pass is valid on consecutive days from midnight on your first date to midnight on the last date, and it activates automatically. The flexi pass lets you choose your travel days within one month; each day is activated online before you travel.

You receive your pass as an e-ticket by email after booking and show it on your phone with your passport when the conductor asks. There are no barriers at Swiss stations, so you simply board. Is the Swiss Travel Pass worth it? For travellers who move between cities and lakes on most days of their trip, it usually saves money and, above all, the time spent buying single tickets.

Glacier Express, Bernina Express and the panoramic routes

The pass covers travel on the famous panoramic routes. The Glacier Express links Zermatt and St. Moritz in about eight hours, crossing the Oberalp Pass and deep gorges in carriages with wide windows. The Bernina Express runs from Chur or St. Moritz over the Bernina Pass to Tirano in Italy, on a UNESCO-listed line of spiral tunnels and stone viaducts.

The GoldenPass line connects Montreux on Lake Geneva with the Bernese Oberland, and the Gotthard and Centovalli routes reach the Italian-speaking south. On the dedicated panoramic trains a seat reservation is compulsory and is paid separately; on regular trains along the same lines no reservation is needed. Book seats early from June to September, when the panoramic trains fill up.

Lake boats across Switzerland

Regular boat services on most Swiss lakes are included, which is one of the great pleasures of the pass. You can cruise Lake Lucerne between Lucerne, Weggis, Vitznau and Flüelen, sail Lake Geneva between Geneva, Lausanne and Montreux to see Chillon Castle from the water, and cross Lake Thun and Lake Brienz on either side of Interlaken.

Lake Zurich, Lake Lugano, Lake Neuchâtel and the Rhine between Schaffhausen and Stein am Rhein are also served by boats. Historic paddle steamers run on Lake Lucerne and Lake Geneva in summer, at no extra fare with the pass on scheduled sailings. The best time to use the lake boats is from May to September, when timetables are fullest; services are reduced in winter.

Mountain excursions: Rigi, Stoos, Stanserhorn and more

Several mountain trips are fully included. Mount Rigi, the Queen of the Mountains above Lake Lucerne, is reached by Europe's first cogwheel railway from Vitznau. Stoos is served by one of the steepest funiculars in the world, and on Stanserhorn an open-top cable car carries you to a summit with wide views over the lakes and peaks of central Switzerland.

On most other mountain railways and cable cars the pass gives reduced fares, often up to half price, for example to Pilatus, Titlis, Gornergrat and the Schilthorn. The Jungfraujoch has a smaller reduction. These excursions are not fully covered, so budget for them separately. Mountain views depend on the weather; check the webcams before travelling up.

Cities, museums and castles

Public transport in Swiss towns and cities is included, from trams in Zurich, Geneva, Basel and Bern to buses in Lucerne and Lausanne. Travel from Zurich Airport and Geneva Airport into the city by train is also covered, so you can start using the pass as soon as you land.

The pass gives free entry to many museums and castles, among them Chillon Castle on Lake Geneva near Montreux, the Olympic Museum in Lausanne, the Swiss National Museum in Zurich, the Bern Historical Museum and the Ballenberg open-air museum near Brienz. Show your pass at the ticket desk to receive your entry. It is a perfect way to fill a rainy day between mountain excursions.