swiss rail journey planner

Switzerland Train Map: Master the Swiss Train System!

Are you ready to plan your Switzerland trip like a pro with the latest Switzerland train map? Find detailed information on train routes and stations, and plan your journey with ease. Whether you're a local or a visitor, our map is the perfect tool for planning your next train trip in Switzerland.

The official Swiss train map is also known as the Swiss network map. It is updated annually by Swiss Federal Railways and is the most comprehensive overview of the train network in Switzerland.

What’s included on the train map of Switzerland?

The Switzerland train map displays the entire train system of Switzerland, including all major and minor train routes, mountain railway lines, train stations, and connections between those stations. Despite being a rail map of Switzerland, it even includes boat lines.

Switzerland’s dense public transport system is operated by various railway companies operating in different regions. Luckily, these individual players have long synchronized their schedules, allowing trains to run efficiently across the country.

The official Swiss train map integrates the various train companies, including the Swiss Federal Railways (SBB), the Matterhorn Gotthard Bahn (MGB), and the Rhaetian Railway (RhB), among others.

The rail map of Switzerland is divided into three main regions:

• The German-speaking region, which includes Zurich, Bern, and Basel.
• The French-speaking region, which includes Geneva, Lausanne, and Montreux.
• The Italian-speaking region, which includes Lugano and Locarno.

And for ease of use, the map of Switzerland has been visually isolated from neighboring countries, putting all the focus on the train lines operating within Switzerland.

The Switzerland train map is available digitally or in print.

Printed switzerland train map.

Traditionally, the official SBB network map has been printed and published in various outlets. For instance, each train wagon features this map in the entryways, allowing travelers to look up possible connections quickly.

The official Switzerland train map's printed edition is updated annually and can be ordered online . Other printed versions of the map also exist, some of which are available at the counters of major train stations.

Swiss Railway Map PDF

Nowadays, it has become more common for travel planners to look up the Swiss train map online. The digital Swiss rail map covers the same level of detail as the printed edition - and then some.

In addition to standard layers, such as for GA/Half Fare coverage, various other layers exist. In 2023, a new layer was added, showing all the night train connections to and from Switzerland.

Here is the direct link to the digital Swiss rail map . Alternatively, download a PDF version .

And finally, the free SBB Mobile app includes the same digital map. This real-time map allows you to see nearby services and stations, pick up information about delays, plan trips, or simply zoom around and get inspired by all the possibilities.

Why the legendary Switzerland train map evokes wanderlust.

As anyone who has assembled a rail itinerary in Switzerland would attest, this map is an essential planning tool. That’s because, arguably, a minor disadvantage of using digital travel planners is that distances from point A to point B are not always apparent - just the time it takes to get there.

On the other hand, this time-proven map unlocks the full potential of Switzerland’s train system by showcasing the sheer number of connections possible. And is there a more wanderlust-evoking tool than a physical map waiting to be explored? We don’t think so.

Are you looking for the Swiss Travel Pass map?

Every year, a special edition of the Swiss rail map with the exact coverage area of the Swiss Travel Pass is published. The printed version of the area of validity map is freely available in various languages at counters in Swiss railway stations.

More effectively, you can quickly look up the Swiss Travel Pass coverage area in granular detail by activating the digital Swiss railway map layer.

Here is the link to the digital Swiss Travel Pass area of validi ty map . Alternatively, download a PDF version for printing or viewing while traveling.

The rail map of Switzerland in a nutshell:

Buy a swiss travel pass at getyourguide.

Purchase the Swiss Travel Pass online at the most reputable vendor starting at CHF 244. You will receive an immediate email confirmation with a PDF ticket.

Dimitri Burkhard

As the founder, editor, and community manager of Newly Swissed, Dimitri owns the strategic vision. He is passionate about storytelling and is a member of Swiss Travel Communicators. Dimitri loves discovering new trends and covers architecture, design, start-ups and tourism.

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Traveling Switzerland by rail gives you a front-row seat to one of the most beautiful countries in the world. Its mountain ranges are ideal for skiing or hiking and provide amazing backdrops to the cities. If the scenery isn't enough, try the country's world-class products. Just think: Swiss cheese, Swiss chocolate, Swiss watches - they sure know how to improve the quality of life! Experience it all with a Global Pass where you can include Switzerland in your choice of 33 different countries.

Itinerary in short

For this itinerary, we recommend:

• Eurail pass: Global Pass
• Travel days:  5 days within 1 month

1. 2. 3. 4. 5.

Click here or on the map to view this route in our Trip Planner

Zurich, Switzerland

Zurich, Switzerland’s largest city, is an international business capital. With several identities – historical and traditional, young and cool, wealthy and cosmopolitan – it’s a city that appeals to all tastes. This is your chance to explore one of the most livable cities in the world!

Stroll along the Bahnhofstrasse , a world-class shopping boulevard, then visit Grossmünster church, a symbol of the Swiss Reformation. The Old Town is a pedestrian zone with surprises all across its hidden alleyways. At night, enjoy the energetic nightlife.

Travel time:

Lucerne, Switzerland

Luzern (Lucerne)

Lucerne (Luzern), Switzerland

A visit to Lucerne isn't complete without visiting the Chapel Bridge . Built in the 14 th century, it's known as the oldest wooden bridge in Europe. The bridge runs past the Water Tower , which was originally part of the medieval city wall. These two structures form a key attraction and a picturesque photo opportunity!

Another remnant of medieval times is the Musegg Wall . Three of its towers can be climbed for a panoramic view over Lucerne. Can’t get enough of the scenery? Then make your way up Mount Pilatus , a landmark steeped in legend. It was once thought that a dragon lived on the mountain.

Interlaken, Switzerland

Interlaken Ost

Interlaken is Switzerland’s (and perhaps Europe’s) adventure-sport mecca, where anything goes - from world-class snowboarding and skiing pistes to paragliding and skydiving above the sparkling Brienz and Thun lakes  or plunging through white rapids aboard a raft.

The Jungfrau Railway chugs its way to the Jungfrau mountain , which towers dramatically over the town. Once you get there, you'll be rewarded with mind-blowing views of the mountain giants Jungfrau, Eiger, and Mönch. You'll get a discount on this private railway attraction with your Eurail Pass.

Bern, Switzerland

Bern (berne), switzerland.

Bern, the capital city of Switzerland, will have you marveling at its beauty. It’s idyllic, no matter the season. In summer, you can swim in the perfectly blue Aare River , and in winter, you can go sledding at Gurten Hill and enjoy views over Bern.

The layout of Bern’s medieval Old City has been preserved since its founding in 1191 and can easily be explored on foot. Check out the Zytglogge , the medieval astronomical clock tower. Also important is the Cathedral of Bern , which provides magnificent views over the city.

Geneva, Switzerland

Genève (Geneva)

Geneva (Genève), Switzerland

Geneva is a global city with both brains and beauty. It’s home to some of the brightest minds on earth, including those at the research organization CERN – the birthplace of the World Wide Web. The United Nations and International Red Cross are also stationed there. Guided tours are available at their offices and museums.

It’s hard to miss the Jet d’Eau , a large fountain that lies where Lake Geneva meets the Rhône River. Its stunning backdrop of the French and Swiss Alps is definitely photo-worthy. Nearby, the famous Flower Clock (L’horloge fleurie) is a living tribute to Switzerland’s watchmakers.

Experience this itinerary with the Eurail Global Pass!  

Related pages, france itinerary.

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How to plan your 2 week Switzerland Train Itinerary?

Switzerland is perfect to discover by train. I traveled for 2 weeks in Switzerland by train and planned and arranged everything myself. Be inspired by my Switzerland train itinerary that includes all the scenic train journeys of Switzerland. Plus a DIY guide on how to arrange everything yourself!

Are you ready to plan your own itinerary for Switzerland by train? Want some tested and tried tips for booking ahead and organizing your itinerary? Continue ready as I have done all the hard work for you.

Need more help? Check out my free spreadsheet with all the details to copy my Swiss train itinerary. Or use it as a base to make your own!

Interrail sponsored me with a Global Rail Pass in first class. For all the other costs, I paid in full myself and all my opinions are my own. This post does contain affiliate links. If you decide to book something via one of my links, I’ll earn a small commission. This is at no extra cost to you.

How to Plan Your 2-Week Switzerland Train Itinerary?

Easily Skip to:

This is a very long and extensive post. Click on one of the links below to jump straight to the topic you’re most interested in.

• Interrail Global Pass in Switzerland
• Grand Train Tour of Switzerland
• Where to begin in Switzerland?

Voralpen Express: Lucerne to St. Gallen

Gotthard panorama express: lucerne to lugano.

• Bernina Express: Lugano to St. Moritz

Glacier Express: St. Moritz to Zermatt

Golden pass line: montreux to lucerne.

• Steepest Cogwheel Train to Mt. Pilatus
• Rochers de Naye
• Chocolate Train
• Jungfraujoch Top of Europe
• Planning your own trip
• Practical Tips
• Useful Links
• Where to stay?

My Switzerland Train Tour with Interrail

For our Switzerland train tour, we used our Interrail Global Passes . With this pass, we were allowed 10 train days in a period of 1 month. As we only had 2 weeks of holiday, we decided to cram in as much as possible and use our train pass to take all the scenic train journeys in Switzerland. We traveled for 15 days in September and I arranged everything myself.

Interrail Global Pass

For people unfamiliar with the Interrail Global Train Pass, let me briefly capture the main benefits of this pass. The Interrail Global Pass offers you free train travel in all countries of Europe. You can choose different passes but Interrail sponsored us with 2 Global Passes.

On a few of our travels, we could just hop on a train and not pay anything extra. But certain train journeys in Switzerland have a mandatory reservation fee.

• Click here for Interrail (EU-citizens)
• Click here for Eurail (non-EU citizens)

2 weeks in Switzerland Itinerary

Switzerland is not a big country and the public transport system works fast, efficiently and is very reliable. Yet, 2 weeks was not enough to explore the whole of Switzerland. We didn’t visit the capital Bern, nor did we explore Zürich or Geneva. So what did we do? We took Switzerland’s most scenic train journeys! In general, we took a scenic train ride every other day and used the day in between to explore the surrounding area.

Did we see the whole of the county? Yes and no. It was a whirlwind Switzerland train tour. Mainly focusing on railway journeys. But, you can still use my guide, scrap out anything you don’t like and add extra days in between. This post is to show you that you CAN do the most scenic train journeys of Switzerland, all in only 2 weeks.

Grand Switzerland Train Tour

When I was researching our train trip in Switzerland, I found the Grand Train Tour of Switzerland. A great inspirational website by the Swiss tourism board with amazing images and a cool feature where you see a Switzerland train map. They show things to see along the route and places of interest to stop. However, I didn’t find any practical information about train numbers, journey times, the best time to travel and how to arrange all of this on your own. Or even via an agency or tour operator to help you along.

So.. I trusted the good old internet and gathered all the information myself. And I must admit, it was not easy. Although I think of myself as a pretty savvy travel planner, I did have some difficulties coming up with a logic route without tracing back our steps. In the end, when I wanted to reserve all the mandatory seat reservations on the Swiss trains, I encountered the problem of tickets being fully booked. In the end, I decided to completely throw our Switzerland itinerary upside down and we ended up starting at the end of the previous itinerary.

Our two week Switzerland train itinerary

Before you go ahead and copy everything I’ve done, here are some things to know about us and our travel style. We only had two weeks but the same itinerary can be done in a much more relaxed pace in 3 weeks. When you have less time, you really need to cut out some train journeys in Switzerland.

We are a couple in our mid-thirties and we are reasonably fit. We have no problems to walk with a mid-sized backpack and we have no problems getting on and off a train multiple times a day. I get bored easily, so I like to travel at a high pace. Due to a huge FOMO, I wanted to cram as many sights and train journeys in as possible.

Where to arrive for your Switzerland train tour?

We traveled from the Netherlands via a quick and direct train from Cologne to Basel . As Basel is situated in the north of the country and it has Roman Ruins nearby, we made a 1 night stop here. Otherwise, we might have continued on to Lucerne. Either Lucerne or Zürich are great places to start your Switzerland train itinerary. But as you’ll see when you continue reading, my train itinerary in Switzerland is a loop, so basically, you can start anywhere on the route and circle back.

Find the best flights to Switzerland via Skyscanner or directly on Swissair , KLM , Lufthansa .

One day in Basel Switzerland

In our case, we arrived in Basel at 4 pm and had enough time to rest a bit, do a walking tour of the city, try our first cheese fondue of the trip and sleep in a bit. We went to visit the Roman Ruins of Augusta Raurica before continuing our journey to Lucerne.

We stayed at the Rheinfelderhof in Klein Basel. Due to its central location and spacious room with extensive breakfast, I found it offered very good value for money.

Arrive to Lucerne by train

I didn’t really plan our trip from Basel to Lucerne as we just took a regular train. There are no scenic train journeys between Basel and Lucerne so we just took the first train we could find when we arrived at the train station. As I wasn’t able to find a decent priced accommodation in Lucerne center, I opted for a 3-night stay at an Airbnb at a nearby village. This offered us the option to do grocery shopping and make our own breakfast, bring a packed lunch and cook dinner.

One of the things we did during our stay in Lucerne was the steepest cogwheel train up to Mt. Pilatus and enjoy the view. Although not really one of the great scenic train rides of Switzerland, I do want to mention it here as I really enjoyed the views over Lake Lucerne and the mountains in the distance.

Instead of packing our bags again, we decided to stay near Lucerne and take one of Switzerland’s scenic train journeys as a day trip. From Lucerne, we took the Voralpen Express or Pre-Alpine Express to the city of St. Gallen in the east of the country. Famous for its library and church, St. Gallen was a nice place to have lunch but the journey on the Voralpen Express was a perfect introduction to how scenic Switzerland really is.

We left early in the morning, when the mountain dew was still visible, leaving a hazy blanket over the lakes and green hills we passed. I’m calling them hills as they were definitely not mountains, but I’d rather not climb them as they looked pretty steep. We passed numerous lakes and bridges and saw some monasteries in the distance.

The Voralpen Express was one of the shortest scenic train rides, in only 2 hours we traveled from Lucerne to St. Gallen. The Voralpen Express, (VAE) is operated by the SOB, the Südostbahn (South East Railway) almost 13 times a day. You can also travel from Lucerne to St. Gallen via Zürich but this is not direct and that train doesn’t have panoramic windows.

You don’t need a reservation to take the Pre Alpine Express and no extra fees apply except for a valid train ticket.

Rhine Falls and Zürich

As we didn’t want to go to St. Gallen and return on the same route, we decided to check out St. Gallen and then continue our train trip along the Bodensee and continue towards the Rhine falls. The Grand Train Tour of Switzerland also mentions that stretch from Zürich via Schaffhausen to St. Gallen on their website but in my personal opinion, the train journey is not that interesting. As a matter of fact, it took us nearly 2 hours on the super slow regional train that stops at

It was very tedious and took a lot of patience. What I like about train travel is the repetitive sound and motion of the train on the rails and that you see the landscape glide by as you pass it. But on the St. Gallen to Schaffhausen (the S8 regional train) it was more of a hiccup sprint and stop journey. But… It was worth it in the end as we went to Neuhausen am Rheinfall to see the Rhine falls which was spectacular and very very impressive. So much water rushing past you and the dramatic scenery around it. I do agree with the Grand Switzerland Train Tour to include the Rhine Falls, I just think there are less obnoxious routes to get there.

The next day, we left Lucerne behind us as we boarded a boat! Yes, how amazing is that! Boat rides are definitely part of the best Switzerland itinerary and we did it on the Wilhelm Tell Express or the Gotthard Panorama Express. Both are the same thing, just 2 different names.  

We first took the boat across Lake Lucerne to see all the little villages and enjoyed the sunshine on our faces. We disembarked at Flüelen and waited for the panoramic train to arrive. Just a couple of minutes later, the Gotthard Panorama Express glided into the station of Flüelen.

This felt like a proper panoramic Swiss railway journey! Excited I settled in my leather seat and gawked at the scenery beyond the bright big panoramic windows. It was spectacular. We had a bright and sunny day and the landscape around us was like a big green canvas and we glided right through it.

The Gotthard Panorama Express is all about the little town of Wassen that you’ll pass 3 times and the amazing viaducts of the Gotthard Pass. The train even slowed down when we passed through the Gotthard Tunnel, so we could learn about this major feat of engineering. I found the Gotthard Panorama Express very interesting and I learned a lot. And it was a great way to cut through Switzerland from central Lucerne to southern Lugano.

Explore Lugano for 1 day

As soon as we left the Gotthard Tunnel, it felt like we had arrived in Italy. Pastel-colored houses, a softer glow in the air and pizzerias in the little villages we passed. Lugano felt exactly the same. I have to admit, we didn’t go into Lugano city. We just arrived at the train station of Lugano and took a bus to our self-catered hotel. As we just had a full day of travel, we went grocery shopping and took things easy for the night. The next day, we set out the explore the San Salvatore mountain on the funicular and walked down to the lovely village of Morcote. If you don’t like hiking, you can also use this day to explore Lugano or the nearby castles of Bellinzona.

We stayed for 2 nights in Lugano at one of the cheapest hotels I could find with a kitchen and they had washing machines for us to use which was quite useful. The room was very basic and didn’t have any ambiance but it did the trick. Click here to see if this might be an option for you.

Bernina Express Train: Lugano to St. Moritz

The next morning, we packed up our bags again and returned to the train station. But not to take the train. Instead, we took the bus! We took the Bernina Bus from Lugano to the Italian city of Tirano. The bright red bus turned into the parking lot and I immediately got excited. The big windows gave us perfect views of the Lake of Lugano and Lake Como. It was absolutely spectacular. See my web story about our ride on the Bernina Express .

In little over 2 hours, we arrived at Tirano and used our hour in Italy to use our free European Union roaming on our phones to post some pictures on Instagram and we stocked up on some cheaper snacks for the next leg of our Swiss railway journey.

Sometimes dreams come true and the Bernina Express train from Tirano to St. Moritz was nothing short of a train lover’s dream come true. What a spectacular route from start to finish that was. But isn’t the Bernina Express a hype? Read exactly what I think of the Bernina Express here , but I can assure you, the Bernina Express is a must-do if you’re in Switzerland for the train travel.

The Bernina Express is mandatory for anyone who likes sweeping scenery, impressive altitude gains on the train and wants to enjoy some of the best views of Switzerland. All of this while you’re seated in luxurious seats and can order drinks and lunch as you go. (We didn’t as we stocked up on snacks in Italy). I spoke to a woman who took the Bernina Express as a day trip from St. Moritz . She went back and forth on the same route and this was the one time I could imagine that it is totally worth it. There is so much to see on the route, one journey is not enough.

One day in St. Moritz.

When I was planning our 15-day Switzerland itinerary via train, I figured after each long travel day, we would have 1 day to rest and stay in 1 place. This would give us 2 nights in each place and cut down on packing up too much. I still believe in this philosophy, but I regret the extra day we had in St. Moritz. Yes, it was nice to rest a bit but as we’re not posh, we don’t ski and it was September, I felt quite bored in St. Moritz. Looking back, we should have continued our travel plan and add the extra day later in our itinerary in Zermatt or in the Jungfraujoch area.

The next morning, we woke up at 6 am as our train to Chur left at 7 am. When I wanted to book the mandatory reservations for the Glacier Express, all spots were sold out. We could not take the 10 am or 11 am train from St. Moritz or Chur to Zermatt. In a desperate attempt not the change our plans, we took a 7 am train from St. Moritz to Chur and were scheduled to take the afternoon train from Chur to Zermatt.

The morning journey was spectacular. As the sun was rising above the mountains, she cast her golden rays over the Alps and the green meadows in between. We had the whole train compartment to ourselves and enjoyed one of the most impressive views of Switzerland as we passed the Landwasser Viaduct.

But the early morning took its toll on us. As we arrived in Chur with a whole afternoon to spare and sore feet from already walking that much. We decided to not take the Glacier Express Panoramic train from Chur to Zermatt. Instead, we took the regional train that follows the same route and would bring us to Zermatt 5 hours earlier. Although it was a long travel day, we still saw the same scenery as the Glacier Express. We lost the money in our reservation fee (as it’s non-refundable) but I was glad we took the regional train. And I could write a comparison story about it too!

One Day in Zermatt

Although I set out to see Switzerland by train in our 2-week itinerary, my best day was not a train-day. I cannot believe I dare to admit this in writing. Personally, my best day was the day we went hiking in Zermatt. Although I woke up with a bad cold, we decided to hike the 5-Seen Weg in the mountains of Zermatt. The day could not have been more perfect with crisp clear skies, the impressive Matterhorn mountain looming at the horizon and a great day hiking with my boyfriend. Yes, I was more dead than alive at the end of the day but it was gorgeous.

In case you’re wondering if you should take the Glacier Express all the way to Zermatt, then I’d recommend you do. Zermatt is such a cute village with an amazing vibe. I felt we could have hopped from one bar to the next, drinking beer, having fondue and just relax for a bit.

We stayed in an amazing apartment right in the center of town that I rented via Airbnb. It was big and the kitchen was amazing. And, it was the cheapest accommodation for our two weeks in Switzerland.

Zermatt to Montreux: along the Rhône River

Although I enjoyed hiking in the mountains around Zermatt, I was also excited to board the train, again, and continue our Swiss train journey. We took the regional train from Zermatt to Montreux. Although not a panoramic train, the route was quite impressive as we followed the Rhône River with her grape packed hills until we reached Lake Geneva. The train continued along the shore of the lake, giving us our first glimpses of the famous lake. We stopped in Montreux but you can continue to Geneva is you like.

3 nights in Montreux

We stayed in Montreux at the Royal Plaza Montreux & Spa Hotel for 3 nights. We would use Montreux mainly as a base to explore the region and for more train travel the following day, but the town itself surprised me.

But we didn’t just eat cheese fondue, walk along the Mediterranean flower beds and take up all the sunshine we could find. We also took more Swiss railway journeys while we stayed in Montreux.

Cogwheel Train to Rochers de Naye

We arrived quite early in Montreux and figured we take one of the scenic day trips up to the hills above Montreux and enjoy the view. We took the little train to Rochers de Naye that has a breathtaking view across Lake Geneva. Fun thing was that we spotted some groundhogs but the top attraction really is the view.

Chocolate Train to Gruyère and Broc

Was it as good as it sounds? A train that brings you to a cheese factory and a chocolate factory. Well, let me save you the disappointment, the name sounds fancier than the actual train trip. I was utterly disappointed actually. Yes, the 1-hour ride on the vintage Pullman train was amazing. The plush seating and the wooden clad benches transported you back to the good old days of luxurious train travel. But the transport by bus to the cheese factory in Gruyère was a disappointment. The visit to the Gruyère cheese factory was a waste of time as the audio tour didn’t tell anything interesting and you watch everything from above.

The visit to the town of Gruyère was nice. It was my boyfriend’s birthday so we enjoyed the day in the sun and indulged in a gigantic ice cream sundae. The visit to the Broc chocolate factory was ok. It was nice to see vintage advertisements and talk to the staff about the mass production of chocolate products but it felt like a commercial tourist trap.

All in all, not the worst day I ever spent traveling but it had cost us 1 valuable day of our train pass and we had to pay nearly 100€ in ‘reservation fees’ on top of that. If you think that you’ll follow the same route on the Golden Pass Line train route, then in my personal opinion, the Chocolate Train is not worth it.

Something that was worth it, was the Golden Pass Line from Montreux to Lucerne. It was basically a way to get from the west of Switzerland back to the middle part but this scenic train journey surprised me a lot. I felt the Golden Pass Train route had a lot to offer as it shows some typical stereotype scenery of Switzerland. But it also covers a lot of ground and although this was our 11th scenic train trip in Switzerland, I was still captured by the landscape and the flow of the train.

Jungfraujoch, Top of Europe Train station

One of the reasons to take the Golden Pass Train is because it stops in Interlaken and Interlaken is the gateway to the Jungfraujoch region. We only had 1 night in the village of Wengen but this meant we had 2 options to travel to the Top of Europe Jungfraujoch station. Either the afternoon of our arrival or the next morning.

After nearly 2 weeks of sunshine in Switzerland, this was one of our very few clouded days. It even rained a bit in the afternoon. Therefore, we decided to take the train up the Jungfraujoch the next morning. See my web story about our trip here.

Although the round trip by train to the Jungfraujoch was expensive and we only got a 25% discount with our Global Rail passes, I’m glad we did visit the Jungfraujoch as it was one of the most spectacular views I’ve ever seen. It’s not that often you get to stand at 3.454m (11.332ft) and enjoy the mountains around you.

We had a 1-night stay at the Victoria Hotel & Spa Lauberhorn in Wengen, which was perfect to explore the region.

Two weeks Switzerland Itinerary by Train

After our visit to the Jungfraujoch, we went back to Interlaken and continued on the Golden Pass Line to Lucerne. Basically, we came full circle as we recognized Mt. Pilatus and saw the outline of the city which we left behind earlier by boat. With one evening to spare, we continued to Zürich and explored the city for some dinner. The next morning, we had to depart early to return home again but otherwise, we could have explored Zürich by day.

• Pre-Alpine Express : Lucerne to St. Gallen
• Gotthard Panorama Express : Lucerne to Lugano
• Bernina Express : Lugano to St. Moritz and Chur
• Glacier Express : St. Moritz to Zermatt
• Golden Pass Train : Montreux to Lucerne
• Jungfraujoch Top of Europe : Interlaken to Jungfraujoch
• 2 week Switzerland Train Itinerary : Practical Guide to plan your Train Trip in Switzerland
• Steepest Cogwheel Train : Climb Mt. Pilatus
• Chocolate Train : Montreux to Gruyère and Broc

Planning your 2-week train itinerary Switzerland

In the end, we spent 15 nights in Switzerland. We took the major 5 panoramic train journeys around the country and we took 6 scenic day trips (by train) in Switzerland. This made a full circle in Switzerland and saw north, south, east and west. We covered the German-speaking part, the Italian speaking part, and the French part. We traveled over 1.500 km (945 miles) by train and almost all of it in Switzerland, without backtracking a lot.

But it wasn’t easy. It took me a good portion of my evenings, looking at maps, familiarizing myself with the names of the train routes around Switzerland and the places and little towns. Finding affordable places to stay was also mission impossible and making the mandatory train reservations was nerve-racking.

Highlight first or save the best for last

When I first started planning our Switzerland train trip, I first planned to go from Lucerne to Montreux with a visit to the Jungfraujoch and then onwards to the east. If you’ve read the above, you’ll see I actually went 100% the other way around. Why?

After careful deliberation, I realized we’d be doing the Voralpen Express and St. Gallen last. Although they were really nice trips and worth our time, I might have had a different opinion if we’d been traveling through the actual Alps first. In our first plan, we’d visit the Jungfraujoch first. Ticking off one of our must-dos first seemed like a good plan, but with our actual itinerary we slowly built up to the highest highlight. Saving the best for last is always a good idea to prevent travel fatigue and boredom.

My practical tips for planning your train itinerary in Switzerland

• Check out my Switzerland train map to see my 2 week Switzerland train itinerary
• Download the Swiss train app to research route times (for Apple here and for Android here ). Their website is patchy and glitchy but I found the SBB app works really well for all areas in Switzerland.
• Familiarize yourself with all the rules of your train pass . Of course, you can also just buy separate tickets but a Switzerland train pass will save you money
• Use a spreadsheet. Like mine. Why don’t you join my mailing list, download mine, and use the data I’ve gathered to make your own spreadsheet. Click here . Sign up for my newsletter and download mine
• Make reservations for your train tickets 3 months in advance via the sites below.
• After making the train reservations, make hotel bookings via this website or use Airbnb (or steal my recommendations with a list of all our accommodations below ).

Quick and Easy Links for Switzerland Train Travel

• Voralpen Express , no reservation needed, you can buy a ticket at the station or use your train pass
• Gotthard Panorama Express , you can book the boat tickets in the harbor but you need to make a reservation for the train from Flüelen to Lugano. (or try your luck and pay the conductor)
• Bernina Express , a reservation is mandatory. You need to make separate reservations for the bus and the train
• Glacier Express , also a mandatory reservation, although the local train follows the same route and no reservation is needed
• Golden Pass Train , a very odd website. It’s often down so keep trying
• Swiss Travel Pass will save you a lot of money!

Where to stay during your 2 week Swiss train adventure?

Here are the links of the hotels and AirBnB’s where we stayed during our 2 weeks in Switzerland. I paid for all myself, except for the hotel in Montreux where we received a discounted stay. But as always, all opinions are my own. All hotels were carefully selected by me for their location from the train station and their price compared to value.

• 1 night in Basel at Rheinfelderhof hotel.
• 3 nights at AirBnB in Eschenbach, 20 minutes by train from Lucerne in this apartment
• 2 nights at a basic self-catering hotel in Lugano, very basic but budget stay at Lugano Center Guesthouse
• 2 nights in St.Moritz in a budget room with a shared bathroom at Petit Steffani Hostel
• and 2 nights in downtown Zermatt in a spacious apartment , rented via Airbnb . I wanted to move in and live here forever
• 3 nights in Montreux at the Royal Plaza Montreux and Spa with sweeping views of Lake Geneva
• 1 night in Wengen to visit the Jungfraujoch at the Hotel & Spa Victoria Lauberhorn . This was our last night splurge where we enjoyed the view, the spa, and the breakfast.
• 1 final night to catch the early train home from Zürich. We stayed at the budget hotel Montana near the train station
• Fodor’s Essential Switzerland Guidebook is a good guide for information and practical travel tips. Purchase your copy here .
• Book your hotels in Switzerland via Booking.com or Hotels.com
• Find your direct flights to Zurich, Switzerland here
• Book your tours and activities direct with GetYourGuide or Viator
• Travel in style and hang this super cool Swiss Flag luggage tag on your bag. Check out these cool designs!
• Unfortunately, things can and do go wrong when you travel in Switzerland. World Nomads offers coverage for more than 150 activities as well as emergency medical, lost luggage, trip cancellation and more.

Your 15-day train trip to Switzerland

Wow, are you still with me? I love you for reading that much. The thing is, this 2-week train trip to Switzerland really was a trip of a lifetime and I have so many details to share and try to cram them all into this post. I’m sure with my tips, you can stitch together your own train itinerary with the best train trips Switzerland has to offer.

Have you done a train trip through Switzerland? Which one was your most favorite train journey? How did you arrange everything? Let me know in the comment section below!

The Pinterest images above are with special thanks to Switzerland Tourism – BAFU and Rhaetische Bahn/Swiss Travel System.

Author: Naomi

30 comments.

Using your free spreadsheet. Trying to figure out what you used for you map. It appears it was an image copied over from someplace. Can you tell me what you used?

Hi Robin. The image is from the Grand Train Tour of Switzerland and I have added the route from Montreux to Brig. I hope you have a great time in Switzerland.

Comments are closed.

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Introducing swiss train travel:, in partnership with the switzerland travel centre, links to useful info, the 18 things most worth knowing..., rail passes make it cheaper and easier, the journey prices on the sbb website:, 'supersaver/sparbilletter tickets:, saver day passes:, other tickets sold by sbb:, the most scenic routes:, how the timetable works:, choosing a location in switzerland, journeys from basel, journeys from bern, journeys from geneve, journeys from zurich, to the ski slopes and other mountains, taking the scenic trains, travelling on sbb's trains:, detailed train guides, finding your train:, storing and sending luggage:, detailed info on the major stations, international rail journeys, other sources of info:, related resources.

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Switzerland by train

Exploring Switzerland by train is inevitably fabulous with a plethora of incredible journeys to be experienced , so this guide provides all the essential info required for Swiss railway adventures!

Such a high percentage of Swiss residents take a train at least once every year, because it's generally fabulous ! The trains are frequent, famously punctual and the entire rail system is arranged so that making connections between trains is usually as easy as it possibly can be.

Although for a comparatively small country, Switzerland has a fairly high number of quirky aspects to its rail system which can initially be bewildering, hence the info below.

These are the eighteen things that are particularly useful to know about rail travel in Switzerland:

• The Swiss rail network is a a combination of two railway systems:
• Standard mainline trains that link its major towns and cities;
• The independent railways, including the routes which ascend up into the mountains - some of which serve the ski resorts .
• Most of the mainline trains are operated by the national rail operator, SBB, but some are operated by BLS, particularly on routes to and from Bern; and SOB now operates some of the longer regional services; Bern - Olten ↔ Chur and Basel / Zurich ↔ Locarno via Göschenen.
• Tickets for travel by the BLS and SOB trains can be booked on the SBB website , at SBB stations and from SBB ticket machines; so when ShowMeTheJourney references SBB tickets, the info also applies to journeys by BLS and SOB trains.
• The only mainline trains on which Seat reservations are available are SBB's express IC trains - but they are optional, so have to be proactively added when booking tickets.
• Tickets for the journeys by SBB's express IC trains are now typically placed on sale up to 6 months ahead of the travel date.
• Discounted tickets are available when booking ahead online for journeys on the express IC trains and other longer-distance mainline journeys.
• Most Swiss rail travellers have Half Fare Cards, so the prices which are initially shown on the SBB website , are what holders of these cards will pay - hence they are 50% of the standard rate.
• Visitors to Switzerland can also purchase Half Fare Cards .
• Tickets for the journeys on the independent mountain railways aren't typically discounted, so cost the same if booked at the last minute at the station - though journeys by the MGB trains and the RhB trains are an exception.
• SBB also sells tickets for end-to-end journeys which involve taking a mainline train + a train managed by one of the mountain railway companies - on the SBB website , at SBB stations and from SBB ticket machines
• A range of rail passes are available which include travel on the mainline trains + the independent mountain railways - travel far enough and they can be much cheaper than using tickets.
• The passes are an alternative to buying and using tickets - you use the pass(es) instead of tickets.
• Some of the independent companies operate comparatively short branch lines, but others operate extensive networks
• The MGB operates the cross-country route across south-west Switzerland; Zermatt - Visp - Brig - Andermatt - Disentis/Mustér
• The MOB operates the western end of the 'Golden Pass' route, Montreux ↔ Zweisimmen;
• The ZB operates the eastern end of the 'Golden Pass' route, Luzern ↔ Interlaken and the Luzern ↔ Engelberg route;
• The Rhaetian Railway (RhB) operates multiple routes between Chur and Arosa, Davos, Disentis/Mustér, St Moritz and Tirano - this latter route is taken by the Bernina Express ;
• Special trains, on which seats can be reserved, provide direct services which travel between multiple railways - the Glacier Express travels Zermatt ↔ St Moritz; and the Golden Pass Express travels Montreux ↔ Interlaken;
• The timetables are generally arranged so that the transfer time between the mainline trains and the mountain railway is less than 10 minutes.
• This transfer time of less than 10 minutes also typically applies to connections between the mainline trains - though to facilitate this trains can be timetabled to spend up to 10 minutes at stations during a journey.
• The express IC trains operated by SBB all convey restaurant cars .
• You don't have to travel on a mountain railway to experience a beautiful journey ; these very scenic routes are taken by the mainline trains:
• Zurich ↔ Chur
• Zurich ↔ Schaffhausen
• Zurich ↔ the Gotthard Base Tunnel
• Luzern and Zurich ↔ Locarno via Göschenen
• Thun ↔ The Lotschberg Base Tunnel
• Thun ↔ Interlaken
• Thun ↔ Brig via Kandersteg
• Lausanne ↔ Brig
• Lausanne ↔ Fribourg

Making the most of Switzerland's multiple scenic railway journeys and many of its longer cable car routes is made easier thanks to a range of rail passes . When using them, you typically don't have to know which company is operating the train you will be taking, you just can hop and off. The connections between the trains and railways make this easy - and thanks to the frequency of the rail services, you can set off from many Swiss stations to explore the entire country by train.

Notes on the ticketing:

Buying tickets for Swiss train journeys is particularly quirky if you're not resident in Switzerland, so if you're new to Swiss train travel, we particularly recommend taking a look at our full guide below. Amongst other things it explains how visitors to Switzerland can use Half Fare Cards.

Particularly worth knowing is that the SBB website now sells tickets for rail journeys within Switzerland up to six months ahead of the travel date - this is a recent change!

Children aged 6-15 and travelling with a person aged 16 and over, pay 50% of the adult rate per journey So a good option, if you will travelling long distances in a day on national SBB trains is a ' 1 Day Travel Pass for Children .

On the SBB trains a day bike pass costs CH 14 and they can be booked online here . The only other bike ticket available is a short-distance Point-to-Point ticket, which costs half the Adult fare.

If your dog is under 30 cm in height (up to their shoulder blades) and you travel with it in a basket or other suitable container, your dog may travel free of charge as hand luggage. However, special day passes are required for larger dogs .

For reasons, that are explained in detail on the full guide that can be accessed below, if you don't have a Swiss Half-Fare Card , you can ignore the prices you will initially see when looking up tickets on the SBB (Swiss national railways) website . The prices initially shown are always the Half Card rate, so if you don't have one, you will ultimately have to select 'No Discount' which will in effect double the price.

So if you will be using the timetable functionality on SBB, to compare prices of Swiss train journeys to buses/flights, you will need to take the first couple of steps of the booking process, in order to see the train ticket prices.

Limited numbers of discounted 'Supersaver/Sparbilletter' tickets are now available on all of SBB’s express (IC and IR) train routes. They are also now available for journeys by the MGB trains and the RhB trains . However, when searching for tickets, they MAY not be available on all departures, so you might have to search through the departures on a particular day to find them.

Whether 'Supersaver' tickets are available on a specific departure, is indicated on the SBB website by the presence of a % symbol on a black triangle.

These 'Supersaver/Sparbilletter' tickets can sell out fastest on the direct trains; so when looking up journeys, these 'Supersaver/Sparbilletter' tickets may be more likely to be available if you’re prepared to change trains.

If you will be making a long distance day return journey, purchasing a Saver Day Pass can often be a cheaper option than booking tickets for travel in each direction. When looking up a journey on the SBB website, if the Saver Day Pass is cheaper, it will be offered as the default ticket option. Though Saver Day Passes need to be booked at least a day ahead of your travel.

A plus of Saver Day Passes is that they also cover the fares on public transport to and from the stations.

In addition to Supersaver tickets, 'Point-to-Point' tickets are also available and in effect these are the standard, non-discounted tickets; so the price(s) you will see online for Point-to-Point tickets is also the price you will pay when booking last minute at the station. The two key advantages of booking these more expensive tickets are:

• You can take any train on your travel date, so won't need to be concerned about making the specific departure you have booked in time.
• They can be upgraded, for an additional cost, so that they are also valid on the public transport networks of the cities in which you will be starting and/or ending a journey.

Limited numbers of discounted tickets are also made available on all long distance express trains from and to Switzerland, so you can make savings if you book ahead; though SBB discontinued its long standing 'Swiss Transfer tickets at the close of 2018.

SMTJ has produced a guide to travelling on the most beautiful routes in Switzerland which we have been lucky enough to experience.

• St Moritz ↔ Tirano
• Andermatt ↔ Disentis/Muster
• Grindelwald > Kleine Scheidegg > Lauterbrunnen
• Chur ↔ St Moritz
• Zug > Arth-Goldau > Goschenen > Airolo > Bellinzona#
• Alpnachstad ↔ Pilatus Kulm
• Vitznau ↔ Rigi-Kulm
• Zermatt ↔ Gornergrrat
• Brig > Kandersteg > Spiez
• Montreux ↔ Zweisimmen plus another ten journeys , to make a Top 20.

Though despite multiple Swiss rail adventures, ShowMeTheJourney has yet to experience all of the best routes that can be taken by train in Switzerland, so in time it's likely that this will be become more than a Top 20 list of the country's Most Beautiful Train Journeys.

More than 80 videos showcasing the beauty of Swiss train travel have been made available on the ShowMeTheJourney channel on YouTube .

Trains usually operate to a regular ‘clock face’ timetable with hourly trains operating on most express train routes; though on some routes the service only operates every other hour. So to facilitate an hourly service between destinations on some routes, in hours when there is no direct train service, connections between trains are built into the national timetable.

Connections between trains are designed so that the waiting time between trains across Switzerland is less than 10 minutes; and the private railways also usually follow this pattern. Trains in Switzerland are VERY rarely more than 5 minutes late, so connections are usually guaranteed. Though to ensure connections, trains can often spend up to 10 minutes waiting at stations and still depart on time.

International daytime trains to and from Switzerland also fit into this regular timetable, when travelling between destinations in Switzerland. For example, some of the hourly trains between Basel and Interlaken are ICE trains, which have travelled from Germany, and not SBB’s regular IC trains.

How to choose your optimum location for exploring Switzerland by train.

The journey guides include access to booking links and information about the trains, tickets and destination stations. Plus for the scenic routes there are insights on how to make the most of the rides on the trains.

Make your Swiss train travel dreams a reality

Ride any of these trains and you can experience one of the greatest European rail journeys

SBB's express trains fall into two categories:

(1) The IC Train Services : Aside from speed, the key distinguishing feature of these trains is that they convey restaurant cars.

Most IC train services are double-deck, but some are single deck; at busy times of the day additional single deck coaches can be attached to the double deck trains..

New and shiny double deck IC trains are now available on some routes. The older double deck trains were beginning to show their age, hence newly modernsied coaches are now being introduced . The tilting ICN trains are still in service, but are now also branded as IC services; and they are also being refreshed.

(2) The IR train services:

Different types of services are designated IR (InterRegio). On the Geneve – Sion – Brig route they are the fastest trains and are no different to the single and double deck IC trains; except for the fact that they don’t convey restaurant cars.

On some routes the IR services are slower than IC services, but the standard ticket price won't be any cheaper.

Some IR trains convey 1st class observation cars in which ordinary 1st class tickets are valid. Also some IR services are operated by BLS or SOB.

The IC route numbers:

SBB has introduced route numbers for its IC and IR services - see the SBB IC/IR Trains route map in the links section above.

The IC train routes are now numbered as follows:

• IC 1 = St Gallen - Winterthur - Zurich Flughafen (airport) - Zurich HB (main station) - Bern - Fribourg - Lausanne - Geneve - Aeroport
• IC 2 = Zurich HB - Zug - Arth Goldau - Bellinzona - Lugano
• IC 3 = Basel - Zurich HB - Landquart - Chur
• IC 4 = Zurich HB - Schaffhausen
• IC 5 = Rorsach - St Gallen - Winterthur - Zurich Flughafen - Zurich HB - Olten - Biel/Bienne - Neuchatel - Geneve - Geneve Aeroport AND Zurich HB - Olten - Biel/Bienne - Neuchatel - Lausanne
• IC 6 = Basel - Olten - Bern - Thun - Spiez - Visp - Brig
• IC 8 = Romanshorn - Winterthur - Zurich Flughafen - Zurich HB - Bern - Thun - Spiez - Visp - Brig
• IC 21 = Basel - Luzern - Arth Goldau - Bellinzona - Lugano
• IC 51 = Basel - Delémont - Moutiers - Biel/Bienne
• IC 61 = Basel - Olten - Bern - Thun - Spiez - Interlaken Ost - Interlaken West

the lack of conventional Wi-Fi .

Swiss national rail operator SBB does not provide wi-fi on its trains in the conventional sense; meaning that passengers can't log on to a SBB portal for wi-fi. Instead SBB has equipped its IC trains and most IR trains with signal amplifiers to enable enhanced connectivity with local mobile networks. The coaches/cars equipped with this equipment have symbols by the doors - and SBB suggests that passengers who wish to access wi-fi during a journey, should travel in these coaches in order to access these 'hotspots'.

Also worth knowing

• A yellow band above the doors indicates that a coach is 1st class.
• For journeys within Switzerland, international trains have the same terms and conditions as Swiss trains. Meaning that reservations aren't compulsory for journeys WITHIN Switzerland by Lyria trans, or on the EC trains which have travelled to and from Italy.
• Passport checks can be carried out on board international trains to/from Switzerland . Travellers are singled out apparently randomly, so don't be offended if the customs staff ask to see your passport, but ignore your fellow passengers. Keep your passport in your hand luggage.

Click on the buttons below to access info such as on board facilities, and what to look out for when boarding and travelling with luggage/bikes.

Good to know about stations:

In Switzerland ticket inspections are carried out on the trains, so there is no need for stations to have barriers, or gate-lines. As a result the stations are open to the surrounding streets with multiple access points - so what's unusual is that you usually don't have to pass through station buildings in order to access the trains, or to transfer between buses and trains.

However, normally the short-cuts into the station can only be used if you already have a valid ticket. If you need to buy a ticket look out for the ticket symbols on any signs that you see; the ticket desks and machines may not be in what looks like a main station building. Often they're in the passage way beneath the tracks or are housed in the middle of a station.

Elevators and particularly escalators can be rare at Swiss stations - especially in the middle of the platform/track (gleis/voie). Instead step free access is provided by slopes that connect the platform/track/gleis/voie to passage ways which are located beneath the railway tracks. So if you have luggage etc there is always an alternative to using the stairs.

At most stations the platforms/tracks/gleis/voies are used by multiple train departures per hour. So wait for your train where you can see the electronic displays which show the details of the next train to leave.

Also keep the departure time front of mind. It's not unusual for SBB express trains to be timetabled so that they spend up to 10 mins at a station between arrival and departure. So you often don't have to rush and board by the first door you see; even though most people do. But if you use the time to move further along the train you can have a greater chance of finding spare seats etc.

At Swiss stations the older type of electronic departure screens, the paper timetable posters and the station announcements all normally DON'T include every station that a train will be calling at. Sometimes only the next two or three stations that a train will be calling at are shown on the electronic indicators, along with the final destination of the train.

SBB also doesn’t use a system of train numbers on its information indicators or tickets, so being aware of the final destination of your train can help save time and confusion – hence we have striven to include it on our journey guides. If you’re not sure what train you need to board check at the information desk or ticket office.

At the main stations there are electronic indicators on the platforms/tracks, which indicate in which zone of the platform the 1st class, 2nd class and restaurant car coaches will be located, when the train arrives. They don't indicate in which zone a specific coach number will be located and they are also not particularly accurate - in our experience. What they are particularly useful for is working out at which end of a train the 1st class coaches will be located. Though new screens are now being introduced , which do also show the zones on the gleis (platforms/tracks), in which each specific coach of a train can be found.

If you will be changing trains at larger stations, seek out, what can be hard to find, paper departure posters that you can find on the platform. They list all train departures in consecutive order so you can use then to check which platform/track/gleis/voie, your onward connection will be leaving from. If you're in luck you'll be able to remain on the same platform you have just arrived at.

The larger stations will have coin and card operated left luggage lockers, which can be accessed at any time. When depositing bags you must pay for an initial 24 hours - even if you will be only depositing a bag for a couple of hours.

Then on collection you pay the balance - the charge will rise per day, but keep in mind that you may have pay in excess of 20 francs in coins, though lockers which accept cards are now being installed. Change machines are usually available, though at the larger stations, with lockers in multiple locations, only one location can have a change machine

If you are going to be touring Switzerland then you can forward your luggage between stations, you don't have to take it on the trains. This can be a particularly useful service if you will be entering and leaving Switzerland at different locations. These luggage desks tend to be in a different part of a station to a left luggage office - it's easy to confuse the two.

Click the buttons below to discover how to travel to and from the stations by public transport, plus links to additional info including the station and city websites.

The Swiss Travel System website is a great source of both practical info and inspirational articles.

Please support ShowMeTheJourney

Help keep us advertising and paywall free!

This second version of ShowMeTheJourney is exciting and new, so we are genuinely thrilled that you are here and reading this, but we also need your help.

We’re striving not to let anything get in the way of providing the most useful service possible, hence a facility has been set up with DonorBox which can be used to support the running costs and make improvements.

Instead of advertising or paywalls, your financial support will make a positive difference to delivering an enhanced service, as there’s a lot of ideas which we want to make happen.

So if you have found the info provided here to be useful, please consider saying thank you.

This is one of more than 100 train travel guides available on ShowMeTheJourney , which will make it easier to take the train journeys you want or need to make. As always, all images were captured on trips taken by ShowMeTheJourney.

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Switzerland Rail Pass Comparison Calculator

Choosing the BEST rail pass for your trip to Switzerland can be overwhelming. Not only can it be confusing, it is also very time consuming.

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The calculator includes prices for the Swiss Travel Pass (consecutive and flex versions), Swiss Half Fare Card, Berner Oberland Pass, Jungfrau Travel Pass, Tell Pass, Eurail Global Pass and Peak Pass (for Zermatt).

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• Instruction guide with link to online calculator (PDF)
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• Online calculator with pre-loaded prices for 100+ rail journeys, 30+ mountain excursions and 6 different rail passes (available as a Google Sheet, a Google account is required to access the calculator)
• Video demonstrating how to use the online calculator

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“My husband and I traveled to Switzerland in the last 2 weeks of August. I had been planning our trip for many months, and wanted to make the best decision regarding travel passes. 

I had already made detailed notes on things we wanted to see and places to visit, but I still felt like I didn’t have a handle on which travel pass would work best for us. I decided to purchase your travel calculator and it was extremely helpful! I would definitely recommend it to anyone traveling to Switzerland and using public transportation. 

Not only did it help me make a great decision about which pass to buy (Swiss Half Fare Pass), but it also helped me identify activities and excursions to include on our trip. 

We had a fabulous trip and will definitely go again. Once we made the decision based on your tool, a weight was lifted and we were free to just enjoy the ride, so to speak, without worrying if we were getting a good deal or paying too much. 

I also did a cost analysis after our trip that confirmed the half fare pass was definitely the correct choice for us. Thank you for creating this great tool!” – Kristi Romuald, USA

“I have planned MANY trips for my husband and I and family, including a cross country driving trip from Oregon to Niagara Falls in CANADA and back via the USA trip.  This Switzerland trip has me wound up in knots.  It’s by far the most intimidating trip I have EVER attempted to plan.  Your software definitely helped me to figure out that really, I just need the Swiss Travel Pass.  Yay.” – Laura Roast, Oregon, USA

Hi Carolyn, We love the calculator it has made our planning so much easier & wish we had of found it earlier, it would have saved a lot of time in searching for the right passes. We have decided on the Berner Oberland Pass & the Half Fare Card. – Robyn Watts, Australia

👉 WATCH A VIDEO DEMONSTRATION OF THE ONLINE CALCULATOR HERE

How can I access the Switzerland Rail Pass Comparison Calculator?

Immediately after purchase you will receive an email containing the link to download the Instruction Guide and Workbook as PDFs. A link to access the Rail Pass Comparison calculator (Google Sheet) and the video tutorial can be found inside the Instruction Guide.

Can I find the best rail pass for my trip without the comparison calculator?

Yes, however you will need to invest a considerable amount of time and effort to research the prices for each individual trip that makes up your itinerary, and look up the discounts available for each trip with each of the different rail passes.

What rail passes are covered in the Switzerland Rail Pass Comparison Calculator?

The rail pass comparison calculator includes prices for the Swiss Travel Pass, Swiss Half Fare Card, Berner Oberland Pass, Jungfrau Travel Pass, Tell Pass, Eurail Global Pass and Peak Pass (Zermatt).

Do I need a Google account to access the rail pass comparison calculator?

Yes. The rail pass comparison calculator has pre-loaded fares for rail journeys, mountain excursions and rail passes added to a Google Sheet. In order to use the comparison calculator to its full capacity, you need to be able to open a Google Sheet via a Google account.

Are there any manual calculations required?

Whilst the calculator has pre-loaded fares for more than 100 of the most popular train journeys and more than 30 mountain excursions in Switzerland, it is impossible for us to include every single route. You may need to manually check and add some fares to the grand totals shown in the Calculator if you are travelling on routes that are not pre-loaded.

Do you offer refunds?

As this is a digital product we don’t accept returns or exchanges. Please contact us via email  should there be any problems with your order.

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Planning Multi-stop Scenic Train trip - Switzerland Forum

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Planning Multi-stop Scenic Train trip

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I've tried to use the trip planner on Rail Europe & the Swiss rail sites but it's really hard to put together a continuous trip with various stops. If I give the planning to Rail Europe agent I then pay ~7% for their service plus I give up web discounts & also I've had a "less than helpful sounding agent there". I'm willing to pay if that's the only way & I find someone willing to listen better than I've heard so far.

I have tried looking at Swiss rail maps, to no use. I was told by My Switzerland to "Take a train tour" which is their route & their stops, not mine & not what I'll do. I actually don't know if I should change the car drop-off,nor which is better a CW or CCW route for the scenic train part of this trip?

Suggestions? Help? FWIW, I know most of the towns I want and with only a few exceptions due to my ignorance of train connections & timing. I also know I can benefit from a rail pass but hard to say which pass? Thanks for listening!

Second, seeing as you're traveling over international borders, its probably best to repost this topic in Trip Advisor's train travel forum ( http://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowForum-g1-i12483-Train_Travel.html ). You'll get expert help there on all the legs of your trip.

Hi kyElaine,

I gather you want to take a route like this:-

2. Zermatt --> Brig --> Domodossola via Centovalli to Locarno ;

3. Lugano via Bernina Express to St Moritz and Chur .

4. Chur --> Andermatt /Goschenen --> Lucerne (i.e. parts of GEX and WTX);

5. Lucerne via Golden Pass to Montreux by Lake Geneva ;

6. Montreux/ Lausanne to BaselSBB (end of your Swiss Pass coverage) and then Strasbourg .

RailEurope does not let you have a correct/detail map to plan, they promote major cities only. You should use http://www.sbb.ch for scheduling and costs including Passes.

Now determine length of stay at each stop, and then find out the best Pass for you (i.e. consecutive or flexi-). Panoramic trains should be reserved at least a day ahead, with the Lugano-Tirano segment (bus) asap as buses can get full easily.

Happy planning. You are halfway there.

Additional help might be using maps, such as http://www.swisstravelsystem.com "Show map of validity" and general network and station maps at http://www.sbb.ch/en/station-services/am-bahnhof/railway-stations/trafimage-maps-station-plans/maps.html

Bonjour, kyElaine,

To find the best Swiss pass, please refer to the following website. Prices are based on number of days from 3 days to one month.

http://traintickets.myswitzerland.com/rail-tickets-passes/swiss-pass/index.html

The best way to determine whether to buy point-to-point tickets or use a Swiss Pass from a financial standpoint is to actually look up schedules and prices on the Swiss rail line site ( http://www.sbb.ch ) and compare the total to the cost of the Swiss Pass.

BTW, the view of Montreux from the Golden Pass train is spectacular.

The Swiss rail system may be a wonder to behold but it sure isn't easy to figure out!

All this is to say that you are warned that RailEurope may take some serious time and is nothing to be compared to buying any other ticket I have bought! FWIW, I worked for a RR in USA & rode trains years ago-no experience like this one...WOW!!!

This topic has been closed to new posts due to inactivity.

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Route Planner s for Geneva

Going from A to B by public transport? These are the 3 ways to find the best connection. If you are traveling by car, see navigation section.

Geneva Public Transport (Unireso) route planner

In simple menu You can choose date and time of either departure or arrival. Extended menu allows You to chose types of vehicles You want to use, including bus, tram, different types of trains and lake boats. Another options include limiting the number of transfers, increasing the time for transfer, limit the waiting time and only look for a connection with carriage of bicycle (which might dramaticly reduce the results).

Public transport connection search: http://tpg.hafas.de/hafas/tp/query.exe/en (eng, fr)

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Trains in Switzerland are considered expensive. Buying ticket online or getting half-fare card for CHF 185 per year might save you some money.

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Your Guide to Eurail Passes: Costs, Use, and How to Buy Them

I f you're planning a multi-city tour of the European continent this summer and will rely on trains to get around, you may want to consider purchasing a Eurail Pass . Haven't thought about buying a Eurail Pass since your backpacking days? You're not alone. The last time I traveled with one was in 2007 as a college student. After forking over about $500 (from my part-time job as a barista) for the multi-use train ticket, I rode at least a dozen trains from Amsterdam to Paris and on to Madrid over the course of a month that summer. I saved not only money but also time waiting to buy tickets because I could walk onto most trains and have the conductor punch my pass on board.

For beginners to European train travel, the Eurail Pass is a single document that allows non-European citizens to travel by train multiple times across a network of 33 European countries. The travel must occur over a specified period of time, and the pass forgoes the need to buy individual point-to-point tickets. The Eurail Pass, which is celebrating its 65th anniversary this year, can be used for riding local trains, high-speed trains, and even night trains . In addition to the flexibility and time-saving benefits it affords, traveling with one can also save you money, depending on your travel plans.

Here's everything you need to know about Eurail Passes before you buy one.

Eurail vs. Interrail

Eurail is not cheaper than Interrail. Their prices are exactly the same, but Eurail is for non-EU residents and citizens.

How do Eurail Passes work?

You can choose from either a One Country Pass , which covers train travel in a single country, or a Eurail Global Pass , which offers unlimited train travel across 33 countries in Europe, using their national railroads. Within each pass type, there are even more options. There are ones for children (ages 4 to 11), youth (12 to 27), adults (28+), and seniors (60+). They come in first- and second-class options across all age categories.

The passes also cover different trip lengths for both One Country and Global Passes. The flexible, four-days-in-one-month pass is for you if you're going on a shorter getaway and won't be taking trains regularly. The pass with three months of unlimited travel is best used for fast-paced trips where you plan to cover a lot of ground over an extended time.

The validities for flexible passes include:

• Four travel days within one month
• Five travel days within one month
• Seven travel days within one month
• 10 travel days within two months
• 15 travel days within two months

There are also passes available for unlimited travel days during set periods of time. Those continuous train passes include durations of:

• Two travel months
• Three travel months

The pass is sold by the number of travel days during which you plan on using it. Each travel day covers as many trains as you'd like to take in a 24-hour time window from 12:00 a.m. to 11:59 p.m. on the same calendar day.

Keep in mind that there are exceptions to be made if you're taking a night train. For example, if you book a train that leaves on Monday night and arrives on Tuesday morning, you will only need to use one travel day (the day of your departure) to cover that trip. However, if you choose to board another train on Tuesday, you'll have to use another travel day on your pass.

To find the ideal pass for your particular trip, Eurail built an online tool that lets you fill in your travel plans, including which countries you plan to visit, how many days you intend to travel by train, and the length of your entire trip. At the end of the short survey, it recommends the pass that best suits your needs.

Where can you buy a Eurail Pass?

You can buy any type of Eurail Pass online from Eurail.com , but several other sites sell them, too. RailPass and Rail Europe are both authorized vendors that sell Eurail Passes for around the same price as Eurail.com with slight variations to insurance and service fees.

Some offer free shipping (if you want a paper pass) and others special discounts and promo codes on tickets, so it's best to check all your options before purchasing your pass to make sure you're getting the best deal.

You can also purchase Eurail Passes at train stations in Europe , but that's more expensive than ordering them online in advance.

How much does a Eurail Pass cost?

These are some 2024 starting prices of a Eurail Global Pass for adults purchased directly through Eurail:

• Four days in one month pass : $311 for second-class and $395 for first-class
• 7 days within one month pass: $419 or $532
• 15 days within two months pass: $608 or $772
• Three-month unlimited pass: $1,052 or $1,335

Considering that a two-month unlimited pass costs $909 in second class or $1,154 in first, you're only a few hundred more for an entire extra month of unlimited train travel.

One Country Passes are slightly more affordable and vary by each country. For example, adult passes for Italy bought directly from Eurail range from $182 to $321 for second class and $231 to $408 for first class.

The big caveat with One Country Passes is that the longest pass is eight days within one month.

Eurail also groups certain regions, so you can get multiple countries for the price of one with its Benelux Pass (Belgium, the Netherlands, and Luxembourg) and Scandinavia Pass (Denmark, Finland, Norway, and Sweden). Note that Eurail does not offer One Country Passes for certain countries that are included in the Global Pass, such as Switzerland, Montenegro, and Bosnia.

Are Eurail Passes worth it?

It depends. If you know you'll have four travel days over a one-month period, a second-class pass would cost most adults $311-or $77.75 per day. If the train you need to take costs more than $77.75, or if you'll be taking multiple trains in one day that add up to more than that, it's worth buying that pass. If you only need a less costly regional train to get between cities like Amsterdam and Brussels , however, then it's probably not worth it.

For those who would argue that buying $50 Ryanair or EasyJet flights to jump from city to city is faster and cheaper, keep in mind that once you add on arriving early to the airport for security and all the bag fees you'd pay to check a bag, you might end up breaking even. Plus, train travel is far more sustainable and more scenic .

Do you need reservations with a Eurail Pass?

In some instances, yes. Not every train requires or even offers reserved seating. TER trains in France , for example, only have unreserved seats (except between Paris and some destinations in Normandy). Some types of trains in certain countries always require a seat reservation. In France, a required seat reservation on the TGV INOUI between Paris and Nice is $13.20 in both first and second class. A required seat reservation on the AVE train between Barcelona and Madrid is $13.20 in second class and $16.50 in first. In popular countries like France, Spain, and Italy-especially in the summer-you will certainly need to make an advance seat reservation at an additional cost (generally from five to 12 euros), even if the fare is included with your Eurail Pass.

In addition to those popular destinations, all night trains and most international high-speed trains throughout Europe require a supplemental reservation fee . Some scenic trains, like the Bernina Express in Switzerland, also require one. To find out if you need to make a reservation, search for your desired route on the Eurail Timetable , and the results will show whether or not one is necessary and the price.

Reservation fees vary between different countries and train services and must be paid directly to the railway carriers; payment can be made at the train station, online through the websites of the national railway companies, by phone, or through Eurail's Rail Planner app. Eurail recommends making train reservations two months in advance during the summer and ahead of holidays to guarantee yourself a seat.

Alternatively, you can opt to ride on regional trains, which don't require seat reservations. Even though they're slower, if you have the time to stop along the way, you're likely to discover a few appealing villages you never would have happened upon by taking the high-speed route. To find trains that don't require reservations, check the "no seat reservations required" box when searching on the Eurail Timetable page.

What countries are included in a Eurail Pass cover?

There are currently 33 countries in Europe with rail carriers that accept Eurail Passes. Great Britain's train operators nearly pulled out of the agreement in August 2019 . After negotiations with the Rail Delivery Group (RDG), which represents Britain's train industry, travelers will continue to be able to use their Eurail passes within Great Britain-that's England, Scotland, and Wales only. A One Country Eurail pass for Ireland also covers Northern Ireland.

Here's the full list of the 33 countries currently serviced by Eurail: Austria, Belgium, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Great Britain, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Montenegro, Netherlands, North Macedonia, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, and Turkey. Download the train route map .

How far in advance can I book a Eurail Pass?

You can buy a Eurail Pass up to 11 months before your trip, as long as it is activated at a European train station within that 11-month period. You can also preactivate your pass for a specific date when you check out at Eurail.com to avoid waiting in line at the train station to do so.

Get a mobile version of the Eurail Pass via Eurail's Rail Planner App . Instead of waiting for the physical document to be delivered in the mail-or constantly worrying about losing it during your trip-you can download the app and load your mobile pass onto it as soon as your order confirmation lands in your inbox.

Are Eurail Passes just for college students?

You may have been under the impression that only budget backpackers in their 20s can benefit from Eurail Passes, but the passes are actually available to all age groups. Those 27 and under can get up to 25 percent off the standard adult price; the discount for people over age 60 is 10 percent.

Eurail passes are also great for families and really cost-effective. Kids ages three or younger don't need a pass at all (to travel on an adult's lap) and children ages four to 11 are eligible for a free Child Pass. Up to two children are allowed to travel for free with one adult. Find out more about family discounts here . Note that if you want a guaranteed seat for your child aged three or under, you'll need to book a regular Child Pass.

What are other benefits to having a Eurail Pass?

All Eurail Pass–holders are eligible for discounts on select museum tickets and boat tours throughout the entire 33-country network. But one of the major perks of having an unlimited train ticket that includes night trains is the hotel savings. By sleeping on a train, you'll get from point A to point B and save money on hotels at the same time.

Eurail Passes aren't only for use on trains either-they can be used on ferries and public transportation in some countries, too. See the full list of participating train, ferry, and public transport companies that accept Eurail Passes on board. The Greek Islands Pass , for example, offers ferry service to 46 islands, making it a viable option for island-hopping .

This article was originally published in 2019 and was updated most recently on June 11, 2024 with current information.

Lyndsey Matthews is the senior commerce editor at Afar who covers travel gear, packing advice, and points and loyalty.

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