Travelling through Switzerland by
train
is invariably comfortable,
hassle-free and extremely scenic,
with many mountain routes an
attraction in their own right. The
main network, run by SBB CFF FFS (Schweizerische
Bundesbahnen, Chemins de Fer Fédéraux,
Ferrovie Federali Svizzere), covers
much of the country, but many
routes, especially Alpine lines, are
operated by the smaller companies
which pioneered them a century or
more ago.
Main stations keep a public copy
of the national timetable ,
which covers all rail, bus, boat and
cable-car services. The national
enquiry number is tel 0900/300 300,
and www.rail.ch has complete
information.
InterRail (also EuroDomino) and
Eurail pass-holders get free travel
on SBB and most smaller lines, but
only patchy discounts on boats,
cable cars and mountain railways
(specified in the text as IR
for InterRail and ER for
Eurail), and no discounts on buses
or city trams. The Swiss Pass
( SP ), available from Swiss
tourist offices at home or main
stations in Switzerland, allows free
travel on virtually all trains,
buses and boats, as well as on most
city tram and bus networks;
discounts apply on cable cars,
mountain railways and bike rental. A
Swiss Pass for 4/8 consecutive days
costs Sfr230/320, with discounts for
two or more people travelling
together. The Swiss Flexi-pass
gives 3/4/5 days' travel in a month
with the same benefits as the Swiss
Pass for Sfr220/260/300. The Swiss
Half-Fare Card (Sfr95) gets
fifty percent off all trains, buses,
boats and most city trams for a
month. If you plan to concentrate on
one region, check out the relevant
tourist office's regional pass
, typically giving five days' travel
in fifteen with discounts for the
other ten days. If you're under 25,
you can pay Sfr249 for a Track 7
card which gives a year's travel
nationwide after 7pm plus half-price
travel before 7pm.
Buses take over where train track
runs out. These are generally yellow
postbuses ( www.post.ch
), which invariably depart from
train station forecourts. They're
free to holders of all Swiss passes
(although certain Alpine routes
command a Sfr5-10 supplement, along
with advance seat reservation), but
full-price to Eurailers and
InterRailers.
