Swiss Half Fare Card 2024: What Is Included & When It's Worth It?

When planning a trip to Switzerland, you will quickly realize that public transport and mountain excursions are very expensive. But… there are also so many passes and discounts that can make your trip a lot more affordable. One of them is the Swiss Half Fare Card.

But what exactly is the Swiss Half Fare Card? What does it include? Where to buy it (hint – here)? And in which cases it’s worth getting one (or what to buy instead)?

After publishing the complete guide to the Swiss Travel Pass, we get increasingly more questions about the Swiss Half Fare Card as well. How it compares, which discounts it offers, which destinations it covers, and in which cases it’s worth getting the Swiss Half Fare Card.

So to answer all those questions in one place; here is our complete guide to the Swiss Half Fare Card. It should answer all your questions, give you a better understanding of what exactly is included (and what is not), and help you decide whether it’s worth getting this card for your trip.

Find out!

Oeschinen Lake Panorama - Swiss half fare card — Oeschinen Lake. The half-fare card will give you 50% on gondola prices here as well.

What is the Swiss Half Fare Card?

The Swiss Half Fare Card is a (digital) ticket for international visitors (people domiciled outside Switzerland and Liechtenstein) that gives a discount of up to 50% on public transport and most mountain lifts and panoramic routes all over Switzerland.

The card is valid for 1 month from the start date you choose when you buy it, so not necessarily from the date of purchase. This makes it simple to buy the card in advance before you arrive in Switzerland and only let its validity begin when your trip starts. You can buy this card maximum 180 days in advance.

All the information is available on the official Swiss Railways website (SBB), but apparently, it’s still too confusing for many people (thus, this article).

And I can’t really blame you because it is very so confusing indeed! Also because they have another card called ‘Swiss Half Fare Travelcard’ and also ‘Swiss Half Fare Travelcard Plus’. (These cards only make sense for people who spend a longer period of time in Switzerland.)

TIP: You can also find the most important information in a nutshell and purchase the Swiss Half Fare Card pass on GetYourGuide. We personally use and recommend this website for all tickets/tours/passes, not just in Switzerland. It’s very simple to use – much easier than most official websites, including that of the Swiss Railways.

Below, you can find our explanation of what is and is not included with the Swiss Half Fare Card and in which cases it makes sense to buy it. Read on!

Swiss Alps mountain scenery with summer flowers — Swiss Alps in the summer.

How much does the Swiss Half Fare Card cost in 2024?

The price of the Swiss Half Fare Card is 120 CHF. As already mentioned, it’s valid for 1 month.

Good to know: When you buy the Half Fare Card, you can add your children between 6 and 16 years to it for free (younger kids are free in any case). To make things a bit more complicated, for some reason, this addition is called the Swiss Family Card.

Basically, you buy it for the whole family together and your children aged under 16 can travel for free when accompanied by at least one parent who is a holder of a Swiss Half Fare Card and has a valid ticket.

TIP: You can simply buy this card online – further below, we explain all the best options and how it works. But first, let’s take a look at what is included.

Boy waiting for a train in Zermatt Switzerland — If you are traveling in Switzerland with kids, then the half-fare card is worth considering even more!

What is included with the Swiss Half Fare Card?

The Swiss Half Fare Card is a discount card for tourists. By itself, it doesn’t include anything but it gives you a big reduction in price on public transport and many mountain excursions.

Good to know: While, for example, the Swiss Travel Pass includes FREE travel on public transport, the Swiss Half Fare Card only gives a DISCOUNT on it.

With this card, you can get a discount of up to 50% on the entire public transport network in Switzerland (so all journeys by public trains, public buses, public boats) and also on most mountain railways and gondolas, etc.

In practice, this means that you will pay half the price for pretty much all transport in Switzerland. For example, you will pay 50% of the regular ticket price for train journeys between major cities or to get to the mountains, but also when you visit mountain peak destinations such as Mt Titlis, Mt Pilatus, Grindelwald-First, Gornergrat, Matterhorn Glacier Paradise, and many others. You will also get discounts on most ferries but not on scenic cruises.

Also, keep in mind that some mountain railways/gondolas are operated by private companies that don’t work with this system and don’t accept this or any other discount card. But it’s just a small minority of destinations/attractions and pretty much all of the most popular mountain routes will give you a discount with the Swiss Half Fare Card.

Mt Titlis rotair gondola - Swiss Half Fare Card — Mt Titlis Rotair Gondola – the Swiss Half-Fare Card is valid here too.

Is the Swiss Half Fare Card worth it?

You might be wondering if it’s worth getting the Swiss Half Fare Card. The answer is – it depends.

It depends on how long your trip is, how you will be traveling (by car or public transport), and what you are planning to visit.

If you are traveling in Switzerland by car and are visiting multiple regions over a longer period of time (up to 1 month), then it’s a no-brainer – the Swiss Half Fare Card is absolutely worth it. It’s also worth it if you are in Switzerland for e.g. a working trip of several weeks where you plan to do lots of sightseeing on weekends using public transport.

The Swiss Half Fare Card is worth it from the moment you plan to purchase at least 240 CHF of travel tickets per person (mainly mountain railways and gondolas, etc). In some places, a single mountain excursion can cost you 100 CHF, so if you do a few of those, it pays off in no time. Depending on your trip duration and your exact travel plans, this card could save you hundreds of Swiss Francs.

However, if you are in Switzerland for a shorter trip (up to 15 days) and are planning on using public transport almost daily, then the Swiss Travel Pass is likely a much better deal for you.

The Swiss Half Fare Card is also not worth it if you are spending a longer period of time in one specific region – in that case, it’s usually better to simply get a regional card that includes everything in the price (vs. giving a 50% reduction). Some examples of regional cards include the Berner Oberland Regional Card or Jungfrau Travel Pass.

And if you are in Switzerland for more than a month, then it’s best to buy the Swiss Half Fare Travelcard which costs just a bit more than the Swiss Half Fare Card but is valid for the whole year.

Swiss Half Fare Card - Lake Lucerne views from Fronalpstock — Lake Lucerne views from Fronalpstock (can be reached by gondola, or as part of the Stoos Ridge Hike).

Where can you buy the Swiss Half Fare Card?

You can buy the Swiss Half Fare Card on the official SBB website or – our recommendation – on GetYourGuide.

You can also buy it at almost all manned train stations in Switzerland. In that case, do it as soon as you get there (which usually adds some extra stress upon arrival and you need to plan an extra trip to a station during working hours).

Good to know: The price is in principle the same everywhere, but the buying process on GetYourGuide is a lot simpler (plus, it gives you the option to cancel if your plans change).

TIP: Save the confirmation document that you’ll get by email (so not the booking voucher, but the actual pdf with your name, a QR code, and the SBB logo) to your phone, screenshot it, or even better – print it and bring it with you! You will need to show the QR code to get discounts when purchasing tickets all over Switzerland (or to a train conductor if you purchased tickets online).

Berner Oberland scenery at Schynige Platte Switzerland — Berner Oberland scenery from one of the best hikes at Schynige Platte.

So, this is our guide to the Swiss Half-Fare Card. I hope that it answers all your questions and helps you decide whether it’s worth it for your trip.

TIP: If you are planning your Swiss adventure, be sure to check out our Switzerland travel page. It has an overview of all our travel guides for a wide variety of destinations all over the country.

We have been traveling to Switzerland several times a year for decades – both, in summer as well as in winter. On our blog, you’ll find many detailed guides for all of our favorite places.

Some of our favorite places in Switzerland:

Some of our favorite hikes in Switzerland:

Best Hikes at Schynige Platte (near Interlaken)
Oeschinensee Hike (close to Interlaken)
Four Lakes Hike in Engelberg (near Lucerne)
Bachalpsee Lake (Grindelwald)
Stoos Ridge Hike (possible from Lucerne or Zurich)
5 Lakes Hike in Zermatt
Charles Kuonen Suspension Bridge Hike (near Zermatt)

Top-3 cities:

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