Welcome to beautiful Switzerland (CH)! If you’re exploring the country by public transportation, below is a guide for buying the tickets via mobile app, at the station/stop, or online. This does not cover international journeys and night trains.
SBB (German)/CFF (French)/ FFS (Italian) is the Swiss Railway. We’ll refer to them as SBB in this post. Google Maps and other apps are great to see directions and give a visualization of the route options. But public transportation tickets cannot be purchased from them. So they are really useful when paired up with the SBB app, which can be used to book tickets. So if you like to use your phone for purchases (and the phone has a good data plan and battery life), then the SBB app is really convenient to use to buy while on-the-go.
There are a lot of advantages to using the app, and unlike the SBB website, it handles foreign credit cards fine. This option is good for people who have access to mobile data, not worried about phone battery, a family/group traveling together where just one person needs to book tickets, and don’t mind buying tickets for their rides.
To use the SBB app:
Step 1: Get the Android app or iOS app
Account registration:
With registration (recommended if you are traveling primarily by public transportation and/or with co-passengers), register and then go to the profile and set up:
Using the Plan tab –> Timetable: enter the departure and arrival information. It defaults to leaving now and “current location” but you can make it for a future date and time and different location. Click on the squiggly line icon to further refine it (e.g. use Via to put in an intermediary stop so it takes you on a particular route).
Click on desired option. Click the “pencil icon” if you have additional passengers traveling with you so tickets can be bought for them too. (They can be pre-loaded through your Profile setting.)
Choose if it’s one-way (one arrow) or round trip (two arrows). Tips: it’s not cheaper to buy a round-trip ticket; it’s more about the convenience of not having to do it again on your way back. And note the ticket validity time. For example, a one-way ticket could be valid for 1 hour. A round-trip ticket for the same route could be good for 24 hours. So consider when your return trip will take place and decide if it makes sense to buy a one-way or return ticket at the outset.
Select 1st or 2nd class, and then choose your ticket type (generally a point-to-point ticket or single ticket (the first option). Already have a 2nd class ticket and want to upgrade? Scroll down to the upgrade option. If your profile already has you (and your co-passengers) saved as having discount passes, they should be reflected in your ticket prices.
Click on Purchase Tickets from CHFXXX and then you’ll receive an email with the ticket. For registered users, the ticket will display under Tickets and travelcards. Those with digital travel passes, be sure to have them on your app or on paper along with ID as specified in the terms (usually a passport is required). This includes children traveling for free on the Family cards.
On the Plan tab, there are also Touch-Timetable or Map options to help you set your departure and arrival locations. I prefer the method above via Timetable option, but it’s a personal preference.
Buying at the ticket machines is straightforward. The main drawback is if you are running late and there are lines for the machine(s). This option is great if you are concerned about your phone’s battery life, have limited data plan access, your group is splitting up so everyone needs to hang on to their own ticket, you are not planning on using much public transportation, or you are flexible on time.
To buy tickets:
At a ticket machine (there is the option for English), it defaults the departure station to where you are (this can be changed if needed). As you start typing in your destination station, suggestions will display.
Use the Via to add in an intermediary stop so it shows options going that particular route. (For example, there is a more scenic route if you choose to go through Lucerne from Zurich to Interlaken.) But because this route is longer and goes through more zones, it will affect the price and zone validity. Choose the desired route. (Note also that even though the English spelling of Lucerne was entered, the German spelling of Luzern / Lucerne displayed.)
Follow instructions for how to pay. Cash and credit cards can be used, and if successful, the tickets will then print out.
There is also the option of going to the counter to buy the tickets at the larger train stations.
Tickets can also be bought online. This is not our favorite option for travelers for a couple reasons: tickets must be bought for a specified date and time; these are not refundable/changeable. The second is that the site is not the easiest to work with when using US credit cards. What is useful about the online site is that it makes it easy to filter for longer transfer considerations (really helpful when dealing with luggage, kids, or a big group). So it could still be a great resource for researching journey options.
To buy tickets online:
Enter in the departure and arrival station information.
Click on “Settings” to see advanced search options. In the settings, toggle on the Via field to add in an intermediary point so the route goes a particular way. Toggle on “Longer interchange times” to give more time for transfers if you are dealing with luggage, a larger group, etc. You can also find selections for transportation types and accessibility options).
Check over the class option, passenger information, discounts (note that it defaults to half-fare card because most local Swiss residents have a half-fare card; if you do not have a half-fare card, remember to change this otherwise you’ll receive a fine if the tickets are checked)
Follow the instructions for purchasing. The tricky thing here is that the site, like many other European train sites, do not take US credit cards if they do not have 3D secure set up. So you may get an error saying the card does not have 3D secure set up. Try using a different card because that sometimes helps. And even if it is set up, it can still be finicky with foreign credit cards. So if it doesn’t work and you really want to get a particular ticket ahead of time, you could try https://www.thetrainline.com/, which hooks into the SBB system and usually is better able to handle US credit card payments. They do charge a small fee, but they also can sometimes provide different cancellation policies on the tickets.
Most Swiss trains do not require seat reservations and don’t “sell out.” You just buy a ticket before you departure time and hop on board. The exceptions are scenic trains – Bernina Express, Glacier Express, and Golden Pass. Seat reservations are required, and the train tickets should be booked (unless you have Swiss Travel Pass) AND seat reservations (there is a fee) should be reserved as soon as possible. Learn more here.
Regarding tickets, it works on the honor system and is expected that you have a valid ticket when coming on board. Half-fare card holders need to show their half-fare cards with the tickets (and usually with passport ID). Same with Swiss Travel Pass holders except they don’t need to show tickets for rides where they did not need to buy a ticket (the pass itself would need to be shown along with ID). Children over the age of 6 will also need to show their passes/tickets and ID.
Children with Swiss Family Card
Children ages 6-15 can travel for free with an accompanying parent/grandparent/stepparent/foster parent (“parent”) who has a Swiss Travel Pass, Swiss Travel Flex, or Swiss Half Fare Card. The Swiss Family Card can be obtained at the time of ordering the above mentioned travel passes. (Children under 6 travel free in Switzerland in general so they do not need to have a Swiss Family Card.) After that, as long as the child is traveling with a parent holding one of those passes, the child does not need to buy a ticket. During ticket inspections, the child’s Swiss Family Card and ID should be presented with the parent’s ticket, travel pass, and ID.
Rail passes
This article assumes you already know what rail pass you will be using. If you don’t already have a rail pass, learn more here. Passes are mainly worth considering if you are planning on traveling from town to town.
If you’re planning on staying in just one town, your accommodations provider typically will provide you a regional/town pass that covers local transportation for the length of your stay. (Note that Zurich providers do not.) Some modes of transportation may still require a supplement, so it is still worth costing out whether it’s worth it to get a rail pass. The link above provides tips on how to evaluate what pass is good for you, or you are welcome to reach out to us for tips.
HAPPY TRAVELING!