Swiss Travel Pass vs Half Fare Card: 3-, 4-, 8- and 15-day trips worked out

Prices last checked: 27 October 2026 · Fares: SBB ticket shop, sample travel date 10 Nov 2026

Short answer: on our four sample itineraries, which follow the classic Lucerne, Interlaken and Zermatt loop, the Swiss Half Fare Card (CHF 150), alone or with one Saver Day Pass, beat the Swiss Travel Pass every time for an adult. On the shortest trip without a mountain excursion, plain tickets beat both. The Swiss Travel Pass only wins if you ride trains for many hours on most days of the pass, or if you are under 25 and get the Youth price. Find your own break-even point in the break-even table, or put in your own trip in the calculator.

The two products in one minute

	Swiss Travel Pass	Swiss Half Fare Card
Price (adult, 2nd class)	CHF 254 (3 days) to CHF 499 (15 days)	CHF 150, the same for 1st and 2nd class
Validity	3, 4, 6, 8 or 15 consecutive days	One month
Trains, buses, boats	Unlimited, no tickets needed	You buy each ticket at half price (sometimes a little more on short routes, because of minimum fares)
City public transport	Included in over 90 towns and cities	Discounted
Mountain railways	Rigi, Stanserhorn and Stoos included; up to 50% off many others (Jungfraujoch: about 25%)	50% off most mountain railways, including the whole Jungfrau network
Museums	Free entry to more than 500 museums	No
Panorama trains	Both cover the journey (the pass in full, the card at half price), but seat reservations and supplements on the Glacier Express, Bernina Express, Gotthard Panorama Express and others are extra
Who can buy	Only people whose permanent residence is outside Switzerland and Liechtenstein; buy up to 11 months ahead

Children aged 6 to 15 travel free with the free Swiss Family Card if a parent holds either product, so the comparison below only needs to be done for adults. Travellers under 25 can buy the Swiss Travel Pass Youth, which is 30% cheaper (see the youth example).

How we priced the trips

Train fares are SBB's flexible point-to-point fares for one adult, priced in the SBB ticket shop for a sample date (10 November 2026). The Half Fare column is the price the same shop shows with a Half Fare card. Supersaver tickets can be cheaper on specific trains, but they are tied to one train and their prices move.
Jungfraujoch prices come from Jungfrau Railways' own price calculator for the summer season (1 May–31 October 2026, including the CHF 10 seat reservation): CHF 271.20 full fare, CHF 140.60 with the Half Fare Card, CHF 189.60 with the Swiss Travel Pass. Rigi prices come from Rigi Railways: CHF 84 return, CHF 42 with Half Fare, free with the Swiss Travel Pass.
We did not add value for things you might not use: free museum entry, city trams and buses. If you would use those a lot, the pass gains a little ground.

3-day trip: Zurich Airport, Lucerne, Interlaken, Jungfraujoch

Day	Plan	Full fare	Half Fare	With STP
1	Zurich Airport → Lucerne	CHF 31	CHF 15.50	CHF 0
2	Lucerne → Interlaken Ost (Brünig line)	CHF 34	CHF 17	CHF 0
3	Jungfraujoch day trip from Interlaken, then Interlaken Ost → Zurich Airport	CHF 348.20	CHF 179.10	CHF 189.60
	Total	CHF 413.20

2nd class, one adult traveller. Saver Day Passes priced at CHF 106 (no Half Fare) and CHF 59 (with Half Fare), typical short-notice prices seen on sbb.ch on 2026-10-27.
Option	Total cost	vs cheapest
Swiss Half Fare Card CHF 150 card + CHF 211.60 in half-price tickets	CHF 361.60
No pass (full-fare tickets) 3 travel day(s) at full fare	CHF 413.20	+CHF 51.60
Swiss Travel Pass 3 days CHF 254 pass + CHF 189.60 for excursions at the pass price	CHF 443.60	+CHF 82
Swiss Travel Pass Flex 3 days CHF 289 pass + CHF 189.60 excursions at the pass price	CHF 478.60	+CHF 117
Saver Day Passes (no Half Fare) No day where a Saver Day Pass at CHF 106 beats tickets	n/a
Half Fare Card + Saver Day Passes No day where a Saver Day Pass at CHF 59 beats half-price tickets	n/a

Jungfraujoch decides this one. The pass covers the train only as far as Grindelwald, then gives about 25% off the expensive part. The Half Fare Card halves the whole ticket. Skip Jungfraujoch and the trip is just three train rides, and then neither product pays off:

Day	Plan	Full fare	Half Fare	With STP
1	Zurich Airport → Lucerne	CHF 31	CHF 15.50	CHF 0
2	Lucerne → Interlaken Ost	CHF 34	CHF 17	CHF 0
3	Interlaken Ost → Zurich Airport	CHF 77	CHF 38.50	CHF 0
	Total	CHF 142

Same route without Jungfraujoch. 2nd class, one adult traveller. Saver Day Passes priced at CHF 106 (no Half Fare) and CHF 59 (with Half Fare), typical short-notice prices seen on sbb.ch on 2026-10-27.
Option	Total cost	vs cheapest
No pass (full-fare tickets) 3 travel day(s) at full fare	CHF 142
Swiss Half Fare Card CHF 150 card + CHF 71 in half-price tickets	CHF 221	+CHF 79
Swiss Travel Pass 3 days CHF 254 pass	CHF 254	+CHF 112
Swiss Travel Pass Flex 3 days CHF 289 pass	CHF 289	+CHF 147
Saver Day Passes (no Half Fare) No day where a Saver Day Pass at CHF 106 beats tickets	n/a
Half Fare Card + Saver Day Passes No day where a Saver Day Pass at CHF 59 beats half-price tickets	n/a

Lesson: for a short trip with one or two long rides, plain tickets, or Supersaver tickets bought early, are often cheapest. Buy the Half Fare Card when one big mountain excursion is on the plan.

4-day trip: add Rigi

Day	Plan	Full fare	Half Fare	With STP
1	Zurich Airport → Lucerne	CHF 31	CHF 15.50	CHF 0
2	Rigi: Lucerne ⇄ Arth-Goldau by train + Rigi Kulm cogwheel return	CHF 111.20	CHF 55.60	CHF 0
3	Lucerne → Interlaken Ost	CHF 34	CHF 17	CHF 0
4	Jungfraujoch from Interlaken, then Interlaken Ost → Zurich Airport	CHF 348.20	CHF 179.10	CHF 189.60
	Total	CHF 524.40

2nd class, one adult traveller. Saver Day Passes priced at CHF 106 (no Half Fare) and CHF 59 (with Half Fare), typical short-notice prices seen on sbb.ch on 2026-10-27.
Option	Total cost	vs cheapest
Swiss Half Fare Card CHF 150 card + CHF 267.20 in half-price tickets	CHF 417.20
Swiss Travel Pass 4 days CHF 309 pass + CHF 189.60 for excursions at the pass price	CHF 498.60	+CHF 81.40
Swiss Travel Pass Flex 3 days CHF 289 pass, 1 day(s) left on full-fare tickets + CHF 189.60 excursions at the pass price	CHF 509.60	+CHF 92.40
Saver Day Passes (no Half Fare) 1 Saver Day Pass(es) at CHF 106, other days on tickets	CHF 519.20	+CHF 102
No pass (full-fare tickets) 4 travel day(s) at full fare	CHF 524.40	+CHF 107.20
Half Fare Card + Saver Day Passes No day where a Saver Day Pass at CHF 59 beats half-price tickets	n/a

The Rigi cogwheel railway is free with the Swiss Travel Pass, which saves you the CHF 42 a Half Fare Card holder pays. That is still not enough, because the 4-day pass costs CHF 309 up front.

8-day trip: Lucerne, Engelberg, Jungfrau region, Zermatt

Day	Plan	Full fare	Half Fare	With STP
1	Zurich Airport → Lucerne	CHF 31	CHF 15.50	CHF 0
2	Rigi day (Lucerne ⇄ Arth-Goldau + Rigi Kulm return)	CHF 111.20	CHF 55.60	CHF 0
3	Lucerne ⇄ Engelberg (train only)	CHF 36.40	CHF 18.20	CHF 0
4	Lucerne → Interlaken Ost	CHF 34	CHF 17	CHF 0
5	Jungfraujoch from Interlaken Ost	CHF 271.20	CHF 140.60	CHF 189.60
6	Interlaken Ost ⇄ Lauterbrunnen	CHF 15.60	CHF 7.80	CHF 0
7	Interlaken Ost → Zermatt	CHF 86	CHF 43	CHF 0
8	Zermatt → Zurich Airport	CHF 134	CHF 67	CHF 0
	Total	CHF 719.40

2nd class, one adult traveller. Saver Day Passes priced at CHF 106 (no Half Fare) and CHF 59 (with Half Fare), typical short-notice prices seen on sbb.ch on 2026-10-27.
Option	Total cost	vs cheapest
Half Fare Card + Saver Day Passes CHF 150 card, 1 Saver Day Pass(es) at CHF 59, other days half price	CHF 506.70
Swiss Half Fare Card CHF 150 card + CHF 364.70 in half-price tickets	CHF 514.70	+CHF 8
Swiss Travel Pass 8 days CHF 439 pass + CHF 189.60 for excursions at the pass price	CHF 628.60	+CHF 121.90
Swiss Travel Pass Flex 8 days CHF 459 pass + CHF 189.60 excursions at the pass price	CHF 648.60	+CHF 141.90
Saver Day Passes (no Half Fare) 2 Saver Day Pass(es) at CHF 106, other days on tickets	CHF 686.20	+CHF 179.50
No pass (full-fare tickets) 8 travel day(s) at full fare	CHF 719.40	+CHF 212.70

Eight days and plenty of travel, yet the Half Fare Card is still more than CHF 100 cheaper than the 8-day pass. With a Half Fare Card, a Saver Day Pass can be worth buying for the long Zermatt to Zurich Airport day, if you find one at the short-notice price we used or lower. Without the card, a Saver Day Pass is only worth it on the longest days.

15-day trip with rest days

Day	Plan	Full fare	Half Fare	With STP
1	Zurich Airport → Lucerne	CHF 31	CHF 15.50	CHF 0
2	Rigi day (Lucerne ⇄ Arth-Goldau + Rigi Kulm return)	CHF 111.20	CHF 55.60	CHF 0
3	Lucerne ⇄ Engelberg (train only)	CHF 36.40	CHF 18.20	CHF 0
5	Lucerne → Interlaken Ost (day 4: no travel)	CHF 34	CHF 17	CHF 0
6	Jungfraujoch from Interlaken Ost	CHF 271.20	CHF 140.60	CHF 189.60
7	Interlaken Ost ⇄ Lauterbrunnen	CHF 15.60	CHF 7.80	CHF 0
8	Interlaken Ost ⇄ Grindelwald	CHF 23.60	CHF 11.80	CHF 0
10	Interlaken Ost → Zermatt (day 9: no travel)	CHF 86	CHF 43	CHF 0
12	Zermatt → Montreux (day 11: walking in Zermatt)	CHF 76	CHF 38	CHF 0
15	Montreux → Zurich Airport (days 13–14: no paid travel)	CHF 88	CHF 44	CHF 0
	Total	CHF 773

2nd class, one adult traveller. Saver Day Passes priced at CHF 106 (no Half Fare) and CHF 59 (with Half Fare), typical short-notice prices seen on sbb.ch on 2026-10-27.
Option	Total cost	vs cheapest
Swiss Half Fare Card CHF 150 card + CHF 391.50 in half-price tickets	CHF 541.50
Swiss Travel Pass Flex 8 days CHF 459 pass, 2 day(s) left on full-fare tickets + CHF 189.60 excursions at the pass price	CHF 687.80	+CHF 146.30
Swiss Travel Pass 15 days CHF 499 pass + CHF 189.60 for excursions at the pass price	CHF 688.60	+CHF 147.10
Saver Day Passes (no Half Fare) 1 Saver Day Pass(es) at CHF 106, other days on tickets	CHF 767.80	+CHF 226.30
No pass (full-fare tickets) 10 travel day(s) at full fare	CHF 773	+CHF 231.50
Half Fare Card + Saver Day Passes No day where a Saver Day Pass at CHF 59 beats half-price tickets	n/a

Over two weeks, most visitors have days without paid travel: hiking, a lake day, or exploring a town on foot. A consecutive pass charges for those days anyway. The Flex pass (8 days, with the two cheapest days paid separately) only matches the 15-day pass, and the Half Fare Card still wins clearly, because one month of validity covers the whole trip for CHF 150.

Break-even: how much would you need to travel?

Ignore excursions for a moment. A pass beats the Half Fare Card when your full-fare train spend during the pass period is more than twice (pass price − CHF 150). It beats plain tickets when your full-fare spend is more than the pass price.

For 1st class, use the 1st-class pass prices in the same formula; the Half Fare Card price does not change.
Pass (adult, 2nd class)	Price	Beats Half Fare Card above (full-fare spend)	That is, per day
Swiss Travel Pass 3 days	CHF 254	CHF 208	CHF 69
Swiss Travel Pass 4 days	CHF 309	CHF 318	CHF 80
Swiss Travel Pass 6 days	CHF 399	CHF 498	CHF 83
Swiss Travel Pass 8 days	CHF 439	CHF 578	CHF 72
Swiss Travel Pass 15 days	CHF 499	CHF 698	CHF 47

For scale: Zurich Airport to Lucerne costs CHF 31 and Zermatt to Zurich Airport CHF 134 at full fare. To reach CHF 70–100 of full-fare travel every day, you need a long transfer or a paid mountain trip almost daily.

Excursions move the line. Each Jungfraujoch trip favours the Half Fare Card by CHF 49, because the card pays half the whole way while the pass gets only about 25% off the mountain section. Each Rigi, Stanserhorn or Stoos trip favours the pass, because they are free with it.

Under 25? The picture changes

The Swiss Travel Pass Youth costs 30% less, while the Half Fare Card costs the same CHF 150. On the 4-day trip above, the Youth pass edges ahead:

4-day trip, Youth prices. 2nd class, one youth traveller. Saver Day Passes priced at CHF 106 (no Half Fare) and CHF 59 (with Half Fare), typical short-notice prices seen on sbb.ch on 2026-10-27.
Option	Total cost	vs cheapest
Swiss Travel Pass 4 days CHF 218 pass + CHF 189.60 for excursions at the pass price	CHF 407.60
Swiss Half Fare Card CHF 150 card + CHF 267.20 in half-price tickets	CHF 417.20	+CHF 9.60
Swiss Travel Pass Flex 3 days CHF 204 pass, 1 day(s) left on full-fare tickets + CHF 189.60 excursions at the pass price	CHF 424.60	+CHF 17
Saver Day Passes (no Half Fare) 1 Saver Day Pass(es) at CHF 106, other days on tickets	CHF 519.20	+CHF 111.60
No pass (full-fare tickets) 4 travel day(s) at full fare	CHF 524.40	+CHF 116.80
Half Fare Card + Saver Day Passes No day where a Saver Day Pass at CHF 59 beats half-price tickets	n/a

When the Swiss Travel Pass is still the right choice

You plan long transfers on most days, for example a "see everything" loop from Geneva to St. Moritz to Lugano.
You are under 25 (Youth price).
You want zero ticket-buying: hop on any train, bus, boat or city tram without thinking about it.
You will use the free museum entry a lot, or ride Rigi, Stanserhorn and Stoos.

Otherwise, start from the Half Fare Card, then check whether any single heavy day justifies a Saver Day Pass. Our calculator does that check for you, and Swiss Travel Pass vs Flex covers trips with rest days.

Sources

Every price and rule above was checked against these official pages on 2026-10-27. If something has changed, the operator's page is right and we are wrong. Please tell us.