Swiss Travel Pass Coverage Explained
The Swiss Travel Pass is your all-in-one ticket for Switzerland, covering pretty much the entire country. If you're wondering exactly what that includes, the quick answer is: unlimited travel on the Swiss Travel System, plus free entry to 500+ museums and free or discounted access to the country's best-known mountain excursions.
The one thing that can sometimes trip people up is mountain railways and cable cars. Some are fully included, some are discounted and a few aren't covered at all.
The general rule of thumb is: if it's public transport, it's included. If it's a mountain railway or cable car, it's usually discounted.
Book your Swiss Travel Pass here
What Is the Swiss Travel System?
The Swiss Travel System is the official name for Switzerland's integrated public transport network. Spanning 29,000 kilometres and connecting national rail, regional trains, PostBus routes, scheduled lake boats as well as local buses and trams in 90+ towns and cities, the network covers every corner of the country and is famed for its efficiency and reliability. This is essentially the network of the Swiss Travel Pass (as well as the Swiss Travel Pass Flex, Half-Fare Card and Family Card).
Mountain Railways and Cable Cars
Mountain railways and cableways are privately run companies, not part of the public network, so coverage varies by operator. Typically you can expect to receive a 50% discount with your Swiss Travel Pass, but very occasionally this can go down to 25%, and sometimes there may be no discount at all if the operator has no agreement with the Swiss Travel System. This is rare though, and the fact that a few of Switzerland's most impressive mountain excursions are completely covered should make up for it!
Fully included, no extra cost:
Mount Rigi - Your choice of cogwheel railway and cable car to enjoy sweeping views over Lake Lucerne
Stanserhorn - A historic funicular combined with the world's first open-top CabriO cable car takes you to the summit
Stoos - The world's steepest funicular takes you to an isolated alpine village with fantastic ridge walks and incredible views
Included at a discount:
Gornergrat - 50%
Matterhorn Glacier Paradise - 50%
Oeschinensee - 50%
Titlis - 50%
Pilatus - 50%
Schilthorn - 50%
Glacier 3000 - 50%
Harder Kulm - 50%
Grindelwald First - 50%
Schynige Platte - 50%
Jungfraujoch - 25%
If you have any questions at all about whether a particular activity or excursion is included or how much it's discounted, just give us a message in the web chat and we'll be happy to advise!
Premium Panoramic Routes
Premium panoramic routes like the Glacier Express, Gotthard Panorama Express and Bernina Express are entriely covered by the pass, but they require a compulsory seat reservation. Seat reservations for the GoldenPass Express and Luzern-Interlaken Express, whilst optional, are highly recommended. Fortunately when you book with SwissPasses, we'll handle any reservations for you.
Book your premium panoramic Swiss train here
Museums
Enjoy free entry to over 500 museums throughout Switzerland, including the Swiss National Museum and FIFA Museum, both in Zürich, the Olympic Museum in Lausanne and the Château de Chillon in Montreux. You can check the full list of participating museums on the official Swiss Museum Pass website here.
Swiss Travel Pass Flex: Same Coverage, More Flexibility
The Swiss Travel Pass is available for 3, 4, 6, 8 or 15 consecutive days. If you'd like a bit more flexibility though, you can opt for the Swiss Travel Pass Flex which covers exactly the same as the standard pass - trains, buses, boats, city transport, museums, and mountain excursions - but instead of a fixed block of consecutive days, you choose your number of travel days to use within one month.
- Same coverage as the standard Swiss Travel Pass
- Ideal if your trip mixes travel days with days spent in one place (city stays, hiking, skiing)
- Lets you skip paying for days you won't actually be travelling
- Stay longer and explore more
Book your Swiss Travel Pass Flex here
Which Pass Is Right for You?
- Multiple destinations, frequent travel, consecutive days → Swiss Travel Pass
- Travel days spread out over a longer trip → Swiss Travel Pass Flex
- Fewer journeys, mostly buying individual tickets → Swiss Half Fare Card
- Mostly staying in one region → a regional pass may work out cheaper
For a full breakdown on exactly which pass is right for you, check out our guide here.
Whatever your plans, the Swiss Travel Pass covers almost everything you'll need to get around - trains, boats, city transport, museums and nearly all of the big mountain excursions in one ticket.
Ready to buy? Book your Swiss Travel Pass and secure your ticket to unlock Switzerland.
