A (probably) stupid question about Swiss Rail fares/Eurail...
Mon, 06/30/2008 - 21:49
Eurotripper
I was trying to check on the price of a certain route (Interlaken Ost to Basel) to see if it was worth using a day of my Eurail pass, or just waiting till later in the evening to combine it with the night train I’ll be taking that night (just weighing all my options.)
Anyway, I was just wondering what it means when the site says:
2nd Class, One-way 55.00
2nd Class, One-way 1/2 27.50
What does the “1/2” mean?
If the trip will only cost me 25 bucks, I’ll just buy the ticket outright and get to Basel early in the day; if it costs 50+, I’ll probably just wait till after 19:00 and use my Eurail pass.
You only get the half-fare if you have purchased a 99 CHF half-fare card that’s good for 1 month — if I understand it correctly.
Ah okay, that makes sense I guess.
Now that I think of it… are ALL journeys after 7pm counted for the next day of your pass, or JUST night journeys?
I have never seen this exact question before, but I believe the “7:00 PM rule” applies to any direct train (no connections before midnight) that leaves after 7:00 PM and arrives after midnight. Since overnight trains are just about the only arrivals and departures from major cities after midnight, there aren’t many situations where it would work other than an overnight train.
I’m not sure the 7:00 PM rule is going to help in your situation as you mark arrival day on your railpass. Since you’ll already be taking a different train on on departure day, you’ll end up using 2 days of your railpass, anyway. Right?????
Damn, yeah, that makes sense. I was just hoping I wouldn’t have to use an extra day of my pass just getting to the city my night train leaves from. And just buying the ticket outright is like 50 bucks. Ouch
I can’t see any other options that are cheaper for the train. The Swiss postal bus system is supposed to be great, too, but I didn’t find anything that helped you.
http://www.post.ch/e…
This link is the international buses with service in Switzerland.
http://www.busstatio…
This won’t help you, but for others:
You can buy a 1/2 fare card that’s good for one day. That can save you money if it’s a long/expensive trip or you want to travel 1st class. I think it’s 59 Swiss Francs.