Your itinerary
Days on which you'll take ≥1 train, bus or boat.
Reservation fees apply on top of the regular fare.
What this solves
The SBB ticket menu looks like this: full-fare ticket, Half Fare Card, GA Travel, Saver Day pass, Supersaver, day passes, regional cards, group tickets, city tickets and family cards. Brochures list all ten; travellers have time to understand maybe three.
The advisor compresses this into the four realistic options for a short-trip visitor: (a) just buy tickets, (b) Half Fare Card, (c) Saver Day pass, (d) GA Travel. For each it shows your total estimated cost for the trip you described, the break-even threshold, and the residual risk — e.g. when GA loses because most of your trips are covered by free cable cars anyway.
How to read the results
- Estimated total cost — best-case scenario for each option, including any required pass cost amortised over your days.
- Break-even — the trip count at which this option beats the alternative. If your real itinerary falls under the line, don't buy it.
- Verdict — our plain-English pick, plus the case where this option loses (so you don't have to guess).
- 2026 pass prices — Half Fare CHF 120, GA Travel CHF 3,995 (1st class add-on ≈ CHF 1,200 more). Saver Day ≈ CHF 52–88 depending on area.
What this calculator ignores
- It uses your stated average distance — actual fares depend on the exact origin / destination. Plug a real SBB journey into sbb.ch to verify.
- Supersaver quotas vary by date and route. If you can plan ahead, real Supersaver discounts often beat the figures shown here.
- Mountain cable cars and many scenic trains require a separate ticket — the Half Fare / GA discount applies but the surcharge reservation fee (CHF 20–49 per scenic train seat) does not.
- Children under 16 travel free with a Family GA; families should check separately.
- Cities like Zurich, Bern and Lucerne sell 24-hour city tickets that can beat the Saver Day pass for purely urban itineraries.
Common questions
Is the GA Travel ever worth it for a tourist?
Almost never for a single trip. At CHF 3,995 you need ≥ 12 expensive long-distance trips to break even — that's an intense two-week schedule with daily mountain excursions. For most visitors, Half Fare + Saver Days is the better deal.
Does the Half Fare Card give me 50% off everything?
No. It gives 50% off most SBB fares, many PostAuto buses, and many (not all) mountain cable cars. Some private scenic railways only give 30%, and city tickets usually do not discount. The calculator uses a blended 50% discount — verify on the specific operator's site.
Can I stack Half Fare + Supersaver?
Yes. With Half Fare, the Supersaver quota is calculated on the already-reduced price — so you can land trips at 65–80% off the full fare. But Supersaver tickets are tied to a specific train and are non-exchangeable, so this only works for locked-in plans.