Free Switzerland travel pass calculator
Trying to find the best Switzerland travel pass for your upcoming adventure? I visit annually so I’ve been in your situation many times, and I’ve got the spreadsheets to prove it 🤓
For yeeears I’ve been obsessively calculating pass options for every single Switzerland itinerary on this blog so my readers (that’s you!) can see which pass offers the best value for money. But to say it’s complicated would be a serious understatement 🙃
Every route has different pricing, mountains have different seasonal rates and cut-offs, and all the info you need is buried across 25 different websites. Pass coverage and fares can change each year too, so old blog posts and even AI can give you outdated recommendations that’ll waste your precious travel budget.
After one too many times being asked “I’m going to Grindelwald for five days and Lucerne for two days, what pass is best for me?”, I channelled my energy (okay, hyperfixation) into building an interactive Switzerland travel pass calculator that does all the hard work for you. It shows you the best pass options for your actual itinerary, either using your exact dates or just a season if you’re still in the planning stages, with up-to-date 2026 pricing (and I’ll update it with 2027 as soon as those timetables are confirmed).
Too easy! Let me show you how it works.
💰 P.S. Want to save some money on your Switzerland trip? I’ve got a 10% off promocode for Klook that works on loads of Switzerland experiences and travel passes, including the Swiss Half Fare Card, mountain day trips, paragliding and more! Use the code FINDINGALEXXKLOOK at checkout to lock in your savings 🥰
Compare Switzerland travel passes for your trip
This calculator has been loaded with 2026 pricing (and seasonal differences) for 40+ train routes between Switzerland’s most popular destinations, more than 20 mountain excursions and day trips (Jungfraujoch, Pilatus, Rigi, Harder Kulm, Grindelwald-First and more), and the famous panoramic trains like the Glacier Express and Bernina Express.
Once you’ve plugged in your itinerary, it’ll calculate the total cost of full-fare tickets and compare that against all the major Switzerland travel passes for tourists, including the Swiss Travel Pass, Swiss Travel Pass Flex, Half Fare Card, Jungfrau Travel Pass, Berner Oberland Pass and the Lucerne Travel Pass (formerly Tell Pass).
Did it take me weeks to collate all the data? Yes. Did I do a little happy dance when I filled in the final spreadsheet cell? Also yes.
How to use this Switzerland travel pass calculator
If you know your travel dates already, use the Exact Dates tab for the most accurate results and seasonal pricing for mountain excursions:
1️⃣ Search for a train route or excursion, select it from the dropdown and choose the specific date you’ll take that journey
2️⃣ Hit ‘+ Add‘ and repeat for all your planned journeys (up to 7 days)
3️⃣ Click ‘Calculate Best Pass‘
4️⃣ You’ll get the top three pass options ranked by total cost, plus what the full fare tickets would add up to, so you can see how much you’d save. It’s basically magic 🪄
Still in the early planning stages? No stress, the Quick Estimate tab lets you compare passes without needing specific dates:
1️⃣ Choose your season (summer or winter) and how many days you’ll be in Switzerland
2️⃣ For each day, search the train routes or mountain excursions you’re planning and hit ‘Add‘ to add them to that day
3️⃣ Hit ‘Calculate Best Pass’ and see which pass saves you the most money!
❓Can’t find your route in the dropdown? Select ‘Other‘ to add any train or excursion manually.
Which passes does the calculator compare?
The calculator compares your itinerary against all major Switzerland travel passes for tourists.
Here’s a quick overview of each one (and I’ve got detailed guides for most of them with pros, cons and example itineraries if you want to go deeper).
- Swiss Travel Pass (STP): Unlimited travel on trains, buses and boats for 3, 4, 6, 8 or 15 consecutive days, plus 25-50% off most mountain excursions and free entry to 500+ museums. The most convenient option for sure but the priciest upfront.
Buy it here 🎟️ - Swiss Travel Pass Flex: Same benefits as the standard Swiss Travel Pass but you choose which days to activate it in a one month window, so you don’t need to waste a pass day if you’ve got rest days or city days without any big transport costs.
Buy it here 🎟️ - Swiss Half Fare Card (HFC): 50% off all trains, buses, boats and most mountain excursions for one whole month for just 150CHF. You still have to buy individual tickets for each trip but at half price. This one comes out on top more than you might expect!
Buy it here 🎟️ - Jungfrau Travel Pass (JTP): Covers public transport and most mountain excursions in the Jungfrau region (Interlaken, Lauterbrunnen, Grindelwald & more) for 3-8 consecutive days. Doesn’t fully cover Jungfraujoch but gives you a hefty discount, better than any other pass. Can be combined with the Half Fare Card for a reduced rate, which is often the sweet spot for Jungfrau-heavy itineraries.
Buy it here 🎟️ - Berner Oberland Pass (BOP): Focuses on the same region as the JTP but with wider validity that covers some routes to/from Interlaken and day trips further afield, with 3, 4, 6, 8 or 10 consecutive day options and also can be combined with the HFC. Higher discount on Schilthorn, lower on Jungfrau and some others, but it has youth pricing for 16-25 years olds which can flip the results.
Buy it here 🎟️ - Lucerne Travel Pass (LTP, formerly Tell Pass): Covers the Lake Lucerne region in Central Switzerland, including popular mountains like Rigi, Pilatus, Titlis and Stanserhorn. Available for 3, 4, 5 or 10 consecutive days with no HFC or youth discounts.
Buy it here 🎟️
A few things to keep in mind
- All prices are for 2026, second class, adult tickets. Most prices are valid until the very end of the year, I’ll update the calculator with 2027 pricing as soon as it’s confirmed.
- Travelling in May or October? The Quick Estimate uses standard summer pricing for travel from May to October, but some mountains have their seasonal price change at different times of those months. If you’re travelling during these shoulder months, use the Exact Dates tab for the most accurate results.
- Panoramic train seat reservations (like the Glacier Express’s 54CHF reservation fee) are shown separately in the results, because you’ll have to pay them in full regardless of which pass you have.
- Saver Day Passes and Supersaver tickets aren’t included because those prices are totally dynamic and based on demand at the time of purchase. I’m building a way to add these to the comparison in the full calculator though (it’ll be a bit manual but certainly not as bad as having to do a whole spreadsheet from scratch), join the waitlist to get free access when it’s ready.
Switzerland travel pass calculator frequently asked questions
How do I compare Switzerland travel passes?
Use the free calculator I built at the top of this page. Add your planned train routes and mountain excursions, and it’ll compare all the major passes and rank them by total cost so you can see exactly which one saves you the most money.
Which Swiss travel pass is the best value?
The Swiss Half Fare Card (150CHF) is the best value for *most* itineraries, giving you 50% off trains, buses, boats and mountain excursions for a full month. But for trips packed with panoramic trains, the Swiss Travel Pass can come out ahead, and for regionally-focused adventures a regional pass might be best. It depends on your routes so you need to calculate it to be sure!
Can you combine Switzerland travel passes?
Yes, and it often saves more money than any single pass alone. The most common combo is the Half Fare Card with a regional pass like the Jungfrau Travel Pass, because the HFC gives you a reduced rate on the regional pass plus 50% off everything outside its coverage area.
Does this calculator include mountain excursions?
Yes, the calculator includes pricing for more than 20 popular mountain excursions including Jungfraujoch, Pilatus, Rigi, Titlis, Harder Kulm and Grindelwald-First, with seasonal pricing differences factored in when you use the Exact Dates tab.
Is there a free Swiss travel pass calculator?
Yes! The calculator on this page is completely free and compares your itinerary against the Swiss Travel Pass, Half Fare Card, Jungfrau Travel Pass, Berner Oberland Pass and Lucerne Travel Pass using up-to-date 2026 pricing.
Can I use the calculator for trips longer than 7 days?
This Switzerland travel pass calculator supports trips up to 7 days. For longer trips, I’m building a full version with no day limit, all pass options ranked and a detailed route-by-route cost breakdown. It will be totally free too, so you can join the waitlist here to be first to know when it’s live.
Does the calculator include prices for travellers under 25?
The calculator on this page uses adult pricing only, but the full version I’m working on will include youth pricing for travellers aged 16-25. Some travel passes offer significant youth discounts which can change the results big time!
Ready to figure out the best pass for your Switzerland trip?
Scroll back up, add your routes and let the calculator do its thing!
Or if you’re planning a longer trip, under 25 years old or want a full route-by-route breakdown, join the waitlist for the full calculator (it’s free) and get access to these features:
- Trips up to 15 days
- Youth pricing for 16-25 year olds
- All pass options (instead of just top three) with a breakdown of each journey so you can see how it all adds up
If you have any questions about the calculator then let me know in the comments and I’ll get back to you 🥰