Switzerland by train with kids: Half Fare Card, Swiss Family Card and the van at the campsite

Switzerland is a country where you can get almost anywhere by train, even to the top of a mountain. In summer 2024 we left our campervan at the campsite for four days and travelled around the country by train, mountain railway, bus and boat. The trains turned out to be fast, quiet and comfortable, and the SBB app, where you buy your tickets, is simply brilliant. Below we describe how we organised it and how much it cost, and which rail cards pay off for a family with kids in 2026.

The car at the campsite, us on the train

We came to Switzerland by campervan over the Furka Pass. First we stayed at the TCS campsite in Interlaken, about 500 m from Interlaken Ost station. Then we moved to the TCS campsite in Horw near Lucerne, where a bus runs into town. On most of those days the car stayed at the campsite, and in the morning we walked to the train or the bus. We only drove to Stanserhorn, because it was on our way from Interlaken to Lucerne.

This way of travelling has only upsides. You do not have to look for parking below the mountain railways, and you do not have to drive a big vehicle on winding mountain roads. The kids can look out of the train window, and the adults get to rest with them.

What we bought: Half Fare Card and Swiss Family Card

We bought two Swiss Half Fare Cards, one for each parent. In 2024 one card for a month cost 120 CHF. The card gives you 50% off trains, buses and boats, and also off most mountain railways.

We added three free Swiss Family Cards for our daughters aged 6-15 to our cards. With them the kids travelled with us for free. Our youngest daughter did not need any card, because children under 6 travel in Switzerland without a ticket.

With the Half Fare Card you do not travel for free. You still have to buy tickets, but at half price. A few examples of our tickets from August 2024:

• From Interlaken Ost to Grindelwald Terminal we paid 5.50 CHF for an adult ticket.
• From Interlaken Ost to Brienz we paid 4.30 CHF for an adult ticket.
• For the return trip on the cog railway up Brienzer Rothorn, with a guaranteed seat, the whole family paid 174 CHF.
• For the one-way trip on the cog railway up Pilatus we paid 39 CHF per adult, and the kids with the family card travelled for free.

When the cards paid for themselves

In 2024 we paid 240 CHF for two Half Fare Cards. We worked out what all the paid trips from those four days would have cost us without the cards and with them. On each trip there were three groups: two adults, three kids aged 6-15 and our youngest daughter, who was under 6 and travelled without a ticket. Without the cards, the adults would have paid full price and the kids aged 6-15 the child fare, because without a parent card they could not get the Family Card. With the cards, the adults paid half and the kids travelled for free. The exception was the Brienz Rothorn railway: here the kids paid the same with or without the card, and everyone, including our youngest daughter, paid 8 CHF extra for a guaranteed seat.

The cards paid for themselves on the second day, on the Brienz Rothorn railway. By the end of the four days we had saved 505 CHF in total, more than twice what the cards cost. The buses in and around Lucerne are not in the table, because we used them for free with the Lucerne Visitor Card we got at the campsite. With the same card we also took the train from Horw to Alpnachstad, to the Pilatus railway, for free. In 2026 two cards cost 300 CHF, but with the same plan and the prices in the table they would still pay for themselves on the Brienz Rothorn railway.

Where we went by train

In four days we saw four mountains:

• we took the train to Grindelwald, and from there the gondola up to Männlichen and the trail to Kleine Scheidegg, and from Kleine Scheidegg we took the train via Allmend and Lauterbrunnen back to Interlaken,
• from Brienz we rode the historic cog railway up Brienzer Rothorn, and went back to Interlaken by boat across Lake Brienz, with the landing right next to our campsite,
• from Stans, where we drove by car, we rode the open-top cable car up Stanserhorn,
• from Alpnachstad we rode the steepest cog railway in the world up Pilatus, and went down by gondola to Kriens.

Which rail cards pay off for a family in 2026

Swiss Half Fare Card

• From 1 January 2026 the card for a month costs 150 CHF. In 2025 it still cost 120 CHF.
• The card gives up to 50% off trains, buses, boats, public transport in more than 90 cities and most mountain railways.
• It can be bought by people who do not live in Switzerland or Liechtenstein. You buy it on the SBB website or in the app.

This card pays off most when you come by car and only take trains on some days, like we did.

Swiss Family Card

• The card is free. Children aged 6-15 travel with it for free on trains, buses and boats, if they travel with a parent who has a Half Fare Card or a Swiss Travel Pass and a valid ticket.
• You do not order the card separately. The kids are added when you buy the parent's card.
• The card only works with a parent. When kids travel with their grandparents, for example, they need their own tickets.
• Children under 6 travel for free without any card.

Swiss Travel Pass

The Swiss Travel Pass is a ticket that gives you unlimited travel on trains, buses and boats on the days you choose. In 2026 in 2nd class it costs 254 CHF for 3 days, 309 CHF for 4 days, 399 CHF for 6 days, 439 CHF for 8 days and 499 CHF for 15 days. With this ticket you ride up Rigi, Stanserhorn and Stoos for free, and many other mountain railways with 50% off. Entry to more than 500 museums is included too. Kids with the Swiss Family Card travel for free with a parent.

The Swiss Travel Pass pays off when you come to Switzerland by train or cover long distances every day. If, like us, you have a car and take trains locally, the Half Fare Card will usually be cheaper.

Day tickets and the SBB app

• You can buy any ticket in the SBB Mobile app, and the EasyRide feature works out the cheapest price for all your journeys of the day by itself.
• Supersaver tickets are cheaper, but only valid on the connection you choose. You can buy them up to one hour before departure.
• The Saver Day Pass, a ticket for a whole day across all of Switzerland, costs from 52 CHF for an adult and 19 CHF for a child aged 6-15 in 2026. There is a limited number of these tickets, so it is worth buying them early.

Mountain railway prices in 2026

• The Brienz Rothorn Bahn return trip costs 98 CHF, or 49 CHF with the Half Fare Card. A child aged 6-15 pays 10 CHF.
• The Pilatus railway from Alpnachstad return trip costs 84 CHF, or 42 CHF with the Half Fare Card.
• The gondola from Grindelwald to Männlichen return trip costs 68 CHF, or about 34 CHF with the Half Fare Card.
• The CabriO cable car up Stanserhorn return trip costs 82 CHF, or 41.50 CHF with the Half Fare Card. With the Swiss Travel Pass the ride is free.

The rules for kids on mountain railways differ from one operator to another, so before your trip it is worth checking the prices on the website of the specific railway.

By train with kids in Switzerland: practical tips

• Double-decker InterCity trains, for example on the Basel - Bern - Interlaken Ost route, have a family coach with a playground upstairs. You can book seats in it for 5 CHF per person.
• Swiss trains are very punctual. In 2025, 94.1% of them arrived less than 3 minutes late.
• A pushchair travels for free.
• At the campsite in Horw we got the Lucerne Visitor Card. With it, buses and trains in Lucerne zone 10 are free, and there is free Wi-Fi in the city.
• For a bike you need to buy a separate day ticket, which costs 15 CHF in 2026.

We write more about what is worth seeing in Switzerland with kids in our guide Switzerland with kids.

We checked the prices in November 2026.