We have collated answers to the most important questions on group journeys, group tickets and seat reservations in Switzerland and Europe for you.
Switzerland.
In Switzerland, 10 or more people can travel as a group. Groups benefit from discounted fares. To calculate the price, we take certain travelcards and the age of the people travelling into account. Group journeys must be booked in advance. For the journey, you will need a group ticket. It includes a free seat reservation.
We offer single and return group tickets for 1st and 2nd class.
A group ticket lets you benefit from 30% discount.
Passengers with the following tickets are counted as part of the group and benefit from group discount:
Adults without discount (30% discount on the full fare).
Adults with Half Fare Travelcards (30% discount on the half-fare price).
Passengers with GA (travel for free).
Passengers with Regional, Point-to-Point or Modular Travelcards (the entire route must be included; they then travel for free) (counts as a GA Travelcard).
Children and young persons aged at least 6 and under 25 (30% discount on the half-fare price).
Children under 6 (travel for free).
Dogs (30% discount on the half fare price).
Passengers with the following tickets are not counted as part of the group (they travel with the group for free, but their details have to be entered for the obligatory seat reservation):
Adults, children and dogs with a day pass (including Leisure Travelcard).
Young people with a seven25 Travelcard (for journeys after 7pm).
Accompanied children with Junior Travelcard or Children's Co-Travelcard.
Companions of passengers with a Disabled Passenger’s ID card.
The easiest and most convenient way to calculate and/or book your group journey is online from the comfort of your home – avoid having to rush or queue.
Ideally you should name one person as group leader for your group journey. This person books the journey and group tickets required (including the reservation). So that we can calculate the price correctly, we need to know the age of the passengers you are travelling with and how many hold a GA or a Half Fare Travelcard. If travellers in the group hold a Modular or Point-to-Point Travelcard covering the whole route, enter these people under ‘GA Travelcard’.
If you wish to buy group tickets (including the reservation) online, you / the group leader will need a SwissPass login.
You can also reserve group journeys and buy group tickets at staffed public transport points of sale or by calling the SBB Contact Center on 0848 44 66 88 (CHF 0.08/min.).
Yes, you can calculate an indicative price. Here is our step-by-step guide for SBB.ch:
Enter your chosen route on SBB.ch and click on ‘search for connection’.
You will be shown the connections. Choose one and click on it.
Then click on the button ‘Tickets from CHF xx.xx’.
If you are not registered, select ‘Purchase as a guest’.
On the screen ‘Passengers’, enter a fictional name with the date of birth 01.01.1980 to see the price for adults.
Select the discount card: no discount (= full price) or Half Fare Travelcard (choose also for children and young people under 25) and then click on ‘Accept’.
Now the price is shown for the discount chosen.
Pay attention to the class of travel (you can choose 1st or 2nd class) and change it if necessary. The 2nd class price is given by default.
Note the price with and without discount.
PLEASE NOTE: do not choose supersaver tickets or Day Passes if available – choose only normal fares!
To get an indicative group price per person, multiply the half-fare price and/or the full price by 0.7 (× 0.7 = 30% discount) and round up to the next 20 cents (example: normal fare with Half Fare Travelcard: 29.50; indicative group price: 29.50 × 0.7 = 20.65; rounded up to the next 20 cents = 20.80).
Important: to be able to travel at the discounted group fare, at least 10 people must travel together. Passengers with a GA Travelcard count as part of the group, but pay nothing.
No liability is taken for the accuracy of the information, rounding differences may occur.
An example calculation.
Your group travels from Zürich HB to Fribourg in 2nd class.
Passenger
Price per person in CHF
Indicative group fare per person (= 30% discount; (× 0.7), roud up included, in CHF
Adult with Half Fare Travelcard
29.50
20.80
Adult without discount
(= full price)
59.–
41.40
Children and young people under 25 (= price for adults with a Half Fare Travelcard)
29.50
20.80
People with GA Travelcard (travel for free)
0.–
0.–
Please note: school classes and Jugend+Sport groups have the option of buying a Day Pass for Schools for max. CHF 15 per day.
If you buy group tickets at a staffed public transport point of sale, by telephone from the SBB Contact Center or online, we ask you to register your journey at least two working days before the start of travel. (E.g. if you travel on Sunday, the request must reach us by Wednesday evening at the latest).
You cannot book in writing or reserve by contact form, e-mail or letter.
Group tickets for single journeys are valid for 10 days. Group tickets for return journeys are valid for 1 month. When you buy tickets online, the validity date is fixed when you make the purchase.
No. Self-service loading of bicycles is not available for groups. Find out about the other options available to you.
Yes. Seat reservations are included in the price of the tickets and will be made where possible. When buying online, the reservation will be made automatically.
Online reservations can only be made when you buy a group ticket at the same time.
No, there is not always a label on the train. For group journeys on Regio-Express, regional and S-Bahn trains, the seating the group needs is provided but no physical reservation label is provided on the train. On long-distance trains travelling before 6 am and after 8 pm, reservation labels are also not provided.
Yes, you have to tell us when ordering your group journey so that a suitable coach can be reserved for you. At the same time, notify the SBB Contact Center Handicap about your journey. Groups that include more than one wheelchair user can only be carried subject to certain conditions. The double-deck trains operated by Long-Distance Services allow groups to travel together (maximum ten people in wheelchairs). On board all other trains, groups may only be able to travel in different compartments or split across several trains, depending on the size of the group.
You can change the number of passengers up to 30 minutes before starting your journey free of charge at a staffed public transport point of sale.
If you make a change later, we will charge an excess of CHF 10 for each refund request made if the group becomes smaller.
If a change is made, you should always ask train staff to confirm how many passenger actually make the journey in each direction. Do the same if you use additional services from third parties at your destination.
If necessary, apply for a refund after your journey.
If your group journey cannot take place as planned, let us know that you wish to amend or cancel your journey no later than 11am the day before travel. Please observe the special provisions for partner offers, including RailAway. Unfortunately, if you inform us later than this, we cannot guarantee that we will be able to make the changes.
Please note, that a fee of CHF 10 is charged for cancellation of unused group tickets.
These provisions apply to group tickets for travel within Switzerland. Special provisions apply to group journeys to other European countries.
We provide the following luggage offers for group journeys in Switzerland:
Tickets for international group journeys can be purchased from a staffed public transport points of sale or by calling the SBB Contact Center on 0848 44 66 88 (CHF 0.08/min.).
It’s best to book an international group journey as early as possible, no later than 30 days before departure (depending on the destination).
The minimum number of participants for group travel varies depending on the country in question. However, in most cases, there is a group discount for groups of 6 or more people.
We need your complete itinerary, including dates and departure times, as well as a full list of all participants, i.e. full names, dates of birth and any travelcards they may have for reduced fares (for both Switzerland and abroad).
How to calculate group ticket price outside advance booking period?
Hi, I'm trying to calculate ticket prices for a group of 18 (7 over 16 yrs and 11 under 16 yrs). We will be traveling in July. When I follow the instructions to check price I keep getting a message stating "Your selected date of travel is not within the advanced booking period". Can anyone help? I need to do a costings for our trip. Thanks.
Hello @Fduff77Link opens in new window. Tickets are only available for purchase 60 days prior to travel. For a simulation you must choose a date which is within 60 days from now.Best regards, Roland
Hello @dahankomLink opens in new window. Thank you for your enquiry. On Swiss rail services, you are considered a group if you are travelling with more than 10 people. You have the option of a group ticket, which is discounted. Alternatively, you can buy tickets individually and make a reservation by phone at the Contact Centre or at the ticket counter. Group reservations are free of charge. For more information, click here or call the Contact Center on 0848 44 66 88 (0.08/min). Have a nice day. Greetings ZoeS
Hi,I am travelling with a group of 60 students and we are using the train to go from: Zurich Flughafen to Zurich, from Zurich HB to Konstanz and back from Konstanz (Germany) to Zurich Flughafen, within 5 days. I was wondering if we can use the day pass to travel to Konstanz and if we can use it for Zurich public transport. Thank you!!