Railways
Most of the rail infrastructure is maintained and operated by the state-owned SBB (in French: CFF; in Italian: FFS). Every medium-size town has a SBB railway station. Apart from the SBB, there are several private train operators (SBB ticket is also valid).
Buses / Tramways
Most communities offer some bus connections. A major state-owned provider of interurban bus transportation is the "Postauto". The cities of Zurich, Basel, Geneva and Berne have their own tramway system.
Ships / Navigation
There are fleets on all big Swiss lakes. Most of the fleets are used for tourism. Many smaller lakes also have boats for the public.
Tickets / Railpasses
Tickets are usually expensive. Depending on your needs, you might want to buy one of the following passes (they are all issued by the SBB; you can get them at most railway stations):
- The Half-Fare Card
With this card, you only pay half-price on most of the public transportation systems. If you are staying in Switzerland for several months and plan to travel longer distances by train from time to time, we highly recommend to buy this card - it pays off very quickly (you have to buy it for a full year). - Day Pass
The Day Pass (add-on to the Half-Fare Card) provides you with unlimited travel for one day on railway, boat and postbus lines, as well as on tram and bus networks in most Swiss cities and agglomerations. - Track 7
This card (add-on to the Half-Fare Card) allows you to travel for free after 7 pm. You can only buy this pass if you are between 15 and 25 (you have to buy it for a full year). With this pass you can travel very inexpensively, if you time your trips accordingly. - General Abonnement (GA / AG)
With this card you can use Switzerlands' whole public transportation network (including lake boats, private railways etc.) for free, with a few minor exceptions. You have to buy it for a time period of at least four months.
Many communities offer a limited amount of One-Day-GAs for the prize of about CHF 40.00. The ticket is valid for one day and you can travel on Switzerland's whole public transportation network. Check www.tageskarte-gemeinde.ch to see online where and how many tickets are available. - Other Offers
There are a lot more offers – check out the SBB website to find out about them
(Source: ESN Booklet 2009)
