The Swiss public transportation makes it easy to travel with bikes, with affordable bike tickets and special storage areas on trains for bikes. Below is summary of how to ride Swiss train with bikes and tips based on our experience. Please also refer to the SBB website for current rules, prices, and restrictions.
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Train tickets for bikes
You’ll need two train tickets: one for you and one for your bike.
Short distance: If you are traveling a short distance with your bike, buy a half-fare ticket for the bike in addition to your own ticket. If the bike ticket costs more that CHF 14, buy a bike day pass instead.
When buying bike tickets on the SBB mobile app, add a second traveler named “Velo” or “Bike” and buy a ticket for that. I was checked on a train and they accepted that ticket for my bike.
Day pass: If you are traveling more than a few stops, it is more affordable to buy a day pass for your bike. In 2022, the bike day pass costs CHF 14 and includes all of Switzerland for 24 hours (available at ticket machine and on the SBB mobile app). Buy your bike day pass here.
Multi-day pass: You can buy a 6-pack of bike day passes for CHF 84. This is the same price as buying day passes individually. It’s just more convenient. You can use them on non-consecutive days and for multiple people on the same pass.
Year pass: You can buy an annual pass for your bike. In 2022, this pass costs CHF 240. It is loaded onto your Swiss Pass card and is therefore linked to a specific person. Learn more about the annual bike pass.
Traveling with children’s bikes
If you have a SBB Junior travelcard for your child aged 6+, both the child and their bike travel free of charge when traveling with an adult with a valid bicycle ticket. Hooray!!! For children under 6, the child and their bike travel free of charge. Bike trailers travel free of charge if the adult has a valid bike ticket.
How to buy bike tickets
How to buy bike tickets on SBB Mobile app
To buy a bike day pass:
- Open the SBB mobile app.
- Swipe left on the top section and click the “Day Passes Switzerland” option.
- Scroll down and select the Day Bike Pass option and click the Purchase button.
To buy a short distance bike ticket
- Open the SBB mobile app.
- Click the Timetable option and search for the journey you want to take.
- Click the desired journey and click the “Tickets from…” button.
- On the next screen, click the Edit Passengers option at the top.
- On the next screen, you will see yourself as the selected passenger. You will now add a new passenger for your bike. Tap “Enter Passenger Information.”
- For First Name, enter “Bike.” For Last Name, enter “Ticket.” For Date of Birth, enter the same value as your birth. Select the “Half-fare travelcard” option.
- Click Save.
- You return to the previous screen and now both you and the Bike Ticket are selected. Tap Accept.
- Now tap the “Purchase Ticket…” button and you will purchase both tickets.
Reservations for bikes
Reservations for bikes are required for InterCity trains (ICs) from 21 March to 31 October. You also need a reservation for international trains that pass through Switzerland.
When checking the train schedule, look for the bike icon in a box as shown below. That means a bike reservation is required for that train. In 2022, bike reservations cost CHF 2. You can buy bike reservations on SBB.ch or on the SBB mobile app. See instructions here.
Note: reservations are not required for small bikes for children under 6.
How to choose a train suitable for bike transport
You can take your bike onto most trains and some buses, if there is enough space. On busy routes, there may not be room for your bike and you’ll have to wait for the next train.
Bikes are not allowed during commute hours on S-Bahn trains Mo-Fr 6:00 to 8:00 and 16:00 to 19:00. When checking the bike schedule, look for the icon shown below that means no bikes allowed. We forgot about this on a weekday ride and had to wait 2 hours until 19:00 before we could catch a train home. When you look at the schedule online or mobile app, the train will have a little bicycle icon with a slash through it, indicating no bikes on that train.
Most trains have stairs to enter the train. This can be difficult when loading heavy bikes or when you need to help children load their bikes plus your own. In this case, I like to search for trains with “low floor” entry. This is indicated by a NF icon as shown below. Within a few hours of the train departure, you can see the train configuration, as shown below, that indicates which train car has extra room for bikes.
Where to put bikes on trains
Most trains have special areas for bike storage, as noted by the bike symbol on the outside of the door. You can simply load the bike yourself. Here is the bike area on a typical S-Bahn train.
The above bike area has safety belts to secure your bike to the wall.
The bike area below has hooks on the wall to hold the bikes.
Some popular biking routes have an extra luggage wagon where you can load bikes. This is usually noted on the timetable with a little bike icon. In this case, there is often an attendant who loads the bike for you. These trains usually require a bike reservation.
If there isn’t a bike section or you can’t get to the bike wagon quickly enough, just load your bike on any wagon and stand with your bike in the loading area. It’s not ideal but it’s allowed.
How to ship bikes by train
You can ship your bike via train to destinations within Switzerland. It takes 2 days to arrive. This is ideal if you are doing a vacation by train and don’t want to carry both luggage and your bike while traveling.
For individuals and families, this does not require a reservation. In 2022, this service costs CHF 20 for standard bikes and CHF 30 for E-bikes and bikes longer than 2 meters. Cargo bikes cannot be shipped. More info here.
Another option is to purchase a TranZbag, which allows you take your bike as free luggage on trains, postbuses, and boats. More info here.
For more information about transporting bikes by train, see the SBB.ch website.
4 responses
Hi,
There is still the misleading info to “provide any value” as a date of birth of the bike. Are you not concerned that people may be fined if they followed your blog? Or is it intentional?
Hi. I actually don’t know what you are supposed to put as the date of birth for the bike. Do you have a better idea?
Hi there.
I have booked a 2 week trip back to Switzerland, a 50 years anniversary with 2 Australians, 2 Germans and myself from Canada. I would like to know how difficult it will be to take my skies on a train, having been dropped off in Milan to travel to Geneva?
Many people take the train with their skis in Switzerland, it’s very normal around here. Some train cars have luggage areas where you can set your skis standing up. Otherwise, you can usually set them in the overhead bins above your seats. I don’t know about the Italian trains since you are starting in Milan. The only problem would be if the train is exceptionally crowded. In that case, you may have to stand with your skis in one of the open areas for part of the journey. But that is not too likely. Good luck!