Good connection time between Swiss trains?
A traveler named Travelmama is planning a trip from Paris to Bern with her family on August 25th. She is concerned about tight train connections and how to buy a ticket that combines her French travel and Swiss Travel Pass for their journey. Travelmama seeks guidance on connection times and ticketing.
- Aim for at least a 10-minute connection time in Basel to switch trains comfortably with kids and luggage.
- Buy a ticket from Paris to Basel and use your Swiss Travel Pass to cover travel from Basel to Bern and around Switzerland.
- Reserving seats is generally not necessary for Swiss trains, but consider it for popular scenic routes.
- Enjoy the flexibility of Swiss trains; if you miss your connection, you can usually catch the next train without hassle.
AI-generated summary-
I am looking to book a train pass for 4 inclusive of 2 children on the 25th to Bern from Paris. I would like to arrive morning to late afternoon so that takes away the direct option i was hoping for. I see that train only leaves in the evening. A lot of the connection windows are very tight 5, 8, 22, mins. What is a reasonable connection window for a family for 4 with luggage (2 bags and a stroller minimum) to switch trains during a connection?
Then secondly we have a swiss travel pass. How do I buy a ticket that will cover the french section of my trip and then include my pass for once I cross over the boarder into Switzerland?
thank you in advance
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Hi Travelmama,
Trains to Switzerland from Paris leave all day. So you are not restricted to evenings only. What date are you wanting to travel?
You can use the Swiss railways timetable to find your connections. https://www.myswissalp s.com/timetable. You can find direct trains to Basel and from there connect to Bern. In Basel, with a family I would want at least 10 minutes I think.
You can buy a ticket from Paris to Basel and then use your Swiss Travel Pass to cover the trip to Bern and anywhere else you might go that day. Tickets from France can be bought here: https://www.myswissalp s.com/traintickets/fra nce
Thank you! We are traveling August 25th. Are the trains far apart? We have only ever travelled by train 2 other times and they were before children so I feel like that doesn’t count for a confidence build up haha …i would suppose we would still want to reserve seats on the connecting train once in Switzerland. I am so grateful for this forum!
Hi Travelmama,
I understand how you feel if trains are (almost) new to you. But a train trip is simpler than flying, and once within Switzerland not much different from taking a subway in any big city: you simply board and sit somewhere. If you miss the train you can take the next. People do not book seats, apart from a very few popular tourist trains (http://www.myswissalps.com/ac tivities/scenictrips/t rain). Try not to overthink it; the train system is designed for convenience and flexibility. I’m sure you’ll like it.
Have fun!
Thank you! is there more than 1 train station in Basel…Basel SBB? If i take TVG Lyria from Paris to Basel is there any train from Basel to Bern that I would not want to pick?
Basel SBB is the main station in Basel (there are others) but this is the main station for international trains. There will be many trains to choose from in Basel SBB to Bern.
You can use my timetable link from my last post to choose a train after yours arrives from Paris. For example on August 25 if your train arrived at 12:oopm you’ll see there is a train at 12:04 (too soon I think) that changes in Olten and then a direct train to Bern at 12:31 departing at platform 3.
Although Swiss connections are guaranteed, you might consider aiming for a following train at some of the tighter connections, especially since you are travelling with children and luggage.
Spending a few extra minutes at a Swiss station isn’t the worst experience in the world.
And it might ease a little stress in aiming to move your family and your luggage between platforms via stairs or a lift/elevator.
Enjoy your travels.
Thank you all so much! i went ahead and purchased the ticket from Paris to Basel and felt comfortable doing the rest on the fly once we arrive having the information to try for the tight connection but if we miss the next train seems to be on the same platform so we can just play a game and wait. It looks like i have 4 options and 2 are on the same platform so hopefully we will have a smooth experience.
I’m sure it will run smoothly. Now you know there is no rush and trains come and go frequently. Basel has some shops and places to grab snacks and coffee as well.
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