[Mkdc]

14 June 2022 at 18:36:40 #827501

We (US travelers) are traveling by train from Lyon, France (Part Deux) to Gruyeres Ville on July 13 (Wednesday). Two nights in Gruyeres with bus to Broc Fabrique to visit the chocolate factory. Then on July 15 (Friday), traveling by train to Chamonix, France via Montreux.

Do we (or should we) purchase separate tickets for our France and Switzerland legs of the trips? Any advantage of doing so? Traveling all within one country is a bit easier to figure out than between countries, especially if there are discount fares such as in Switzerland. How much time should we allot between trains to grab luggage, disembark, find connecting train and board?

Thanks in advance for any feedback.

[Anna]

14 June 2022 at 19:11:11 #943232

Hi Mkdc,

Welcome to MySwissAlps.

You might be able to find good deals on point-to-point tickets Lyon to Gruyeres and Gruyeres to Chamonix here: http://www.myswissalps.com/traintickets/france

You can use the SBB timetable to check train schedules and find suitable connections. Be sure to check this page for practical information about how to travel by Swiss rail: http://www.myswissalps.com/train/practical/howtotravel

Hope this helps.

regards,

Anna

[Arno]

15 June 2022 at 7:45:08 #943233

Hi Mkdc,

For such a short stay in Switzerland it may not be worth it getting a rail pass. You can buy normal tickets for your trips in Switzerland and see if Supersaver fares are available for your dates and travel times: https://www.myswissalps.com/traintickets/switzerland. Then look for tickets from and to France through the link provided by Anna.

If you plan many long trips in France, you can check if a Eurail Global Pass (from which you’d profit in Switzerland too) would make sense: http://www.myswissalps.com/eurailglobalpass. If you think this could be a suitable option for you, here’s how to calculate if it will save money: https://www.myswissalps.com/train/ticketspasses/practical/chooserailpass.

Information about the chocolate factory in Broc can be found here: https://www.myswissalps.com/maisoncailler, and more about Gruyères is at https://www.myswissalps.com/gruyeres. It’s a very pretty village and I’m sure you’ll enjoy your stay there!

[Removed user]

22 June 2022 at 0:53:24 #943234

I recently travelled to see an elderly relative in Geneva from London via Paris and Lyon. The ordinary SNCF fare for the Lyon Part Dieu (not Deux) – Geneva trains was not all that expensive.

I was a long time since I had booked any travel on SNCF so all the web resources have changed (and I’m not getting any younger) but I went direct to SNCF Connect and it was not an onerous task booking online and getting a ‘print at home’ ticket :

http://www.sncf-connect.com/en-en/

[Mkdc]

2 July 2022 at 20:03:42 #943235

I have figured out how to travel from Lyon to Gruyeres. Purchase SCNF ticket to Geneva and Swiss rail ticket from Geneva to Gruyeres.

Leaving Switzerland, it looks like I purchase Swiss rail ticket from Gruyeres to last stop in Switzerland (Martigny) and then purchase SCNF ticket from there to Chamonix.

My understanding is that there are no (limited?) reserved seats on the Swiss trains. Is that correct?

From Martigny to Chamonix, there is a train change in Vallorcine with a 5 minute transfer period. Is that train station small enough that we can move our luggage from train to train in the allotted time? If not, we will have to wait for the next train. If we miss the connection, do we need to exchange tickets for the next train or just use existing tickets?

I’ve spent way too much time trying to figure out our train travel. Hopefully I am about there.

Thanks

[Removed user]

3 July 2022 at 0:35:45 #943236

Reservations are not required on most Swiss trains. There is usually space and journey times are quite short.

Swiss tickets of some sort will be required Geneva – Gruyeres – Montreux – Martigny – Vallorcine

SNCF tickets will be required Lyon – Geneve and Vallorcine – Chamonix etc

Vallorcine is a tiny station and everyone has to make the change between the two connecting trains so you can’t miss it.

The situation on the Martigny – Chamonix ‘Mont Blanc Express’ is ridiculous – new trains were introduced many years ago no so that through running could take place, obviating the need for a change in Vallorcine, but the timetables say you have to change trains anyway.