Seat reservation on Luzern – Interlaken Express
A traveler named Davidr1 is confused about seat reservations on trains from Interlaken to Lucerne. He wants to know if reserving a seat is necessary and how to identify reserved seats. He seems anxious about traveling without a reservation.
- Seat reservations are not required on Swiss trains, but it's advisable for large groups.
- Look for overhead signs to identify reserved seats on the train.
- If unable to reserve online, check the SBB timetable for occupancy rates—red means busy, grey means less busy.
- To upgrade to first class, you can do so online or at the train station.
AI-generated summary-
Hello and greetings,
to be honest I was a bit confused, on the direct train from Interlaken to Lucerne it appears that you can reserve seats, but when I try to reserve on all trains it says that you can’t reserve a seat, what does that mean?
That the train is full or that the quota of places for the reservation has ended, but is it possible to come without a reservation?
Another thing, on the train you can reserve a seat and it is not mandatory, how does the passenger know that the seat he wants to sit on has not been reserved? Are these special carriages where seats are reserved?
thanks!
-
Hi Davidr1,
In general, seat reservations on Swiss trains are not required as explained here: http://www.myswissalps.com/train/reservations. Seat reservation on the Lucerne-Interlaken Express is not compulsory but recommended especially if you are travelling in a big group. If you wish to secure your seat, you can book through the Zentralbahn website: http://www.zentralbahn.ch/en/interlaken-express
Regards,
Anna
Thank you Anna.
How do I know which seat on the train is reserved for the person who booked and which seat is available?
Is it special cars?
Hi Davidr1,
If a seat reserved, there is usually a sign overhead or on the wall next to the seat that indicates this.
Regards,
Anna
Thank’s
Hi David,
I’ve been on the merry-go-round you are on trying to get those seat reservations. Like me, I’d say you were on the wrong website when you got that message that I implied to mean ‘no seats left’. You can also read it to mean this company can’t sell you a seat reservation.
Try here: http://www.zentralbahn.ch/de/luzern-interlaken-express. That will get you a seat reservation. Remember that you will need to make sure you also have a ticket/pass valid on the day. I got really confused because I assumed you would need to verify you have a pass when you reserve a seat but not so, in Switzerland they are independent, you just have to make sure you have both with you on the day. Im yet to do the trip (this September) but I understand there are lights above seats that will indicate which are reserved so if you don’t have a seat booking, you would be looking for a seat with no illuminated light.
Hope that helps,
Cheers, Leanne
Hello,
I really thank you for describing my problem very well, and to be honest, your precise description calmed me down a bit.
Hope I can manage without reserving a seat.
Hey Davidr1
I think I have the Gold medal and am the world champion when it comes to having made ALL the mistakes over the past few weeks trying to get our trip sorted out. Feel free to ask any question & if I have any experience I’ll share how I resolved it.
Even though I read all the instructions, the assumptions I was making based on my limited experiences of transport systems corrupted how I understood what I was reading. Once you ‘get it’ all the advice & instructions absolutely make sense 🤷♀️
My advice is if you feel like you are struggling & trying to do everything as advised and it isn’t working, pop into this forum and ask questions, giving as much context as you can, no matter how dumb the questions seem. There are great people in this forum that have trodden this path before us and who are very generous in giving their help so that we can indeed get our travel & holiday plans in Switzerland sorted.
I sign your every word.
And I wish everyone had a sense of humor like yours makes life much more pleasant.
Hi Davidr,
Yes, just to re-iterate. Reservations are not the norm here unless you are, as Anna mentioned, in a large group traveling on the Lucerne-Interlaken Express and you would like to be seated together.
You can always gauge the occupancy rate on a particular route via the SBB timetable. If the the little figures are red, you can expect it to be busy if they are grey, then it should not be too busy.
LeanneSamAU, in reading. Many thanks for your honesty and reassurances for fellow travelers. You are getting there and when you are here, I am sure you will have an amazing time!?
Kind regards,
Yolanda
I did the reservation and I did the trip couple of weeks back and I think it is a waste of money. the train was empty with a lot of available seats. In the reservation the website showing that limited seats are available however in reality a lot of seats are available
Hello Hakimever,
Many thanks for sharing your feedback. Perhaps there was anticipation it would be busy but per your journey it was not.
I hope you enjoyed the journey regardless.
Kind regards,
Yolanda
Hello,
I will have the Berner Oberland Regional pass when I travel from Interlaken Ost to Lucerne in September. After I make a seat reservation in there a way I can upgrade to first class online or do I need to purchase this at the train station.
Thank you,
Daniel
Hi Daniel,
Yes, you can upgrade to 1st class. This can be done online, at a ticket machine or any staffed rail station. (Some also upgrade whilst on board the train too but I think it safer to have your upgrade in hand).
More information in the below link, if you scroll to the bottom to “Information on other websites”, you will find the online purchase option.
Kind regards,
Yolanda
Thank you Yolanda.
- The thread ‘Seat reservation on Luzern – Interlaken Express’ is closed to new replies.
