[Anonymous]

3 March 2020 at 8:15:12 #825395

Hi all,

Am planning to have the Swiss Travel Pass for me and my wife. I understand that our 5+ years old son can travel for free. Have a few questions in this regard:

1. As my son travels free, will he not be entitled for a seat?

2. If the answer is a no, what is the alternative to get him a seat? Is it another Swiss Travel Pass which is priced the same as adults?

3. This one is for the glacier express and other trains, where we need the reservation only because of the pass. Can I reserve a seat for my son by paying the reservation fee only? If He is not having his own travel pass.

Thanks in advance for your thoughts.

Thanks,

Aneek.

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[User]

Reply 1 of 5 • 3 March 2020 at 9:26:09 #931071

Hello Aneek,

Nice to hear you’re coming to Switzerland with your family.

If your son IS 5 at the time of travel he can simply come along with you for free on any journey. If he should be turning 6 during the trip, you can simply add the free Swiss Family Card to your Swiss Travel Pass to also allow him free travel on any journey you take:
– http://www.myswissalps.com/train/ticketspasses/practical/discounts
– http://www.myswissalps.com/swisstravelpass
– http://www.myswissalps.com/swissfamilycard

As for the seat reservation, on normal Swiss trains you usually don’t need to reserve a seat, as there is enough space available and it’s quite uncommon to reserve:
– http://www.myswissalps.com/train/reservations

Nobody without a reservation is “entitled” to a seat, the ticket mainly entitles you for the journey, and the seating takes place with common sense. Meaning, if your child is using a seat, all the other seats are taken (doesn’t happen often) and an old lady has to stand, it might be expected, that your kid travels on your lap for a while…

For the scenic trains like the Glacier Express you correctly state that you need to purchase the seat reservation but no ticket for your child: http://www.myswissalps.com/glacierexpress/tickets.

Hope this answers your questions.

Best,
Steph

[User]

Reply 2 of 5 • 5 March 2020 at 9:03:08 #931072

Hi Steph,

thanks a lot for the information. One last question: I see a direct train from Milan to Lucerne in the SBB site. Will the travel pass cover it?

Thanks,

Aneek.

[User]

Reply 3 of 5 • 5 March 2020 at 9:43:02 #931073

Hi Aneek,

Swiss Travel Pass is only valid in Switzerland, so you still need to buy your tickets for the Italien leg, from Milan to Chiasso. Further info: http://www.myswissalps.com/traintickets/italy. You can buy your tickets at http://www.myswissalps.com/traintickets/italy/price.

Ildiko

PS.: When we were traveling from Lausanne to Milan I decided to reserve the seats for my sons on the Italian part of the journey so we could travel more comfortable. They were 2 and 5 years old at the time of the trip.

[User]

Reply 4 of 5 • 5 March 2020 at 9:50:55 #931074

Thanks a lot, very helpful information.

Thanks again,

Aneek

[User]

Reply 5 of 5 • 7 March 2020 at 2:23:44 #931075

Adding to Idiko’s comments. I’d reserve in any country on a train coming to Switzerland. You don’t need the reservation once in in Switzerland, but it is nice to keep (reserve) the same seats, so that you can stay in them once in Switzerland.

That is how I handle international \travel…once yo are traveling onjourneys within Switzerland, they’ll have seats for you, with no need to reserve. As noted

Slowpoke