When to book seats and hotels for my Swiss scenic rail trip next May?
Lynn is planning a scenic rail trip through Switzerland in May 2025 and wants advice on how far in advance to book hotels and train seats. She is particularly focused on seat reservations for panoramic trains and any mountain transportation that may be limited during her visit.
- Book seats on panoramic trains as some require compulsory reservations that are separate from rail tickets.
- Consider checking mountain transportation schedules, as some may not operate in May due to low season.
- It's a good idea to book hotels in advance, especially in preferred locations, but ensure they have a late cancellation policy.
AI-generated summary-
Hi all, I am planning a scenic rail trip through Switzerland in May 2025. If all the travel will be on the trains, how far ahead should I book for hotels and seats on some of the trains?
Thanks, Lynn.
-
Hi Lynn,
Welcome to MySwissAlps.
That’s nice to hear you are planning a scenic train trip to Switzerland next year.
In regard to seat reservations, depending which scenic rides you are planning to enjoy and whether this would be by via the panoramic trains or the regular trains, seat reservations will vary. For the panoramic trains, some will need the compulsory seat reservations which are independent of the rail ticket. We have a guide to seat reservations in Switzerland. I recommend you take a read, it explains the whens and how. Here’s the link:
Here’s our handy guide to many of the scenic train rides in Switzerland too:
As a heads up, May is low season in case you were also planning to visit any of the mountains, some of the mountain transportation could be still closed. Dates do vary so you may want to research what is operating for your dates here. Of course this won’t apply if you are just enjoying the train rides 🙂
Similarly, depending where you will be staying whilst here, hotel availability in the mountains could be limited. The larger cities you will be fine.
I don’t think you need to book hotels just yet for May next year but personally I like to book in advance as I prefer to reserve accommodation in locations that I have a preference for. Just ensure they allow late cancellation, so you can book and still change your plans if necessary. Ensure you read the conditions as they can vary for each hotel.
Lots of suggestions in our accommodation guide and respective location guides (for example in our Lucerne guide, there is a dedicated section for accommodation, likewise for our other city guides):
I hope this gets you started, do reach out with further questions if need be.
Kind regards,
Yolanda
- The thread ‘When to book seats and hotels for my Swiss scenic rail trip next May?’ is closed to new replies.
