Advance seat reservations

Hi MSA team & members,

Looking for some more help. I'm trying to get seat reservations for Zurich->Zermatt on 20 Dec and also for Chur --> Zurich on 28 Dec. This page http://www.myswissalps.com/train/reservations says that you can get seat reservations 2-3 months ahead, but the system keeps rejecting my dates when I try to reserve seats. Shouldn't those dates be in the system at t his point?

Question 2: When (how early) can I book and purchase Glacier Express seats. Trying to do Zermatt-->Chur on 27 Dec. Given the holiday crowds, wanted to secure these as soon as possible, but they don't seem to be available yet. Any idea when that will be possible?

Thanks again!

-josh

Hi Josh,

Seat reservations are not required for trains in Switzerland, expect for a few tourist trains such as the Glacier Express. You can just board any train and pick a seat if you have a pass or a ticket. Your travel dates are in high season though, so if you prefer to book seats, you can do so for trains that allow it. The leg Zurich to Visp can be reserved. Visp to Zermatt normally not. So you can book the first leg if you wish. Most trains from Chur to Zurich can be reserved.

The system rejects your dates because there will be a new timetable for all trains in Europe as of December 14. I expect the new timetable to be released mid October. That should open up your dates for booking. This also applies to Glacier Express seat reservations. The Winter timetable of that train also starts on December 14. Be sure to get the 20% discount!