[hiker]

17 June 2016 at 15:13:49 #809462

Hi-

1. I will be traveling from Bolzano, Italy to Wengen in September. It looks like I will need a reservation on some of the Italian trains? Can everything be booked through SBB website? There is a certain date/time I need to travel, so how far in advance would I need to purchase this?
2. Also, is there any benefit to purchasing the swiss pass prior to arriving in Switzerland?

Thanks.

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[Arno]

17 June 2016 at 15:43:20 #853188

Hello hiker, thanks for joining the discussions here!

1. I’m not sure if the SBB will sell the entire trip. They probably do. Trenitalia and lots of other websites do too. You’ll find tips about booking and an overview of ticket retailers here: myswissalps.com/ traintickets/ italy.
2. Please note that you do not need a Swiss Pass, you need a Swiss Travel Pass, which is a different product. Buying online saves you time, and in some cases, money too. If you print your pass at home you won’t have to spend time at a ticket office buying your pass. Instead, you can board your first train immediately. In your case, you will probably take a direct train from Milan to Spiez. If you don’t buy your pass online your will have to get off the train in Brig, buy it there, and take the next train to Spiez, so that’s not really practical. Also you will have to pay for the leg from Domodossola (Italy) to Brig, as they don’t sell the pass in Domodossola (as far as I know). Please see the Price tab of the Swiss Travel Pass page for where to buy. Many, but not all, of the sites listed there also sell the tickets from Bolzano to Domodossola. This page might interest you as well: myswissalps.com/ train/ticketspasses/ practical/wheretobuy.

[hiker]

17 June 2016 at 17:26:32 #853189

Thank you. Is there a way to get the train schedules once in Switzerland if I do not have internet access?

[Annika]

17 June 2016 at 17:50:41 #853190

I haven’t used them for a while, but I think many stations still offer free booklets with regional timetables. A local SIM card might be handy to have access at all timetables, weather forecasts, etc.