Booking seats for the Wilhelm Tell Express

I find that online booking on wilhem tell express is not possible . Can you guide how to reserve seats under swiss travel pass on the same.

Hi kochumon,

Indeed it has been impossible to book seats for several months, but I just tried and it works again. You'll find booking links at myswissalps.com/ wilhelmtellexpress/ tickets. As you live in India you can take a look at www.raileurope.co.in/ train/wilhem-tell-express. Be sure to fill out 'Luzern Sgv Wm Tell' as your point of departure or arrival.

I think that's a direct train. There is no boat trip. is it the same route. will i get benefit of swiss travel pass in terms waiver of fares.

No, it actually includes the boat if you book with that point of departure/arrival. You can verify through the timings: it takes a lot longer than doing it all by train.

With a 1st class Swiss Travel Pass you only need the reservations. With a 2nd class pass you also need the upgrade to 1st class. You can buy the upgrade locally. It does not sell out.

Or you can just not buy any reservation, as explained here, and travel 2nd class for free.

Even after reading the various forum posts and the Wilhelm Tell Express page of this site, I'm still finding it a bit confusing.

I currently have a 1st Class Swiss Travel Pass and want to book the WTE on August 15 from Lucerne to Locarno. When attempting to book just the surcharge to secure reservations on the Rail Europe site, I receive a message as follows: "This train requires travelers with a rail pass to purchase a reservation but we are unable to find reservations that are compatible with your rail pass for this train."

I thought this might mean reservations were sold out, but the same message appears for all dates I try.

Can I just handle this in Lucerne upon my arrival? Or should I make sure to secure a reservation ahead of time? Or since I have a 1st class Swiss Travel Pass, can I just show up? My preference is 1st Class on the boat and the Panorama train.

Hi Joshua,

I tried and ran into the same problem. I think it's an issue on the Rail Europe site. Booking the Wilhelm Tell Express online has always been quite problematic. You can just show up with your pass. If you prefer the package with lunch and a reserved seat in the panoramic coach, you can arrange for that at any staffed train station as soon as you reach Switzerland. Also, you could try to call the Swiss Railways and see if they can arrange this for you: myswissalps.com/ aboutus/partners/ sbb.

The Express will change next year; hopefully the reservation options will change too.