[Nickolyn]

9 July 2019 at 3:00:39 #822738

We are a group of 10 seniors traveling to Switzerland in September of this year. We are wondering how far in advance we would need to book in advance for a trip from Lucerne to Mt. Pilatus or Mt. Rigi? or if we decide to take the Gotthard Express from Lugano to Lucerne (September 16)?

Thank you,

Nickolyn

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[Removed user]

9 July 2019 at 4:07:56 #917312

Hello Nicolyn,

For Mount Pilatus and Mount Rigi no reservation or prior booking is needed, you can just purchase the tickets when you know you’re definitely going or anytime online. See below links:
– http://www.myswissalps.com/ri gi/packages
– http://www.myswissalps.com/pi latus/packages

For the Gotthard Panorama Express it’s recommendable booking seats, as they can sell out. Hard to say though when this might happen, so once you know you’ll definitely do this trip, then book your seats, is my recommendation:
– http://www.myswissalps.com/go tthardpanoramaexpress/ tickets

Also make sure you read about group discounts for the Swiss Travel Pass:
– http://www.myswissalps.com/tr ain/ticketspasses/prac tical/groupdiscounts

Best,
Steph

[rockoyster]

9 July 2019 at 4:28:09 #917313

Hello Nickolyn,

Reservations are compulsory on the Gotthard Panorama Express. Also note that the train is 1st Class only. If you are travelling with a 2nd Class Swiss Travel Pass but want to travel 1st Class on any particular trip you can buy a Class upgrade at any SBB station or using the SBB Mobile App or here bit.ly/2rZEIXh. You need to buy a route specific upgrade.

If you buy on line you need to nominate a Half-fare Card reduction to get the correct price (using either website of SBB app). An upgrade will cost half the difference between 1st and 2nd class full-fares.

You can of course follow the exact same route on regular trains going from Flüelen to Lugano via Göeschenen. In that case reservations are not required and you can travel in whichever class carriages you choose.

[Removed user]

9 July 2019 at 23:11:00 #917314

Gotthard Panorama Express – a personal view

This is ‘take it or leave it’ advice:

Personally I am sceptical of the attraction of the Gotthard Panorama Express. It is an attempt to keep some tourism going on the Gotthard ‘mountain route’ since the rest of the fast trains now go through the base tunnel. However, you see mainly valleys not high mountains.

Also it is reservation obligatory and first class only.

Also, the train gets rather lonely – part of the ‘romance’ of the Gotthard route previously was that your train competed for space on the line with huge long international long-distance trains carrying 000s of passengers a day between northern and southern Europe, and those passenger trains interacted and weaved in between dozens of heavy freight trains lumbering back and forth across the Alps.

The curiosity was seeing another train high above you one minute then a few minutes later passing by your train on the same level, then perhaps seeing it again below you a few minutes after that. It is this that no longer happens as there are so few trains left on the line.

(It could also be argued that it is just a way of finding a use for very expensive panorama cars that Swiss Federal Railways bought but don’t have now have any other use for them…)!

In summary, the options on the Gotthard route are:

Use the new base tunnel (GBT) which is the longest rail tunnel in the world, the Intercity trains run between Arth Goldau – Bellinzona (and vice versa) non stop

Use the old mountain route on ordinary regional trains

Use the Gotthard Panorama Express (GPE): any train or boat to Fleulen then the GPE. Personally I don’t think it is worth the extra expense, as the regional trains have large windows

note that it is a myth that the GBT eliminates all the nice scenery from the Milano – Northern Switzerland journey. In fact only 60km out of the 180km route between Chiasso and the Lake Luzern area is ‘lost’ if you go through the GBT, and you still see plenty of mountains, lakes and Alpine farmland

[rockoyster]

9 July 2019 at 23:16:13 #917315

Handy link for would be GPEXers.

[Annika]

12 July 2019 at 4:36:52 #917316

Hi Rockoyster? Did you mean to link to this current thread? That’s what happens if I click it, the page just jumps up a bit.

[rockoyster]

12 July 2019 at 6:16:19 #917317

It’s a just a way of getting a link to a particular comment (until a better method appears). If I could have added the post and then deleted it I would have. 🤓

[Annika]

12 July 2019 at 6:37:09 #917318

All fine Rockoyster! I just wanted to make sure this was your intention :-).