[MichiMary]

20 July 2019 at 3:00:48 #822942

We are researching travel from Como, Italy to Luzern via Gotthard Panorama Express.

Since it is too soon to book tickets, is there a way to know what the schedule will be in late May, 2020? Is it correct that booking can only be done 10 days ahead?

I am a bit confused/ and intimidated by the Swiss rail site. Is this the best site to use? Would other sites be easier to use?

Are there any ways to save money on this train and boat trip?

Note: We will be staying in Luzern for 4 nights, then going to Frankfurt (hopefully with an overnight stop in Heidelberg) and then flying back to the U.S. from Frankfurt.

Thank you for helping me plan our first trip to Switzerland!

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[rockoyster]

20 July 2019 at 4:55:16 #918217

Hello MichiMary and welcome to MySwissAlps,

There are some changes to the GPEX for 2020. For details see here.

Use the timetable on the SBB website (bit.ly/2HH1U7B) or the highly-recommended SBB Mobile app (bit.ly/2ICIUHi) to plan your travel, find fares* and buy tickets if required. If you are not familiar with using the timetable it will pay to first read the instructions on this page – http://www.myswissalps.com/ti metable. *SBB website shows half-fare prices by default, mobile app allows you to nominate full or half-fare and is also smart enough to offer you the Saver Day Pass (http://www.myswissalps.com/sa verdaypass) if that offers the best fare.

Look at http://www.myswissalps.com/tr aintickets/italy for more info on getting from Como and http://www.myswissalps.com/tr aintickets/germany for getting to Frankfurt.

You should also read “How to choose the best travel pass” (http://www.myswissalps.com/tr ain/ticketspasses/prac tical/chooserailpass), download the handy spreadsheet calculator and do the math. The spreadsheet also includes links to the “Where it’s valid” tab for all available passes. Be sure to check that for each pass you are considering. At a rough guess I’d say a 4 day Swiss Travel Pass is your best bet.

[Annika]

20 July 2019 at 9:55:05 #918218

Hi MichiMary! Rockoysters link shows the May 2020 timetable (thanks Rockoyster!). You can’t book your seats yet, but once you can (generally about 3 months in advance), the overview at http://www.myswissalps.com/go tthardpanoramaexpress/ tickets might be of help.

The Swiss timetable (http://www.myswissalps.com/ti metable) is the most trustworthy and complete one to find details on trips in, to and from Switzerland. The page I linked to explains how to use it. It may seem overwhelming at first, but once you get a grasp of it, it’s a great resource. If there’s anything specific you’re having trouble to figure out, just let us know!

Finding the appropriate rail pass is indeed the best way to save money. I agree with Rockoyster that a Swiss Travel Pass might make sense. You may also want to look into the Tell Pass (http://www.myswissalps.com/te llpass), which provides great coverage for the Lucerne area, but it won’t cover all of your inbound and outbound train trips: . Unfortunately, calculations are the only way to tell which option is most economical.