MySwissAlps.com features ads, commercial and non-commercial Gotthard Panorama Express/short stay rail options
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Hello, and thank you in advance! Your website and forum are super helpful, but I need a bit of help with respect to rail ticket advance purchases, seat reservations, and rail pass options (or not):
We are going to be in Switzerland soon but only a short time, and will only be taking the following one-way routes by rail: Zurich to Lucerne (10/12), Gotthard Panorama Express Lucerne to Lugano (10/13), and Lugano into Como Italy (between 10/14-17, flexible date and not even sure this last would count as a “Swiss” route?).
We have made no ticket, reservations, or pass purchases yet and I’m really confused as to whether it would save on cost to buy one of the available rail passes or if for this small amount of travel we should just buy the tickets outright. We do hope to have the 1st class option for the GPE boat and train. I’m a bit nervous that I haven’t made any reservations for the GPE yet after reading the other forums, it seems I should move on this right away!
Thank you so much for your expert insight and any assistance you can give 🙂 Kindly, Leah
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Hello Leah and Welcome to MySwissAlps,
The last trip for the Gotthard Panorama Express (http://www.myswissalps.com/go tthardpanoramaexpress) Is 14 October so you are just in time. You can only make reservations (called a supplement in the SBB material) on the train leg not on the boat. For the boat you just buy a ticket or use a pass. See also http://www.sbb.ch/en/leisure-holidays/travel-in-switzerland/panoramare isen/gotthard-panorama-express/timetable.html.
If that is your only travel in Switzerland you may be best just buying point to point tickets. You should read “How to choose the best travel pass” (http://www.myswissalps.com/tr ain/ticketspasses/prac tical/chooserailpass).
Como station is a few hundred metres across the Italian border from Chiasso and local trains run across the border. Ticket office staff at Lugano would help you with a local train ticket, or you should easily be able to get it from a ticket machine
Thank you both for your kind responses. It sounds like the best option is to likely buy the tickets outright without a pass, but unfortunately when I checked the SBB site today it looks like they have been running a special recently called the “Autumn offer Gotthard Panorama Express” and when I choose October 13 it says 0 availability. I don’t know if that means for the entire excursion or if it is just for the special price, but would anyone know if there is an alternative way to purchase a full price ticket outside of this offer and still find availability? I may have “missed the boat” as they say 🙁 If for some reason I can find a way to still reserve 2 seats via a supplement, then does that mean there will be 2 seats still available for purchase on the train?
As a backup plan, in case we are out of luck due to timing, can you recommend a nice steamboat excursion on Lake Lucerne that we could experience? Then we would probably just rent a vehicle and drive the route to Lugano through Andermatt and the Lucomagno pass (what about the weather/snow at this time of year for this option?).
Thanks again for your time and advice!
Hello Leah,
You can try reserving seats at bit.ly/2HHB2Ev. You need to enter Flüelen to Lugano via Göschenen departing 14:10. You can reserve seats now (ie pay the supplement) and buy a ticket later.
Failing that you can still catch any steamer to Luzern to Flüelen and connect with a regular train operating on the same route. Use the SBB Timetable (http://www.myswissalps.com/ti metable) to plan your travel and make sure you include via Göschenen.
Don’t drive. The boat/train is much more relaxing and enjoyable. You don’t need to reserve the boat but 1st Class gets you access to the top deck and dining room.
Thanks for your quick answer – I tried the link you kindly provided and sadly it keeps telling me that the class fare I choose is not available (whether I choose first or second class) so I have to assume it is a booked train. My bad, I should have tried earlier and didn’t understand that I could simply “reserve” seats and buy later. Bummer. I appreciate your comments about driving vs. boat/train, the boat/train definitely sounded like a great way to relax after flying overseas the day before. I also liked the idea of having lunch on the first class option of the steamer that was part of the GPE, do you happen to know if other steamers leaving from Lucerne to Fluelen do the same, or just that one? If we find one that does, is it the kind of thing where if we’re hoping have lunch on board (1st class deal) we should reserve that in advance? Also, do you know if the other train options also take the same route as the GPE, or do they go through the faster but less scenic long tunnel route? Sorry for all the questions, and thanks for the help!
The train is most likely booked out on account of it being a weekend as well as the Autumn Special deal SBB has.
All the steamers are the same. But there are other boats which are not paddle steamers. The paddle steamers are quite charming. Lunch used to be included a few years back when the Gotthard Panorama Express was the William Tell Express but that is not longer the case. If you eat on board then it is at additional cost to the fare.
If you take the route via Göschenen then you will follow the exact same scenic route the Gotthard Panorama Express takes.
Very good, I can’t thank you enough for your help. I will try to determine which boats might be the steamers, and to coordinate one of them with a different train going via Göschenen. When I just now looked at the other train options via Göschenen there appear to be a number of transfers on the trip (3 o 4) and that even part of the trip was on the GPE (?) I may try calling and speaking to someone at SBB tomorrow, just to be sure that it is truly fully booked, but I suspect you are spot on! Thanks again, this is a great forum with invaluable advice 🙂
Leah
P.S. As another option, I have read that there are some shorter cruises (maybe some steamers?) that depart and return to Lucerne that we could take to enjoy the area scenery, then later we can train down to Lugano via any route and not feel like we missed seeing the area. If anyone has a favorite, thank you for sharing!
On the SBB Timetable BATdenotes Motor Boat and BAV means Paddle Steamer.
The timetable at http://www.lakelucerne.ch/fil eadmin/lakelucerne/con tent/Dokumente_Downloa ds_PDF/01_Fahrplan-Preise/01_Fahrplan/Sai sonaler_Fahrplan/2018/ 2018_Fahrplan_Herbst.p df shows a little paddle steamer at the top of the column.
Unfortunately for you the 9:12 steamer from Luzern only operates on Sundays and Public Holidays in October. If you catch the 9:12 motor boat service you get to Flüelen at 11:55 and can catch the 12:16 to Lugano with 1 change at Erstfeld. See attached.
If you catch the 11:12 Steamer you can get the regular train at 14:16 with 1 change at Erstfeld as well.
Attachments:Dear Rockoyster,
You obviously are an expert! I feel a little better knowing that I may still be able to secure some sort of boat/train combo. It doesn’t look like the 1216 train Fluelen to Lugano via Erstfeld (is via Erstfeld the same route as GPE, just with a train change and not panoramic? It’s ok if so) has low occupancy so I may be in luck. Also, if I find the 11:12 boat doesn’t have high occupancy either, I believe that connecting with the train at 14:10 would make the exact same boat/train combination as the GPE package? I wish I knew how to check the occupancy on that 14:10 train like you have done for the 1216! (hint hint 😉 as then I would really know if it truly was sold out. So far I haven’t heard back from SBB via email and haven’t been able to connect via phone.
As far as the motorboats or steamers, how can I secure a reservation on one (as well as buy tickets) in advance? As I was going to do the GPE package it was all in one… do I go to a separate site for the boat portion? Just hoping mayyyybe I can find a way to book the 11:12 steamer and then the 14:10 (GPE) train from Fluelen to Lugano, or, like you said, the 14:16 train via Erstfeld.
Whew! This is exhausting! I hope it makes sense, and thanks for your insight. That screenshot was great!
Leah
Hello Leah,
You can’t make a reservation on the boat/steamer. You can buy a ticket for the boat at Luzern station anytime before your departure. Tickets don’t run out. Or you can buy a ticket on-line using the SBB site. You just need to go into advanced search and restrict the transport type to ship.
The 14:10 from Flüelen IS the Gotthard Panorama Express. It will appear as EXT in the timetable. The 14:16 follows exactly the same route as the GPEX other than having a train change at Erstfeld. Reservations are no possible on the 12:16 or 14:16.
The GPEX goes through Erstfeld as well but with no change. It looks to me as though there are still seats available in 2nd class on the GPEX but not in 1st Class. Did you try the reservations link I gave you earlier to check for 2nd class?
Warning: There is a 14:10 from Flüelen to Lugano which goes via Arth-Goldhau and the 57Km long Gotthard Base tunnel. Don’t get that one!
Hello again Rockoyster, and thank you – your reply answers many things for me. I did try to reserve even 2nd class from the link you had provided, but I was not successful. I will certainly try again! Maybe from a desktop computer rather than my mobile device, sometimes that can be a problem :/ From what you say, it sounds like getting on the boat will not be a problem… so if you had to choose between 2nd class on the 14:10 and 1st Class on the 14:16 as far as best catching the scenery, what would you do? I appreciate all of the time you have put into helping me, it’s like having a friend who is an expert at traveling in Switzerland! I promise to let you know if I have success 🙂
Kindly, your friend Leah, the cavelady traveler!
Hi Leah,
“. . . . if you had to choose between 2nd class on the 14:10 and 1st Class on the 14:16 as far as best catching the scenery, what would you do”.
Probably 2nd class on the 14:16! But them I’m a cheapskate – no supplement to pay. The scenery is exactly the same but the 14:10 will come with some interesting commentary on the history of the Gotthard and the scenery you pass through.
Enjoy.
Ha ha, funny 🙂 Since my last post was actually able to get as close as purchasing window seat reservations in 2nd class on the 14:10, got all excited and then hit purchase and the site booted me back out. Now I’m not even sure if I’ve purchased them or not, waaaa. I had created an account in the ticket shop, nothing is in there, so likely not. Do you know that the 2nd class cars get the commentary too, or just the folks in 1st class? Thanks… I might just rally and try again 🙂
I had the same problem when I tried doing a reservation – hit a weird error code.
You could always try HappyRails. See http://www.myswissalps.com/go tthardpanoramaexpress/ packages. They might have access to seats.
I think the commentary is available in 2nd class. But I’m not 100% sure as I did the trip in 1st Class.
Good day all over again, Rockoyster 🙂 SOOOO, the plot thickens. If I go to HappyRails it looks like they will allow me a 1st Class seat reservation booking for two on the GPE train (I haven’t put my payment info in yet, tho, so it still could be rejected), but SBB did not allow me even today when I checked again, as it said there was no longer any seats available in that fare class. What am I to believe? I’d love to just book the seat reservations via HappyRails and have the printout that says I have the seats reserved, but what if that compartment really IS booked and HappyRails is just selling those reservations and not up to date on availability? What would Rockoyster do (if he wasn’t a cheapskate and really wanted to be in that panoramic section ;). Thanks!
Hi Leah,
No need to worry, Happyrail won’t send you invalid reservations. They don’t show the live reservation status on their site yet, so they will check availability once you’ve ordered. Worst thing that can happen is that they refund you if the train really is fully booked. That would be a pity, but as Rockoyster explained you can always take a regular train on the same route.
https://www.happyrail. com/en/pass/europe/swi tzerland/passholder-fares-gotthard-panorama-express
Okay, thanks! I will give it a go. I wonder how long it will take to hear from them as to whether or not the seat reservation are all good. Then I can buy my tickets later, correct? The HappyRail site seat reservations for 1st say they are for a “pass holder”, I do not have one yet as I was going to purchase outright but if I have to buy a half-fare travelcard and a day pass for two (a special they have now) for that day I will certainly do it. Just hope I can do that part AFTER I learn if the seat reservations go through? By the way, you guys are great to commit your time to helping people like me with our silly little issues 🙂 thanks!
Hi Leah,
Yes, you can buy the train ticket itself anytime before getting on the train – tickets don’t sell out only reservations do (when applicable).
The half fare travelcard is a rail pass for residents of Switzerland and so the day pass for 2 doesn’t apply for tourists, see here: http://www.myswissalps.com/fo rum/topic/day-saver-for-2-pass
Oh! Thank you, it didn’t indicate that on the site but I am happy to know that. So, if my seat reservations in 1st actually go through via Happy Rail and they say they are for passholders, what options do I have? I had planned to buy the tickets outright since we are only taking a few days of trains (and this is the big trip of the three), but if I am required somehow to have a pass – a day pass? Thanks! Leah
Morning Leah,
I hope HR come through for you. They don’t seem to work weekends.
If you get reservations it doesn’t matter if you have a pass or a point to point ticket.
It may be a Saver Day Pass (http://www.myswissalps.com/on edaytravelpass/details) and bit.ly/2rkekat will be more cost effective for you but the price rises the closer to your travel date you get. Be sure to get 1st Class ones to match your reservations.
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