MySwissAlps.com features ads, commercial and non-commercial Making reservations on Swiss panoramic trains
-
My wife and I are planning a two week train trip around Switzerland in September, 2021. We have our trip itinerary completed, hotels reserved, activities picked out and the only things not completed are our train arrangements which I still don’t completely understand while looking at all of the helpful sites like these like this one. We plan to get a 15 day 1st Class Swiss Travel Pass I have several questions that I cannot seem to find the answers to and maybe someone can help me. I have researched the train site on MySwissAlps but cannot find the answers to the following questions
1) When should I purchase the Travel Pass. (For me, the sooner the better!). Do i have to wait till closer to my trip?
2) Since I am also creating a budget, how do I find out the costs of making seat reservations on the panoramic trains such as Golden Pass, Jungfraujach, Glacier Express, Bernina Express, Gotthard Panorama and others. I understand that the Swiss Travel Pass allows you on most of these trains but you have to pay for a seat reservation in advance. As well as the costs, how soon can I make the reservations and pay for the reservations?
3) If I am traveling on the Gotthard Panorama Express from Lugano to Lucerne and wish to get off the train for a couple hours to visit Bellinzoma, are there enough trains traveling this route that I can get on another Gotthard Panorama Express to continue my journey to Lucerne the same day. Will I have to pay another seat reservation fee to get on the train again?
Any help someone can offer me will be most appreciated. I am struggling to find this information.
Thank you
Joejax
-
Hi JoeJax –
Welcome to My Swiss Alps.
Seems like you are quite well organized.
It may be helpful to check out the links here:
http://www.myswissalps.com/travel
http://www.myswissalps.com/travel/inswitzerland
More than you want,perhaps, but most of the answers are there.
Although the reservations that you note are definitely a good idea, and ought to definitely be bought, there is some first date before they can be bought. The moderators will have those details.
For your third question, there are limited schedules, as you can see by studying the time table. I recall that there is only one round trip per day for the Express. But there are trans on the route that are not part of the official express train.
The timetable will show you that:
http://www.myswissalps.com/timetable
In general, Swiss trains…except the named expresses , don’t require reservations. Just like city bus or tram lines, they run frquently, and you can hop on and hop off.
If the train runs an international route…say through Germany, France, etc., those rains should be reserved, since passenges from outside Switzerland will have reserved sears. Although there are usually sections in the Swiss parts that can be traveled without reservations.
Hope this gets you started.
Slowpoke.
Hi Joejax,
Thank you for joining MySwissAlps.
Slowpoke has provided some very useful links to help you get started.
In addition, I hope the following answers address your concerns:
1. How far in advance should you buy your Swiss Travel Pass? You can buy it as soon as you confirm your trip and itinerary. There is not much of a price difference if you buy now or later but given the current situation with a pandemic, I personally think you should wait perhaps until closer to your trip. In any case most resellers now provide a refund if you cancel your tickets at least 4 days before your trip. But do check the small prints of each resellers. You can find a list of Swiss Travel Pass resellers from this link: http://www.myswissalps.com/swisstravelpass/price
2. Most panoramic trains allow you to make seat reservations up to 90 days in advance. Some have a fixed rate while others vary according to season and length of journey. You can find more details from the following links. If you scroll down each page you’ll find the link to the official websites of each panoramic train operators at the bottom or right column.
- Golden Pass – seat reservation is not compulsory but recommended for some trains on the Montreux to Zweisimmen leg: http://www.myswissalps.com/goldenpass/tickets
- Glacier Express: The reservation fee depends on the season and can vary between 23 and 43 CHF for long journeys and between 13 and 33 CHF for short journeys.
You can find details here: http://www.myswissalps.com/glacierexpress/tickets. - Bernina Express: Seat reservations on the Bernina Express and on the Bernina Express Bus are obligatory.
Please find more details here: http://www.myswissalps.com/berninaexpress/tickets. - Gotthard Panorama Express: The Gotthard Panorama Express train offers only 1st class on the Gotthard route between Flüelen and Lugano. Bookings in 2nd class are not available. A surcharge/ reservation fee of CHF 16 per person is charged on the panoramic train between Flüelen and Lugano. Travellers with a 2nd class ticket will need a class upgrade.
Details here http://www.myswissalps.com/gotthardpanoramaexpress. - Jungfraujoch: Seat reservation is possible. More details here: http://www.myswissalps.com/jungfraujoch/tickets.
3. As mentioned by Slowpoke, there are regular trains servicing the Gotthard Panorama Express route. These do not require seat reservations. Please check the timetable for train schedule: http://www.myswissalps.com/timetable
Hope that helps!
Regards,
Anna
Thank you to Slowpoke and Anna for your quick responses. The information was very helpful. I will further dig my way through the links that you sent me and I am sure to find all of the information I am looking for.
Regards,
Joejax
The timetable is your friend. Lots of resources, station maps, vendors in stations, services such as left luggage, or sending luggage ahead, all kinds of good stuff.
I use the SBB mobile App when on the road, allowing easy changing of routes and timing.
Slowpoke.
- The thread ‘Making reservations on Swiss panoramic trains’ is closed to new replies.
