[Removed user]

23 June 2018 at 8:53:35 #816837

Hi

We are planning to buy the Swiss Travel Pass. Would like to use pass for panaromic rides like Golden Pass Line, Glacier Express. Have the following questions:

1. For the above 2 rides can I get off at the stations along the way and rejoin the train later?

2.For seat reservations can we go to the stations and make booking instead of online as we might have trouble accessing the line. We would like to make reservations while there, and just 1 or2 days before intending to ride the line as we would be more certain of plans then.

3. Is the regional trains travelling on the same route as the Panoramic rides as nice?

( In case we cannot get reservations.)

4. For the STP does it mean we can travel on ANY type of train? notice theres IC . And what does each abbrev of the train route means? for example R .

Hope I am making sense to you all for posting those questions. Our intended travel dates are 2nd week of Sept.

thank you.

Sharon

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[Removed user]

23 June 2018 at 9:35:08 #889174

1) yes you can get down and take the other train. But keep a track of the time table of the next golden pass train plus there are regional trains running on the same line as well you can check those too

2) you can do reservations of seats online or at the staffed railway station. But if as you planning to get off at multiple stations in the middle I don’t think that’s it too much use as the reservation is valid for only that train and not the one after that.

3) I don’t know as I did not travel in them maybe some one else can help you

4) mostly all trains are covered except a few cable cars and cogwheel trains and a few trains up the mountains like jungfrajoch , pilatus , titlis check the map on this website for the same

[Removed user]

23 June 2018 at 11:52:38 #889175

Hi Sharon .

1.For the above 2 rides can I get off at the stations along the way and rejoin the train later?

You can get off the stations and rejoin later except that the next trains in case of Glacier and Bernina are typically 4 -5 hours at the least . This might work well for the Golden Pass as the frequency is more

2.For seat reservations can we go to the stations and make booking instead of online as we might have trouble accessing the line. We would like to make reservations while there, and just 1 or2 days before intending to ride the line as we would be more certain of plans then.

You should not have a problem on reservations on the golden pass but on the Glacier you might have issues if you are booking a couple of days ahead of your trip

3. Is the regional trains travelling on the same route as the Panoramic rides as nice?

( In case we cannot get reservations.)

The scenic trains are an experience .That said the regional trains are good as well …and they are more conducive to take photographs . I

4. For the STP does it mean we can travel on ANY type of train? notice theres IC . And what does each abbrev

of the train route means? for example R .

R is for regional trains , IC is Intercity , RJ is Rail Jet and so on . The STP enables you to travel across all trains ..

Trust this helps

[Removed user]

23 June 2018 at 13:30:53 #889176

Hi there Travelholic6 – why do you say the regional trains are more conducive to take photos? Jenallan18

[Removed user]

23 June 2018 at 14:21:43 #889177

[quote]Jenallan18 said:

Hi there Travelholic6 – why do you say the regional trains are more conducive to take photos? Jenallan18

[/quote]Hi Jenallan18..

The scenic trains typically are covered with full length glass windows…without the flexibility of rolling them down . As a result pictures taken could have a “glass reflection” that impairs the picture quality .There are a small number of small windows which cane used for photographs by peering out …

The regional trains running on the same route have “roll down” windows that facilitate clean photographs . Some of the trains also have a viewing deck at the rear that is even better platform for photographs.

The photographs below …one taken from inside the compartment of the Bernina express and the other through the “photographic window” ..highlight the restrictions on the Scenic trains…

As i had suggested in my earlier post …..The scenic trains make for terrific experience …but if you want to capture all your scenic beauty then the regional trains on the same route are a better bet…

Hope this helps….

[Removed user]

23 June 2018 at 14:30:08 #889178

Hi Momisharon,
For Glacier Express and Bernina Express, reservations are mandatory and book out weeks or months in advance sometimes – I’d be surprised if you could find seats a few days ahead in the summer. But never say never.

If you get on and off the train along the route you need to make seat reservations for each section so that gets expensive (and it could be hours before the next express train comes along as well (or none for the rest of the day).
Regional trains follow the same route and are better if you intend to hop on/off as no reservations are needed.
For the Swiss Travel Pass the type of train doesn’t matter – only the route you are on. https://www.myswissalp s.com/swisstravelpass/ validity

[Removed user]

23 June 2018 at 14:42:43 #889179

Thanks Travelholic6 for your extra advice re the photos … your advice will be very helpful. I will certainly bear that in mind when planning our trip.

[Removed user]

24 June 2018 at 2:08:31 #889180

Thank you Impactedmind, Travelholic6 and Lucas. Will take note of all your advices.

“If you get on and off the train along the route you need to make seat reservations for each section so that gets expensive (and it could be hours before the next express train comes along as well (or none for the rest of the day).” Lucas, ya the costs would add up. Thanks for reminder 🙂

Now will consider sticking on one scenic ride or just go on a region train and hopping off when the views look good.

Sharon

[Removed user]

24 June 2018 at 4:59:45 #889181

Hi Sharon,

>> Would like to use pass for panaromic rides like Golden Pass Line, Glacier Express … will consider … just go on a region train and hopping off when the views look good.

Nine times out of ten, the best views will be between stations, not at stations, so that idea probably isn’t as good as it sounds 😉 Many stops on the Glacier Express route are also quite remote.

I would recommend you do a bit of research and plan your stops ahead of time.

For the Glacier Express route, two places to consider getting off at are Oberalppass (the highest point of the route) and Versam-Safien (where you can walk down to the River Rhein). Getting off at those two places will add 2 hours to your journey, as there is an hour between trains. I would only recommend getting off at these two places if you are not travelling with luggage though.

Before getting off, make sure you know when the next train will be along.

If you are interested in seeing photos of the Oberalppass, and the Rhein at Versam-Safien, you can see them here. Those taken at Versam-Safien are near the bottom of the page.

http://www.myswissalps.com/fo rum/topic/train-across-the-oberalppass-on-a-gloomy-day

Alpenrose

[Removed user]

26 June 2018 at 4:53:12 #889182

Hi Alpenrose666

Thanks for the sound advices. Certainly fruit for thoughts and further research 🙂 . Am certainly very fortunate to come across this website where we get so many invaluable input and advices. Thank you everyone !

Sharon