MySwissAlps.com features ads, commercial and non-commercial Reservations for short Swiss panoramic train route
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We will be traveling from Zermatt to Zurich in early June. We want to take the section of the Glacier Express from Zermatt to Andermatt and then hop on a train to take us to Göschenen from Andermatt and then take the section of the Gotthard Express from Göschenen, ending up back in Luzern and then Zurich. I see where I can make reservations for both the Gotthard and Glacier Express trains for the entirety of the line it covers, but I can’t find how to make seat reservations for these short segments (we will have a STP). And I assume we will also have to purchase the upgrade to 1st class for the Gotthard, as it doesn’t have 2nd class. I have tried to figure out how to do this, but keep failing…. help.
Also – will the 5 minute connection time switching between Glacier and Gotthard be enough? I would think this is a common trip visitors would take when heading from Zermatt back to Luzern. With a STP I wouldn’t be concerned about missing a train with tight connections, as we could just take the next train. But with paying to upgrade to 1st class and the reservation fee for Gotthard, missing it would be quite a disappointment.
Thoughts?
Thanks!
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There is no point in trying to travel on the Gotthard Panorama Express from Göschenen to Flüelen (assuming you want to join the boat trip to Luzern there). In fact I doubt if such a connection (GEX to GPEX) is even feasible. The GPEX only has one departure per day. Timetable attached. Oops, 1st attachment north to south, see 2nd attachment. GPEX departs Göschenen 11:10. You can’t get there by that time using the GEX. The earliest you can reach Göschenen is 12:05.
EDIT: The date I checked initially (5 May) for the GEX didn’t show a 7:52 departure. You are correct in that if you catch that train there is a 5 minute connection at Göschenen to the GPEX.
For reservation from Zermatt to Andermatt see http://www.myswissalps.com/forum/topic/seat-reservations-on-the-glacier-express.
I would say the only way to reserve a seat on the GPEX is to book a seat for the full trip and board at Göschenen.
So I’m assuming your opinion is that the GPEX is not worth the extra money for that segment from Goschenen to Fluellen even if we can make the connection?
Well, it’s only a 37minute ride. But if you take regular trains it means a change at Erstfeld and a later boat from Flüelen (if you are including the boat).
If you are taking the boat than I’d go for the GEX/GPEX connection. Even at 5 minutes it should be doable. Swiss trains are generally like clockwork. If you aren’t taking the boat then I’d avoid the extra cost and just go regular trains from Andermatt through to Luzern.
I would say the only way to reserve a seat on the GPEX is to book a seat for the full (train) trip and board at Göschenen. Reservations are not possible on the boat.
http://www.myswissalps.com/gotthardpanoramaexpress/tickets
Thanks a bunch!
Forgot to mention that even if you have to reserve seat for entire GPEX route you would only need a class upgrade for Göschenen to Flüelen (or Arth-Goldau if skipping the boat).
If you are going on the boat you would need a class upgrade for that as well if you want to access the upper deck and dining room. You can baby that onboard if you don’t get it before-hand.
http://www.sbb.ch/en/buying/pages/fahrplan/fahrplanProduktbasiert.xhtml
Hi Timbertrail! In addition to Rockoyster’s helpful advice, please find general information on train reservations at http://www.myswissalps.com/train/reservations.
Although I do think that panoramic trains come with attractive advantages, I do agree that it’s easier to board regular trains and avoid the need for reservations for such short stretches. You’ll find comparisons between panoramic and regular trains at http://www.myswissalps.com/gotthardpanoramaexpress and http://www.myswissalps.com/glacierexpress. Zermatt-Andermatt is a bit longer, and you may want to reserve Glacier Express eats for that leg. Several retailers listed at http://www.myswissalps.com/glacierexpress/tickets allow you to reserve Zermatt-Andermatt only.
Ignore the Gotthard Panorama Express, see my standard ‘FAQ’ below. Just take any train Andermatt – Göschenen and it will connect with the regional trains on the old Gotthard line.
Personally, I would ignore the Glacier Express as well, and just take ordinary trains on the MGB railway – the views are just the same and you travel in a less ‘sanitised’ train with a mixture of other passengers including locals, making it a more ‘genuine’ travel experience
Gotthard Panorama Express – a personal view
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…)!
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