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Hi, I bought the train ticket from the SBB website for my journey from Zermatt to Interlaken via Montreux. One of my journeys involves travelling from Brig to Montreux, which run by the Eurocity train with compulsory reservation. I looked on all websites but cannot find the way to reserve seats. I would appreciate if someone could advise me on this. Many thanks.
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Hi Janice19 and welcome to MySwissAlps!
Are you sure it was a mandatory reservation? http://www.myswissalps.com/tr ain/reservations
I’ve never made a seat reservation on any train in Switzerland except a panoramic train. You often can’t make a reservation and when you can it is optional – except the panoramic trains. (http://www.myswissalps.com/ac tivities/scenictrips/t rain).
Hi Lucas, thanks for your reply. I am looking at the journey on 30th Jan 2019 10.20am from Brig to arrive into Montreux at 11.20am. I think it is a panoramic train as well? I would appreciate if you could clarify this. Thanks.
That train is not a Panoramic which are now denoted PE in the SBB timetable. But you are correct that the timetable shows reservations are compulsory. Who knew? You can make reservations at bit.ly/2HHB2Ev
Hi
rockoyster , I tried that website. It said reservation not possible.
You won’t be able to make reservations until perhaps 30 days prior to your travel. Certainly not this far out. Even the Panoramics only offer reservations 90 days out.
Please note – reservations are not mandatory on the Italy – Switzerland EC trains when you travel wholly within Switzerland.
Reservations are only mandatory if you travel internationally – eg Montreux or Brig to Milano
Having alerted you to the reservations question, can I now ask why you are even travelling via Brig?
The direct route Zermatt – Montreux is to take the local train (runs twice per hour) Zermatt – Visp, and change into a Visp – Montreux – (Geneva) express train.
I assume you are planning to get the 11.44 Montreux – Zweisimmen. If so, you can leave Zermatt at 8.37, arrive Visp 09.46. depart 10.06 arrive Montreux 11.15
Yes, it isn’t clear on the timetable but reservations are noted as compulsory as it is technically an international train (starting in Milan).
If you are departing Zermatt for Montreux then just enter that in the timetable and it will give you the quickest routing: one connection in Visp at 2.5 hours. – no reservations required or noted on the timetable.:)
Hi Lucas.
We have exposed a grave error by SBB CFF! I have just checked and you are correct the online point to point timetable shows ‘Reservation Obligatory’ without any qualifying remarks.
If you look on Swiss Kursbuch PDFs (actually the most official document there is) it states “reservation obligatory for journeys to/from Italy”
I wonder if it is because the point to point ‘online’ timetabel is driven by HAFAS ( a German company) and the computer may misunderstand the official Swiss wording!
Thank you
everyone for all the information I really appreciate it. My plan for that day is Zermatt-Brig-Montreux then take the Golden Pass Line from Montreux to Interlaken via Zweisimmen. The reason I am changing at Brig isbecause Zermatt-Brig is a panoramic train run by Glacier Express. I am bringing my parents there so I would like them to enjoy the Glacier Express journey.So I shall wait till 30 days before travel to make the reservation then. In fact, I have another problem with the reservation.
1960man you are right that I am planning to get the 11.44 Montreux – Zweisimmen. I bought the individual ticket on
SBB website which allows my travel from Zermatt to Interlaken. I am trying to make the reservation for the 11.44 Montreux – Zweisimmen on the official GoldenPass website. I checked the train timetable pdf there is a train at 11.44 but I can’t seem to find it on the GoldenPass website. I don’t know how to make the reservation. It is a panoramic train and the reservation is recommended but not compulsory. However, I would like to make a reservation if possible as I do not want my parents to miss out anything ><
You will pay CHF38 per person for seat reservations for the benefit of travelling on the Glacier Express. Between Visp and Brig (a track you will have to return along to get to Montreux) you are in the Rhone Valley. There is little advantage if any taking the Glacier Express rather than a regular train.
Yes, Visp and Brig are only minutes apart and the train to Visp follows the same route from Zermatt as one going to Brig (only 1 route).
So I wouldn’t be too concerned about the actual panoramic train (same scenery). But if you want to be on it of course you can! 🙂 Reservations here: http://www.myswissalps.com/gl acierexpress/packages
As for the Golden Pass, you can make reservations (as you note not mandatory like the Glacier Express) here: http://www.myswissalps.com/go ldenpass/packages
I know, I am quite shocked by it!
The Swiss German was lost in translation by the Hochdeutsch speaking computer 😉
“The reason I am changing at Brig is because Zermatt-Brig is a panoramic train run by Glacier Express. I am bringing my parents there so I would like them to enjoy the Glacier Express journey.”
I guessed exactly that you were going to give that reason for travelling to Brig!
I am extremely familiar with the area and with the railways of Western Switzerland, having completed 100s of journeys on the MOB (the actual proper company name for the Montreux – Zweisimmen railway, and the Visp – Zermatt line .
The fact is that you absolutely do not need to use the Glacier Express for a Zermatt – Visp journey. It is a minute proportion of the overall Glacier Express route, and a waste of money paying extra for a reservation. The new trains now used on nearly all Visp – Zermatt local services have huge panoramic windows anyway. You do not need to travel beyond Visp to Brig as that is going East to come back West on the parallel main line.
I wouldn’t worry about reserving on the MOB either, especially if you get to Montreux in good time
Hi Lucas- I see that you are beginning to see why living in Germany has some downsides. 😉
Sie werden absolut die deutsche Art lernen, Dinge zu tun!
Slowpoke
The German art of train timetables is not what it used to be. I miss Switzerland for that! German regional trains are almost always late these days – 5 to 10 minutes it seems from personal experience.
I’ve been reading in the local papers in Berlin, that the Swiss are getting annoyed with German trains always being late now. The Swiss are getting upset with the knock on effect on their train schedules!
I also read that DB invests on average 69 euro per person on the rail system whereas SBB invests about 350 euro per person…
Hi Lucas –
From al that I have seen and heard from Swiss friends and American ExPats, the Swiss Love Their Trains. All capital letters might have been appropriate for that phrase! If a bus line is substituted for a rural train line, there is a lot of complaint, but , it still happens. Since it is a social policy of the Federal government to make sure that all citizens, even in remote valleys, have access to the rest of the country, I’d expect higher costs per citizen. And, if I were the government of a country as diverse as Switzerland, I’d spend money to keep it together.
The statistic is perhaps a bit misleading, I think. The capital cost of building and maintaining a rail line cannot be spread over a large population base in Switzerland…it doesn’t have that many residents. It is true that buses could be substituted for trains and still meet the policy goal, but the population seems willing to pay for the trains. Switzerland is wealthy enough to afford it, too. And, tourists spend a lot of money on them.
I’d guess that the Swiss variant of the HAFAS system could be programmed for modestly different connection times for the those German trains, at least for the ones that connect with Swiss trains. They do it for Bern, for example.
Some of that annoyance by the Swiss planners may also be a sly comment on how the “arrogant” Germans are not perfect. Please read that comment in context. I am not stating that the Germans are arrogant. 😉
When I read your comment, I was puzzled, but I do understand it now. The reason that I was puzzled is because, when I traveled or planned regional travel in Italy, by train a few years ago, I used the Die Bahn timetable instead of the Trenitalia. The German timetable was much easier to use and was better able to help me find regional connections….at least, for published “official” times. 😉
Slowpoke
Yes, i think the Swiss kinda of like that the German trains aren’t quite on time anymore. haha. At least when it doesn’t effect their own operation.
The Swiss really do love their trains – that was obvious! 🙂
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