[Willdenvally]

9 March 2021 at 21:35:20 #825795

Hi

I am planning to travel to Switzerland during May 2022 and propose doing the four scenic rail trips,e.g. Glacier Express and Bernina Express.

Does anyone know when the hotels will open their bookings for this period?

Thanks. William

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[Removed user]

10 March 2021 at 14:11:23 #934764

Hi William and welcome to MySwissAlps!

I would expect to be able to book a maximum of 1 year in advance. Is there any particular reason you would like to book so early? I would recommend to wait a bit more and try to book it later. We have a list of recommended hotels at http://www.myswissalps.com/hotels.

Regarding the trains, usually, reservations for the next year become available around mid October.

You can read about tickets and seat reservation for these scenic trains here:

Bernina Express: http://www.myswissalps.com/berninaexpress/tickets
Glacier Express: http://www.myswissalps.com/glacierexpress/tickets
Gotthard Panorama Express: http://www.myswissalps.com/gotthardpanoramaexpress/tickets
Golden Pass: http://www.myswissalps.com/goldenpass/tickets

More panoramic trains: http://www.myswissalps.com/activities/scenictrips/train

Ildiko

[Slowpoke]

10 March 2021 at 14:40:04 #934765

Hi William –

The trains will run, but some of the High Alps accommodations are closed between seasons in early May.

Slowpoke

[Arno]

10 March 2021 at 17:47:47 #934766

That’s indeed true, and I also found that sometimes hotels want a minimum stay: they can’t be booked for one night but if you try for two or three nights the booking goes through. But I doubt many of them will be that picky when traveling finally resumes. Everyone will be happy to welcome you I’d say 🙂

[Willdenvally]

10 March 2021 at 22:27:22 #934767

Thanks so much for your reply.

I like to book early so that I can be organised and stress about things.

When do you suggest I should should start booking the accommodation?

Kind Regards

William

[Willdenvally]

10 March 2021 at 22:29:27 #934768

Thanks for the reply Slowpoke.

Regards

William

[Removed user]

11 March 2021 at 9:25:42 #934769

I understand your point of view regarding stress. It depends on you when you should start booking. I am a late-booker as everything changes so fast and I like to book if it is 100% sure we will be able to travel. If you prefer booking early, you can start to book as soon as the hotels are bookable. Here you find some great tips about how to plan your Swiss holiday during the Covid-crisis: http://www.myswissalps.com/coronavirus/planning

I wish you the bests,

Ildiko

[Willdenvally]

11 March 2021 at 23:06:14 #934770

Thanks once again Ildiko for your reply. It is most helpful.

Kind Regards

William

[Danielsan]

12 March 2021 at 4:33:34 #934771

Hi Willdenvally,

I had traveled the Grand Train Tour of Switzerland in Sept of 2018. I had pretty much all my hotels, and scenic train reserves booked by the end of March, six months out. That was, of course, before any of the current world situation occured. I had reserves on the Gotthard, the Bernina, and the Glacier express. I didn’t have one for the Golden Pass line. Perhaps because it was just past the main tourest season. I have heard, and read, on these threads various accounts of weather a reserve is needed for the Golden Pass line. Perhaps things have changed since then, perhaps some of the experts can further clarify that. In any event, I didnt need/have one at the time. As far as hotels, I believe it may vary between each individual hotel as to how far in advance one can book a room. Try BOOKING.COM, or one of the others, (Trip Advisor, Travelocity, etc.) and play around and see. Or try the hotels direct, they’ll let you know one way or the other. You may even save some money that way as well. (No fees involved if booking direct). It certainly doesn’t do any harm in trying to book in advance. As you said, less stress involved and what have you….enjoy your planning and hope all is back as close to normal as can be for a great trip.

Danielsan

[Willdenvally]

12 March 2021 at 5:09:11 #934772

Thank you so much Danielsan for your very informative reply. It certainly gives me something to go on.

It seems as if I start booking towards the end of this year everything should be work out fine.

Thanks again.

Kind Regards

William

[pvonk]

12 March 2021 at 18:15:40 #934773

I have usually booked hotels and transport to Switzerland within a year of travel. HOWEVER, I get a feeling that all bets are off now. My wife and I wanted to book a clipper cruise in the Caribbean for Feb. 2022 and found all the trips were booked solid. I suspect that with Covid, many, many travelers are tired of staying home and want to get out.

[Willdenvally]

12 March 2021 at 23:05:59 #934774

Thanks for the information.

Kind Regards

William

[Swisshiker]

17 March 2021 at 20:47:47 #934775

There are a lot of great hotels especially in Switzerland that provide solutions even in this Covid-times. You just have to take a look around.

[Willdenvally]

17 March 2021 at 23:12:12 #934776

Thanks Swisshiker

Regards

William

[Removed user]

18 March 2021 at 15:52:23 #934777

Hi Pvonk,

I can understand it.
It is similar to the campsites in Switzerland, previously I never booked out of season in advance, but now it is a must if you would like to make sure that you have a place. Of course you do not need to book a pitch in a year before but at least a few weeks before it is advisable. I mean out od season, if it is high season I would say a few months before.

Take care,

Ildiko

[davidheiden]

18 March 2021 at 18:17:44 #934778

Is Hotel Oberland in Lauterbrunnen Open? (have not been able to make contact). Are they accepting summer/September 2021 bookings?

Also – any idea of current Covid restrictions on travelers coming from the USA? Will documentation of vaccination be satisfactory? Is quarantine currently required?

many thanks,

David, SF,

USA

[Anna]

19 March 2021 at 7:30:23 #934779

Hi David,

Hotel Oberland in Lauterbrunnen seems to be open. I tried making a reservation online and it works fine. However I’m not sure if they are accepting bookings for the summer. You can try using this link to search for other accommodation in Lauterbrunnen: http://www.myswissalps.com/lauterbrunnen/hotels

Regarding travel restrictions, travellers from the USA arriving in Switzerland currently need to present a negative PCR test taken in the last 72 hours before being allowed to enter. This is followed by a mandatory 10 days quarantine but could be shortened to 7 days if you have a second negative test after 7 days onwards. These measures and restrictions are regularly updated. You can check for the latest updates here: http://www.myswissalps.com/forum/topic/does-the-corona-virus-affect-trips-to-switzerland
New updates are always posted at the top.

Regards,

Anna

[Lijianhughes]

26 March 2021 at 1:11:24 #934780

If I’m not wrong, many hotels open up around 1st or 2nd week of June for summer season. I couldn’t think of a reason to book so early unless you’re really worried about them running out of rooms, which I don’t think would be the case until really last minute.

On top of that I would suggest referring to the hotel recommendations on this forum and try to contact the hotels directly through email.

[Willdenvally]

26 March 2021 at 2:43:45 #934781

Thank so much for your reply.

Regards

William