My husband and I are meeting friends in the Montefon, Austria region for 5 days July, then going by train to Venice.
We need to figure how to get there by train. Our friends have a car and can pick us up from train station if not too far away.
Should we buy tickets ahead of time, but then what if flight is delayed? What would be the best train for this trip?
Then we need to get to Venice. Any suggestions/advice appreciated.
Thanks,
Barbara
Bludenz is a stop on the Zurich-Innsbruck itinerary. First you have to get to Zurich HB (main station) by local railway, then if you manage to take a direct train you can make it in less than two hours from Zurich HB. From Bludenz a local railway goes to Schruns in the Montafon, or you can try to convince your friends to pick you up in Bludenz.
For Venice the itinerary would be Bludenz - Innsbruck - Verona - Venice, likely with changes in Innsbruck and Verona.
I had trouble finding "Montefon". I think you mean Montafon, which is a valley starting near Bludenz.
You can look up times and prices from Zürich airport station to Bludenz (or to one of the stations in the valley) on the Swiss Railways website: www.sbb.ch
Do not buy tickets ahead of time, there is no fiancial advantage in doing so. Just buy tickets at Zürich airport station and get the next train.
Next, can we assume your friends are coming from a direction that would make Zurich airport a substantial detour?
The Railjet train goes from Zurich Hbf (after connecting with frequent trains from Zurich airport) goes direct to Bludenz, which would be the best meeting point if your friends are coming from the east. They have to go through Bludenz to get to the Montafon Valley. The Railjet goes every 2 hours at 13 past the even hours.
At other times there are other trains requiring more connections and taking a bit longer.
If your friends are coming from Montafon, there is also a connector train from Bludenz to Schruns which might make a shorter journey for them.
This is all great information. Thanks for the spelling correction. To clarify, our friends are actually coming from Tanafreida where they will have already arrived from their home in Netherlands.
When buying ticket in Zurich, I presume a credit card will work just fine? We're getting one with a foreign transaction fee.
We are not really seasoned Eropean travelers so this will be a grand adventure.
Thanks again,
Barbara
The full fare ticket from Zurich airport to Bludenz is 50 chf per person. Credit card should work fine (as long as you give your credit card co a travel notification).
The best station for your friends to pick you up at is Tschagguns, the stop before Schruns. It is right off the highway, about 5 miles from Tanafreida. Its an extra 5 chf to get the train from Bludenz to Tschagguns.
