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Another train travel in Switzerland question

Posted by (san francisco) on

I am on the home stretch of planning our vacation. We will be dropping our rental car off in Lake Como and taking the train up to Zurich. I hear it is quite a nice trip, and only 3+ hours.

We would like to stop in Lucerne for a few hours on the way. I am trying to check the train schedule on the website, but am having a problem finding where I actually can set up such a schedule. I was thinking of just booking the train to Lucerne, then another on to Zurich, but it is considerably more expensive.

My husband and I "dated" in Lucerne when we first met, and now are returning for our 25th Anniversary trip. Our schedule does not permit any more time than a few hours, but we would love to be able to return.

Thanks for any help!

Posted by
41 posts

Thanks, Steve.

So there is no problem waiting to book until we are there? It will be for 4 people.

Also, is there a price advantage to book early, or is it pretty much one price regardless?

Thanks for your help!

Posted by
4555 posts

You can wait until you get to Como before purchasing. Or you can buy them ahead of time on the Swiss national rail website, SBB. You can enjoy some significant discounts by purchasing ahead up to 60%, but they are non-refundable or changeable), and their e-mail contact service is very efficient if you have any problems. Book your tickets from "Como S. Giovanni" (the Trenitalia station in Como) to Lucerne, then Lucerne to Zurich.
Unfortunately, they don't have print-at-home tickets yet, so they'll charge you about $40 to courier them to your home (3 or 4 days)...but it still works out cheaper than a regular-fare ticket purchased over there, and your spots would be assured.

Posted by
16444 posts

Mary, are you starting from Como itself? Como San Giovanni? Then to maximize your time in Luzern you would want the EC train that follows the route Como---Chiasso---Lugano---Arth-Goldau. At Arth-Goldau you change to a train for Luzern---otherwise you end up in Zurich. These trains depart Como SG every 2 hours; a good one to catch would be the 9:45. It is 3 hours to Luzern.

Posted by
41 posts

Thanks for all the info!

Yes, we are starting in Como...will be turning in our rental at the train station there.

We are hoping for a scenic train, as oppsed to the high speed. We can start as early as needed, but just want to spend at least 3-4 hours in Lucerne before heading to Zurich. The problem I am having is finding how I can have that lay over instead of first available transfer automatically booking.

Again, thanks for your help!

Posted by
16444 posts

The route you will follow is one of the designated "scenic" routes---the so-called William Tell Express, but you don't want to do the boat part of it as that will take too much of your Luzern time. It should all be quitescenic--except for the Gotthard tunnel.

If you want to book in advance and build in time for several hours in Luzern, why not just book that far? coomo to Luzern? It is just a short hop from there to Zurich (one hour), and you don't need reservations---just catch the train when you are ready to leave Luzern.

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