I am having a real problem on all sites booking 2 one-way tickets from Montreux to Luzern and then connect to Zurich on 7/3/25. We are very experienced travelers but not train travelers and are having no luck with multiple websites. Are there travel agents or company service representatives we can speak with to assist? More than willing to pay for the service. Suggestions?
Posted by
California
23 posts
What kind of problem is it?
Posted by
Wengen
2835 posts
The easiest way to do this is to just go to the station in Montreux, and explain what you want. Most on line planners assume you want the quickest route when buying tickets, and teasing detours out of the system is sometimes complicated.
However, what you also can do is this:
Get a Saver Day Pass. In Second class you can currently get that for 52,- or 44,-0 if you have (or plan to have) the Half Fare Card. That covers all public transit in Switzerland for a whole day, and will be the cheapest option for you (normal 2nd class ticket is 88,-)
Get that here:
https://www.sbb.ch/en/buying/pages/kontingent/kontingent.xhtml
If you know you will be doing this trip buy that ticket now, as it only gets more expensive the longer you wait...
Seat reservations are not compulsory. If you want them you best get them directlyl from the operator of the train themselves.
https://www.gpx.swiss/ for Montreux - Interlaken
https://shop.luzern.com/en/stories/luzern-interlaken-express for Interlaken Luzern
Or just do that at a train station in Switzerland...
Posted by
OP
2 posts
I am so sorry. I’m sure your directions are very clear. The problem is when I follow them precisely they don’t work. This has also been my experience with the Eurail, gpx.swiss, etc.sites. I need to buy 2 Golden Pass tickets in the Golden Pass from Montreux to Luzern and then same day connect to Zurich on 7/3/25. All my efforts have failed. It appears there is no one to actually speak to which may help. How is either purchasing a ticket or speaking to an agent accomplished? Do I but passes first? Do I buy a day ticket first? In either case then make the reservations? Clearly I’m stupid but I am a seasoned global traveler just not by train.
Posted by
Wengen
2835 posts
One of the things you are wrongly assuming is that tickets are for a train. They are not. Tickets are for a route.
If you are travelling from Montreux to Zurich you need a ticket from Montreux to Zurich. Not a ticket from Montreux to Interlaken, and another one from Interlaken to Luzern etc...
You need a ticket for the route you are taking. Now because going via Interlaken and Luzern is not the logical route for a Montreux - Zurich trip getting that ticket is a bit complicated. But I looked it up for you, and it would cost 88,- if bought at the station or on line. Since tickets are always available you can wait till you are in Montreux to buy this, from a human, which you can explain what you want.
But there is a better option. You can buy a Saver Day Pass for the whole Swiss Public Transit System. Right now that would cost you 52,- which is cheaper than the 88,- a normal ticket would cost. So just buy that, and you can stop worrying about routes and tickets.
So you now have a ticket. That ticket allows you to be on the train. Any train in fact. A ticket for a route allows you to be on any train on that route. The Day Pass allows you to be on any train in the country. And any bus, tram and most boats as well..../
On some trains you can also get seat reservations. What that does is guarantee that you will have a seat on that particular train.
These seat reservations are not compulsory, but are a good idea often.
Tickets and reservations are managed separately. Tickets are issues by a central organisation that collects the money and then distributes it to the 500+ transportation companies in Switzerland. So when you buy a ticket from SBB or BLS or anyone else the money actually does not directly go to them.
Reservations are managed by the company that operates the train. And what you pay for them goes directly to them. That explains why they agressively market the reservations, and often make it appear as if they are essential.
So you need to get your reservation for the Montreux - Interlaken train that you plan to take from the company that runs that train. And for the Interlaken - Luzern reservation you need to get it from that company. And for Luzern - Zurich you do not need a reservation.
You do not need to get those all at the same time. They are not linked. You are free to get reservations for Montreux Interlaken and Interlaken Luzern now, and can get the tickets later. Maybe your plans in Switzerland warrant getting a Swiss Travel Pass for example. How are you getting to Montreux? Maybe give us some context, so we can give better advise.