Packing lunches for train travel

First off cheeses do not spoil easily especially in a few short hours. For train trips we pack things that have a low spoilage point -- breads, wine, cheeses, fruits. and choc. We generally avoid meats unless packaged. Most train stations have grocery stores or what we call 7/11. Go a half hour, maybe an hour early and buy what you need at the station. Sometimes they will have prepared sandwiches. They will last a couple of hours.

I do train picnics often, and find train stations have good choices, often as prepared salads and sandwiches in attached groceries. No concerns about chilling as it will be eaten in a couple of hours at most.

All great suggestions and we weren’t sure the train stations would have food like other European countries. Thank you so much!!

Larger Swiss train stations are like shopping malls. In fact SBB promotes Zurich HB as "Shopville Zurich".

Yes the train station grocery stores have high quality prepared foods great water selections at great prices.

We also pack lunches when hiking. There are a lot of great options that do not need cooling. Cheese is going to be fine. So are dried meats and sausages. These are all foods that were created as a means to store food in the days before fridges were common.

One good option are a type of sausage called "Landjäger". These you will even see outside the fridge in many grocery stores. Then add some bread, some fruit etc... and you have a good picnic.

I was also going to suggest Landjäger - not really for someone who is counting calories, but very delicious!

When I first moved here, I was fascinated to see hard-boiled eggs sold in stores. They look like colored Easter eggs, are stored on the shelves, and are available year-round. While they may not be the easiest snack to eat on a train, I often pack them for hiking or other day trips.

SBB provides a page where you can search for specific train stations to view the services they offer:

https://www.sbb.ch/en/travel-information/stations/find-station.html

Landjäger - not really for someone who is counting calories, but very delicious!

I have to count calories??? Oh man! is nothing exempt? Surely the calories all get out as it is drying?

If you’re having breakfast in a hotel with a buffet, ask whether you can get paper to wrap up something for lunch. Expect to pay a nominal fee for this if it’s allowed. Otherwise, get a sandwich at the station. If you’re going to be on the train long enough for the food to go bad, there will be food available to purchase on the train.

I have to count calories???

In Switzerland….never! :-)

I guess I was thinking more of myself, of course I sure hope visitors are trying and tasing everything without thinking of such things, just as I do when I go on holiday elsewhere!

The (likely AI written) suggestion to use freezer packs made me smile—where exactly are these cold packs supposed to come from when the issue is staying in a hotel without any refrigeration before a travel day?

Just use non perishable items.

Cheese, Landjäger, and yes, boiled eggs. Forgot about those. Dried fruits. Fresh fruit. Bread. Little Capri Sun packets...
You may even discover how tasty stuff is when not cooled to freezing temp...

If you're a REALLY big eater, I can't help... But most hotels have those buffet breakfasts. My wife and I would grab some croissants, cut them from head to toe, and slap some cheese and meat in them, and we were good for the day.

We simply kept them in our backpacks. Never had any issues. No one in the hotel restaurant looked at us cross-eyed.

And given the exchange rate, we probably saved $15 or more a day.

Coop and Migros have great supermarkets in most larger train stations, or right next door

Don’t forget nuts.

A Swiss couple on a train sitting across from us in southern France two months ago also brought avocados (and a knife). They said that was their go-to train picnic ingredient, along with crackers, carrots, and fruit.

Thanks so much everyone for your suggestions. I think we were overthinking this. We do a ton of hiking and our go to is PBJ sandwiches which would also be just fine. Can I say Huckleberry Jam is the best thing ever,
Cheese, dried meats, bred or crackers and wine works great for us.

Especially for longer train trips, I always pick up something at the station before I board the train. There are always shops that have a variety of pre-packaged sandwiches and other items. If I'm getting an early start, I get something for breakfast too although in some cases my hotel may prepare a "meal-in-a-bag" and keep it in the fridge until I check-out.

One good option are a type of sausage called "Landjäger".

Oh, do get some Landjäger! It is the most delicious sausage!!

No train lunch in Switzerland is complete without Zweifel paprika potato chips. :-) Be sure to pick up a bag at any grocery store.

https://www.zweifel.ch/int_en/products/product-detail/?uid=8

Can't say about Switzerland, but in our European travels we have always been able to pick up good sandwiches, as well as small bottles of wine, in train stations. Allow yourself a little extra time to poke around the station. Larger stations will often have a number of shops that sell prepared foods.