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Purchasing Point to Point Tickets in Switzerland in Advance - Can you make reservations?

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Hi. I want to buy a ticket in advance for my trip from Italy to Switzerland. The Italia Tren website is easy to navigate and I can buy tickets for a specific start time from one destination to another (Riomaggiore to Domodossola). The Swiss Train site (www.sbb.ch) is far more confusing. It looks like I can buy a ticket for the day I wish to travel from Domodossola to Murren but I can't necessarily select the train schedule. Does this mean that the ticket purchased for a particular day in advance is good any time that day? I don't want to wait until I arrive in case there isn't much time between trains. Thanks for your help.

Also, I have attempted to use the Rail Europe site a few times to purchase my tickets, but i continually get this error message "At this time, our online system can't find tickets or schedules for this trip."

BTW, thanks for recommending the DB Bahn site. It's very helpful to see schedule options.

Posted by
16893 posts

Are you visiting Domodossola? You can easily buy all the Swiss tickets there in the Domodossola train station.

If purchasing through SBB, then you are correct that you are not restricted to a specific train departure, just a particular route. Most Swiss trains don't require reservations and many don't even take reservations.

If you're not visiting Domodossola, then the Italian site could sell tickets a bit further on, such as to Brig.

If you use a Swiss Travel Pass upon departing Domodossola, then you don't need either a ticket or a seat reservation.

Rail Europe's shopping cart can't handle that many connections on a route and also probably doesn't sell tickets on the local lines past Interlaken.

Posted by
8889 posts

Beth, "Does this mean that the ticket purchased for a particular day in advance is good any time that day?" - YES in Switzerland that is true.
It is not normal, and usually not possible, to buy rail tickets in Switzerland for a specific train. Tickets are valid on any train, and except for a few specific cases there is no discount for advance purchases. All routes have at least one train per hour.
The SBB website ( www.sbb.ch ) is not confusing, it is simpler because you don't have to bother with reservations or specifying a train.

Look up where you actually want to travel from and to (I guess Riomaggiore to Mürren) on www.sbb.ch (or www.bahn.de )
Book tickets from Riomaggiore to the first place you change trains in Switzerland (probably Brig or Spiez) on http://www.trenitalia.com/ This site will sell tickets for cross border trains up to where you get off the train in Switzerland, but will not sell tickets for Swiss internal trains.
Then buy tickets (note I am not saying "book") from that point to Mürren, or if you have time buy them when you get there. There will always be another train later.

Rail Europe is a US reseller, which many people on this site advise against. I have never used them as I am already here.

P.S. I have just read your earlier post about a Swiss Pass. If you do have a Swiss Pass, then you don't need a ticket past Domodossola, just buy an Italian ticket to Domodossola, and get on any train you like (or stay on the same train) after that.

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