My husband and I are both seniors planning to tour Switzerland by train in May. I read from RS's Switzerland Rail Passes and Train Tips that Switzerland sells Senior card only upon arrival. Thus it has no use for us as I plan to buy the single-country Swiss Train Pass online before the trip. Am I correct?
I notice that there are train routes that read "Reservation possible", eg from Visp to Bern, from Bern to Interlaken Ost, from Spiez to Visp. Does it mean that they "recommend" reservation? How do I reserve if I buy the STP from RS's website?
Thank you for helping!
Posted by
Rick Steves' Europe
16893 posts
I'm not aware of a Senior Card and therefore have not described one at https://www.ricksteves.com/travel-tips/trip-planning/savvy-senior-travelers#senior-train-discounts nor at https://www.ricksteves.com/travel-tips/transportation/trains/switzerland-rail-passes. (There is a Grandchild Card that covers any grandchildren traveling with you.) But if there were one, it's correct that it would not work together with the Swiss Travel Pass.
We don't recommend any reservations for Swiss trains unless you want a panorama/observation coach on routes that offer them, such as the Montreux-Zwiesimmen portion of the Golden Pass scenic route, or for the Glacier Express. That's not the case on the routes you mentioned. Optional seat reservations are sold in stations there, probably for a few francs. Since trains run every half hour, they're not likely to fill up. And since they don't require reservations, you can always board, even if it takes a while to find a seat.