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Reservations with swiss pass

Posted by (Annapolis, MD) on

Hello,

I have never traveled with a pass before and have always just done point to point. After doing some research I think I have settled on purchasing the 8 day swiss travel pass (not Eurail) for 3 nights in Vevey and 3 in Murren; it seems it covers the most vs the half fare card. I am still wondering, although it seems only the "Scenic" trains REQUIRE a reservation,should I still buy reservations for certain trains or should I be able to jump on them freely with the pass (middle of September)?

Thanks!

Also, is there any benefit to buying the pass ahead of time vs just buying at the station upon arrival?

Posted by
16895 posts

The Swiss systems is designed not to need reservations, with trains running every hour or half hour. They cannot sell out. I typically don't buy any seat reservation that's not required, especially in Switzerland. The Swiss would like to reduce the number of people in line at the station for passes, but you can choose whichever option feels more convenient. See also my reply to your comment on the other Swiss thread.

Posted by
28 posts

Great, thank you Laura.

Are the lines long to purchase at the station?

Posted by
8889 posts

The only trains you should reserve on are the tourist "Scenic" trains.
Most of the trains you can't reserve on. It is designed to be a "turn-up-and-go" service. The only people who book are groups of 10+.
And every route and every station has at least one train per hour in each direction, often more on the main routes. So you don't have to be too worried about the timetable.

Are the lines long to purchase at the station?

They can be, but if you have a pass that won't bother you as you just walk into the station and straight onto your train. Most people use the ticket machines instead as that is faster.

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