Train connections in Switzerland

The best advice someone gave me was to download the SBB app to your phone. If you put in your route and turn on notifications, it will tell you the next stops, next tracks, departure platforms, train numbers, etc., etc and it makes it very easy to navigate the Swiss train system. It's a lot easier than you think it will be. Transfer times are sufficient just be ready to get off the train and move to the next platform if needed. good luck!

One of the best things about trains in Switzerland is that tickets are not time specific (unless you have a super saver discount). So, if you do miss your connection, you can just get on the next train. But, 6 and 8 minutes should be plenty of time.

I like to be near the door just before the train is going to stop so I can get off quickly. The Swiss train stations are well signed. So, use the SBB app and know ahead of time what train platform to look for and follow the signs.

Switzerland was my first trip to Europe a few years ago and I was so stressed out about the trains. I was pleasantly surprised how easy train travel in Switzerland is.

You’ll be fine. And if you need help, the SBB staff is usually around and are very helpful Don’t hesitate to ask, “Is platform X this way?” or “Is this train going to Bern?”

At Bern, look at the details and you will see the transfer is from Track 7 to Track 8. That is a cross platform change. Walk 20 ft across the platform to your next train, as easy as it gets.

At Visp you need to go down a level, and use the under passage and up to your new track. If you miss it, wait 30 minutes for the next train. There are both ramps and stairways to do this.

This is an odd route, but it appears that there are works going on between Sierre and Visp, so you would be on a bus if you choose that route. Going via Bern is then the better option.

Trains here are mass transit. Tickets are normally for a route, not a train. So with your ticket you can take any train on the route. Also there is no such thing as an "eurocity line" and an "intercity line". These are just train categories. And trains mostly do not have dedicated platforms in stations. What you do is just listen to the announcements in the train. As the train approaches Bern the conductor will announce where all the connecting trains are. However be aware that we do not really bother with train numbers here. What you need to remember is the direction of the train (the end station). If in Bern you start looking for Eurocity $63 you will not find it. What you will be looking for is the EC to Domodossola...

The SBB website will give yopu all the information you need, including platform numbers.

What you do is just listen to the announcements in the train.

In my recent experience, they don't always announce in English. So, best to check the SBB app.

On the newer trains there are also displays, and they also announce connections when you get of the train. And usually on IC services this is done in English as wll.

Anyway. A lot of tourists come to Switzerland thinking that train travel is complicated, and quickly learn that is isn't. The railways here are pleasant and user friendly.

Good advice in this thread. Absolutely download the SBB app way before your trip and learn how to use it. I would not try to write down every connection, use the app, as on rare occasions a train is a bit late. As said, many trains have a monitor giving the next stop, but you want the app to tell you your arrival is track 2, and departure is track 5, and how many minutes. This morning we went from near Geneva to Brienz. 6 transfers, all worked fine. One train was delayed a few minutes, but we just made the connection. The app has an option to use current position (from gps), but sometimes that confuses things. Out of Geneva, sit on the right side. It will work. Don't worry, use the app.

Another note: you need data for the app to work. I have Tmobile, and I get free slow data (256 kbps). Even with that very slow data, the app worked. And most all those trains will have 240 vac outlets for charging. You will take lots of photos.

Thank you everybody. I downloaded the SBB app and it is very helpful and should get us where we are going with little confusion.

I would caution on 6 and 8 minute train changes. A slight miscalculation on which platform your next train departs from or a 4 minute delay in your train arrival results in missing your next segment. You may be lucky and it is only an hour or so but it could be the next day. I twice had a 20 minute connection in Milan from France and Switzerland. One on we arrived at platform 14 and needed to get to 2 thru a sea of humanity with two suitcases. Were the last folks on the train before the conductor blew the whistle. The second time, not as lucky. It was a 3+ hr wait which included an hour in line to rebook. We were lucky to find a vacant table at a restaurant to kill two hours. Careful and enjoy your trip!

@john: In Switzerland most trains run half hourly, and the short connections are done on purpose, as passengers do not like having their time wasted. Also the stations are laid out in a way that makes fast changes possible. Even if you need time to orient yourself you will never need more than 3 minutes to change trains in Bern for example. And in case of delays trains will wait a bit so that everyone can make the change. So in Switzerland a 4 minute change is something you do not react to with worry, but with "great that the railways are so efficient". In fact, as regular user of the Swiss railways I get annoyed when the Railways in France or Italy make me wait 10 minutes or more.

So you cannot draw conclusions on what train travel will be like in Switzerland on experiences from France or Italy.

If you familiarize yourself with the SBB app, have your luggage and yourself ready to go at the door a minute before they stop at your station and you have looked at the app to know where you need to go (each transfer shows a walking map) you can certainly make connections in under 5 minutes with a suitcase. You do have to educate yourself and pre look at the app before you have your transfer to be confident, but people do it all the time, which is why the connections are the way they are. If people were constantly missing connections they would change their system.