We are going on the Best of Switzerland tour in June and will be flying in and out of Zurich, so we will need to take the train to Luzern and then from Bern back to Zurich. My question is - if I buy tickets in advance, like through the Rick Steves' website, they show tickets by departure time. If I buy tickets for a specific time, what happens if we don't use them at that time for some reason? Not being very familiar with train travel, I'm not sure if it's better to purchase tickets now or wait and buy them at the station. Thanks in advance for any advice!
Posted by
NorthCarolina
1266 posts
seat61.com is your best place to learn about this. You can even email the owner of the site, Mark, and he will answer all questions.
Posted by
Chicago
4238 posts
Switzerland train travel is super easy.
The regular tickets are good for anytime that day. So, just but once you are there and ready to travel.
Enjoy the tour!!
Posted by
Green Bay
23328 posts
if I buy tickets in advance, like through the Rick Steves' website,
Why would you do that? SBB runs the trains, and you can buy tickets from them. Full fare tickets in Switzerland are good on any train on that route all day. You can buy tickets to Luzern when you arrive at the airport train station. Direct trains every 30 minutes. You can do similar on the return from Bern.
There is such a thing as SuperSaver Tickets, bought in advance at a discount that are only valid on the specific train chosen. I'd steer clear of those. These are relatively short trips. Zurich airport to Luzern is 31 CHF per person. There is no reason to buy in advance. They never sell out.