Swiss Pass

In four trips and a total of eight weeks in Switzerland, we have only traveled in second class. The seats and space are fine. Many of the mountain trains do not even have a first class. That is mainly for business travelers' on the intercity trains.

For those trains which offer first class in Switzerland, the main differences are - money. All second class seats are quite comfortable. First varies by equipment but often offers slightly more room and maybe an overhead light, a bit more quiet usually, and a bigger bill.

For our travel in Switzerland in 2007 for eight weeks, we opted for first class saver passes. Most of the time, we have the compartment to ourselves and loved it!

Thanks so much for the advice! One more question -- Someone told me that with second class you are not guaranteed that you will all be able to sit together on the train. We are traveling with our children -- just want to make sure we can sit at least 2 and 2?

right - it is true that without reservations individual people will often sit around a carriage as they wish. That may mean that when you go on board you may have to look around until you find the arrangement of seats you are looking for. If many people have boarded before you then you may have to look in other carriages or in some cases settle for a seating arrangement that is not ideal for you. Often when people see a family trying to settle in they will move around to accommodate. In First class you have the advantage of often fewer people, yet the problem of seating which is usually 2+1. Obviously with 2+1 somebody will have to be elsewhere for the group of 4. Often the seat backs are much higher in First so communication from row to row is more difficult than in second. Also, First tends to be a quiet place so if the children were loud or if there were a lot of other disturbance that would be more expected in second. Does that help you?

Thanks so much for all of your help everyone!!!!

One more important thing. How old are your children? If 15 or under, they can travel free in the company of a parent with a valid ticket. If you are able to plan and order your tickets on the Swiss travel site (www.rail.ch) you can request the Swiss Family Card. If you buy your tickets in Switzerland, you can buy the Junior Card for 30CHF. Same features as the Family Card only you pay for it in Switzerland. Again, 15 or under. As an adult, if you are traveling with another adult, you could look into a 2-for-1 saver pass or card. These are 4-day consecutive or flex passes. You don't indicate how long you will be in Switzerland.

I've done a good deal of train traveling in Switzerland (just got off a Swiss train earlier this evening!) as have all my friends and family here. Second class is the norm and will be more than fine for you.

From what I saw on the Swiss Pass site, the two-for-one cards are for shoulder season, spring and fall. Has anyone found twofers for summer?