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Train reservations in Switzerland?

Posted by (Texas) on

I am traveling through Switzerland and Italy in a few weeks and am wondering if all reservations can be made at just any train station in Europe? I will be leaving from Lauterbrunnen early one morning to head to Venice, and from Brig onward is a Cisalpino train (which later turns to ES) that will require a reservation. Will I be able to buy this reservation at the small Lauterbrunnen station, or will I have to get it at the larger station at Interlaken Ost when I switch trains? Do I reserve just for that leg of the journey (the only leg where reservations are mandatory) or for the entire Interlaken-Spiez-Brig-Venice?

Also, I know that the train from Interlaken to Lauterbrunnen is part or the Jungfraujoch and not covered by my railpass. Will I have to buy this ticket when I get to Interlaken (which would require that I allow a little extra time between trains), or can tickets for private railways be purchased elsewhere, such as my earlier stop at St. Gallen?

Thanks! I know I'm obsessing over details that could probably be found out when I get there- I just like to know what to expect well in advance! (I'm not a roll-with-the-punches type of girl- but I'm trying!)

Posted by
9100 posts

You can purchase your reservations to Venice at the Lauterbrunnen...it's a full service station. But don't wait until the last minute to get the reservation, do it as soon as you arrive in the area. Reservations aren't possible on domestic intercity train in Switzerland, so you only need a reservation for the Brig- Venice leg. Also, in St Gallen, you can purchase tickets all the way to Lauterbrunnen. Even though Switzerland has lots of private railways, they are all integrated into the same ticketing system.

Posted by
6898 posts

You can do most anything you describe above at the Interlaken Ost or Lauterbrunnen train stations. I believe that your Eurail pass will get you a 25% discount on both the Jungfraubahn and Schilthornbahn railways. This includes going up to the either of the two mountain tops. There is no coverage on the local post bus in the valley. Its just not as good as a Swiss pass. Also, you don't need to worry about extra time between trains at Interlaken Ost. The local train into Lauterbrunnen runs from track 2A every 30 minutes. The train trip takes 20 minutes. You won't have any problems.

What I'm not sure of is the reservation fee that you will pay on the Italian Eurostar from Milan to Venice (if you change from the CIS to the ES in Milan). Italy charges and extra 15E to ride the Eurostars with a Eurail pass. I would think that the Swiss could charge for all fees for the entire run but again, I'm not sure.

Posted by
49 posts

Well, on the particular run I'm taking (leaves Lauterbrunnen at 7:33 AM), it looks like it never even switches to a ES. I think I meant to type EC. The earlier and later runs all switch to ES in Milan, but the CIS 37 that leaves Brig at 9:44 AM becomes ES 37 in Domodossola and there is a stop, but no change, in Milan. Hopefully that means I can get around the heavy fees in Italy, but I'll double and triple check when I make my CIS reservation to be sure!

I'm very glad to know Lauterbrunnen is a full service station and tickets can be bought elsewhere. It's nice to know that private and national systems can actually work together. :)

Thanks!

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