Hi. I am working on booking a train from Interlaken OST to Florence (the types of trains it will take us on are the Regio, Cisalpino, and Eurostar Italia). For those familiar with booking on SBB, I am struggling to understand the compartment options (open, corridor, table) and then seat options (window, aisle, middle, individual). My husband and I just want two seats together facing the same way and facing the direction of the front of the train. Can anyone let me know which options I should be selecting? Thanks. It seems like it should be obvious, but I have never been on European trains before, so I am confused.
Posted by
Copenhagen, Denmark
265 posts
In general, you cannot reserve a specific direction on trains, since the train companies don't always know in which direction the cars are facing when the train is built up. Furthermore trains sometimes change direction en route when arriving at a dead-end stations and continuing out again.
Posted by
New Paltz, NY
9110 posts
Christophe makes a good point: trains do change "orientation" en route. For example when you take a direct train from Zurich Airport to Bern, the train stops at the Zurich city station, but since that's a "dead-end" station it has to back out of the station to continue it's journey. Thus you'll be facing the opposite direction.
Posted by
OP
Glendale, CA, United States
10 posts
Thank you both. That was very helpful. I just booked our tickets :)