Advance purchase of promotional price train ticket.
Aug 28th, 2006, 05:00 PM
#1
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Advance purchase of promotional price train ticket.
Hi,
I am absolutely stressed over how to purchase the Smart Price train ticket Zurich-Venice, departing 13/9/06 ~22:00. I've written SBB twice, but have not received the needed info. Fodorites are so knowledgeable; I hope you can offer me a definitive answer.
The Smart Price fare requires a 7 day advance purchase, in-person at a station. The problem is, the earliest I can arrive in Switzerland is the 5th (22:50), though the 6th is more likely, since I hate arriving in cities at night.
My questions:
(1)If I arrive on the 6th, will I still qualify for the 7 day advance purcahse? I mean, is "7 days" determined by the hour,(for example,7 x 24hrs), OR by the full day--e.g. I must purchase the ticket on the 5th for a departure on the 13th?
(2) If I arrive on the 5th, it will be rather late at night. Will there still be a ticket agent open, whom I can purchase a ticket from?
(3) Maybe I can purchase my international tickets in London?? If so, which station. I wrote the Ljubljana station and it said that it's "spezial price adult" tickets are avialable at any internatonal ticketing office.
Again, Thank you for all your help.
I am absolutely stressed over how to purchase the Smart Price train ticket Zurich-Venice, departing 13/9/06 ~22:00. I've written SBB twice, but have not received the needed info. Fodorites are so knowledgeable; I hope you can offer me a definitive answer.
The Smart Price fare requires a 7 day advance purchase, in-person at a station. The problem is, the earliest I can arrive in Switzerland is the 5th (22:50), though the 6th is more likely, since I hate arriving in cities at night.
My questions:
(1)If I arrive on the 6th, will I still qualify for the 7 day advance purcahse? I mean, is "7 days" determined by the hour,(for example,7 x 24hrs), OR by the full day--e.g. I must purchase the ticket on the 5th for a departure on the 13th?
(2) If I arrive on the 5th, it will be rather late at night. Will there still be a ticket agent open, whom I can purchase a ticket from?
(3) Maybe I can purchase my international tickets in London?? If so, which station. I wrote the Ljubljana station and it said that it's "spezial price adult" tickets are avialable at any internatonal ticketing office.
Again, Thank you for all your help.
Aug 29th, 2006, 08:45 PM
#3
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Hi again,
I know I'm answering my post, but hopefully this will be of use to other travelers.
(1)Supposedly, I can still purchase the ticket on the 6th, meaning advance purchases are based on the hour of departure, rather than the date.
(2) ??
(3)Though SBB didn't mention that I could purchase this ticket at other train stations with international ticketing capabilites, I got a reply from the Slovenian Railway, that its tickets can be purchased at such stations. I think this is probably true for most of Central Europe, which is convenient because most places like Austria, Slovenia,Czech Rep, and Croatia don't have online ticketing.
I can see the appeal of going through travel agents in the US(less stressful), but if you're on a budget and can't see paying 20-50% extra, and sometimes many times more for the same ticket, try the special price tickets. They're a great deal, but I only caution that you see if the ticket is printable, or beware if you must pick it up in the country of departure. I would've had quite the predicament if I had purchase my ticket on trenitalia.
I know I'm answering my post, but hopefully this will be of use to other travelers.
(1)Supposedly, I can still purchase the ticket on the 6th, meaning advance purchases are based on the hour of departure, rather than the date.
(2) ??
(3)Though SBB didn't mention that I could purchase this ticket at other train stations with international ticketing capabilites, I got a reply from the Slovenian Railway, that its tickets can be purchased at such stations. I think this is probably true for most of Central Europe, which is convenient because most places like Austria, Slovenia,Czech Rep, and Croatia don't have online ticketing.
I can see the appeal of going through travel agents in the US(less stressful), but if you're on a budget and can't see paying 20-50% extra, and sometimes many times more for the same ticket, try the special price tickets. They're a great deal, but I only caution that you see if the ticket is printable, or beware if you must pick it up in the country of departure. I would've had quite the predicament if I had purchase my ticket on trenitalia.
Aug 29th, 2006, 10:06 PM
#4
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(a) I don't know the rules about the 7 day purchase, but the Swiss LOVE rules and never bend them in my experience, so hopefully you have correctly answered your own question. Rather than waiting for an e-mail to make sure you are correct about the 6-7 day rule, you might want to CALL the nice people as Swiss Rail at 011-41-900-300-300. They have English speaking operators. While it is not cheap to call from the US, they are very helpful and a good last resort if necessary.
Switzerland is 6 hours ahead of EST and I believe the line is staffed from about 8 am to 5 pm or later Swiss time.
(2) I think you may be a bit tight in finding a train station ticket window open with a 22:50 arrival, esp if you are arriving by plane. If you are arriving by train and you are arriving into the main train station in Zurich at the Hautbahnhof, there are ticket windows open until 23.15 so you should OK if the train is not late. If you arrive by plane at the airport in Zurich, they are only open at the ticket windon until 22:00. Y ou can take a train from the airport to the main train station in 10 minutes or so and buy your ticket there, but my concern with be that with a 22:50 arrival there is no way IMO, that you can get your bags and clear Immigration and get to the Hautbahnhof by 23:15. For a list of the opening hours of other train station ticket winows, go to http://mct.sbb.ch/mct/en/reisemarkt/...of/further.htm, and then choose by location. Some of this is in German/French only but is quite self-explantory, the part you are interested in is "Billette/Abonnemente".
(3) don't know the answer, but don't see any reason why you couldn't, as you can buy tickets in Switzerland for train travel in other countries. It is certainly worth asking.
Aug 31st, 2006, 08:57 PM
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Cali123,
Try calling Budget Europe Travel Service (BETS). 1 800 441 9413, or 2387. They are U.S. eastern time. Not sure about budget prices, but I've had great luck with info and getting the best prices through them. Good Luck
Try calling Budget Europe Travel Service (BETS). 1 800 441 9413, or 2387. They are U.S. eastern time. Not sure about budget prices, but I've had great luck with info and getting the best prices through them. Good Luck
