My husband and I are planning a 3 week vacation in Switzerland this September. We plan on purchasing rail passes for our transportation. We are unsure of the difference between 1st and 2nd class seats. What is your opinion of whether or not we should spend the extra money for 1st class seats -- is there a huge difference in leg room, viewing windows, etc.??
Also, we have a question about our luggage. We are each planning to take 2 carry-on bags only (that's 4 pieces of luggage between us). When traveling on trains, do we carry our luggage with us? are there bins for storage? or is there a "baggage car?"

Though there is a significant difference as always between classes, in Switzerland it's not huge. And yes you take your baggage with you and put it in the overhead racks - as first class has 25% less seats in the same area as 2nd class and is likely to be much less full there is more room for luggage - often an empty seat next to you.

Hi Ps7755,

Congratulations on your decision to spend three weeks in Switzerland! I think you'll find it's just about perfect!

The major difference in 1st/2nd class trains is the number of passengers. First class is much less crowded, so you'll often be able to stretch waaay out. In Sept, this won't be much of a problem though. Otherwise, yes, the first class seats are wider, with more leg room --

You carry your bags onto the train with you. There is both luggage space at the end of each car and some luggage space at your seat (overhead or between the seatbacks). You've made a good decision to travel light.

Have fun!

s

Agreeing with all above. First class has more room and less people. You carry your own bags with you on trains.

You'd most notice difference during a busy time. Say if you happen to be on a Geneva train heading along the lake Mon thru Fri in the morning or evening when people are commuting to/from work. At that time 2nd class might be packed.

Although you probably won't need it with 2 pieces of luggage each, there is a neat service where you can ship your luggage if it is heavy.

For example, I arrived at the Zuerich airport in early June of last year and took the train from the airport to Lauterbrunnen, 1st class, for the reaons outlined above. I had to change trains in Bern, and was glad for the 1st class, because the train - coming from the Rheinland - was jammed in 2nd class. The first class had convenient low luggage racks in the middle of the coach. Between Zuerich and Bern, I had most of the coach to myself.

One of my suitcases was too heavy for me to stem up into the luggage racks. After purchasing mu ticket, I went to a counter next to the ticket counter and had them ship my suitcase direct to Lauterbrunnen. I took the cheaper option, and the suitcase was delivered in L. on the next day by 18:00hrs.

What rail passes are you buying? from whom? are you sure that they are a good purchase? Have you checked railsaver.com for comparison sake?

Having never traveled by Switzerland by train, I don't profess to know if they are a good deal or not. I hear it said that use of the PostBus is a good alternative to rail travel in Switzerland, in some cases.

Best wishes,

Rex

The Postbus is generally an extension of the transportation system in Switzerland, not an alternative to trains. In other words, they go where trains do not. In most cases transport by Postbus would be covered on a railpass.

If they will be there for 3 weeks (lucky you!!!) it is very likely that one of the passes will serve them well---the quesiton is which one. That depends on where they go, how long in each place, etc. The passes often include the lifts, if there is a village at the top that is accessed by lift.

As far as 1st vs. 2d class, we always go 2d class in Switzerland, and it's fine. But we've never done one of the long routes; only short hops of an hour or two. Our bags go either in the storage space at the entrance to the car, or on the floor in the space between adjacent seat backs.

The difference is not huge. Viewing windows are the same, leg room is insignificantly larger, the seats are 25% wider. First class wagons tend to be somewhat quieter, but 2nd class is fine, unless you are extremely overweight.

This applies for trains all over Europe.

Don't forget about the boats! In some boats, you have a first class section vs. a second class section.

Personally, if you can afford it and like to travel with a bit more "luxury", I'd suggest 1st class.

If you are doing Switzerland on a budget, then 2nd class is fine.

The boats are in my opinion the only case where it really pays off to travel 1st class, since many lake boats have 1st class on the upper deck with much etter views. However, if your SFr don't burn a hole in your pocket, it makes sense to buy a 1st class upgrade for the boat journey right before boarding, and possibly for train trips on a busy stretch during rush hours.

I hadn't been thinking about this yet, but now that it has been brought up...

Zurich to Lauterbrunnen following an 8:15 am landing (assuming the plane is on time of course) - would 1st class be a better idea than 2nd? I need 3 seats together for my 2 children and myself. Is it hard to sit together in 2nd class if it is crowded? I wasn't planning on reserving ahead of time because of the uncertainly of the arrival, time in customs, time to get to the station. Suggestions anyone? Thanks!

Zürich to Bern is a classical commuter route (over 10.000 of people commute every day between these cities) but if you land at 8:15 you will possibly be able to get on a train that leaves about 8:45 from the airport, or if not one 1/2 h later. By then the most commuters will be at work. If you don't want to overspend but travel in reasonable comfort, buy an 1st class upgrade from Zürich Airport to Bern. Between Bern and Interlaken there is hardly any crowding and between Interlaken and Lauterbrunnen I think there is no 1st class available anyway.

>time to get to the station.

... from the customs is about 5 min. Possibly 5 min extra because of the children. Although the customs don't take time at all - only the passport control.

Ps7755,

If you are purchasing rail passes and you are 26 or older the only pass available is a first class pass. There are a number of different passes. Traveling with your husband entitles you to a discounted pass. Look at all the options.

To get you introduced to the trains of Europe I recommend that you visit the site
www.enjoy-europe.com/hte/chap17/rail.htm.

We last visited Switzerland in 2003. We had second class passes (we are well over 26) but purchased the first class supplement on oun inbound ride from Italy and outbound ride through Italy.

I hardly noticed any difference between the first and second class accomodations, but first class seemed pretty sterile, like being in an office with everyone working, while second class seemed much friendlier.

On some of the scenic trains the seats in front (windshield seats, in effect) are first class, but if having that seat is important (I would think kids would love it) you can buy a first class supplement for that train. We were able to see all the scenery quite well from second class seats.

One advantage of a pass is that you can just get on the train without stopping in the ticket office. I was in the ticket office anyway, trying to find out if I was getting on the right train.

They offer a saverpass option for groups, and two is a group, so you can save a bit by getting that, but you should really sit down and figure out how often you will be using the train/postal bus/boat, as passes are sometimes not the most economical way to go if you are not travelling each day.

I would suggest you do a search of this forum for Switzerland, and you will see many threads discussing which passes are available, and which would best suit you. My preference is the half-fare card (good for 30 days, if I recall correctly), but something else may suit you better.

I traveled the Swiss trains in March by 2nd class (I'm well over 26). We only encountered crowds on Saturdays when people were headed out skiing.

As for your luggage, there are places to put it at the end of each car and in racks overhead. Often you can slide your luggage in between the seat backs in 2nd class. I don't see any reason to go first class, not even on the titled trains.

Yes that's right! 1st class is what about a 100 bucks cheaper, but the big advantage is less crowds, well, usually.

I remember last trip, I lugged this big bag on to the first class car. I saw the car was full, so I went to next car and same thing. I just put the bag in the corner and stood hoping that the next stop, some of these people would hop off. Then I would grab my seat.

As we started off, my bag tilted over on to some guy's bag and knocked his bag over some. He jumped up and ran over there and yelled at me to move my bag. I said where??? Where?? He said: I don't care, JUST MOVE IT!!! I told him to go..... well you can fill in the blanks. LOL

But what was funny was when the Swiss train ticket checker came around to check everyone's tickets, most of these bozos hoging the seats, were second class tick holders. The Swiss ticker checker upper ran off these hooligans and I not only got a seat, which I should have had in the first place, but my bag stood alone to bounce around all over the place.

And when this jughead who kicked up such a fuss walked by me on his way out the door, I said: Seeeeeeeee yah. =))

Anyway, usually the first class ticket will give you less crowded train trips. I think it is worth the extra dough to just go ahead and get that first class Swiss rail pass.

Gee, I went away for the holiday weekend and came back to find all your lovely responses! Thanks to all! I think we are leaning towards the 1st class tickets -- we are both tall and appreciate any extra leg room we can find. Since we are only traveling in Switzerland, we are looking at the Swiss Consecutive Saverpass. We have an itenerary of where we want to go and things we want to see, but plan on "playing it by ear" -- meaning no set time table. We are not reserving any rooms ahead of time, although we have identified a couple of lodging choices in each of our locations to check out when we arrive. To you seasoned travelers, does that seem like an "okay" thing to do? Arrive and look for a place to stay without reserving in advance? We did this a couple of years ago when traveling in Spain and it seemed to work out just fine. However, I speak Spanish so it was easy to find our way. Neither my husband nor I speak much German, so I am a little bit more hesitant about finding our lodging, etc. in Switzerland.

Hostel Membership? I received some info from BETS and they mentioned a hostel card to use for hostels throughout Europe. Do we need a hostel membership in order to stay in the hostels in Switzerland? Or is that just with Hostelling International hostels? Memebership is quoted at $30.00 for an adult -- would both of us need to pay that, or just one of us?

7755 - BK (before kids) we always found our hotels on the spot instead of reserving them ahead of time. In the countryside and smaller cities, we were lucky to stay in really nice, inexpensive family run places and it always worked out fine with one exception...we arrived in Paris one night in the week of the fashion shows. We spent hours looking for a hotel and were exhausted by the time we did - almost everything was booked. However, that doesn't deter us now unless we have kids with us - I am not willing to take the chance unless it is just DH and me. I don't think you'll have a problem not booking ahead in most circumstances.

Ps7755:
Yes the hostel card BETS is talking about i presume is the one required for HI (Hostelling International) hostels - the original youth hostel organization started years ago in Nazi Germany - there are many other hostels in Europe that are not HI hostels - though there are literally thousands of HI hostels.
In Switzerland, in Alpine areas there are some HI hostels but there are many more alternatives such as ski dorms, Nature Friends Houses, etc. that don't require memberships and are just as cheap as HI hostels.
Unless you're sure you will be hostelling in HI hostels a lot i wouldn't buy the HI membership because you may not end up using HI hostels that much. Most HI hostels allow non-members to stay for an extra fee per night - in this case you get an International Guest Card and you pay say $5-7 extra for each night and after you pay this fee five times the International Guest Card turns into a hostel membership - the only caveat being that you cannot use International Guest Cards in your home country - such as in the U.S. because then you have to be a member of the American Youth Hostels association and have the HI membership card.