buy train ticket ahead ?
 

We are planning to ride the train from Venice, Italy to Grindelwald, Switzerland on August 4 Saturday, hopefully the 1052Am departure.

We arrive to Venice on July 25.

Can we wait until we arrive to Venice to purchase reserved seats for 7 persons or should we do this before leaving home ?

Which site would be the best if we purchase ahead of time ?

Thank you.

The good thing about buying ahead of time is that you won't end up in a situation where the train's sold out and you have to take the next one.

The down side is that if you get running late, you'll have to change your ticket, etc. and there's usually a fee for booking through a service.

It depends as well on whether all 7 of you are set on sitting together or if you can split the party up if need be.

You have more than a week to buy your ticket. There is no reason to do it earlier than that.
With 7 persons you may be entitled t a group discount that you won´t get online.

Does the discount for 7 apply to a group of unrelated persons ?

I would buy them when you arrive on July 25th.

Thanks - I think we'll wait.

Depends on what you will be doing in Switzerland by train. The Swiss Railpass is often a great deal for even limited travel in Switzerland - especially the flexipasses where you get (min 3) 100% covered travel days and then in between you get 50% off everything that moves in Switzerland except cows - all lifts in Grindelwald area, boats, aerial gondolas, Jungfraujoch train, etc. If you buy a Venice-Grindelwald ticket you'd get none of these benefits.
So i would investigate the Swiss Flexipass and a ticket from Venice to the Swiss border (Iselle or Domodossola) and then start your Swiss Pass for the first day of 100% travel that will take you in full to Grindelwald - then get 50% off everything once there - and use the other two 100% travel days on days you will be making excursions - such as down to Interlaken and doing a boat trip on either Lake Thun or Lake Brienz - covered in full by Swiss Pass (covers most boats and many buses in full as well as trains)

or if you were to do what i consider on the finest excursions in the BOB - from Grindelwald train over to Lauterbrunnen and then take a thrilling aerial cable way up to Grtuschalp then a thrilling cliffside train to Murren (jumping off point for the Stechelberg cables, the longest aerial cable car ride in the world i guess) - from Murren cable down to Gimmelwald - a tiny farming village sitting admist a panorama of glaciers, etc. - stupendous setting, then take a cable car down to Stechelberg (this cable is like an airplane in that you only see the ground far below when descending, then hop postal bus back to Lauterbrunnen and train to Grindelwald - all transport covered 100% by a Swiss Pass - and my person most thrilling excrusion in the BOB, Jungfraujoch included.
Point is you may use the 2nd 100% travel day to good use - such as also going to Interlaken, doing Lake Brienz boat to Brienz then train to Meiringen and hop bus to the famous Ballenberg open-air museum - where Swiss Pass if used on the 100% covered day is also a museum pass good for free entry to over 400 Swiss Museums, including here - about a $15 value i think. Anyway just the boat ride here is thrilling.

Use you third 100% day to go to Zurich or Geneva for your flight home.

Swiss Passes are sold at stations in Switzerland but are about 15% more expensive than the same pass sold in the US by RailEurope (part owned by Swiss Railways) for some reason. Plus if you need to use coming into Switzerland you would have the pass in hand and not have to get off the train.

I always recommend BETS (www.budgeteuropetravel.com) for any Swiss Pass due to their expertise and great service - will answer any questions whether you buy a pass or not IME. On their site ask for the free European Planning & Rail guide that has a good chapter on Swiss train travel and the BOB in particular. www.ricksteves.com also has good info and www.swisstravelsystem.com is a compendium of info on boats, scenic trains, etc.

About the Swiss Pass - a Saverpass would be cheaper than individual passes - this lets you put two to five names on one pass at a cheaper per person rate. If you have kids under 16 in your party then they get a free Family pass to match the adult pass and they then always go free on anything - even the Jungfraujoch type trips or gondolas that adults may get 50% off on. So a super deal for families.