question about Swiss trains
 

I have purchased a Swiss Flex Pass. I will arrive at Geneva airport in a few weeks and immediately go on by train to Zermatt. Do I need to/can I make a reservation for that trip?

Elaine
The short answer is no. Once your pass is vaidated you just buy your ticket and get on the train, show your pass at the ticket window and the cletk will sell you the right ticket. There is no need to reserve a seat on trains, in many cases you cannot make a reservation. If the train is too crowded for you the next one will an hour later.

Well with a pass you need not buy any ticket - the pass is the ticket. You just need to validate your pass before boarding the train - then just show it to the conductor on this and all subsequent trains.

you do not ever buy any ticket except on the few Glacier Express type trains - and though some of the Brig to Zermatt trains are Glacier Express trains between Brig and Zermatt they also carry local traffic like any other train - just hop on cars marked so - but there are hourly non GE trains as well.

Again you do not need to make any reservations and i think in fact you could not if you wanted to - Geneva airport direct to Brig and then Brig to Zermatt.

For lots on Swiss trains and using passes, etc. i always highlight these super sites: www.swisstravelsystem.com; www.budgeteuropetravel.com; www.ricksteves.com; wwwseat61.com.

And I validate my pass, how? A stamping "composter" machine at the station? Some other way?
thanks

No you must have it validated by a railway official - at a ticket window - you show your passports to match names on your pass - clerk stamps it for the overall validity period and writes in the dates.

then you are get to go - then never have to go to ticket window but just hop on the train, bus, boat, etc - with the exception of the few special scenic tourist trains like the Glacier Express that demands reservations and a supplement

but all regular trains, buses (including city transports), boats just hop on - you are supposed to write in the date for that day on a flexipass pass before the conductor comes around for the pass to be valid.

thanks again

Sit on the right hand side of the train for the best view of Lake Geneva as you go towards Zermatt. You'll have to change in Visp, no stress changing trains, it's all timed to perfection. Once in Zermatt, make sure you go to the highest point "Klien Matterhorn" and go to the viewing deck, it's awsome. You can ski there in the summer too if it takes your fancy. Zermatt has one of Europes best glaciers. I run a snowsport school there so if you need a lesson get in touch. Also make sure you visit the Hotel Omnia and the Vernisage Cinema, both very cool modern developments by a local designer. Enjoy.

And don't miss the last gondola down like we did (4:40 pm or so). It's a long hike.

be carefel about the "change in Visp" recommendation..WHY? Because all the trains which leave Geneva and head toward BRIG do not stop in Visp...no need to panic.

Brig is where they will ALL stop no matter the type including the Cisalpino services.

Generally, except for certain so-called "scenic" trains you cannot make a seat reservation for trips which occur WHOLLY WITHIN Switzerland and you rarely, if ever, even need one.

I agree, sit on the right hand side of the train facing forward for the best lake views.

If your train does NOT stop in Visp but goes on to Brig and you need to change to the Matterhorn-Gotthard Bahn railway here is what you do:

go out the FRONT DOOR of the train station in Brig.

Look across the street and slightly to your RIGHT (just in front of the Hotel Victoria); you'll see the Matterhorn-Gotthard Bahn platforms...piece of cake.

In Visp, if your train does stop there, the M-G station is across the street behind the SBB (federal railways) station..again, piece of cake.

Enjoy your trip.

Wonderful information.
If my train does stop in Visp, is there an advantage/disadvantage of changing at Visp vs changing at Brig?

The only advantage of boarding at Brig is that the train to Zermatt begins there or usually does so it will be sitting there for a while and if you want choice seats you can more easily get them before the train fills up by the time it reaches Visp - perhaps!

What Dukey wrote :
> In Visp, if your train does stop there, the M-G station is across the street behind the SBB (federal railways) station..again, piece of cake.

Not anymore. Visp station looks completely new and bigger. In order to take the train for Zermatt, you don't need to go out of the station. The platforms for all the strains are inside Visp SBB station. I don't know since but it was like this at least in May 2009 when I changed trains there. So changing train is easier at Visp than in Brig. Also something I like about Visp station : they have a Coop Pront supermarket that's open from about 6h00am to 11h00pm. You can buy usual coop food products + ready to eat food you can buy by grams and you weigh it yourself, different kinds of salad and desserts. I often pick up some müsseli to eat on the train.

Elaine, if you have not looked at sbb.ch site for time table, you should do it to have ideas of, how often the trains stop at Visp. For example, I looked at it for 9h00 to 15h00 and if I'm not mistaken, all the trains stops at Visp, connection time about 20 minutes (that's more than enough) or more and paltform numbers (leaves Genenva airport on no.3, arrive Visp on no.6/7, leaves Visp on no.3).
http://www.sbb.ch/en/index.htm

With the opening of the new Lotschberg Tunnel, which emerges on the south end at Visp i think Visp may have become a more major station than even Brig - a station on the old Lotschberg Tunnel route but still the main gateway, along with Visp, to Italy.

this is amazing information, puts any guidebook to shame

Yes, all the trains I'm likely to take from Geneva airport (through early afternoon) seem to stop at Visp. I'm not seeing platform numbers but will take your words for it. Also, not seeing connection lag times for Brig vs Visp.

But the idea of possibly better seating if I change earlier, at Brig, intrigues me, even if I do have to go outside to a different station. Is there any food service on these trains or is there non-junk food available at the Brig station? (yes, I did see the food co-op info for the Visp station).
After arriving at Geneva from overseas flight, may get hungry before Zermatt. I can always pack a power bar or something.

You could also pick up a sandwich or something in the Geneva airport to take with you on the train.

On this route (GVA-BRIG)there is usually no dining car except the trains that go farther to Italy. There is mini-bar cart service that sells drinks, snacks and sanwiches. Geneva Airport station has more choice with Migros supermarket at the end of the station that has lots ofb ready-made sandwiches and salads (personally I don't find them so appetising though). In Brig station there is a half bakery, half convenience store, there you can buy sandwich/cake sorts, smaller than Coop Pronto Visp so much more limited chice. If you go all the way to Brig to change train, and if you want a sit-down lunch, you can do that at the station's café/resto. Then probably you will have to let the immediate correspondence train go and take the next one.

elaine,

There is also a disadvantage of changing trains at Brig: The journey will take close to half an hour longer. The reason is that from Brig you will have to backtrack to Visp. So on your way from Visp to Brig, you will be able to see the oncoming connecting train you would take at Visp on its way to Zermatt.

And yes, since the opening of the new Lötschberg Tunnel, Visp has taken over from Brig as the main rail hub of that region in many aspects.

Hope this helps, enjoy your trip.

Phil.

Yup i'd change at Visp - what i like to do is stand in the middle of the platform and eyeball train cars as they go by before stopping - looking for cars with the most empty seats, etc. If ones in front are rather full then i walk back towards the end of the train.

elaine- There's a Migros (local grocery store chain) that is right there in the corner of the train station, which is directly connected to the Geneva airport. It is very easy to grab some food & drink between the flight and the train ride.

good news, thanks
When I get off the train from Geneva and transfer to the Matterhorn-Gotthard Bahn to go to Zermatt, is that how the train is labeled?
I mean, it is called the M-G train?
And on the reverse, when I'm coming from Zermatt and going to Vevey, and I change (Visp or Brig), then which train will I be looking for to go to Vevey?

> Matterhorn-Gotthard Bahn
It's written on the train. But that's not the important part. I take it that you have not taken many trains. So this is the basic you need to do when you take/change trains (like one should do at any station). Once you arrived at Visp station, you check the platform number for Zermatt on the time table on the wall (look for yellow one, that's for departures). But you know already it should be 5 or 6 as I wrote above. Then go to the indicated platform. On the platform (5/6), there are sign boards above your head that show info for the next train with time and destination. If that matches what you are looking for, then wait for it to come and get on. Voilà!

Have taken trains in France and Italy, I'm just nervous because I'll be solo, don't speak any German, and will be jet-lagged.
Details make me feel a little less anxious, so all this is much appreciated. When I was going to Venice for the first time, solo, I made myself nuts in advance about arriving by train and then finding the right boat line to take me near to my hotel.
In an effort to make me feel better, a friend said
"Don't worry, you're not the stupidest person to ever arrive in Venice." I've never been sure if that was a compliment or not.
:-)

remember also that Swiss trains run notoriously ON TIME. my friend who lives helped teach me how to use them. But basically, as kappa already described, make sure you're on the correct platform at the correct time, and when the train that arrives... get on it!

Elaine, believe me not all Swiss trains are on time..they can actually be late by a few minutes..I know..and OTOH it is NOT unreasonable for you to have a four-minute connection time between trains in Switzerland and that is actually reasonable.

I apologize for not knowing that Visp, or at least the station, has superceded the one in Brig...BUT here's what I think you need to remember...

if there isn't one of those larger electronic boards suspended above the platforms there will almost un doubtedly be TV screens which will show the upcoming departures and the platform you need to be on.


As to the Matterhorn-Gotthard Bahn..here is the even easier part..just look for ANY departure for ZERMATT because the MGB is the ONLY railway that goes there from Visp...you aren't going to have any trouble and even if you outright miss a connection there will be another subsequent timing unless you are doing this very late in the day.

> "Don't worry, you're not the stupidest person to ever arrive in Venice." I've never been sure if that was a compliment or not.

I think somebody told me that once :-(

Any more questions? I (and am sure others) will try to answer as best as we can.

You are arrving soon, aren't you ? Then you will be lucky. Finally the weather is picking up. It has been rotten and cold until now for a exceptionally long time. Today it has been sunny all over from Geneva to Zermatt. Am thinking this weekend of going your way until Visp. Then I will take a train to the direction Andermatt to do hiking along the Aletsch Glacier by Bettermeralp area (my profile pic). Have done it a few times last summer from June to August. Thought I could do the same this year again but had to wait till now, too cold and too much snow that kept and is still keeping many hiking trails. Forecast for the weekend is not as good as right now but will still be beter than last whole month.
Take a look.
http://www.meteosuisse.admin.ch/web/...s_locales.html

Put a name of the city/town in the box and click on the arrow. you can also put a zip code (3920 for Zermatt or 1800 for Vevey for example)

well that IS true... if a train is 2 mins. behind schedule it's considered "late" by the locals!

It's considered late by ME, too <G>

leaving on July 2.

"just look for ANY departure for ZERMATT because the MGB is the ONLY railway that goes there from Visp..."
I wasn't sure of that before, so that's reassuring, thanks.

>I wasn't sure of that before, so that's reassuring, thanks.

You should not forget that as long as you travel with normal tickets or Swiss Pass, it absolutely does not matter which company provides the rolling stock for your trip - the ticket from A to B is valid for any train (or bus) running from A to B. (This is not an issue from Visp to Zermatt, but it is for example between Brig and Visp)

Not to get really PICKY here but the MGB runs between Visp and Brig, too as do the SBB (Swiss Federal Railways) so if the pass is good between Visp and Zermatt it is also good between Brig and Visp.

You should not forget that as long as you travel with normal tickets or Swiss Pass, it absolutely does not matter which company provides the rolling stock for your trip - the ticket from A to B is valid for any train (or bus) running from A to B. (This is not an issue from Visp to Zermatt, but it is for example between Brig and Visp)>

Not quite the official Glacier Express trains run between Brig and Visp and Zermatt - in addition to the MGB local trains and you cannot board the GE trains without a surcharge for a mandatory seat reservation. Theree are a few GE trains each day and perhaps more in summer. But even on these trains i believe there are a few cars for local travel with MGB tickets - but you cannot board the cars belonging to the Glacier Express with a pass or MGB ticket without first having paid for the mandatory seat reservation fee and supplement.

It's easy to tell the Glacier Express trains as they have fancy doilies on seats and are nearly always stuffed full with foreign tourists -and of course a large Glacier Express sign on the outside.

Or you may want to book a seat on the fabled Glacier Express and do its final portion Brig/Visp to Zermatt and the Matterhorn. The train is spiffy with tilting wine glasses at tables so you don't spill your drinks when the train twists and turns at angles. It also offers commentary in English explaining things the train rolls by. Go to www.swisstravelsystem.com for a link to the Glacier Express official site. Book at any station in Switzerland but the trains can often be full - no problem because the local trains run frequently enough.

I had no idea that the Glacier Express was an option on that portion of the trip, that is, Brig or Visp to Zermatt. Tell me why I would not want to do that. Does it take a lot longer? I'll be leaving from Geneva airport train station before 11am I hope. I do have my Swiss Flex Pass, but would love to see as much as I can and would pay a supplement. Heck, I'd book that today.

Coming back the other way from Zermatt to Vevey, what are my train options? Can I/would I do Glacier Express from Zermatt, then, changing to....? Although at that point I'll be eager to move expeditiously to Vevey.

The Glacier Express is called the world's slowest express train but it is still faster than the local trains, simply because it does not stop at all stations as the local does - but it is only marginally faster.

Now of course the scenery is the same on all trains but GE has panoramic cars with glass-domed ceilings and larger windows - but the windows on the regular train are large too.

Now the supplement for taking the whole GE from St Moritz/Davos to Zermatt is rather steep- $40 or so over your railpass or regular train ticket - but i think on the Visp to Zermatt portion it may be much less - go to the official Glacier Express web site and check or in this country i'd advise calling the helpful folks at www.budgeteuropetravel.com, whom i've bought Swiss Passes from for years and they seem to know everything.But GE trains do not run every hour so you have to coordinate your arrival in Visp with the GE schedules (or when coming out of Zermatt too).

Hello elaine :)

IMO, the GE panoramic cars are PACKED with tour groups, whereas the local trains have more independent travelers and are much less crowded.

I'm an avid photographer and like to move from side to side when the scenery warrants a photo. Even with the GE train having the big scenic windows, it wasn't as enjoyable as I couldn't move about or open the windows.

As Palenque states, "the scenery is the same on all trains."

I hope you enjoy your stay in Zermatt. It's sure changed a lot in the 20+ years we've been going there, but still, it's a charming place. I rate the Gornergrat excursion as one of the best I've ever done!

Happy travels!

I think I will not complicate my train travel any more than it already (seems) is and will take the local train.

I agree but still check schedules carefully to be sure the connecting train at Visp is not the Glacier Express but the local - in schedules GE trains should have a Reservations Obligatory symbol.

Don't worry, you're not the stupidest person to ever arrive in Venice." I've never been sure if that was a compliment or not.>

I resemble that remark!