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Rail in Switzerland and Austria
Hi!
Looking for train advice. Our current trip plan is to fly into Zürich and take the train the day of to Lucerne. Stay a couple of nights there, then take the train to Innsbruck. Stay there a night, then take the train to Salzburg. Stay there a couple of nights, then take the train to Vienna and fly out of Vienna. Is it advised to buy any train tickets ahead of time or should we just buy them at the train stations the morning of each time? Is there an average price for these tickets or a preferred website I can use to check pricing/times and estimate? Let me know your favorite spots/sights in Lucerne, Innsbruck, Salzburg, and Vienna too please. Thanks in advance for your help! |
Last fall, we used https://www.sbb.ch/en/home.html and put their mobile app on our phone. They sometimes have supersaver rates that can be 50-70% off the rates you will pay at the station for particular trips. Also, the default rates are usually presented at the misleading half-rate (assuming perhaps incorrectly you will have a half fare card). This is significant because, without rail passes or discount cards, Swiss rail travel can be expensive. Your travel does not sound to me like one that warrants buying costly rail passes or passes. Besides the possible discount online (which, as I recall, had a booking window, maybe no sooner than 30 days out?), you can have your ticket, avoiding lines at machines or windows, and no need to validate the ticket. We don’t recommend being without a ticket, but it was rare in Switzerland when we were asked to show a ticket.
In Austria, we used the Deutsch Bahn website (but you can use it for other parts of Europe), bahn.com and also used their app for managing tickets. If interested, we compiled a trip report on our quick fall visit to the area: https://www.fodors.com/community/eur...esome-1659589/ We are not recommending our style of travel to others (in this case, our daughter wanted to get a glimpse of this region of the world), but the trip was busy and included a lot. |
What time of year? What exactly do you mean by "a couple of nights"?
Based on my interests (which may not parallel your interests), I'd skip Innsbruck and add time to either Luzern or Salzberg. I'd probably pick Luzern and make an excursion to Mt. Pilatus. |
Zurich-Lucerne just buy at airport train station
Lucerne to Austria buy at www.sbb.ch for possible discounts - inside Austria use www.westtbahn for cheapest ticket or Austrian Railways but book far in advance for cheapest tickets though www/westbajhn.com is always cheap. www.seat61.com has great tips on booking trains - general info also BETS-European Rail Experts and www.pricksteves.com. |
When are you going?
We visit Switzerland once a year and never book train or bus tickets in advance. Having said that, we travel well off season and tend to avoid the places most first time visitors seek out. We buy a Half Fare Card upon arrival in Zurich, then purchase tickets to our first destination at half fare. From there on we pay as we go, buying tickets as needed at train station kiosks or from bus drivers. We were in Switzerland for two weeks last month, and just barely made the Half Fare Card pay off. Based on your current itinerary, a pass is probably of no benefit to you. We were also in Austria for 11 days - I'd looked into 'passes' prior to our trip, but decided the best option was to pay as we went. Traveling in Austria is really quite reasonable. Do be aware that if you purchase tickets for Austrian transport ahead of time, you are locked into a specific train on a specific route. If you miss that train, you must buy a new ticket. There are day tickets (Einfach-Raus - see below) valid for 2-5 persons traveling together - which can be excellent value, depending on what you plan to do. Just buy them the day of travel from a train station ticket machine or at a tourist office. Note they are only good on regional trains (The Rail Jet is not included). Group ticket for 2 - 5 persons, the price is calculated based on the number of persons (independent of age)
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https://www.thetrainline.com/en/trai...anies/westbahn - www.trainline.com books fares at the cheapest rate, matching each railroad's lowest fares - that is for tickets - check out the various deals melanq8 gives to for Austrian Railways I think but maybe not Westbahn - not sure.
I gave an invalid site for Westbahn above - should be www.westbahn.at/en |
You can buy your train ticket from Lucerne to Innsbruck through OEBB. We did that and it was much cheaper than buying through SBB.
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Let's put the choice on Lucerne-Innsbruck into sharp focus:
Option 1, book in advance at Austrian Railways www.oebb.at = cheap advance-purchase Sparschiene fares from just €29.90 Option 2, turn up, buy a full-flex Standardpreis at the station = €85.60. Ouch!! In theory www.sbb.ch sells this route too, but I almost always find the Austrians have far more cheap Sparschiene fares available on any given train or date. This route takes you through the Arlberg, of course - a real treat, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arlberg_railway |
Always peruse the conditions of use with tickets - like when you change trains what if your incoming train was late; changes allowed - usually none and refunds often none, etc. Are reserved seats given with ticket or do you need to make a separate reservation for those?
And for such a long trip check out what first class costs too as it is also discounted and a times may be not much more than 2nd at at times. |
Y’all are the best! I’m going to research the websites/pricing this week. I’ve been leaning toward just buying the day of for flexibility.
For those who asked, we’re planning on going the first week of April, but haven’t booked anything yet. 2 days Lucerne (possibly a day trip to Jungfraujoch, Bern, or Interlaken, but I know we’re limited on time) 1 day in Innsbruck 2 days in Salzburg (possibly a day trip for the Sound of Music tour and Hallstatt) 1 day in Vienna |
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