Should I book train tickets before I arrive in Switzerland ?
 

We are arriving in Switzerland August 27 and plan to take the train to Pontresina.. Do we need to get train tickets before we arrive? I would like the flexibility of taking the first available train after we arrived. But am apprehensive about my chip card not having a pin. A recent post mentioned long lines at ticket windows .

No definitely do not buy tickets in advance. You don't say where in Switzerland you will be arriving but both Zurich and Geneva airports have station attached, and large enough booking offices to not have long queues. Your card should be fine.

At manually staffed booking office you can always use your card IME - it's only or usually in automatic machines that won't read the card because it lacks the requisite security embbed thing many European cards have.

You will have NO problem getting on any train from Zurich Airport to Zurich Hauptbahnhof

and from there to Chur

and changing there for Pontresina

Now avoid the official Glacier Express trains on Chur to Pontresina routing as they demand advance reservations and cost considerably more - just take the about hourly regular trains that you can always always IME hop on and find seats.

If traveling around Switzerland more then yes look at a Swiss Pass or Half-Fare Card or Swiss Card, etc but if that is your only train trip then just buy tickets on arrival - buy a thru ticket Zurich Airport to Pontresina, which will include the 2 or 3 separate trains you will need to take - no direct thru trains Zurich to Pontresina due to a difference in track width (gauge) - from Chur on it is narrow gauge so standard wider gauged trains cannot physically continue - so everyone gets off one train and climbs into a usually waiting train IME.

For lots of good stuff on Swiss trains I always spotlight these IMo superb sites: www.swisstravelsystem.com; www.budgeteuropetravel.com and www.ricksteves.com.

Are you taking the Bernina Pass Railway - goes from Pontresdina to Tirano, Italy and to me is the mos awesomely scenic rail line in not only Switzerland but all of Europe!

NO!

And second class is good enough!

Have never stood in any line for a train
ticket in CH for more than 10 minutes.

You can buy your tickets right at the Zürich Airport train station.

Thin

I agree in Switzerland second class is good enough but first class as always is even gooder - often IME lots of empty seats vs an oft fairly full or even at times SRO in 2nd class.

First class has fewer seats in the same-sized train car and only in it can you get rows with just one seat in them - as aisle and window seat - these can face each others with a table in between them - no having to bother someone next to you when you need to go to the loo, etc.

2nd class is fine but first class finer IME.

Thanks so much. You have eased my mind. And yes we are taking the Bernina for Tirano. I have already made seat reservations for that portion.