Swiss Railway HELP!
 

Can somebody who is familiar with Swiss rail travel give me advice? I am landing at the Zurich airport on September 15 at 8:00AM and want to go to Wengen from there. Do I need reservations? What is the best train to take? Any special hints I need to know? Then, I am going from Wengen to Zermatt, Advice on reservations, etc. After Zermatt I am headed to St. Moritz. Reservations?? Thanks for your help

I am familiar with Swiss trains but certainly no expert. I have always simply bought my tickets at the train station and got on the next train! The only time I made reservations was for a sleeper cabin going on to Venice. I'm sure others can chime in with more specific information for you.

Thanks Suze: So I shouldn't buy a flex pass?

Swiss trains are wonderful - they go everywhere, are very clean and effecient. They are also a bit on the expensive side, but hey, you get what you pay for. We traveled using trains this summer and never needed reservations. The train station is right in the Zurich airport which is really convenient. There are trains every half hour to Luzern, and trains every hour from Luzern to Interlaken. There may be direct trains from Zurich to Interlaken but I'm not sure about that. But even if you had to make the connection, the frequency of the trains means you wouldn't have to wait long. I think you could also go via Bern, but again, not positive about that. Then from Interlaken to Wengen trains were also very frequent, at least hourly, maybe every half hour. Things were so easy I didn't bother memorizing scheudles, we just showed up at the train station and got the next train to where ever we wanted to go. All train personnel spoke English.

I was extremely impressed with the Swiss train system. You could literally set your watch by the trains. If the schedule said a train would leave from Track 3 at 9:18 you could be sure that's exactly where and when it would happen. And once you got on the train, they told you (in four languages) where the train was going and what the next stop would be. None of this wondering if you're on the right train, as is often the case in say, Italy.

1-Zurich Flughafen (airport) to Interlaken Ost - takes 2.5 hrs;
2-Interlaken Ost to Lauterbrunnen (20 mins)
3-Lauterbrunnen-Wengen (14 min)
About 3.5 hrs from airport to Wengen. Trains run hourly Zurich Flughafen to Interlaken Ost (on some you must change in Bern, some direct to Interlaken Ost (East - there is also a West station in Interlaken the train will stop at first before terminating at Ost. You change at Interlaken ost to the narrow-gauge mountain train to Lauterbrunnen (the train you board at Ost also goes to Grindelwald - it splits at Zweilutchen (sp?) with half going to Grindelwald and half to Lauterbrunnen - be sure to board the half going to Lauterbrunnen - marked on the outside of each car. At Lauterbrunnen you must change again to an even tinier cog railway that ascends to Wengen. (No thru Interlaken-wengen trains because track widths are different - narrower gauge from Lauterbrunnen to Wengen than from Interlaken so thru trains impossible. Reservations are not possible on Interlaken-Lauterbrunnen or Wengen trains. Possible on airport to Interlaken trains but in my experience rarely needed but possible.
You can leave the airport at 9:39 from platform 2 (airport train station right in terminal) and then reach Wengen at 12:59

Wengen-Zermatt
Go back to Interlaken Ost and take train to Spiez (20 min) then hop frequent trains to Brig via Lotschberg Tunnel - at Brig transfer to narrow-gauge train to Zermatt (80 mins from Brig) - about 3.5-4 hrs all told. No reservations needed on this route in my opinion.

Zermatt-St Moritz
Glacier Express only direct train, takes about 8 hours - a few each day - yes you must reserve ahead.

Now if you're going back to Zurich from St Moritz i have no doubt that the Swiss Pass will be a great bargain for you as it covers the whole route - to Wengen, Zermatt and St Moritz and all other regular trains in Switzerland.

You can compare regular ticket prices from www.sbb.ch - Swiss rail web site and then look at Swiss Passes on that site - and then look at RailEurope's prices for Swiss Passes and you'll find that thru RailEurope they are significantly cheaper than those sold at the stations in Switzerland - why i don't know but i've checked several times recently and that is the case. As usual i recommend BETS (800-441-9413), a RailEurope agent as they don't charge some of RE's mailing fees and are Swiss rail experts who'll answer all your questions - i've dealt with them for years - in any case compare fares then look at Swiss Passes - saverpass is two or more names on one pass - OK for conjoined twins and married or unmarried couples who don't desire flexibility - one pass with two names on it. Look at flexipasses - good for a certain number of days in a one-month period - you'll need a 4-day pass probably - this would cost $175 each in second class so that's what you should compare local fares with. Actually a consecutive-day pass may be better as it covers many things in the Wengen area such as train travel to and from Wengen to Lauterbrunne, Interlaken, Grindelwald, etc. 8-straight day pass is just $217 each in second class and is good on most postal buses and lake boats as well as trains.
Any more questions i'll be glad to respond - ah Wengen - arguable the finest view in the Swiss Alps - well as fine as any - and a quiet car-less town!

Ron, I'm by no means an expert, but we did two weeks over there hopping trains and it was a piece of cake. Go to this site:http://www.sbb.ch/ and you enter the departure and arrival cities and it will give you route suggestions, including stops, durations, and which platforms to board. I couldn't get over how organized and easy it was! We printed these routes. You don't need a reservation on first 2 routes, but you will from Zermatt to St. Morits on the Glacier Express. Are you getting passes? You can make your reservation online, plus it is better to buy your passes here. If you can't figure any of this out, feel free to email me at [email protected] and I will copy schedules for you. Look at the different trains and the key and you will see which ones have what. If there's an "R" in front of it, it means you need a reservation, or it's recommended. Read the section on train travel there and at the RailEurope site to get some good info on the system. ps- you will love Wengen. We are going back again next year and include the area around St Moritz as well- just the smaller towns. Good luck- don't panic! Plus, they're very friendly and helpful there unlike some places I've been!

Gee, I'm glad someone mentioned Italy! ;-) Milan was a nightmare!

You can also make your Glacier Express reservations thru RailEurope or BETS or any agent selling Swiss Passes (prices are all the same - no variance though shipping and handling fees can be charged and may varuy) - you can make the Glacier Express reservations cheaper in Switzerland but these trains are often full with groups. First-class Glacier Express cars have domed observation cars - first class definitely has its plusses in terms of finding empty seats on trains but second class in Switzerland is about as good as first class in many countries. But i still always say that first class is well worth it. Note that the Glacier Express will not run between late October this year and mid-December due to the refurbishment of the cars. No bus substiution and to go between Zermatt and St Moritz on local trains is i think impossible in one day.

I suggest contacting Swiss Rail (sbb.ch) directly for further information.

i didn't mean to say "no" to a Flex Pass, only that i have never used one myself.

You'd need to decide precisely what trains/routes you will travel, 1st or 2nd class, etc. then compare price for all the point-to-point tickets vs. the various pass options.

while i go to Switzerland fairly often, i only use the train a couple times each trip, so point-to-point works best for me.

ronjohn, ditto... what francophile03 says!