yankee_1974

Hello Experts,

Going through the above posts, looks like I will need coins in Swiss Franks to use the luggage lockers. Can someone opine whats the easiest way to get the coins? I plan on using my credit cards for most of my expenses. Will carry some swiss franks, but those probably will be paper bills of higher denominations. Is there any coin machine near the luggage lockers?

Thanks

PalenQ

Well one thing you do NOY want to do IME is to ask a station food kiosk or newsstand to make change! Larger stations tend also to have manual left luggage where you hand it over to someone - these places also control the coin lockers and will give you the appropriate change - but it is hard to imagine not having some coins like when you get a cup of coffee, the change and Switzerland is a country where c cards are not ubiquitously accepted IME so you will have to have some change - just keep a few francs on hand. There may or may not be change machines for coins IME at lockers.

WeisserTee

In Bern today, I noticed that there was a change machine right by the entrance to the locker area.

PalenQ

Weisser - by change machine do you mean one that changes say 5 franc coins into smaller ones for lockers or machines that take banknotes and turn them into smaller change?

thanks

WeisserTee

It takes notes.

popjoeo

Hi WeisserTee,

Great info on luggage lockers in Basel. Saw in your 4/21 response to jeno13 that you have photos of the station/lockers. Could you send them to me if you still have them? [email protected]. Also, how long can the luggage be stored? I need to store it for a couple of days.

PalenQ

Also, how long can the luggage be stored?>

IME luggage lockers charge by 24-hour periods and a max is either two or three days but at the manual left-luggage window in most stations as well it can be left for much longer periods - those places charge by the bag and lockers whatever you can put in any of various size lockers. But in practice if you are in a city you can pop by the train station - and simply start the cycle all over by opening the locker and closing it again for a new 24-hour or whatever period.

kja

Information about the luggage options is available oon the xbb website:
http://www.sbb.ch/en/station-service...-stations.html

Enter your station, look up services, and you'll find everything you need to know!

WeisserTee

Hi Popjoeo,

The photos were sent, hope they help!

popjoeo

Hi again WeisserTee,

Photos received and as they say, "A picture is worth a thousand words". Tremendous help! I have other questions which I'll be sending once I get the time. Hope you can assist in answering them.

Floridagramps

I saw Weisser Tee's helpful response on luggage storage in the train station in Basel. I had a further question. If you store in the left-luggage section can that be left for more than one day and is the 10 franc fee per day or for however long you leave the bag?

PalenQ

In general you will see a time limit on lockers and after than they take out the contents and store them in the manually staffed luggage storage facility and then charge per bag per day - just ask at the manually staffed luggage depot to be sure.

Lockers are obviously cheaper as you pay for the locker and all you can fit into it - left-luggage counters by the bag, no matter how small so consolidate if possible.

kja

@ Floridagramps -- please see the link to the sub web-site posted above. It has ALL of that information and more.

PalenQ

Actually I cannot find the answer to Floridagramps query on that link - I can only find the hours of the left luggage not how long one can leave items there or if there are lockers and if so how long one can leave things in them.

Perhaps I missed something and kja can pinpoint it for me - otherwise the question remains in my mind at least.

neckervd

You have to pay for every day.
Lockers are usually emptied by the lost luggage office staff after 1-2days and you will then get your belongings back at the counter, by paying the fee for every additonal day.

If the owner doesn't come back within a month or so and if there isn't any address in order to find him, the items from lockers are still stocked a certain time and then sold at auctions organized by the railway companies.

Perished (and stinking) food products are thrown away earlier.

WeisserTee

I'll be out and about tomorrow near the train station and will pop over to the left luggage desk and ask how long they will keep something.

PalenQ

by paying the fee for every additonal day.>

Is my understanding that then they charge per item not per locker fee would be put into effect - meaning perhaps if so and I do not know currently a much more expensive storage?

thanks in advance for any info.

kja

My sincere apologies! I knew that the sbb web-site lists numbers of lockers of each size and their cost, along with the hours during which they are available. For example, here is the page for Basel:
http://www.sbb.ch/en/station-service....posid.10.html

I also knew that SOME stations also post the amount of time covered, extension options, etc. For example, here is a page for the main station in Zurich:
http://www.sbb.ch/en/station-service...ssfaecher.html

I mistakenly assumed that the later info was available for all stations.

Many regrets for the misleading post.

Floridagramps

For WeisserTee, when you ask could you find out the per day charge for left luggage. We will have large duffel bags to leave for four days before we board our ship for a river cruise. We are trying to decide if it is better to rent a larger car and lug the bags along or store them and take minimal bags for our driving trip before the cruise.

WeisserTee

Hi Floridagramps, sorry I didn't get back to you earlier. The per day charge for left luggage (in Basel, anyway) is 10 francs OR 10 euros (not the world's best exchange rate ;-) )

As to how long you can leave your luggage, I asked the guy at the window. Pretty much as long as you want is the basic answer. A day? Fine. A week? Fine. A month? Fine. A year? Hmmm....that could turn into an episode of BBB: Baggage Battles Basel.