My wife and I want to take a train from Lucerne to Arth-Goldau and then on to Milan. I've been on the SBB.CH website and it looks like super saver fares aren't available until 30 days prior to departure. Is there a way to find decent fares about 50-60 days in advance? We're also debating 1st versus 2nd class seats. Not sure if 1st class seats are eligible for any kind of discounted fares. Any advice would be appreciated.

Are you just wanting to stop in Arth-Goldau for some reason? The super saver should be available more than 30 days in advance, but will be for the EC train only 2nd class. There is an EC that departs Lucerne to Milan at 7:47 and quite a few that depart from Arth-Goldau.

I see super savers available as far out as August.

I would never pay extra to sit in first class on any Swiss train.

Second class is good enough.

How long will you be in Switzerland?

If you will be there for a week or more and will be travelling around maybe you should look at the Half-Fare Card.

Thin

I suppose you don't want to invest more than 4 hrs for this journey. Otherwise, there would be much more scenic solutions, like
Wilhelm Tell Express boat ride Lucerne - Fuelen and boat ride Locarno - Arona;
train via Brunig Pass followed by bus rides over Grimsel Pass, Furka Pass and Gotthard Pass (or Nufenen Pass);
train to Lugano - bus to Menaggio - lake Como boat to Como
etc.

We're looking for a train/trains on 7/5/13 with minimal changes that is reasonably scenic but gets to Milan in 4-6 hours. There was no reason for going through Arth-Goldau other that it seemed to be an option that could meet the above criteria. We won't be spending time at any stop along the way and would prefer to stay on trains (no bus or boat). Would prefer to depart Lucerne mid morning or early afternoon and arrive in Milan by Mid afternoon to early evening. I'm struggling to use the SBB website and find super saver fares that are available at this time.

I'm the opposite of Pepper. I never sit in second class if I can help it. And I always try to sit in the quiet car. On trains, my inner Garbo leaps out.

Whether 1st v 2nd is "worth it" is up to you. My rule of thumb: if going first class means I have to cut back elsewhere on my trip, then no, it's not worth it. If I can go first class and still spend what I planned to on everything else (food, drinks, hotels, shopping etc), then I'll go first class.

If you do go second class, get a seat reservation as it will be more crowded than first class.

One thing about the trains from Switzerland to Milan: I have been on them many times. They are usually right on schedule in Switzerland, but delays are not uncommon once you hit the Italian border. That's why if I'm catching a connection in Milan, I leave at least one hour between the scheduled arrival of my train from Switzerland and my connecting train.

Thanks for the advice. We will be spending a full day and night in Lucerne and then need to get to Milan for the start of a Northern Italy tour. Any advice regarding where to go for advance tickets and how to navigate the website(s) to find a route that is fairly scenic, not too long (4-6 hours) and find the best price would be appreciated. We're fine with non-refundable tickets but couldn't locate any option on SBB.com that offered lower fares for non-refundable tickets. I couldn't find super saver fares for a 7/5/13 travel date either. I suspect this is do to operator error (they might exist but I just don't know how to find them).

IMO, the best train to take is the 7:47 am train because it has no changes. And if you get a reserved seat, get one on the right side of the train. As you go down, you'll see a very pretty hilltop village with a church in the middle. Overall, it's a scenic ride, although there is a long tunnel.

Another option is to take the 10:18 pm train from Luzern to Lugano (one of my favorite places), put your luggage in a locker (perfectly safe), take the funicular down to center of town and treat yourself to a lunch at Bottegone del Vino http://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/Restaur...wiss_Alps.html

Then catch the 16:28 S10 to Milano Centrale. It takes a scenic route along the lake and, for whatever reason, it does not have delays as often as the main international trains. At least, that's been my experience. You'll get into Milan around 6 pm, having seen some terrific scenery, enjoyed a nice lunch and an opportunity to stretch your legs, and still have arrived in plenty of time for dinner.

Sorry, that should be 10:18 AM, not PM!!

There are noisy train cabins in Switzerland?

The Swiss rarely speak above a Paxil- induced whisper.

Those loud people shouting into their mobiles are the Australians.


Thin

I see them for July 5th - 27chf for super saver on that day (regular fare is 82chf). Enter your cities (Lucerne/Milan) and select your date and a time of 7 am. You will see an EC train departing at 7:47 without any changes. Click fare/buy. You want single ticket on the next screen (it will be preselected) and click next. On this screen, you want to go down and add a passenger if you need more than one ticket. It may revert to the previous screen, just click next and add passenger again and it will add them. Click next and you will get the prices. Select special offer and proceed to purchase. You don't need to select seats as you should be seated together. Just proceed through the various screens for purchase. You will have to pick these tickets up at a station and it will ask you to select the station. If you are going to be in Lucerne a few days, I would pick them up before the travel day.

Discounts are only for second class on this route which is fine on the EC trains.

http://www.sbb.ch/en/home.html

If you don't want to depart that early, to get a super saver, you would have to take the train to Arht-Goldau where you would have more EC choices. I would just buy the Lucerne/Arth ticket while in Lucerne. Buy the Arth/Milan ticket on sbb.ch as above. Super saver is for 2nd class on the EC trains without changes.

We are going to take a train from Zurich airport and spend the evening of 7/4 in Luzern and we like WeisserTee's idea of going from Luzern to Lugano (10:18 train on 7/5), having lunch, and then taking another train from Lugano to Milan (16:28 train on 7/5). However, when I go to the SBB website and see about fares/booking, I run into the following.
Zurich Airport to Luzern on 7/4: tickets only currently available through June 14.
Luzern to Lugano on 7/5: tickets only currently available through June 14.
Lugano to Milano Centrale on 7/5: can't order ticket online, must use offer/order form.

It looks like I need to wait another few weeks before I can book the first two trains above and I'm not sure about the offer/order form for the third train. We like the idea of booking in advance if possible. Any advice as to how to best book these trains at a reasonable fare would be greatly appreciated.

You don't need to buy train tickets from Zurich Flughafen to Luzern ahead of time.

Buy the tickets when you arrive in Zurich.

The train station at Zurich Airport is across from the Arrivals Hall. Just go out the door and cross the road. The train station is down the escalators.

There are tons of seats available on the train if that's what you are worried about.

I would have lunch outside on the terrace of the Palace Hotel on Lake Luzern.

Posh!


Thin

Why do you want to book your ZRH - Lucerne train in advance? There will be practically no web discount, but if you miss the booked train, there will be no money refund. It would be way easier to buy a ticket after arrival and to board just the next train (connections every 30 min).

Commuter train Lugano dp 16.28 - Milano. No need to book in advance (will most probably not be possible, BTW). It will always cost 15 CHF.

Super saver tickets for domestic travel can usually be bought 2 weeks in advance, standard fare tickets 1 month in advance.

>>>Lugano to Milano Centrale on 7/5: can't order ticket online, must use offer/order form.<<<<

That isn't correct. The EC train between either Lucerne or Lugano to Milan for July 5 can be booked online now as I explained in my post above. You are e-mailed a code and you retrieve the ticket at the station. You must be clicking or entering something wrong because I can get all they way to the credit card screen to purchase.

The commuter train from Lugano to Milan is cheaper and takes about the same time as the EC train.

Super saver tickets for domestic travel can usually be bought 2 weeks in advance, <<<

Super saver international tickets can be bought 120 days in advance. Super saver within Switzerland is 2 weeks.

http://www.sbb.ch/en/travelcards-and...nal/italy.html