Fodor's Travel Talk Forums - Train- Paris to Zermatt-tips/suggestions

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Train- Paris to Zermatt-tips/suggestions

Taking train from Paris to Zermatt in Jan. A few questions before I book. Should I book on rail europe like I have for the past couple of trips or try SCNF. I have read one is cheaper but is that true? Its a TGV from Paris to Lausanne and then IC to Visp/then Zermatt. Is it always best to pay for a reservation? Looking for the best and easiest way to book this.

Jack, I live in Geneva, 60 km from Lausanne. SNCF or RailEurope, booking on TGV for PAR/LAU is compulsory. Many Swiss trains from Lausanne especially direction Visp are not bookable for individual travellers, except those that go to Italy. In other words, you are supposed to (according to Swiss Railways) be able to find free seats without booking. You could try to book for your peace of mind but if refused, don't worry due to above mentioned reason.

I see that already. I just tried to book seats on both SNCF and RailEurope and it says its booked. I did'nt think they would be full on the days I was travelling, which is a Tuesday. How do you book this? When I get to Paris should I just go to Gare Lyon and buy my tickets for the days we want?

Jack, you definitely want to buy the tickets in advance - as you can see, trains do fill up. You might want to try booking a TGV to Geneva, a bit of a detour but still acceptable. BTW, I would try again tomorrow. Sometimes the SNCF system "freezes" for a little while and shows all trains as being full. Hope this helps, Andre

IC Trains Lausanne-Visp Jack, I recently took the IC from Visp to Lausanne on a Tuesday. Unlike the Visp/Zermatt or the Lausanne/Paris trains -- which were nearly full -- I was the ONLY person in the whole car! This route has so many trains, I can't imagine having any problem.(Incidentally, that IC train is WAY more comfortable than the TGVs.)

Jack, I think I know what's going wrong! You're trying to book the entire journey from Paris to Zermatt on SNCF.com... The web site has trouble dealing with trains running outside of France. Just plug in the booking request for the journey from Paris to Lausanne and you should be fine. Another option (probably your best bet) would be to call SNCF and see if they can issue tickets for the entire journey. You can reach them from the US at: 011-33-892-35-35-39 SNCF will NOT mail your tickets to the US but if you prepay they can be issued at any train station or "boutique SNCF" in France. All you need to do is give your reservation number and show the card you used to purchase them. If you can't get the Lausanne-Zermatt ticket from SNCF, you can buy your onward ticket from Lausanne to Zermatt at the Lausanne station or right on the train you board in Lausanne (no reservations needed here)- though I'm not too sure that they take plastic on the train. Or perhaps a Swiss Card is a good deal for your trip (it probably is if you plan on taking cablecars and mountain railways as a non-skier). You can check schedules and prices for travel within Switzerland at: http://www.rail.ch/index_e.htm Hope this helps, Andre

Better yet, order all the tickets you need to Swiss Railways. I read on this forum a few months ago sombody bought a through-ticket for Paris-Strassbourg-Basel-Bern-Interlaken through Swiss Railways(www.rail.ch). They issued the seat reseravation for French part. And the customer service on the phone spoke English and very helpful. Also they sent the ticket by post to USA. And it sounded they did all at a reasonable price, cheaper than RailEurope. I remember this because I replied to the lady who used this service.

Thanks for the replies, I appreciate all the advice. SNCF looks like the best bet to book this for Paris to Lausanne, then either rail europe or swiss rail for the Lausanne to Zermatt portions. Do you concur with this. SNCF seems much cheaper for First Class on TGV than Rail Europe as well, why is this. Swiss railways (wouldnt book the Paris/Lausanne segments either) Any more suggestions? I am going to try calling the SNCF numbers to book over phone for entire portion if possible.. Too bad you can't travel in the US like this. Would save money and the hassle of our crowded airports.

I think the trouble in ordering from the French system may lie with the fact that the line from Brig/Visp to Zermatt is a private line, i.e. non Swiss Federal Railways. I am guessing, however. If you book with Rail Europe you will pay substantially more for the same ticket. I have booked trips from Gare de Lyon to Lausanne or Bern three times and always found RE to be more expensive by at least 25%. You can just about travel first class at the same price if you book through the SNCF. Unfortunately, I have found the French system to be one of the balkiest, most intransegent of the European rail web sites. I use it because for trips originating in France I can get a discount for age. I just keep battling it until either it yields, or I call on the phone. The best schedule I know of to Zermatt from Paris is to take the 7:44 TGV to Lausaunne from Gare de Lyon to Lausanne. Change in Lausanne for the noon train to Visp. Change there for the final leg of the trip to Zermatt. It will take you from 7:44 to 14:43 to get there. The scenery, even in the flat areas of France is still pretty. In France, you have the distinct impression that you are moving along at a high rate of speed, at least I did. Here are a few tidbits that might make the trip easier. The last 2 times I have made the trip, two TGV trains were lined up nose to tail on the same platform at Gare de Lyon. They leave almost at the same time; one goes to Zürich, the other to Lausanne. Be sure you have the right car number. The refreshment/bar car closes at Frasne, which is virtually at the border. The train becomes Swiss at that point and the G falls out of TGV. Your passport will be checked at this crossing, or at least mine was checked in previous crossings. If that flipping SNCF site does not clear up and start responding, either call them, or place your order with the SBB and let the Swiss mail you the ticket. I got Swiss Cards from them last year. I ordered over the web, sent a credit card number, and bingo I had my tickets in a few days. The only drawback is that you pay for the shipment. If you order from the sNCF over the web or the telephone, you can get your tickets at a wide number of places in Paris. I have usually gone to Gare Montparnasse because it is close to my hotel, and the service is effective. The agents as a general rule do not speak English, but that has not been a barrier. The essential information that you MUST have is your confirmation code. If you have that, everything is in the computer. If you call the SNCF, all of the waiting time is in French, and the first human to speak may be speaking French even if you call the English number. Just ask if you may continue in English. When I called, the young man spoke good English. Hang in there, you will get your tickets even if you get frustrated.

Jack, I am fairly sure now that the Visp-Zermatt leg is the confusing element to the SNCF system when you asked for a ticket from Paris to Zermatt. I just accessed the SNCF system and ordered a ticket from Paris to Brig (Brique)via Lausanne and there was no problem. Seats were available. I then backed up and asked for a ticket from Paris to Zermatt, and it said there were no seats. In months past, the SNCF system would not fill any booking outside of France that involved 2 changes of train. You can, however, book through to Visp with the sNCF. In Lausanne, you could buy a ticket from Visp to Zermatt. [You might want to allow time to look around Lausanne. It is a pretty city, and places to eat are along the street near the train station. If cross the street, turn right, and walk past the Avis office you will soon come to a nice cafe where you can eat well. The lady who ran the place in 2001 spoke elegant English, and seemed to like all of her customers!!] I would not worry about a seat on a Swiss train. I have ridden the train extensively in Switzerland and I have yet to make a seat reservation, except from Zürich to Munich. That trip does not really count, however, because that train is operated by the DB and not the Swiss. Even last summer, on a sunny Sunday afternoon, from Bern to Interlaken, I had no seat reservation. The train was more than 80% full, but nobody was standing in my 2nd class car. On the mountain trains around Grindelwald-Kleine Scheidegg-Lauterbrunnen, I think they sometimes use a hydraulic compressor to get people on board, but that area gets wild on a sunny Sunday!! That train down the mountain from Schynige Platte gets so packed that the legendary Swiss punctuality goes out the window. If people want up, they go up, even if the train coming down gets delayed. Also, I fiddled around with the French ticket ordering system. As it is now, even if you tell them you want to collect your ticket in France, you are still required to fill in the form with name, address, etc. I would do so, and it accurately. AND!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! If you pay by credit card, turn up with the same one you pay with when you collect your ticket. The agent will probably ask for your card, and he will compare it with the number on his computer screen. I never understood this ceremony because I buy far enough in advance that usually the billing has been posted and I have already paid!! But the French procedure is to check the card number. I am told it is for verification. So be prepared. Life is easier when you are!!! It is not only the SNCF that checks numbers -- the Opera Bastille ticket office does the same thing.