Really confused with Swiss Travel Pass

Roowhaukiett47

Hello,
My wife and I are traveling to Switzerland early March. We are arriving to Geneva, spending one night there, then train to Zermatt, one night there, then Glacier Express to St. Moritz, one night there and then train from St. Moritz to Zurich for the last night and then fly out. We already purchased the 1st class seat reservation for the Glacier express, and we also bought the 1st Class Swiss Travel Pass. I understand that for the other trains besides Glacier we should not need reservations, but I would really like to play it on the safe side and reserve. Now.. when I go into the SBB site for example and request the trip from Geneva to Zermatt on the 9:00 train, it tells me to either pay a fee, or to select that I have a GA card. There is no option that says “select Swiss Travel Pass” and then take out the cost out, not a “reserve seat only”. Am I doing something wrong?
Thanks!

RolandP

Hello Roowhaukiett47

That’s quite a busy itinerary, but doable.

The Swiss Travel Pass is the equivalent of the GA travel card; the latter is the resident pass, while the Swiss Travel Pass is for visitors. You are welcome to choose GA travel card as reduction type.

But, there is really no need to purchase seat reservations for 1st class, and is often not even possible. Seat reservations are only possible for trains of category InterCity (IC), or international trains. IR and RE trains do not offer seat reservations at all.

You can find out more by reading our guide:

https://community.sbb.ch/blog/23887-demystifying-seat-reservations-on-swiss-trains-a-comprehensive-guide

I suggest you to download the SBB Mobile App. If you need additional tickets, you can easily purchase them through the app. Under tab Profile you can add co-travelers. When purchasing a ticket, tap on the pen icon displayed above the ticket selection in order to modify reductions and to select the passengers for whom you want to purchase a ticket. The app also includes all schedules of all public transport services in Switzerland.

Kind regards,
Roland

PulakB

RolandP We will be travelling from Paris to Interlaken. I was planning to purchase Paris to Basel from sncf website. If I purchase a Swiss pass, can I just hop on to the Basel to Interlaken train without buying any ticket or reservation?

Helvecio

Hi, RolandP, thanks a lot for your help. I’m piggybacking on the question just to make sure of my case. I am traveling with a Swiss Travel Pass in May and going places such as Zurich to Lugano, then Lugano to Lucern, then to Interlaken and so on, but I’m traveling 2nd class. Most of the time I’m taking the trains around 9:00 am. Is it the case that I don’t need a seat reservation for such routes either? I saw somewhere that it would be possible to make seat reservations from March, but I could not find a way to book them yet. Many thanks for your help.

RolandP

Hello Helvecio

In Switzerland, none of the public services, except for Glacier Express which is a tourist train, require a seat reservation; they are fully optional. The advantage of the Swiss Travel Pass is flexibility: you can hop on/off public transport services at will without loosing a thought on seat reservations. So, to put it short: no, you do not need seat reservations at all.

The note on seat reservations meant that it is again possible to make optional seat reservations through the SBB website, which was not the case for the last months as the seat reservation system has been replaced.

Helvecio

hey, RolandP, it’s been a while… I have booked everything now regarding accommodation… I’m just missing the Swiss Travel Pass. And that is my question: do you know whether I can buy them at Zurich Central Station? I understand I can buy them online, but due to foreign exchange issues I’d rather buy them in person (SBB site does not accept debit cards, which tend to be cheaper and more convenient than credit cards for Brazilian travelers…). Thanks.

RolandP

Hello Helvecio

It has been a while, but I do remember our conversation. It is great to hear that you made some progress with your planning. And, it is a wise decision to purchase the tickets as a last step of the entire planning process - well done!

You are welcome to purchase the Swiss Travel Passes from the agent at the SBB Travel Centre. There is only one downside of doing so (besides the possible waiting time in the queue): the Swiss Travel Pass is issued as a paper ticket. In case of loss, or if it gets stolen, it will not be replaced. The online version has the advantage that you can print it multiple times.

Bear in mind that the paper version and the online version, both need your physical passports when travelling (no copies / no photos).

Let us know how your travel went and, of course, get back to us for further questions.

Best wishes,
Roland

Helvecio

Hi, RolandP, and many thanks for your quick response. I’ve noted it down and hopefully all is going to be ok. I’ll keep you posted about how the trip went. Enjoy Spring!

Krist

You can indeed just get on any train of your choosing (or any bus, tram, etc…) that is part of the nationwide Mass Transit network that Switzerland has.

Phovuenu63

The system could have been used successfully in low tourist seasons and destinations but when you have to fight your way through enormous groups traveling together and blocking all the doors, seats and venues is impossible to travel in a civilized manner. I had a pleasant experience only the few times I had a reserved seat.
Being a senior with a minor mobility issue is even worse because those seats apparently for the elders and disabled are occupied by children whose parents let them behave like savages.
Seats should be available for reservation 100% of the times.
Switzerland is a country with a beautiful scenery and I am grateful to have had the opportunity to visit but is so overcrowded with tourists that have no respect or a minimum civility that this was the first and last time I suffer from this.
Make seat reservations available all the time.

Krist

The average occupancy on Swiss trains is 25%. It is rare that trains are full, but it does sometimes indeed happen. On which trains did you encounter problems with overcrowding?

Phovuenu63

Every train coming in or going out of Interlaken West

Krist

The only trains calling at Interlaken West are SBB ICs and a few BLS R services. It take those quite regularly and they are rarely overcrowded. There are a lot of tourists around nowadays, that is true.

Offering reservations on all trains is technically impossible. No railway in Europe does this.