Good morning! I'm planning a trip with my girlfriend to Switzerland early in December and we have some questions or we're in need of some advice regarding general point to point travel around the different swiss regions!. We're going to book or rent a car for the full 7 days vacation we're planning to stay visiting the country!. Our accommodation is located between Bern and Lucerne and we're planning to visit the big cities and some wonderful towns and make the big travel distances with the car. But we may need some advice regarding parking and short distance travels in public transport. We were thinking of leaving the car in a P+Rail stations (in wherever region we're each day!): - In the P+R questions website it states that there is no guarantee that a free parking space will be available when arriving at the station. My question then is: should we either **make a reservation of a parking slot** (paying the aditional fee it entails), or should we first enter the station and see if there is a free parking slot and then **pay for it at that moment via P+Rail app**? - When arriving at the station, how do I know if a parking slot is already booked? Is it clearly displayed? so we don't commit any infraction. With the car parked, we may need to travel short distances inside the different towns or cities using or not the public Swiss transport: - Is it better to just keep buying single tickets in each region or should we buy a half fare card depending on how much we're planning to travel? Thanks in advance!!!

Parking reservations, advice for parking and buying tickets

AValienteGonz

Good morning!
I’m planning a trip with my girlfriend to Switzerland early in December and we have some questions or we’re in need of some advice regarding general point to point travel around the different swiss regions!.

We’re going to book or rent a car for the full 7 days vacation we’re planning to stay visiting the country!. Our accommodation is located between Bern and Lucerne and we’re planning to visit the big cities and some wonderful towns and make the big travel distances with the car. But we may need some advice regarding parking and short distance travels in public transport.

We were thinking of leaving the car in a P+Rail stations (in wherever region we’re each day!):

In the P+R questions website it states that there is no guarantee that a free parking space will be available when arriving at the station. My question then is: should we either make a reservation of a parking slot (paying the aditional fee it entails), or should we first enter the station and see if there is a free parking slot and then pay for it at that moment via P+Rail app?
When arriving at the station, how do I know if a parking slot is already booked? Is it clearly displayed? so we don’t commit any infraction.

With the car parked, we may need to travel short distances inside the different towns or cities using or not the public Swiss transport:

Is it better to just keep buying single tickets in each region or should we buy a half fare card depending on how much we’re planning to travel?

Thanks in advance!!!

Ein_Albaner

AValienteGonz

Hi!

We are delighted that you and your girlfriend are planning to visit the beautiful country of Switzerland.

Regarding your first question: It is not possible to make an advance reservation at all P+Rail stations in Switzerland. You can find a list of the stations where advance reservations are available at the following link: Click the title „Reserve your parking space“.

https://www.sbb.ch/en/tickets-offers/private-transport/car-parking/park-and-rail.html

If you do not find your desired parking station on the list, we recommend driving directly to the location to ensure that you can find an available parking space. Once there, you can conveniently purchase a daily parking ticket via the P+Rail app.

Regarding your second question: If you see that the parking space is unoccupied, you may park there.

Regarding your third question: For short journeys, it is not worthwhile to purchase the Half Fare Travelcard. In this case, it is best to buy regular single tickets at the standard fare.

We hope you have a wonderful time exploring Switzerland and enjoy your travels.

Kind regards
Alban

RolandP

Hello AValienteGonz

Visiting our country, no car is needed at all.

Hiring a car and using public transit in addition is the most expensive way of travel in our country. In particular parking the car!

Staying somewhere rural may seem budget-friendly yet will add a lot of travel time to reach the places of interest.

You should reconsider your travel plans.

Kind regards,
Roland

RedBaron

AValienteGonz
Also note that the P+R system has been designed and is used in the first place for/by resident commuters, not tourists. And commuters generally would tend to park there earlier in the morning (and filling up spaces) than tourists.

AValienteGonz

RolandP we’ll be staying in Rumisberg, is it a bad location to visit the main turistic places? We’re arriving at Geneva airport and I get that from there, trains get quite a while to travel from one place to another?

AValienteGonz

RedBaron so we may or may not find a place to park the car? We haven’t yet bought the rental car, but we thought the car would gave us more “freedom” of traveling from place to place. We don’t mean to leave the car like really far from the main places we’re planning to visit(?) But we don’t also know how much we would use trains or buses to travel from those parking spots to the main cities or towns!

Ein_Albaner

AValienteGonz

Hello again! :-)

In my opinion, the parking spaces can be used by anyone from around the world for daily parking, up to a maximum of 7 days. I don’t see any issue finding a spot, although of course I can’t give you a 100% guarantee that one will always be available.

You have two options:

You can rent a car as you wish and park at the P+Rail stations, then buy single tickets for public transport as needed.

Or, you can travel entirely by public transport and purchase a Swiss Travel Pass — see the link below for more information.

https://www.sbb.ch/en/tickets-offers/tickets/guests-abroad/swiss-travel-pass.html

Whether you travel by car or train, both can be quite expensive. But if you happen to find a good deal on a rental car, why not take it? That way, you and your girlfriend can enjoy the journey at your own pace and take in the breathtaking beauty of Switzerland — the shimmering lakes, majestic snow-capped mountains, charming alpine villages, and winding roads that reveal a new postcard view at every turn. There’s truly no better way to experience the magic and serenity of this stunning country together.

I hope this helps you decide and inspires you to enjoy every moment of your journey.

Have a lovely day.

Kind regards
Alban

RolandP

Hello Ein_Albaner

But if you happen to find a good deal on a rental car, why not take it?
Because it is not the cheap rental fee that sums up; one should also consider the high gas cost and, in particular, the high parking fees. Plus, full fare tickets for the mountain excursion.

That way, you and your girlfriend can enjoy the journey at your own pace and take in the breathtaking beauty of Switzerland — the shimmering lakes, majestic snow-capped mountains, charming alpine villages, and winding roads that reveal a new postcard view at every turn. There’s truly no better way to experience the magic and serenity of this stunning country together.

What you describe, Alban, might be the case in June, but definitively not in December when all mountain roads are closed 🙂

@AValienteGonz You may wish to share your travel plans in the Switzerland’s Tripadvisor Forum to hear more opinions on your travel plans. Rumisberg is indeed not very well located for using the public transit. On the other hand, the A1 motorway is well known for daily congestions, especially around ‘Wangen an der Aare’.

Kind regards,
Roland

Ein_Albaner

RolandP

From what I understand, the traveller values spending time with his girlfriend more than the cost itself. Traveling by either car or train is expensive, but why not spend a little more and truly enjoy their time together?

This way, he remains flexible and can decide on the second day whether he prefers to travel by car or train. The car also offers the advantage of being able to take flatter routes if the mountain roads happen to be closed.