Holidays to Switzerland Travel Podcast Episode 148 Transcript

Train Etiquette in Switzerland. The Do’s and Don’ts for Riding Swiss Trains Like a Local

You can see the full show notes and listen to this episode > here.

Welcome to the Holidays to Switzerland podcast. If you’re planning a trip to Switzerland, this is the podcast for you. I’m your host, Carolyn Schönafinger, the founder of holidaystoswitzerland.com, and in each episode, my expert guests and I share practical tips to help you plan your dream trip to Switzerland. You’ll get helpful advice about traveling around Switzerland and hear about the most popular destinations, as well as some hidden gems. We’ll introduce you to plenty of wonderful experiences that you can enjoy as part of your Swiss vacation. Each episode is packed with expert tips, itinerary ideas, and inspiration to help make your Swiss vacation planning easy. So let’s dive in.

Hello, Grüezi. Welcome to this week’s episode. For many travelers, deciding to travel around Switzerland by train is a pretty big decision. If you’re not a regular public transport user, knowing that you’re going to be relying solely on public transport to get you from A to B can be quite concerning. But you can rest assured that the Swiss public transport network is second to none, and you’ll have no worries at all getting wherever you need to go.

I know many of us are used to just jumping in the car to get to the next town to go and get our groceries or wherever we need to go. We use the car, but in Switzerland, a car is not really necessary. So if you’ve decided that public transport is your ideal way to get around Switzerland, then maybe you’ve got a few concerns about how you’re actually going to go about navigating your way around the country. Making sure you get on the right train, knowing where to sit when you get on board, and perhaps you’d like to know what are the common do’s and don’ts of rail travel in Switzerland. So in this episode, I’m going to share all that with you.

First up, there are a few things that will help you navigate the country with ease if you plan ahead of time. Firstly, I always recommend that travelers familiarize themselves with the SBB mobile app. This is the app from Swiss Federal Railways, and it’s absolutely fantastic. Not only does it contain all the timetables for all kinds of public transport in Switzerland, it has so many other functions that just make it a must-have when you’re traveling.

For instance, whilst you’re on board the train, if you select the route that you’re currently traveling on, you can actually see where you are on the journey, which station is coming up next, the expected time of arrival at that station, and so much more. It also tells you the platform number that trains will arrive and depart from. It will tell you whereabouts on the platform first-class carriages and second-class carriages will stop. So you can really, really plan ahead and be quite organized just by using the SBB mobile app.

Now, one thing that is really handy to know is the local name or the spelling of the name of the place that you’re heading to in the local language. As you may know, Switzerland has four official languages. Many tourists from overseas spend a lot of time in the German-speaking part of Switzerland, but other popular destinations are all around the country, in the French-speaking part, in the Italian-speaking part, and even in Graubünden, which is home to the little spoken language of Romansh.

But let me give you an example. If you’re heading to Lucerne, which is in the German-speaking part of Switzerland, the local spelling is actually L-U-Z-E-R-N, not the same as the English spelling, which is L-U-C-E-R-N-E. So if you were to look up the timetable, to look up a fare on the SBB mobile app, starting or finishing in Lucerne, you need to type it in the local spelling, so L-U-Z-E-R-N.

Another popular destination that is spelled slightly differently in the local language than it is in English is Geneva, which in French is spelled G-E-N-E-V-E. So knowing the correct spelling in the local language of the place you’re going to or from will be very helpful because you’ll be able to more easily look up the timetable, and you’ll definitely know that you’re getting on or off at the right destination.

Something else that you want to plan ahead of time is the class of carriage that you’d like to travel in. Most Swiss trains offer both first and second-class carriages. So knowing in advance which is your preferred class of travel will help make it much easier when it comes to buying tickets and rail passes. It also will, obviously, as I mentioned before, you will know where to stand on the platform when you’re waiting for the train to arrive.

So what’s the difference between first and second class? Well, they’re both perfectly comfortable. In fact, you’ll probably be surprised how nice second-class carriages are, but the main differences are that there are fewer seats in first-class carriages. Down one side of the train, there’ll be a row of single seats, and on the other side of the train, there are rows of double seats. Whereas in second-class carriages, rows of double seats are down both sides of the carriage.

So with fewer passengers in first-class carriages, that generally means there’s a little bit more room to store your luggage because there are less people trying to store their luggage in that carriage. And it’s also usually much quieter, again, because of fewer people. Most of the Swiss travel in second class. So if you’re traveling, especially on intercity trains, where travelers might be commuting for work or just traveling between the major cities, large groups also tend to book in second class. So it can be very busy in those as well. But, like I said, both are perfectly comfortable, but if you do want to have a bit more space and perhaps be guaranteed of a seat, first class is the way to go. On those very busy routes, sometimes you might find that most of the seats in second-class carriages are already taken, so you may have to stand for a little part of the journey, or you may have to separate from those that you’re traveling with.

Another thing to know ahead of time is about seat reservations and which trains require them. In most cases in Switzerland, I’m going to say about 99% of the time, seat reservations or pre-booking your seat is not required. In Switzerland, the only trains that have mandatory seat reservations are some of the premium panoramic trains, being the Glacier Express, Bernina Express, and Gotthard Panorama Express. And if you want to travel in Prestige Class on the Golden Pass Express, it is possible to make reservations on some other trains. Certainly not on all of them, but most people don’t tend to do that unless they particularly want to be guaranteed a seat on a particular side of the train or perhaps if they’re traveling with a friend and they want to make sure that they can both sit together. But 99% of the time, seat reservations are not required.

And speaking of those panoramic trains, they’re not the only ones that offer a scenic view. So if you’re planning your itinerary and you can’t fit in one of the panoramic train routes, or perhaps the seat reservations aren’t available on the day that you want to travel, don’t be too concerned because regular trains travel along the same lines as those panoramic trains and offer exactly the same views. Traveling on a regular train rather than a panoramic train can often give you a little bit more flexibility as well, because there are often more frequent services and the views are the same. Sometimes on those regular trains, you can actually open the windows, which is very helpful if you’d like to take photos to avoid the glare. Often on the panoramic trains, there is only one particular carriage that has windows that can be opened. So that can be an advantage if you want to take photographs. Perhaps a regular train on the same scenic route is a good option for you.

So what should you know about arriving at the station? Well, my tip is to get there early. There’s nothing worse than being in a rush, being worried that you’re going to miss the train. That’s when the stress levels get high. You definitely don’t need that when you’re on vacation, so arrive early so that you can familiarize yourself with the layout of the station and where the platforms are and how you need to reach them.

If you don’t already have a ticket or a rail pass to cover your journey, you can buy one at the station. These days, they are mostly issued via a QR code, which just goes onto your phone, but it is possible in some instances to have a paper copy as well. Once you know that you’ve got your ticket and you know which platform your train is to depart from, you can head down to that platform. There are always stairs, and if not an escalator, then there’ll be a lift or an elevator. So if you’ve got luggage, or you’re traveling with children, or you have mobility issues, it’s always quite easy to get to the platform, and there are ramps as well. If you’re wheeling a suitcase behind you, the ramps are very handy.

On the platform itself, there are overhead boards which indicate the time that the train will arrive and depart, and it’ll tell you where that train’s going or its final destination. And it will also indicate where first-class and second-class carriages will stop alongside the platform. Now, overhead, if you look up, you might see some blue signs, which will have a letter of the alphabet on them, A, B, C, D, for example, depending on how long the platform is. When you look at that illuminated board, it’ll show you which class of carriages will stop by letter A, which class of carriages will stop by letter B, and so on. So you might see that under the letter C, second-class carriages will pull up at that point on the platform. So it makes it very easy to know exactly where to stand so that you’re not having to rush from one end of the train to the other once it arrives.

When the train does arrive, you should let all passengers disembark first. If you’re stopping or if the train is arriving into a large station, there can be a lot of passengers disembarking, so please stand aside and let everyone off before you board the train. If you’re connecting from one train to another somewhere along your journey, you might be worried about connection times. But rest assured that the timetables are designed to allow enough time to connect between the services. The minimum connection time allowed on all timetables in Zurich, for instance, is seven minutes. So seven minutes is considered to be enough time to change from one train to another train at Zurich Main Station.

Sometimes you might see on the timetable connection times of only three or four minutes, and this can seem like not long at all. But generally, in those cases, you are at a smaller station, and you’ll just be hopping off one train, and the next train that you need to get onto is immediately on the other side of the platform. So there’s very little distance to walk to get from one train to the other. Now, having said that, even though the timetables are designed to allow those connection times, don’t waste time if you’ve only got a few minutes. Be ready and waiting when the next train pulls into the station, particularly if you’re traveling with luggage, it just makes things a whole lot easier when you hop on board the train.

There are a few handy tips that’ll make your trip much smoother. Storing luggage is something that many of us are concerned about when we’re traveling. Now, my first tip here is to try not to take too much luggage. Large suitcases really are quite a nuisance when you’re traveling by public transport, so try and stick to a medium or small suitcase and perhaps a day pack or a rucksack or backpack or something with all your personal items in it. There are large racks on board the trains in each carriage, usually just inside the door and occasionally midway along the carriage as well. So you can store luggage there. You can also store smaller suitcases between the backs of the seats, and there are overhead racks as well, where you can store smaller pieces of luggage.

Now, some folks are concerned about safety, and I’ve heard lots of questions, particularly in the Switzerland Travel Planning Facebook group, about how safe it is to leave your luggage in one of those storage racks. Well, personally, I’ve never had an issue. You know, take the same precautions that you would anywhere where you’re traveling and where you’re leaving your luggage unattended. So if you are putting it on one of those big luggage racks, try and sit somewhere that means you can keep an eye on your luggage. Personally, I’ve never used a lock or a button-style lock to attach my luggage to the racks. Some folks find that more comforting to do that, and that’s fine if you want to do that. But just allow enough time before you’re about to disembark to make sure that you can undo that lock and get off in plenty of time.

When you’re ready to sit down, you can sit in any seat on the train that doesn’t have a reserved sign. Now here I’m talking about all the regular trains, of course, not the panoramic trains. Those reserve signs, if they are there, are usually on a little illuminated sign above the seat or on the side of the seat next to the window. So if there’s no reserve sign, you can sit anywhere you like. If you’re about to sit down on a seat or in a group of seats and there’s already someone sitting there, it’s considered polite to ask them if the seat that you’re about to take is free. Now it may look free, but perhaps they’re already sitting with someone who has gone down to the buffet car or who’s gone to the bathroom. So it’s polite just to ask if you can sit there before you do.

One of the most important things to remember on Swiss public transport is to keep quiet. The Swiss are quite reserved and very respectful, and they don’t appreciate loud noise, particularly loud phone calls when you’re on public transport. So if you want to listen to music or watch a movie while you’re on the train, please use your headphones. And yes, definitely no loud phone calls, especially when your phone is on speaker mode. On some trains too, in certain carriages, you’ll notice a sign that has a mouth with a finger held up to it, and those are designated quiet carriages. So it’s especially important to keep the noise down very low in those instances.

If you’re heading up to a mountain on one of the tourist trains, or perhaps you’re traveling somewhere in the Jungfrau Region, particularly from Interlaken out to Grindelwald or to Lauterbrunnen, you’ll probably notice there that those trains are not quiet. They’re just packed with excited travelers, all really excited about their day out. So those trains can often be quite noisy, but it’s only from talking. The same rules still apply. Please, no loud phone calls, no loud music. Excited chatter is quite acceptable on those particular trains.

Eating and drinking, that’s fine on the trains, but just please remember no strong-smelling foods, and do keep your feet off the seat, please. That’s definitely not something that you’d want to be doing on a train in Switzerland. If you’re finding the train carriage is a little bit warm and you would like to open the windows, it’s considered polite to ask those sitting around you if they’re happy for you to do so. It can make the carriage quite windy and quite noisy if you’re opening the windows, so just be respectful and ask others before you do that.

Have your ticket ready to show the conductor when he or she comes around. As I mentioned previously, most times these days, tickets are QR codes on your phone, so know where you’ve saved that ticket so you can quickly and easily show the conductor as they come through. And then all you need to do is just sit back and enjoy the ride. You can be guaranteed it’ll be comfortable, it’ll be scenic, and it’s a great way to get from A to Z, so enjoy.

I hope those tips have given you the confidence to travel around Switzerland by train. If you’re still wondering about rail passes and tickets and you’re unsure which is best for you, have a listen to episode 137, where I broke all the options down in more detail. There are also lots of other episodes about rail travel in Switzerland on the podcast, and of course, plenty of articles on holidaystoswitzerland.com as well. So go and have a look at those. If the next thing you need to overcome to finalize your trip is to choose your itinerary, and you’re having a bit of trouble with that, or you’re really stuck deciding which is the best Rail Pass or ticket to buy, there’s an easy way to get all that solved for you.

Look at the options from Switzerland Travel Center, who offer a wide range of rail packages with pre-designed itineraries that can be customized to suit you. They include the best value rail tickets, your accommodation and breakfast, and in some cases, they can even include luggage transfers from one destination to another. Plus, the mountain excursions that you want to include can be part of the package as well. And best of all, as a Holidays to Switzerland podcast listener, you can get a 5% discount when you use our promo code when booking online. I’ll include links to all the info and the promo code for those rail packages, as well as previous episodes and relevant articles about traveling by train in Switzerland in the show notes for this episode, and you’ll find them at holidaystoswitzerland.com/episode148.

Thanks so much for joining me today. I hope you found this episode helpful. If you have, I’d be super grateful if you could share it with your family, friends, and colleagues who are planning a visit to Switzerland. And I look forward to chatting with you with more Swiss travel tips and inspiration next week. Until then, Tschüss!

You can see the full show notes and listen to this episode > here.