Poster: A snowHead
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I’m thinking of travelling to St Anton by train from Zurich airport, looks like the best way as a solo traveller. Just wondering how busy the train gets and whether seat reservations are necessary? Are there any luggage lockers at St Anton station - I’ll probably arrive around lunchtime and need to stash my case while I ski in the afternoon?
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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@MontyP, depends a bit what day, but generally if you get the RailJet train to Vienna then it's about 12 carriages long so there's a whole load of seats. I've never seen it more than 1/2 full but then I never travel on saturday...
Lovely journey.
Sorry can't help re lockers at stanton
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Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
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@MontyP,
Better to reserve. It can definitely be busy.
Check with your hotel whether you can stash your luggage there (assuming it is not too far from the station/centre/lifts).
Austrians in general are very flexible and hospitable. And in fact around noon your room might be ready.
Don't buy your train ticket at Zurich, it is much more expensive!
You might also check the coach-shuttle service from Zürich by Arlberg Express
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Definitely get a reservation. The Railjet is a great train, aka 'the fastest bar in Europe'. We did it 2 weeks ago and it was really busy, but fun
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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have you tried
loco2.com/en-gb/journey
They are pretty good for train tickets.
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@MontyP, remember going Zurich st Anton a few years ago. Easy change on platform, bloke without passport hauled off train.
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There are lockers at the station. Nice journey! Enjoy. Worth getting reservations as others have said.
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Planning on doing the same and have pretty much the same question re: reservations. Or rather, will the conductor allow us to stand for the duration in case all seats are taken?
The reason I'm hesitant about the reservation is that there is a slight chance we might be able to catch an earlier train than the "probable" one. Landing is about 35 minutes before the train leaves the airport IIRC. I've done the same combination before and we missed the first train with a couple of minutes, but we were the last to get our luggage.
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
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Great journey. I don't think you need to reserve and you can always buy on the train (I think, but don't quote me!) 35 mins is plenty of time though, Zurich is not a huge station and I've gone from TGV to St Anton train in 10 mins before!
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It's dead easy though you soon learn the reason the reason Swiss trains are so punctual is because they do meander so slowly across the country. Ime booking via OBB website best. The direct railjet trains only run once every 2 hours from Zurich HB so the timing of the connection you get from airport almost irrelevant in most cases.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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@SkiingDad, you are aware it is not the timing at the airport, but at main station that is essential?
Between airport and mainstation there are many trains, you do not necessarily need the one mentioned in the schedule based on your time-input, could be a train later in most cases too, enough changing time at main station
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And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
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@Langerzug,
Thanks! Indeed, I'm aware of this. The time I'm checking against is the time when the train leaves the airport, essentially the last train that would make it possible to catch the train from Hauptbahnhof to St. Anton. Essentially, I need to catch the 10:18, the latest, to make it to the 10:40 to St. Anton. Doing so requires a bit of luck and no delays. Basically, I'm assuming we'll catch the 12:40 to St. Anton.
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Thanks for all the advice. I guess the recommendation would be to book a flexi ticket for the outbound journey (in case of flight delays)? Or can you change a fixed ticket if you miss the train? If it's like a UK advance ticket then I know the answer!!!
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You know it makes sense.
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you'll need the flexi one I think
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Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
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It is always advisable to book a seat.
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Poster: A snowHead
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We book a Flexi ticket from ZRH to StA for the same reason as others above: if everything goes right, we will make the 8:40 train, but it is tight. Been lucky the last 2 years, with the flight being early. Since we have a Flexi ticket, we don’t buy reservations. Never been a problem.
We use a Sparschiene (spelling?) for the return, with reservations. Saturday morning out of StA resembles a refugee camp!
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
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@ulmerhutte, yup, I'm content with a Flexi too. We're doing Mon-Mon so I don't expect the train to be that full. And sbb.ch indicates there should be capacity.
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Reserve. I got caught out on this train last year and had to stand most of the way as I just had an Austria \ Switzerland rail pass. Then a woman with a seat told me off for standing in the aisle when there was no way of moving anywhere else.
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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@Raven,
I can live with standing for a couple of hours. I can also live with having a woman tell me off in a language I barely understand. As long as we're not kicked off the train, we'll be fine.
Thing is, I tried to buy tickets on sbb.ch yesterday, but it wouldn't let me reserve just for St. Anton - Zürich HB. Will try again today.
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Good advice everyone - thanks. I've now successfully booked on Austrian Railways (oebb.at) - no cheap tickets on the way back on Sat 24th March, so had to pay the full flexi price (€53 incl seat reservation). On the way out, I've gambled and booked the fixed ticket for €19 on a train 2 hrs after my flight lands - so hopefully a bit of buffer time even if flight is delayed.
Be aware that if you book right through to the airport rather than to Zurich HBhf then you pay €3 x 2 for seat reservations, as it also reserves you a seat on the Hbf-airport train (I think I can cope with not having a reserved seat for 9 mins!)
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On reflection, the question for me is really: is it worth to dish out the extra money on the off chance that I might get to spend two hours more not skiing in the resort? The super-saver has seat reservation included, so it's looking more and more like the better deal.
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
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@stanton, thanks for the tip. I guess it's easy enough to buy a ticket at the airport for the short hop into Zurich Hbf and v.v?
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@MontyP, yes no problem
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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@MontyP,
If I understand correctly, you should also be able to buy that online for 3,60 CHF.
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And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
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@MontyP,
Just to share my experience: If you want the super-saver, don't hold out with the purchase for too long. I bought tickets yesterday (going on Monday) and the super-saver was no longer available for the outwards leg. I could get it for the return trip, though. Some further research indicated that you need to buy it at least a week in advance.
Not a big issue for me, though. This way I have the flexi for the outwards trip, should we be lucky and our flight in time so we can catch the 10:40. Still have the reservation for the 12:40. Incidentally, the seat reservation is a separate piece of paper, so there shouldn't be an issue catching another train. Just remember that the super-saver is for a specific departure only.
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One final question on this. Arriving in St Anton lunchtime on the train - is there a left luggage facility at the station so I can dump my case and head straight to the ski hire shop? Got to maximise time on the slopes on a short trip!
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You know it makes sense.
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Rent a car.
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Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
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MontyP wrote: |
One final question on this. Arriving in St Anton lunchtime on the train - is there a left luggage facility at the station so I can dump my case and head straight to the ski hire shop? Got to maximise time on the slopes on a short trip! |
There are lockers at the station, but I am not aware of a “left luggage” facility. There is a ticket office counter, but I cannot picture a luggage counter in that area.
Why not dump your gear at your accommodation - you should be fine arriving at lunchtime? Are you staying outside St Anton?
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Poster: A snowHead
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@MontyP, as I said on 15 Feb...
“There are lockers at the station. Nice journey! Enjoy. Worth getting reservations as others have said.”
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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@MontyP, Dump your case at the place your be staying then go skiing. That is not a problem.
Checkin after skiing
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Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
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@Inboard, thanks x2 - should have read fully through all previous responses I guess!
@stanton, am staying in a guest house nr St Jakob so would involve taxi/bus there to drop off bags and then same back again so the lockers at the station will give us an extra hour skiing I reckon ....
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@MontyP, the large lockers at the station are 3.50 euros and you can get change from the information desk. I used them last week following an early arrival from Zurich. If you check the ski bus timetable it will save the expense of a taxi for the journey to St Jakob after skiing. It's only a few minutes walk to the Terminal West bus station from the train station.
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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Kelskii wrote: |
@MontyP, the large lockers at the station are 3.50 euros and you can get change from the information desk. I used them last week following an early arrival from Zurich. If you check the ski bus timetable it will save the expense of a taxi for the journey to St Jakob after skiing. It's only a few minutes walk to the Terminal West bus station from the train station. |
Thanks for the tips ....!
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You'll need to Register first of course.
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@MontyP,
Enjoy. Conditions looks great. I’m gutted that our arrival in Vorarlberg will be delayed a day coz of a job interview.
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