 Poster: A snowHead
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We are now seriously exploring rail travel from UK to Switzerland instead of road and air - but before I start spending hours trawling different websites for tickets, do any SHs have an insight into the cheapest place for advance tickets? Many thanks.
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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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i have used the trainline before and they have been fine. I have no idea if they are the cheapest.
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
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I don't know what the cheapest option is but I have found that I need to look at multiple different national rail sites to find/book the best routes and times. For example, SJ (the Swedish rail company) could book me from Gothenburg down to Copenhagen, but not on into Germany. DB (Germany) showed the leg from Hamburg back to Gothenburg (and was the cheapest) but couldn't do the outward equivalent. And i had to use the Austrian site to get full info on the Nightjet train from Hamburg to Basel. Both DB and SBB were unable to book this.
The Trainline wasn't much use for me; admittedly i was looking at very complex journeys. And in the past, it has been very expensive Vs booking direct.
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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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https://www.seat61.com/
Would also agree with MGrolf.
Raileurope is good and would probably be your easiest route to buying London-CH tickets.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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This site is a great resource and I am sure that there are some decent websites out there but if you are switching between rail systems maybe a bit tricky to navigate them and know all the hooks you could get caught on. When I had a look at Euro travel I found thetrainline expensive and when dealing with their “customer service” on Domestic travel (if you can call it that) pants.
Dont discount a specialty travel agency. I did call Rail Canterbury when I was looking st Eurotrains. Sadly they seem to be email only now but before when I spoke to them they seemed to be able to access tickets over a greater window than the usual 3 months you might find on train ticket websites, and cheaper pricing than thetrainline. Also they would be better at particular requirements. So if not them, there might be others still about.
Last edited by You'll need to Register first of course. on Thu 24-02-22 11:31; edited 2 times in total
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Many thanks - this all seems ripe for some sensible collaboration between national rail services but still seems terribly underdeveloped for point-to-point ticketing…rail competing with air will only happen if there is rationalisation of the ticketing services….right…I’ll start pressing buttons tonight….
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Just posting here as we're also aiming to travel without flying from now on - trains are thus a definite option if they're viable
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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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@mgrolf, trainline shows Gothenburg to Basel at £87.58. But it does take over 20 hours and you cannot even reserve a seat. I see what you mean about it being very expensive (but not as expensive as Birmingham to London). Even before Brexit Trainline did not allow you to book tickets from continental europe to the UK.
Is Raileurope the international booking arm of SNCF?
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@johnE, i can't see a journey that cheap - I reckon that's very good value. The devil is in the detail though: no seat booking, and the Nightjet from Hamburg to Basel doesn't show up (even though it is actually the same train as one of the DB IC trains, just different carriages).
I think aggregator-type sites like Trainline work for simple journeys but are less useful when things get complicated or you have awkward requirements like wanting to travel comfortably overnight  .
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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It's certainly much more difficult than booking flights. My daughter in law, who grew up in France, uses rail a great deal and is an expert at all the bookings and wrinkles - but it still takes time, and they just travel between London and France. And sometimes France/Italy - so relatively simple. It's also usually more expensive than the standard cheap flight options unless you hit the very narrow bargain windows.
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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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Yep, have used Raileurope loads and never had a problem with them
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Just wanted to add to the recommendation for seat61 - that site is great.
Re: booking tickets, I've found good success just going straight to the country's website - sbb.ch for Switzerland, sncf for France. You can just punch in London as a start and it will show you the options easy. I've not had to buy tickets in/out of Sweden, so can't talk to mgrolf's experience, but Austria/Switz/France I've found pretty easy just straight from the source.
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You know it makes sense.
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Trainline.eu I have used recently in Germany/Austria easy and instant tickets. It was cheaper than the OBB, DB apps for the trains I needed to book last minute.
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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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If you follow maninseat61 on twitter, he does regularly update and link to where bookings are easiest - am sure I read recently the the DB website is the most comprehensive for booking. Gawd knows how why I have ended up with @seatsixtyone on my twitter feed but it makes for interesting travel reading at times!
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Poster: A snowHead
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His Twitter tag is @seatsixtyone.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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@valais2,
I've just bought tickets to get home after easter form Zurich... I have been trawling the sites for weeks.
Trainline & RailEurope are both good sites.
There is the 60 day rule that means you can't purchase tickets further in advance than 60 days for internal Swiss routes.
Up until April, there is a direct TGV from Zurich to Paris Lyon but after Easter the timetable changes and the only direct train is from Basel SBB... (Geneva still has direct trains still though).
Seat61 is very helpfull .. great ideas.
Have a good trip!
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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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You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
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Digging up a bit of an old thread here, and not totally related. Hoping an Austrian resident and/or expert might see this.
I'm in Hintertux first week in December for my IASI L2 alpine course. Getting the train over from the UK.
My train gets in to Innsbruck at 15:18, and there's a train to leaving at 15:40 that'll get me to Hintertux.
I'm conscious of any delays that will mean I miss the 15:40, and instead I can get the 16:40, but just wondered whether tickets are like the UK where they go up in price the nearer to the time you get? At the moment it's €18.80, but i'm wondering whether to just book my ticket as I get closer to Innsbruck on the day?
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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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@swskier, suggest you start a new thread asking for specific advice on Austrian train travel, this thread is a bit to obscure 
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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@swskier, you get a price reduction for booking in advance on long distance trains but not local ones. Even then the prices are reasonable even for last minute bookings. The issue often is getting a seat. For Innsbruck to Mayrhofen (presume either bus or taxi from Mayrhofen) I guess Rail Jet to Jenbach and then change onto the Zillertalbahn. If you use the OEBB app you can reserve a seat for a couple of Euros without buying a ticket. It is probably worth reserving a seat on both the 15:40 & 16:40 from Innsbruck to Jenbach (though it is only a short journey) and buying the ticket separately. I doubt the Zillertalbahn train will be particularly busy.
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@swskier, as I understand it, if there happens to be a discounted ticket available on the train you want (Sparschein) then these are limited in number and may sell out. If the fare you are looking at is a standard fare, then the price is the price. Generally, if your ticket is not a special rate (only valid on a particular service), then it is valid for 2 hours from the time you’ve purchased it for, i.e. you can use it on the next train anyway, but you can check this in the conditions of purchase. Seat booking is 3€ per person per journey leg. I probably wouldn’t bother for such a short stretch, but ymmv.
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@munich_irish, @Scarlet, thanks both for the advice
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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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@Scarlet, are Sparschein tickets valid for 2 hours starting with the booked train's schedule as it is with the standard tickets?
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Interested in this but the best price I can find on the Trainline is 330chf return Lausanne to London. Is it possible to do it cheaper?
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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@BobinCH, for what it's worth here's my breakdown:
Train to London c.£80 return
Eurostar c.£180 return
Paris to Innsbruck £156 return 1st Class
Innsbruck to Hintertux €37 return
It's definitely not the cheapest way of doing things, and definitely not the quickest either, but, I fancied trying it out, and I'll have no worries about weight of bags like I would on a plane
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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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| drporat wrote: |
| are Sparschein tickets valid for 2 hours starting with the booked train's schedule as it is with the standard tickets? |
Sparschein tickets are only valid on a particular service that you buy them for, and are otherwise pretty limited. If the service is delayed or cancelled, you can still use it, but otherwise you can’t really change them. The hefty discount might be worth the risk though, if one is available.
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| BobinCH wrote: |
| Interested in this but the best price I can find on the Trainline is 330chf return Lausanne to London. Is it possible to do it cheaper? |
Trainline add extra booking fees etc. Run it through nationalrail.co.uk or the French equivalent (SNCF?) and see if you get something better.
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You know it makes sense.
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@swskier, check your tickets into Innsbruck on the Austrian site https://www.oebb.at/en/ as sometimes they are cheaper – they were for us going to Berlin last month compared to DB.
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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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@Scarlet, €112.80 for the same journey via the https://www.oebb.at/en/ site.
I'll see if I can get a refund on the tickets i've already purchased!
Edit: I can only get the trains between Paris and Germany refunded. Germany on to Innsbruck are non refundable. Good to know for future journeys!
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