My husband, Joe is a huge train enthusiast, and our trip was designed to see as much of Switzerland as possible by rail, particularly the panoramic lines. Using the Swiss SBB Transportation App made it all easy. We flew in and out of Gevena and were in Switzerland for three weeks, touring smaller cities, Lausanne, Lugano, Bern, and Luzern, but there were five days in the middle to spend hiking in the Jungfrau Region of the Swiss Alps and one day in Zermatt. We used the transportation system every day, and this app was incredibly helpful!
Getting the App
Step 1: Download the app on your phone; look for this icon.
Step 2: Save your favorite stations, the stations of the cities where you will be staying.
This is done using the Plan tab, you can save them with a star in the Timetable section, or you can add a tile to the Touch Timetable section. There is the option to add pictures, which, of course, I did, but that is optional.
READ MORE: Buying Rail Passes
Setting Up Your Favorites
This setup will save you a lot of typing when you are using the Swiss SBB Transportation app to look for train options! We used this app everyday to find trains,
Timetable Tab
Custom Tiles with Pictures
Using the Touch Feature
Finding a Train
It’s not just for trains!! When we were in Lauterbrunnen, we wanted to go to Mürren, which is accessed by cable car. That is all in the app, as are buses and ferries. You will get all the options: the number of connections, the frequency of trains, and the trip length. It will even give you walking directions from a train station to a gondola station, if applicable.
In the Mürren example, if you select the 10:38 am cable car trip, it will show you the connection details and you see that you connect to a train in Grütschalp.
Handy Things to Know
Saving a Trip in the App
Once you have chosen your journey, let’s say we are heading from Bern to the Geneva Airport, you should save your journey. Press the clear button that says +Save Journey. It will then be on your Trip tab and easily accessible.
Train Configuration – Knowing Where to Stand!
Looking at the travel segment, you will see a lot of helpful information. The number of people riding, which platform the train will depart from and arrive at, the train number, and the city indicating the direction of travel.
You will get even more information when you tap on the travel segment. See the route of the train, all the stops, and the time at each stop. You will also see the train configuration, so you can go to the platform section corresponding to the car you want to board. There are signs with letters on the platforms, and you can wait in the correct area for the car with bicycle storage or the business section. There is not always a lot of time to board, so it helps to be standing in the right location.
The larger stations have this information on display boards on the platform, but the smaller stations do not.
Reservations
Sometimes, you will need a reservation, particularly for the busier scenic trains. These are purchased separately from the ticket; there is an option to buy a seat reservation only.
When a seat is reserved, you will see the information above the seat in yellow, next to the seat number. It will say which segment of the route is reserved. In this case, it is hard to read, but it said that the seats were reserved from Como to Milan, so they were open until the train reached Como.
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