Seat reservations are not required for most trains in Switzerland, unlike other European countries.
But some regular Swiss trains do allow seat reservations, mostly between big cities, which can be helpful for busy routes. In addition, all special scenic trains, like the Glacier Express, offer seat reservations and often sell out weeks in advance.
Below you’ll find instructions for reserving each kind of train and links for booking.
Regular Swiss Trains
You can reserve seats on some regular Swiss trains. This is helpful on busy routes between bigger cities (like Zurich, Bern, Geneva) where it can be difficult to find a seat, particularly if you want to sit with your whole group.
Cost: You pay CHF 5 per train per person (any age). So if your route has three trains, you must pay CHF 5 for each train you want to reserve on the route.
When: You can reserve seats shortly before boarding, easily through the SBB mobile app. Regular trains do not sell out. Instructions below.
Good to know: you don’t have to show your ticket as you board Swiss trains. They just do random checks during the journey and assess fines for those not traveling on a valid ticket.
Choosing seats
When you reserve seats on regular trains, you cannot select a specific seat. Instead, seats are automatically assigned. You can optionally select a preference of restaurant car, family car, or central gangway (aisle seat).
If you reserve for multiple people at the same time, the system will try to seat you together. Seating is often in groups of 2 or 4. If you reserve for more than 4 people, you may be sitting near each other but not all in the same group of seats.
Which regular trains should you reserve
It’s usually not necessary to reserve seats on regular trains. But it can worth it if you are traveling busy routes at busy times, particularly between the big cities. Here are the busiest routes
- Zürich ⮀ Bern
- Zürich ⮀ Interlaken
- Zürich or Lucerne ⮀ Lugano/Locarno
- Zurich/Bern ⮀ Geneva
- Zurich ⮀ Zermatt (only possible for the Zurich-Visp train)
I would not reserve seats on these trains:
- Zurich to Lucerne – this train comes so frequently, it’s totally unecessary
- Interlaken to Zermatt – this journey has three trains, two can be reserved but they are less than 30 mins each. Not worth the hassle.
Step by step instructions
You can reserve seats via the SBB Mobile App or SBB.ch website. For the demo below, I’ll use the SBB Mobile App.
1. On the SBB Mobile, make sure you have an account, you are logged in, and you have a credit card associated with your account.
2. On the main screen, search for the route you want to travel.
3. Look for the small R symbol below each train on your route. Only trains with the R symbol can be reserved. The red people symbol indicates that they expect that train to be very full.
4. Click Select Tickets and go to the next page to see your ticket options.
5. First select all the passengers who need a reservation. Click the pencil icon next to the name. For each person, enter their birthdate and discount card if any. Select all the people and click Accept.
6. Then choose the type of ticket you want to buy OR choose “Seat Reservation only”.
7. In either case, click the Seat Reservation button to choose which trains you want to reserve seats for. You can also indicate any preferences: restaurant car, family car, or central gangway (aisle seat). You cannot select a specific seat.
8. Verify that you are reserving seats on the correct train at the correct time. Then click Accept and continue the purchase process.
After you purchase the seat reservation, you will get a QR Code in the SBB Mobile App that also lists the coach and seat number for your reserved seats.
Downside of seat reservations
I rarely reserve seats for these reasons:
- The reservation is only good for that exact train. If you miss it, the reservation is not valid for any other train.
- It can be stressful to find the correct coach on very long trains at busy train stations. I find it much easier to just get on the closest coach to me instead of spending 10 min hurrying down the track, dodging people, trying to find my assigned coach.
- Reserved seats aren’t necessarily near the luggage storage. Also, you may find that luggage areas are full near your assigned seats.
- You will probably have to kick someone out of your seat. If you don’t like talking to strangers who may not speak your language, this may be reason enough to skip the reservation.
Special Scenic Trains
There are five special “scenic” trains in Switzerland that require seat reservations. These do book out far in advance. So if you want a good seat, best to book on the first day the reservations are possible.
The procedure for reserving is different for each scenic train. So I describe that below.
Glacier Express
This train travels between Zermatt – Chur – St Moritz. It’s the most popular scenic train, simply because of the well-known name.
The 1st and 2nd class seats are available 93 days in advance. The premium Excellence Class is particularly difficult to reserve and usually sells out immediately due to agents booking for large tour groups.
➡️ Book seat only or tour including seat reservations (best way to get seats)
Bernina Express
This train travels between Chur – St Moritz – Tirano (on the Italian border). It’s our favorite scenic route, with many bridges and tunnels through a beautiful landscape.
You can book up to 3 months in advance. If you can’t get seats, don’t worry. Regular trains, also with nice big windows, travel the same route every hour, every day. So you can easily take one of those instead.
➡️ Book Bernina Express seats here.
Golden Pass Express
This train travels between Interlaken and Montreux, travel time 3h30. It’s a beautiful route and particularly useful if you are flying in or out of Geneva.
These seats usually don’t book out too far in advance. But if you have an inflexible itinerary, better book early just in case.
In addition to 1st and 2nd class, the Golden Express offers Prestige Class, with big comfy, reclining, heated seats. It’s not as expensive as you might imagine, worth the upgrade in my opinion.
➡️ Book Golden Pass Express seats here.
Luzern-Interlaken Express
As the name clearly states, this train travels between Luzern and Interlaken (travel time about 1h50). This train is easy to fit into most itineraries as many travelers already want to spend time in these two places.
Seat reservations are optional for this train, but are helpful if you want to sit together with your group and sit on the most scenic side (the right side). You can book up to 6 months in advance.
There is one 1st class coach (12 seats) and one 2nd class coach (31 seats) available for reservations. The remaining coaches are first come, first served (usually 8 more coaches, plenty of seats).
➡️ Book Luzern-Interlaken Express seats here
Seat Reservations FAQ
1st class vs 2nd class
For regular trains, the class of service is determined by your ticket. The seat reservation costs the same for either class.
If you have a 2nd class travel pass, you can buy a 1st Class Upgrade just for one route. At the same time, you can buy a seat reservation that will be used with your 1st class ticket. This is a little advanced, so you may feel more comfortable doing this at a train station ticket counter.
On regular trains, seats in 1st class are a bit bigger with a bit more leg room. The 1st class sections tend to be quieter, frequented by business commuters and retired tourists.
How do I find my reserved seat?
Your seat reservation will have a Coach number (shown on the outside of the train near the door) and Seat number.
Before boarding, you can check the train formation to see which section your coach will arrive in. To see this, search your train on the SBB Mobile App and click on that train. It will open a map showing the route you will travel. Scroll down to the the train formation. This doesn’t show up until shortly before the train departs, maybe an hour or so.
The platform has lettered signs showing the sections of the track. Find your letter and stand in that section.
When the train arrives, you’ll see numbers on the side of the train. Try to board on your assigned coach.
But don’t worry if you can’t immediately board on your assigned coach. If it’s busy and the train is leaving soon, just get on the train. You can walk through train and find your seat after things calm down.
Seat numbers are typically labeled above the seats and on the seats themselves.
What if someone is in my seat?
You can show them your reservation and ask them to move. If they refuse, find a train staff member for assistance. This is rarely a problem.
