Buying the passes

Spending a month in Switzerland in an apartment at the southern end of the country made us debate the pros and cons of getting a Swiss rail pass. In the end we decided to buy one and enjoy day trips from our home base in Locarno. Instead of buying the passes in Canada using Rail Europe (SBB's North American agent ), we opted to buy at the train station beneath the airport in Zurich. Travelling together we were eligible for the Swiss saver pass discount. 

The passes (one month- first class) cost 646 CHF each. We saved $219 on what we would have paid in Canada ($712 each) as the Canadian dollar had a good exchange rate with the Swiss franc (1 CHF= 0.94 Can $). By the end of the trip our dollar was roughly at par. [In 2017 it's much less]

Buying the passes in the Zurich airport was a snap. Because we had only carry-on case bags and because of the way that Swiss customs operates, we were able to proceed right through customs with barely a glance. Following the signs, we arrived at the SBB train station beneath Terminal B about 5 minutes after deplaning. The man in the SBB ticket office was exceedingly helpful and we were soon on our way with passes in hand. He advised that reserved seats were not needed within Switzerland but we could reserve if we wanted. He also validated our rail pass before its first use, as is required.

We caught the train on platform (track) 3 (platform is "das Gleis" in German and "il binario" in Italian) and were in Zurich Hauptbahnhof (central train station) about 15 minutes later.

First class vs second class

Second class would have cost about 30% less but we were glad to have opted for first class. On so many of the busy trains, it was impossible to find a seat in second class and moving through those cars was like maneuvering through a department store on Boxing Day - slow going, indeed. Also, the seats in first class were padded and more comfortable and roomier. No matter where you sit, Swiss trains are incredibly clean. 

On the train station platforms it helps to know where the first and second class cars will stop. Usually first class stops at section C and D. Because most stop only for a few minutes, it's best to hop on the train right away and find your compartment later. Equally important to us was to find non-smoking compartments. 

First class is different on local trains versus the express trains such as InterCity (IC), InterRegion (IR), EuroCity (EC). On the latter first class often consists of enclosed air-conditioned compartments seating 4-6 people. These are great but non-smoking is a must.

Finding your platform

At the Zurich  Hauptbahnhof (HB), you can pick up two small booklets: 

1. Stadtefahrplan (city timetable): Departure and arrival times and where to change trains. Does not provide the platform numbers. 

2. Abfahrts und Ankunftszeiten (departures and arrivals) : Departures are on the yellow pages (just like at the stations-see later) and are listed by time of departure. Besides listing all the station stops, this handy booklet provides the platform (gleis) numbers for departures and arrivals at the Zurich HB. 

At the large train stations throughout Switzerland there are ever-changing boards showing departure times and platforms. Some also provide announcements in English. 

At the smaller stations you will need to check at the large yellow Abfahrts (departure) boards. Because there is often only 3-5 minutes to catch the next train, this means running to the nearest yellow board to find the platform number of the next train, then quickly walking to the appropriate platform. Be aware that your destination may not be shown if it is not the final destination. In such cases, it is safe to go by the departure time. For example if you know that your train to Lugano leaves at 09:00 but the only train leaving then goes to Milan, that's your train. When in doubt ask.  Remember that platform is gleis in German and binario in Italian.

Lakes and buses

The Swiss rail pass is good on most of the Swiss lakes (except for Lake Maggiore, which is located mostly in Italy). We used it for a boat tour of Lake Lugano. The pass is also accepted on local transportation. We used the rail pass to take local buses from Locarno to Anscona, to ride the funicular from the bahnhof in Lugano to the town centre, as well as for multiple tram rides in Basel. On the Swiss city trams, as for trams elsewhere, we were never required to produce the pass as travel is on the honor system. Just hop on and off whenever you like but have the pass available if asked.

Food and drink

For snacks it's cheaper to buy goodies at the train station shops and delis. More variety too. Consider buying a soft drink or fruit juice as it's a better value. The coffee sold by the train venders comes in a small cup and costs about the same as a larger-volume pop or juice.