Rail Travel - Swiss Style

In these retirement years when for the most part, I don't have tight schedules to follow, I am able to enjoy observing the world. Thus, instead of routinely driving to Geneva, Lausanne or other points within Switzerland when visiting friends, I generally try to take the train. I find that I actually have time to view the countryside this way, rather than having to keep my attention on road conditions, signals and other drivers. Railroad stations here are centrally-located, so one arrives right in the middle of town, even in the tiny ones.

So long as one's visit is short, a one-way ticket can actually be used for traveling within one's destination city as well as for the return journey. For example, if I want to go to Geneva or nearby Nyon, but the whole visit will not last longer than two hours, one-way ticket purchase will suffice and will include the local buses and trams. A one-way ticket to Lausanne allows me a "grace period" of four hours, which is plenty of time for short visits to friends and the return trip. For longer periods of time, it's better to buy a day pass, which is still generally less expensive than two one-way passages.

The Swiss Railway (SBB/CFF) has a website that provides excellent information, including timetables and rail fares, in four languages: French, German, Italian and English. It was formerly a national institution, but since 1999 has been a special corporation whose stock shares are held by the cantons. Those of us who are residents generally purchase demi-abonnements (half-fare travel passes, locally referred to as the "demi-abo") for periods from one to three years. These entitle us to travel anywhere, anytime within the country for half-price, even if we merely purchase our train tickets at a ticket machine a few minutes before the train leaves.  If one books longer trips enough in advance, one may also find that special fares are available for which a demi-abo is not even needed. But these fares quickly sell off, especially during peak travel periods.

When arranging for train travel to Italy last year, for example, I was able to get special fares both for the trip to Milano and for the return to Geneva that were even less than the demi-abo fares would have been. Because HWMBO, who does not have a demi-abo, would be accompanying me on the return trip, I used the special fare for his ticket from Milano and purchased a half-fare ticket for myself. No, I was not pulling a fast one. I was merely following the suggestion of the very helpful ticket agent. Note: the smaller stations use only machines, but those situated in cities like Geneva and Lausanne have ticket offices, including associated travel agencies that will book hotels, etc. as well. These are the best places to get information from actual human beings, all of whom are multilingual (in case of linguistically-challenged travelers).


On Wednesday, I traveled to Lausanne to visit friends and was delighted to catch one of the sleek new double-decker trains. Here is "my" train, just after arrival in Lausanne.

Here is the railway car (wagon) that I rode in. And yes, I chose a seat on the upper level. What fun!

The large "2" indicates that this car is for second-class passengers, which is what most passengers - including me - choose to pay for. But there was nothing "second-class" about this car, believe me!