Train Questions

[heartshapedbox]

Hello!

First of all, I'm sorry if this question has been asked and answered elsewhere. I did a couple searches but couldn't find anything ... if anyone could provide a link to a previous topic that'd be helpful as well.

I have a few questions about the trains in Europe and how reservations and train changes work (I've never been on a train in my life!). Here's an example:

We want to take the train from Venice to Interlaken. I looked up this trip on the bahn.de website (on just any random day) and chose this trip:

Departs Venice at 7:52am
Arrives at Milan at 10:55am
Departs Milan at 11:20am
Arrives at Spiez at 1:53pm
Departs Spiez at 2:05pm
Arrives at Interlaken at 2:28pm

The website says to please reserve for the Venice to Milan portion of the trip and that Milan to Spiez is subject to compulsory reservations. How do I do this? In Venice can I just say that I want a reservation for Venice to Interlaken and that will cover the entire trip? How much are reservations usually?

Also, when it says 3 changes, how does that work? For instance, the time between arriving in Milan and departing for Spiez is 25min. So do we stay on the train or do we get off and find a different train? I guess there's a sign or something saying when trains are departing and from what platform?

Sorry for all the questions, the trains are just a little overwhelming for someone who's never been on one haha. Thank you very much!

[Eagle]

heartshapedbox, it's great that you're getting information on the trains before your trip, as it can be a bit confusing for those of us that aren't used to the rail systems in Europe.

First of all, are you travelling with a Rail pass or using P-P tickets? That will have a bearing on the reservations aspect of your question. If you're using a Rail pass, you'll need to pay for reservations separately. If you use P-P tickets, the reservation fees are included in the cost of the ticket. The reservation will specify your car no. (carozza) and your seat no. (posto) and whether this is window (finestra) or aisle (corridoio). The word for track is binario.

To buy reservations in Venice, you can either use a travel agency (which is what I did - there are a couple near Piazza San Marco) or just take a Vaporetto ride to the main station (Venezia Santa Lucia) and buy them there. The easiest solution would be to purchase reservations when you arrive in Venice, as you'll be at the station anyway.

With regard to changing trains, there is almost always a large chart both on the individual platforms and/or inside the station that lists the trains and which track number each train is arriving or departing from. There will also usually be a large electric / electronic sign board inside the station that displays train departures and arrivals. Especially in Italy, I found the electronic display to be more accurate. I also found there was a certain logic in "following the crowd" as that was usually the train I was supposed to take.

It's a really good idea to pack light, as getting from one platform to another, or from the platform to the station often involves going up / down stairs to a sotto passagio (ie: tunnel) - DO NOT walk across the tracks! If you only have a few minutes to get off one train and get to the next, you've got to be quick!

A bit of cautionary warning about the Milan station - it was one of the most chaotic and unpleasant I found in Italy, but unfortunately necessary for my travel plans. Keep some change on hand in case you need to use the WC, as these are "user pay"!!! From what I recall, Spiez was quite pleasant (I believe that was the one with a McDonald's and other restaurants?).

When you reach Interlaken, are you travelling elsewhere (Gimmelwald?) or staying there? As I mentioned in another post, there are two stations in Interlaken, and it's important to choose the correct one.

In order to help understand the European rail system, you might want to have a look at the Rick Steves rail guide at www.ricksteves.com/rail/railpdf.htm. You might want to start at page 22. There's also an excellent chapter on "Rail Skills" in his Guidebook Europe Through The Back Door (probably available in your local Library or Book stores).

Hope this helps? Cheers!

[pointofnoreturn]

Ditto about the Milan train station. It's dirty, polluted, crowded and an experience in itself. Part of it is open-air so there's lots of pigeons flying about and pooping all over people below. The bathroom is absolutely dirty. Do not use it there. You have to pay to use it and boy.... will I never waste my money on that!

Oh, it was kinda nice being surrounded by chain smokers....

[heartshapedbox]

Thank you so much for your tips! That definitely answered some of my questions.

We will be using the 10 day/2 month rail pass for part of our trip, and for that specific traveling day. We have our itinerary set in stone pretty much so the plan was to organize our departure when we arrived at the destination (i.e. upon arrival in Venice, we would organize the reservations to Interlaken while still at the train station).

Doing reservations in this manner, is the one we make in Venice good for the entire trip? I suppose this doesn't leave much room for mistakes in changing trains - if we were to miss the train while changing (i.e. in Milan), do we have to make new reservations for the next train to Spiez?

We're both pretty easy going and don't get stressed out very easily, so if we were to miss a train it'd probably turn out to be fine but we are booking hostels ahead of time as we're traveling late April through early August and it'd be unfortunate to lose money. Whatever happens, it sounds like the trains may be a crazy adventure in and of themselves!

[Eagle]

heartshapedbox, organizing your departure when you arrive in Venice is a good plan (you're at the station anyway).

AFAIK the reservations you arrange in Venice should be good for the entire trip. I've haven't missed a train connection yet, but I suspect you'd be forced to pay for another reservation. Your initial reservation would cover a seat on a particular train, but not on other trains.

Again, I'd recommend that you check the Rail Skills section in the Guidebook, as there are other "pitfalls" to watch for. A few examples:

> Not every car on a particular train may be going to one destination; sometimes cars are de-coupled and go to different places.

> If sitting in a compartment, it's a good idea to check for small reservation cards on the outside of the compartment, as some (or all) seats in a particular compartment may be reserved.

> On one occasion in Italy, I was surprised to see someone else sitting in my reserved seat. His reservation had the same seat number listed, which means that somehow the seat was "double booked". In cases like that, I just look for the first empty seat.

YES, the trains can be an adventure at times! BTW, you didn't mention if you're stopping at Interlaken, or travelling further into the Berner Oberland?

Cheers!

[heartshapedbox]

Thank you Eagle, I will definitely check out the Rail Skills section and I'm already feeling better about the trains!

We're basing ourselves in Interlaken for three days and are planning on taking a day trip to Gimmelwald one day. I'm pretty sure I have that part of the journey planned out:

- Train from Interlaken Ost (first half of the train) to Lauterbrunnen and then bus to Stechelberg and the gondola up to Gimmelwald. We were planning on hiking back down from Gimmelwald to Stechelberg. Is it worth it to take the train/gondola up to Murren first instead from Lauterbrunnen and then walk from Murren down to Gimmelwald?

Thanks again!