Seat reservations

WKru4830

I am looking to book travel with our Half Fare pass for travel 13-05-2026 from Spiez to Zurich on IC 61 and IC 1. I chose first class seats, and selected reserve. I only see the Spiez/Bern leg. Does this mean there it is not possible to reserve the leg from Bern to Zurich?

Additionally, when reserving, I don’t see the option to select two seats facing each other (with a table). I think most carriages are 1+2 configuration, and I’d like to get the 1 whenever possible.

RolandP

Hello WKru4830

Good day.

There is no need to reserve seats for this trip. No local would ever reserve a seat when doing this trip.
For some trains, seat reservations are not possible for operational reasons.

There is no possibility to select a specific seat. The seat reservation system is very rudimentary and does not offer a lot of options. This is because we, the Swiss, do rarely make use of seat reservations.
Just get on board the train and have a ride. Alternatively, you could take a train that operates Spiez - Zürich HB on a direct route, without change at Bern.

Kind regards,
Roland

WKru4830

RolandP thanks for the feedback. I am so used to booking airplane seats, where you want to be able to sit together and avoid being separated.
I was not sure if the holiday on 14 May might increase traffic. I guess first come, first serve is my best option and the risk is low. Thanks!

RolandP

Hello WKru4830

I am so used to booking airplane seats, where you want to be able to sit together and avoid being separated.

We are not used to this when it comes to train travel. We use our trains as other use local buses: hop on, have a ride, hop off.

The holiday rather affects the traffic into the opposite direction: towards the south.

If you reserve seats, the system will allocate the seats together yet mostly face-to-face as this is the most preferred seating option among the Swiss.

Kind regards,
Roland

WKru4830

RolandP thanks again. I will likely book the class, but not reserve the seat. We’ll take our chances with getting 1+1 seat config.

Looking now, we may opt for a slower path from Spiez to Zurich. If possible, we’ll take Spiez-Interlaken-Lucerne-Zurich…I just need to figure out the total time and any train changes.