Varenna to Lugano and I paid for a reservation, but no seat assignment

Kozauldong53

Hello everyone, I booked rail tickets from Lugano to Como and I got a reserved seat. I booked from
Varenna to Lugano and I paid for a reservation, but no seat assignment. Is that normal?

RolandP

Hello Kozauldong53

On regional services, seat reservations are impossible. That is a regular standard.

The Como to Lugano stretch is probably an EC service with auto seat assignments. You could have well used the RE80 service, too. It could have been less expensive even.

Kind regards,
Roland

Kozauldong53

Hi there. Thanks very much for your reply. I don’t know what EC is or RE80.

RolandP

Hallo Kozauldong53

Then you shall check your itinerary for the train category. Boarding the wrong train (train company) in Italy will result in a hefty fine…

Kind regards,
Roland

Danhiel

Hello > Kozauldong53 I don’t know what EC is or RE80.

EC means Eurocity. These are long-distance international trains between European cities. They are comparable to IC (Intercity) inside Switzerland. In Italy, seat reservations are mandatory and included in the ticket, not in Switzerland.

RE means Regional Express, 80 is the line number (same as a bus or subway line number). These are local trains with a few stops. No reservation is necessary or possible, but you must have a valid ticket before boarding the train.

Kind regards
Danhiel

RedBaron

Kozauldong53 I don’t know what EC is or RE80.

Different train types / categories as explained by Danhiel above. They are clearly visible for each connection in the online timetable, and should also appear somewhere at least on your seat reservation confirmation.

Kozauldong53

Hi Roland. I do appreciate your advice. I am clueless about train travel. But I will ask a person at the station to direct me, so as not to make a mistake.

Krist

Kozauldong53 Hi Roland. I do appreciate your advice. I am clueless about train travel.

If you are clueless about train travel, and have planned more travel by train then you should bookmark this site:
www.seat61.com
That site has everything you wanted to know about train travel in Europe, but were afraid to ask.

Note that where there are no reservations you should not have been offered to pay for them. Where did you book your trains? The SBB site will not offer you a reservation on trains that do not have them.

Kozauldong53

Hi Krist Thanks so much for your help! I was able to find a longer tour in Como, so now I will not return from Varenna. Insted Lugano to Como round trip. So I need to get a refund on that return Varenna to Lugano, and I will apply for that online. I think ? I can just look that up on how to get a ticket refunded. I did book on the SBB app on my computer I do believe.?

Danhiel

Hello Kozauldong53

You can find information about refunds here. The italian leg will be probably not refunded because the price is less than 10 € (2nd class).

https://sbb-tickets.cc/en/help-and-contact/refunds-compensation/refunds-compensation/refund-international-tickets.html

Kind regards
Danhiel

Krist

For regional trains you should not buy tickets in advance. Trains are mass transit, and you use the way you would use mass transit everwhere: Turn up at the station, buy a ticket, travel.