Background:
Railjet is the high speed train for Austria and Czech Republic, and is Austria’s flagship train. I originally had tickets from Zurich to Innsbruck the day before, but my flight to Zurich was pushed a day later. I booked them through OBB (Austria’s trains), and they were non-refundable. You can also book on SBB (Swiss’ trains), and I recommend you compare prices on both. For mine, Austria’s site was cheaper.
Yesterday and the day before I wrote about the Delta flight that caused me to arrive a day late, and also the 9 hour flight to Zurich that had broken in flight entertainment.
So, I had to get tickets when I arrived, and I went to the SBB ticket booth at Zurich Airport. A day of ticket was 85 CHF per person in second class from Zurich to Innsbruck. When I reserved ahead of time on Austria’s site, a first class ticket was only 44 EUR (48 CHF) per person. So, reserving ahead of time can save you a lot of money, but you risk losing the ticket if you have to cancel/not show up (like in my case).
There was construction on this route, so there were added connections. I had to take a train from Zurich Airport, connect in Zurich Main Station (Hbf), connect in Sargans, then board a bus from Sargans to Feldkirch, then from Feldkirch non-stop to Innsbruck on Railjet Second Class.
Now the construction seems to be done, and its a non-stop Railjet from Zurich Hbf to Innsbruck (3hr 30min).
Zurich- Sargans:
From Zurich Airport to Zurich Hbf, it was on a Regional train, double decker. Not bad, but nothing special. From Zurich Hbf to Feldkirch, it was on a EuroCity (EC) and it was clean but the AC was lacking. I didn’t check out the dining car, nor the restrooms.
Sargans-Feldkirch:
From Sargans to Feldkirch, it was a replacement bus service. I was expecting a typical bus, not that nice and small. Boy was I wrong! It was literally like a tour bus! It was so comfortable. The seats had footrests and there were window curtains. The bus was specifically for my train, to connect back to Feldkirch, as normally the railjet goes from Sargans to Feldkrich.
Even better, the bus arrived to Feldkrich over a half an hour early, so we could even board the earlier railjet! This means I would get to Innsbruck an hour early. Awesome.
railjet Second Class Train Review: Feldkirch to Innsbruck
The railjet would be the longest leg of this routing at 2 hours. The railjet Second Class was really nice! Comfortable seats, decent legroom and an nice clean interior. It was on par with Spain’s high speed train AVE. The railjet just went slower. The bathrooms were really nice and modern for a train! There was a dining car located in the middle of the train, but I didn’t grab a bite.
Apart from the beautiful views, there was also wifi that worked pretty well!
The Verdict:
Considering the construction causing the numerous connections, I was a bit worried for this train experience. But it turned out just fine! Second class on railjet was quite comfortable. If you want to splurge click here to view my reviews of First Class and Business Class.
Happy travels,
theresorttraveler
My European Trip Report:
Hotel Reviews:
- Hilton Innsbruck
- Wyndham Grand Salzburg
- Imperial Riding School Renaissance Vienna
- Marriott Prague
- Waldorf Astoria Berlin
Delta Flights
- The Delta Flight That Caused Me To Arrive A Day Late
- No In Flight Entertainment For 9 Hour Flight
- Main Cabin TXL-JFK
- Comfort Plus JFK-LAX
Trains:
- Railjet Reviews
- Second Class
- First Class
- Business Class
- Railjet Business/First Class Lounges
- CD Train Review: Prague to Berlin First Class
Attractions:
Shame you didn’t have a spare hour to wander around Sargans which is a very cute little Swiss town.
I wish too, perhaps on my next visit! Thanks for reading!