Where suitcases go on Swiss trains, limits on the Glacier and Bernina Express, SBB luggage forwarding prices for 2026, the airport service and lockers.
On Swiss trains you can bring as much luggage as you can carry and handle yourself: there is no check-in, and SBB publishes no weight limit for bags you keep with you. Big suitcases go in the space between back-to-back seats or on the racks at the ends of the car, smaller bags on the overhead rack. The catch is the panoramic trains and the car-free resorts, where space is tight, which is why we usually send suitcases ahead with SBB's luggage service: CHF 12 (about $15) per bag from station to station, or CHF 50 plus CHF 12 per bag from hotel door to hotel door in 2026, delivered two days later.
Here is how it works on each type of train, what the luggage services cost and how we time them so you are never without your clothes.
SBB's own advice, which matches what we see every day:
SBB's tip, which we pass on: look at the occupancy forecast in the timetable and board the least busy car. Avoid weekday rush hours around Zurich, Bern and Geneva with big bags, and allow time at the platform: Swiss trains stop for a minute or two and leave on time.
Seat reservations are optional on InterCity trains (CHF 5), and they do not reserve luggage space.
| Train | Luggage space | Our approach |
|---|---|---|
| Glacier Express | Suitcase racks at the end of each car; the operator recommends at most one suitcase plus hand luggage. No ski bags, golf bags, oversized items, bikes or e-scooters | Send suitcases ahead, ride with a daypack |
| Bernina Express | Racks, but RhB says space is limited and asks for hand luggage where possible | Send suitcases ahead (RhB forwards at CHF 12 per item) |
| GoldenPass Express | Luggage compartments and ski racks in each car | Fine with one medium suitcase each |
| Luzern-Interlaken Express | Racks; wheeled cases must lie on their side, aisles kept clear; busy in summer | One medium suitcase each, or send ahead |
| Gotthard Panorama Express | Train and boat; bags must be carried on and off the boat at Flüelen | Send suitcases ahead |
| Gornergrat, Jungfrau, Pilatus | Mountain railways, round trips | Leave luggage at the hotel |
The rule of thumb: a panoramic train you ride for the view is not the place for a large suitcase. You will spend the ride guarding it instead of looking out.
SBB transports luggage across Switzerland and Liechtenstein. About 70 percent travels by rail and 30 percent by road. The services:
| Service | Price in 2026 | How it works |
|---|---|---|
| Station to station | CHF 12 per item; bike CHF 20; e-bike CHF 30 | Hand in at a staffed station today, collect at the destination station the day after tomorrow. Free storage on arrival day plus four days, then CHF 5 per day |
| Door to door | CHF 50 per order plus CHF 12 per item | Collected at your hotel on day 1, delivered on day 3 between 8 a.m. and 9 p.m. Book by noon the day before collection |
| Car-free resort surcharge | CHF 30 | For door-to-door delivery to Zermatt, Wengen, Mürren, Saas-Fee, Riederalp, Bettmeralp, Braunwald, Stoos |
| Express (selected places) | CHF 50 surcharge | Collected 7 to 9 a.m., delivered 5 to 8 p.m. the same day. No bikes |
| Extra time window | CHF 15 | A specific delivery slot |
Rules for every forwarded bag: maximum 23 kg (about 50 lb), skis and snowboards in a bag, a label with name, address and phone number on each item, and a valid ticket or travel pass for the same route. You book online, at a staffed station, or by phone (0848 44 66 88).
Autumn 2026 offer: Swiss Travel Pass holders get up to 50 percent off SBB luggage services for travel from October 1 to December 15, 2026.
About 200 stations accept station-to-station luggage, including Zurich HB, Zurich Airport, Geneva and Geneva Airport, Lucerne, Interlaken Ost and West, Grindelwald, Lauterbrunnen, Wengen, Mürren, Zermatt, Täsch, Visp and St. Moritz.
Standard luggage transport takes two days. If you spend two nights in Lucerne and then move to Interlaken, a bag collected the morning you leave Lucerne reaches Interlaken only two days later. Three ways to handle it:
When we design a multi-stop train trip, we schedule the forwarding with the itinerary: which bag leaves when, from which hotel, to which hotel, and which nights you live from your carry-on. It is one of the details that makes the Legendary Swiss Trains week work, since it includes the Glacier and Bernina Express back to back. For larger groups or a single traveler on a tight schedule, private luggage couriers also exist; the Glacier Express operator recommends Jaisli Mobility Service for individuals.
The old Fly Rail Baggage service, where you checked your bag at a Swiss station all the way to your final airport, no longer exists in that form. In 2026 the options are:
SBB runs lockers at about 120 stations, including Zermatt, Interlaken, Lucerne, Zurich HB and both airports. The standard rental period is six hours, the maximum 96 hours, after which the locker is emptied and the bag goes to the travel center. Sizes and prices vary by station; payment is by coin, card, Twint or phone, depending on the locker type. For bulky items, 17 staffed travel centers keep luggage, among them Zurich HB, Zurich Airport, Geneva, Geneva Airport, Lucerne, Bern, Brig and Montreux.
A typical use: arrive in Lucerne at 10 a.m., leave the bags in a locker, explore, and collect them on the way to the hotel at check-in time.
You arrive by train, and there are no cars to the hotel door. Zermatt has electric taxis and many hotels send their own electric shuttle to the station. Wengen and Mürren are small enough to walk, but the paths are steep. We either ask the hotel to meet the train or send the bags door to door with the CHF 30 car-free surcharge. Our Switzerland by Train in 12 Days uses both.
One rule surprises many travelers: SBB's free boarding assistance, booked through the SBB Contact Center Handicap (0800 007 102, or +41 800 007 102 from abroad), helps you on and off the train with a mobile lift or a ramp, but the assistance staff do not carry luggage. For travelers using a wheelchair or a walker, we always forward the suitcases door to door and keep only a small bag on board. Assistance must be requested at least an hour before departure, and 24 hours ahead for international trains. Our guide to wheelchair-accessible Switzerland goes further.
The cost of moving luggage is part of the budget we compare when we weigh the Swiss Travel Pass against the Half Fare Card.
If you want your trip designed with the luggage logistics already solved, ask one of our travel designers for a custom version.
More guides: Switzerland by trainPlanningAccessible travel
There is no check-in and SBB publishes no weight limit for luggage you carry yourself on Swiss trains, but you must handle it without help and keep aisles and doors clear. Panoramic trains are stricter in practice: the Glacier Express recommends one suitcase plus hand luggage and refuses ski bags, golf bags and oversized items, and the Bernina Express has limited space.
Station to station costs CHF 12 per item, with collection two days later. Door to door costs CHF 50 per order plus CHF 12 per item, with a CHF 30 surcharge for car-free resorts such as Zermatt and CHF 50 for same-day express where available. Each bag can weigh up to 23 kg.
Not in its old form. Today you hand in your bag at a Swiss station the day before your flight and collect it at the SBB counter at Zurich Airport, then check it in yourself, for CHF 24 per item. In Geneva, SBB's partner Airportr collects bags from hotels for some airlines. Visitors book the Zurich service through a tour operator.
In the space between back-to-back seats, under the seats, or on the racks near the doors. On double-deck InterCity trains, racks sit at the top of the stairs, and IC2000 lower decks have extra space. Overhead racks are for small bags. Board the least busy car shown in the SBB occupancy forecast.
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Two minutes, three steps. Free and without obligation.
