St Moritz, Lucerne, Golden Pass, Montreux 8 nights
Alicia is finalizing her itinerary for a trip to Switzerland. She plans to travel from Zurich to St. Moritz, then to Lucerne, and finally to Montreux before heading to Paris. Alicia is seeking advice on train routes and whether to get a rail pass for her travels.
- Use regular trains instead of the Bernina Express from Chur to St. Moritz for more flexibility and no reservations needed.
- For the Golden Pass, verify the timetable before your trip and plan to travel from Lucerne to Montreux via Meiringen and Zweisimmen as no construction work seems planned for your dates.
- Consider checking the Swiss Travel Pass for discounted travel, including certain scenic trains like the Glacier Express.
AI-generated summary-
Hi There,
My friend CJ posted previously, but I am trying to finalize the details. We have the following once we arrive into Zurich from Vienna on the morning of January 8th.
1) Zurich to St. Moritz (2 nights) – Intercity train to Chur, but then could we take the Bernina Express to St. Moritz. Otherwise, the backup is to take the Albula Railway.
2) St. Moritz to Lucerne (3 nights) – Via Andermatt as we are hearing that it is more scenic.
3) Lucerne to Montreux (3 nights) – I wanted to use the Golden Pass, but it looks like there is renovation between Zweisimmen and Montreux. Plus the trains are operating until 8 Dec according to your website.
We are flexible with changing the plans within Switzerland. We plan to leave for Paris on January 16th, most likely via train. Otherwise, we can do a flight.
Any advice would be greatly appreciated!
Thanks,
Alicia
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Hello Alicia and Welcome to MySwissAlps,
1. I wouldn’t bother with the Bernina Express. There is only one departure at 8:32am from Chur and you need to leave the BEX at Pontresina to reach St Moritz. Use regular trains instead. No reservations required.
3. Use the SBB Timetable (http://www.myswissalps.com/ti metable) to plan your Golden Pass Line travel. You won’t need reservations. Search from Luzern to Montreux via Meiringen and Zweisimmen. I don’t see any construction work planned for the dates you have in mind. Perhaps you mean the carriages with VIP seats which are out of operation at the moment.
Hi Alicia,
2. Via Andermatt is the Glacier Express route, which is indeed scenic. The first part from St. Moritz to Chur you would be backtracking however, it is the same route as your incoming trip. Instead, you could take a train from St. Moritz to Landquart and Chur via Klosters. Then from Chur to Andermatt to Lucerne.
Thanks for the information.
Below is the information I found from (http://www.myswissalps.com/go ldenpass/gettingthere) on the Golden Pass Route tab.
Dates of operation
The trains operate daily until 8 December 2018. Please check again later for further dates.
Tip: check the timetable before you start your trip.
Note that the Golden Pass line is being renovated until 2022, particularly between Zweisimmen and Montreux. This will result in improved rolling stock, and direct trains from Interlaken to Montreux without a switch in Zweisimmen.
From 3 September 2018: the GoldenPass MOB Panoramic coaches with VIP seats will be renovated and will therefor not be available. Regular panoramic coaches will be available.
Whether or not your trip will be affected by the renovations can be found in the timetable. Further details are in this PDF document.
Thanks! With the route mostly nailed down, I am trying to see if it is better to get a rail pass or purchase a half price rail card for the tickets. Is the Glacier Express included in the rail pass?
Hi Licia,
For what’s included in the Swiss Travel Pass, please see http://www.myswissalps.com/sw isstravelpass/validity. For help on comparing passes price wise, please see http://www.myswissalps.com/tr ain/ticketspasses/prac tical/chooserailpass.
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