Aug 18, 2010 - 1:42 AM
Hi Tina. When booking for the Golden Pass, you'll have to reserve specific seats for specific trains. So yes, if you want to break up your Golden Pass journey by staying overnight at some places, or getting off the train to visit a town, you should book each section separately. Golden Pass trains run only a few times a day, so it's not that easy to get off one train, take a short break, and then get on the next one. The
Golden Pass timetable may help you plan your itinerary and determine for which sections you want to book. It's nice indeed to try and book seats at the very front of the train, as some Golden Pass trains run with a special VIP carriage offering views of the railroads ahead. The number of these VIP seats is limited, but you may still succeed in booking them for the end of September. If not, try to contact the Golden Pass railway company. Although VIP seats may not be available for online reservation anymore, there may be some left for reservation through e-mail or at local railway stations.
It doesn't matter whether you
purchase your Swiss Pass before or after making seat reservations. The reservation fee is the same to passholders and non-passholders and Swiss rail passes don't offer discounts for seat reservation costs.
If it's not very important for you to travel in panoramic Golden Pass trains, you may consider travelling in regular trains as well. The windows will be smaller, but you'll be able to enjoy the views just as well. The advantage is that you don't have to bother about seat reservation for each leg of the trip.
As for which side of the train is best: I'd advice to take seats on the right side of the train between Lucerne and Interlaken, and on the left side for the section between Interlaken and Montreux.
Last modified on Dec 28, 2014 - 4:35 PM by Arno