Golden Pass Rail

Hello Everyone,

I will be arriving in Geneva on Aug 17 2011 at 8:30am and planning to take the 11.45 golden pass line from Montreux to Interlaken and then travel to wengen where i will be staying. After a couple of days, i would then travel to lucerne. Is there a preferred side to sit when travelling from Montreux to Interlaken and from Interlaken to Lucerne to get the best views?

I have a second class swiss flexi pass. Should I make the reservation for only the montreux - Zweisimmen and Interlaken to Lucerne route in first class or make the whole trip in first class? Would that be worth making the upgrade for the entire journey?

Also for the non scenic routes, if i was travelling in second class, would i still need reservation?

Sorry for posting so many questions. Its my first trip to Switzerland....

Thanks
Anil

Hi Anil, and welcome! The right side of the train would be nice for both legs, but you can't indicate a train side when booking seats. That's because the driving direction of the carriages isn't mentioned. But either way, views are wonderful and you'll definitely enjoy the ride. The only way to choose your seat yourself is to travel the same route by regular regional trains (as they don't require seat reservations) instead of by Golden Pass panoramic trains.

As for class: 2nd class in Golden Pass trains is comfortable and has large windows. 1st class offers more space, more luxurious seats and even larger windows. I think it's a real treat to travel in 1st class, but it's up to you to decide whether it's worth your money.

Regular trains don't require seat reservation. This FAQ may be of help.

Hi Annika,

Thank you for your reply. When i try to reserve the golden pass for montreux to interlaken i see the following 2 trains.

Montreux - Zweisimmen and Zweisimmen- Interlaken Ost

I have planned to upgrade to first class for the Montreux - Zweisimmen part. Do you think it would be a good idea to upgrade the other part as it is less scenic(from what i have read)? Also if i was travelling in second class on the second leg, would reservation be necessary?

Thanks,
Anil

Hi Anil! Personally, I think the leg Zweisimmen-Interlaken is beautiful as well, but it's shorter than Montreux-Zweisimmen. So yes, you could travel the leg Zweisimmen-Interlaken in 2nd class to save some money. Either way, you'll have to make seat reservations for both 1st and 2nd class.

Hi Annika,

When i look to reserve the 11:45 train from montreux to interlaken, i see the train from montreux to Zweisimmen which ends at 13:32 but after that the train shows only the one at 15:36 from Zweisimmen to interlaken. In the schedules pdf i can also see trains at 13:38 from zweisimmen but is not listed on the golden pass site.

I believe that train is an ordinary train where reservation is not possible. Am i correct? In that case should i continue my journey on this train or wait for the golden pass at 15:36?

If i do wait at zweisimmen, can you please suggest what I can do within these two hours?

Last option for me is to spend some time in montreux and catch the golden pass classic at 13:45 and travel through to interlaken. Is the golden panarmoic better than the classic?

Thanks for your help in advance...

Hello Anil. Yes, the train leaving at 13:38 from Zweisimmen is a regular regional train that doesn't require seat reservation. So you can either take that train, spend a few hours in Zweisimmen (you may manage to visit viewing point Rinderberg) waiting for the next Golden Pass train from Zweisimmen, or use the 13:45 connection from Montreux. Personally I wouldn't mind taking the regional train: it's comfortable and has pretty large windows too.