Question on Berner Oberland Pass/GoldenPass Train

Hello-

We are flying into Zurich in June and heading directly to Montreux. We plan on purchasing the half fare card to cover this portion of the trip. After a few days in Montreux, we will be heading south out of Switzerland (Italy/France) returning back to Montreux to take the train to Lauterbrunnen. We will be in Lauterbrunnen for a week. It looks like the Berner Oberland regional pass along with the half fare discount card is our best option. Can I buy that regional pass at the Montreux train station? It looks like the Golden Pass train leaves for Zweisimmen every 2 hrs with the regular train in between. Is it worth trying to get on the Golden Pass train? If it's typically overcrowded, I'd rather take the regular train. Any advice would be appreciated.

Thanks in advance.

DS

Hi DS,

The Swiss Half Fare Card won't be providing additional benefits in the Bernese Oberland if you also have a Regional-Pass Bernese Oberland, unless you plan to travel beyond the area covered by the pass. In that case you can use it there. I'm not sure if you can buy the regional pass in Montreux, as it's not really in the region (although a discount applies to the Saanen - Montreux section). You can buy it at staffed stations in the region, or get it online along with the Swiss Half Fare Card: www.swissrailways.com.

The "official" tourist trains tend to be more popular than the regular ones, although it's hard to say how crowded it will be in any particular train. The timetable does suggest seat reservations for some trains, so that's a hint. The views are the same from all trains, apart from the large windows in the scenic coaches and the VIP seats in the front of the Golden Pass Panoramic train. More about the Golden Pass line can be found here.