Reserving seat on the Golden Pass Panoramic train

We i.e., me and my wife, are looking to travel to Swistzerland in Oct. We came across this forum and our Many Many Thanks to the creators – Arno and Annika. What a beautiful piece of devotion by you guys….

We have some questions pls. I tried searching in your forums in different ways, but didn’t manage to find an answer.

I was trying to do a reservation for the VIP seats on Golden Pass in www.goldenpass.ch.

• It appears in the Montreux to zweisimmen sector of the GoldenPass, the first coach requires a 1st class pass, and the 2nd coach can be boarded with a 2nd class pass? I did not see a specific note anywhere to that effect. I nearly booked a VIP seat (even though it’s a 2nd class pass that I hold!)
• Over here……..www.myswissalps.com/tr ain/reservations ………..and in other posts…I am still a bit confused……..i think you are saying, even in scenic trains, reservations are NOT MANDATORY, but some sectors its recommended. (Exception being VIP seats, where its required).
• In the same sector, Montreux to Zweisimmen, when I look at the 2nd coach (i.e., the 2nd class coach) – I see all the seats on the right half of the coach are greyed out i.e fully booked. Whereas the seats on the left half of the coach are almost entirely available. Is it because the view is far better in the right half? A few seats on this left half are taken, and those are always the rear right or left corner – again, is that ‘cos the view’s the best? Whats in the middle of the coach – is that something that blocks the view? Pls see attached picture…
• I also see in many posts, that you cannot really book the right or left side of the train, because the direction of the train isn’t mentioned. But in www.goldenpass.ch, it appears pretty clear to me, or am I seeing something wrong?
• I have a 2nd class Swiss Pass - How much will it cost to upgrade to 1st class, so that I can enjoy the VIP seats ? the difference between the 1st and 2nd class price is CHF24 (www.goldenpass.ch/asse ts/media/pdf/prix_2016 _en.pdf) is that what I pay? Can the upgrade be done online?

Thanks a ton for any responses

Hi Sureshsrini,

Thanks for your compliments, I'm glad to here you find the website useful!

I don't know why specific seats are reserved, but where to best sit is mentioned on myswissalps.com/ goldenpass/ gettingthere (although to view to both sides is good in general). You do not need seat reservations. Reservations are recommended for a few trains because of expected occupancy. You can see so in the timetable for any specific train.

The upgrade costs half the difference between 1st and 2nd class, so that's CHF 12 per person.

I'm not sure about the direction of the train when booking seats. If you see seats in the very front of the train in 1st class, then those are the forward facing VIP seats.

I seem to have done something wrong in my post above - i notice the pic didnt get uploaded. So adding it now..

Thanks for that. The first car in your document shows the VIP seats at the right, but they're all booked. It may help to check back later. Another option is to visit any staffed train station when you're in Switzerland and check what there's a available that way. There might be cancellations, or seats that can't be booked online.

Thanks Arno. I wanted to share some more info, that i incidentally learned while trying to do this booking. Folks trying to plan stuff from India may find this useful

i was looking for online options, where i can pay in INR. i tried the Rail Europe India site. You can book here but the prices are inexplicable. For example the Montreux-Zweisimmen official prices are CHF32 / CHF56 for 2nd and 1st class respectively. If i add reservation costs, that makes it CHF40/CHF64. Converted to INR, it should be approx INR2800/INR4480. The price in the website however says INR3752/5754. I did ask the guys over chat, but they haven't given a convincing explanation. i suspect THAT IS the price they sell at?

Hi Sureshsrini,

Yes, those are the numbers I see as well. Do keep in mind that if you buy tickets in Switzerland, your actual spending will depend on the exchange rate of the day and the fees your bank charges. As RailEurope is offering payment in INR they will often be more expensive, just a bit or a lot, but in some cases they've been a lot cheaper (e.g. with rail passes). It pays off to compare.