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Hello!
Three of us will be traveling from Lauterbrennen to Montreux by train. We would like to stop and tour Gruyeres and visit the chocolate factory in Broc on our way. I would like to go on the Golden Express because I read the scenery is beautiful on this train. Can you tell me exactly my train route and what stations to get off of and if need to take any buses? Also, we do not want to drag our luggage with us all day. Any stations that store luggage on our way to Gruyeres? I was also considering forwarding luggage to Montreux train station, any idea of the cost for 3 suitcases? I read 12CHF each but is the 30CHF for each bag or all 3? Thank you so much!
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Hi Pwnurse, and welcome to MySwissAlps,
It will be challenging to combine your trip to Montreux with a visit to Gruyeres and the chocolate factory. The trip from Lauterbrunnen to Gruyeres takes 4 hours. From Gruyeres to Broc is 30 minutes and you’ll need another 4h41 to get to Montreux from Broc on the Golden Pass. This doesn’t include the time you’ll spend in Gruyeres and Broc. The alternative is a day excursion on the Chocolate Train from Montreux.
Use the Swiss time table to plan your trip. When traveling from Lauterbrunnen to Gruyeres make sure you put Spiez and Zweisimmen in the via boxes in order to travel the Golden Pass route and look for the trains denoted MOB Panoramic or Belle Epoque.
You haven’t told us the date on which you are traveling, but please be informed that due to construction work between 19 Mar and 1 Jun 2018, there will be substitute buses for the stretch between Château-d’Oex and Montbovon. To get from Gruyeres to the chocolate factory use the destination Broc Fabrique.
Forwarding your luggage would be the best option. On this page: http://www.myswissalps.com/tr ain/practical/luggage, below “More on other websites”, you’ll find a link to the SBB luggage transport services. I’m unfortunately not familiar with the prices.
Should you skip Gruyeres and Broc, use the destination Montreux and put Spiez and Zweisimmen in the via boxes and look for the MOB Panoramic or Belle Epoque trains.
You can get from Lauterbrunnen to Broc Fabrique (where the chocolate factory is) in a little under 3 hours via Bern and Bulle.
Then continue on to Montreux via Gruyères (between La Tour-de-Trème and Montbovon). Between Montbovon and Montreux you can choose a Golden Pass train and experience the majestic scenery as you descend to Lake Geneva.
Attachments:Wow
Thank you for all your help!
Great! Thank you so much!
Hi,
It would be much easier to come up with suggestions if we knew what time frame you are looking at. You are going to be in Lauterbrunnen and Montreux but that is all we know. How many days are you going to be in Montreux ? I ask this because it would be easy to make a day trip to Gruyères and then Broc (via Bulle) on a separate day, if you have the time. And you could leave your luggage wherever you are staying in Montreux. If you are going to be running with any sort of rail pass and had the time you could come back to Montreux on a different route, via Palézieux. If, on the other hand, you don’t have any extra time, I would give serious consideration to what Rockoyster has suggested. On this route you will enjoy more scenery as the train runs along the shore of Lac Thoune (Thunersee). You might even have time to hop off the train and explore a bit of Fribourg and then continue to Romont. Trains run along that line all the time ! There are also busses that run from Fribuorg to both Broc and Gruyères but you’d have to check the schedules to see if this made any sense.
We fly into Zurich Sept 2 then go straight to Lucern and stay 3 nights. We then go to Lauterbrennen for 5 nights. Then to Montreaux for 2 nights then Geneva one night and fly out from there early morning. The chic train does not run on tue in Sept. can you tell me how long of a day to visit all of Guyeres and Broc? Thanks!
Hello again,
First things first. It looks like you are flying into Zurich on a Saturday (September 2) and flying home from Geneva on Thursday, September 14, is that correct ?
You ask how long a day would it be to do Gruyères and Broc. So let’s start with Gruyères. When you arrive at the train station (la gare) you will find that la Maison du Gruyère is right across the street. On the attached map I have labelled the train station (Gare), la Maison du Gruyère (Fromage) and the Castle (Château), and shown with a red line the way you can get from the train station up to the castle. The most scenic part I have circled in blue, not to be missed !
Here is a page from the website of la Maison du Gruyère. I assume you will want to visit this ! http://www.lamaisondugruyere. ch/visits-discoveries/interactiv e-exhibition/ They say a visit here will take from 30 to 45 minutes but my guess is that it will take you more to see everything here.
And here is the website for le Château de Gruyères. They state that a visit takes about one hour. http://www.chateau-gruyeres.ch/en You will easily spend another hour walking around the cobble-stoned pedestrian area of Gruyères, looking into the shops, and perhaps getting something to eat and drink. I am sure that Slowpoke will have some suggestions for where to do this. If you speak French (as you are in la Suisse romande) you will have more fun ! Je vous souhaite un bon séjour en Suisse !
I’ll get back on Broc later today.
Attachments:We leave Geneva airport 9/13. Thank you for all the details. I really appreciate all the suggestions.
Hello again,
Continuing with La Maison Cailler in Broc. As you can see from the first aerial photo attached, it is a short distance by road (5.3 kilometres) from the train station at Gruyères to the Maison Cailler Chocolate Factory in Broc-Fabrique, and a very short driving time of 8 minutes. However, you are not renting a car so you will have to make the trip by bus or train, unless you hire a taxi. If you were lucky enough to be at the train station in Gruyères at the right time, you could make the trip by bus along the same road. To go by train you will need to go to Bulle and then transfer to another train going to Broc-Fabrique station, which is only a few minutes walk from the Chocolate Factory. The second attachment is a topographical map of the area, with red pointers on the train station in Gruyères, the train station in Bulle, and the train station at Broc-Fabrique. I have circled (blue oval) the Maison Cailler so you can see how close it is to the train station. I have also drawn a yellow oval where you could get off at the stop called La Tour-de-Trème, walk a short distance down the street and catch the train coming from Bulle at another train stop called La Tour-Village and then go on to the Maison Cailler. I would only take this short-cut if continuing to Bulle would result in missing a connection to Broc-Fabrique.
Here is the website of the Maison Cailler: cailler.ch/en/maison-cailler/la-chocolaterie-suisse/ Note that they say a visit will last from 1 to 1½ hours and at times the queue can be up to 2½ hours ! Here is a story from the Financial Times about how Nestlé (which has owned Cailler since 1929) is hoping to use the Cailler name to increase its sales of premium chocolate: http://www.ft.com/content/33e a2ec8-6788-11e5-a57f-21b88f7d973f
You may also find the following interesting. It is the English language website of the MOB (abbreviation for La Compagnie du Chemin de Fer Montreux Oberland Bernois: http://www.goldenpass.ch/en
Hello Peterli,
Thank you for all these details! I have a lot to think about.
Hi Pwnurse1,
Please note . . . .
Chocolate Train
The Chocolate Train runs again from 1 May. As a result of the construction works, guests are taking the bus in Montbovon. The bus takes them to Gruyères, to Broc and back again. This probably applies for the entire season until 31 October. The program is not suitable for travellers in wheelchairs.
(extract from http://www.mystsnet.com/filea dmin/doc/01_News/Const ruction_works_MOB.pdf)
Good to know! Thank you!
Do you think staying overnight in Gruyeres a good idea?
It is a very small town – Unless you have something specific in mind there I don’t think I would suggest it.
We’re going to be staying in Interlaken from mid-April to mid-May and hoped to visit La Maison Cailler in Broc and I couldn’t help but notice Chantal and Peterli mention construction and buses during that period. Should we expect any problems traveling by train from Interlaken West to Broc-Farique during that time period. Are some days better than others for crowds? We have Swiss Travel Passes so we were just going to take the scheduled trains and not worry about The Chocolate Train. Should we expect delays in getting from Interlaken to Broc-Farbique and back to Interlaken due to construction?
Thanks
My concern is the time frame.
I want to come from Lauterbrennen and take the Golden Pass to Montbovon, from there go to Gruyeres and tour the cheese factory,village and castle. That would be a full day. The next day tour the chocolate factory then take the Golden Pass into Montreux.
Hi stodgyti,
No delays no. The timetable reflects the bus transfer time in it so you can still use it to plan your trip.
In that case yes it could make sense to stay in Gruyeres if you find a hotel there – especially if you make a late start from Lauterbrunnen.
Is the Golden Pass more scenic from Zweisimmen to Montbovon or from Montbovon to Montreux.
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