Golden Pass roundtrip from Lucerne

The Golden Pass is a marketing device for some of the trains running between Luzern and Montreux. There is a regular hourly service between the towns on the route.

There are mountains at both ends of the route and the train goes in a relatively straight line so in order to do the hilly bits the train changes to one with an engine which can grip the rail and pull itself up, called a cogwheel or rack and pinion. There is a rack between the usual rails and a gear on the train connects to it and literally pulls the train up going uphill and holds it back downhill. That is on a narrow gauge track so the line requires narrow gauge trains at both ends.

In the middle of the run the train shares the normal standard gauge line on the relatively flat bit from Interlaken to Zweisimmen, so it needs a standard gauge engine and train.

So somebody taking that route will have to change trains twice to continue in the same direction, at Interlaken Ost and Zweisimmen.

Each part of the trip is operated by a different private company and they jointly market the whole trip as the "Golden Pass".

On each part of the trip there are normal trains (which still have big windows, some which open), and normal people and tourists ride these. On one trip I rode across the language divide near Zweisimmen I enjoyed hearing the school kids going to school switching languages between each other, sometimes speaking French and moments later German, with their same and different groups of friends. Cool. These normal trains run frequently, at least hourly.

Stopping at the same stations, and taking the same amount of time, are the fancy, much less frequent, reservation required, tourist trains with the "Panoramic" windows. Panoramic windows bend as they reach the roof and continue some distance into the roof. They are hermetically sealed and do not open. They have airconditioning which the normal ones lack - but I've never needed it. On the normal trains the windows open letting in air and not blocking camera use the way the tinted unopenable (and not always perfectly clean) block it and ruin pictures with reflected flash.

You may be able to tell that I've never fallen in love with the Panoramic trains, on that line or on any of the other scenic trains in Switzerland.

I prefer to travel with the common folk and have easy photos, no reservations, and plenty of trains tio ride on. I prefer the normal openable windows.

The far end of the Montreux run descends a steep cliff and on the fancy train you can pay extra for what they call VIP seats - aimed squarely at rich tourists - (VIP meaning extra view for extra money, important because of the money, nothing else) which are 4 seats over the driver so you can see the cliff the way he or she does.

How you choose the way you travel the route is completely up to you.

I think the most scenic part of the route is the bit between Luzern and Interlaken Ost as you cross the Brunig Pass on the cogwheel, through the woods with cliffs and waterfalls around, through Meiringen of Sherlock Holmes fame (Reichenbach Falls are there with a funicular which takes you right up into them) and along Lake Brienz.

If you have a bite to eat in Interlaken and then keep going you will miss the mountains of the Lauterbrunnen Valley, just 20 minutes on a different cog railway line to Lauterbrunnen, where the cable cars take you up to Muerren and Schilthorn one side, and trains take you up to the Junfraujoch via Wengen on the other side of the valley. You will be so close in Interlaken, but believe me when I say, so far far away.

All those Montreux stations you see are bus stops. You just want Montreux or Montreux gare.

Doing the whole line Luzern to Montreux changing twice looking around a bit of Montreux and piling back onto the train for 2 changes all the way back to Luzern is one VERY long and tiring day.

Consider, if you like mountains, Luzern / Interlaken Ost and the Lauterbrunnen Valley.

When I look on the SBB website there are are tons of Montreaux - which
one? And which train - there are so many choices.

I highly recomend you do the "classic" Golden Pass train from Zweismann to Montreaux. It uses restored vintage Pullman cars. The 1st class cars are something out of an Agatha Christie novel.
You will love them!

More details here:

http://tinyurl.com/pofjqe6

Nigel, thank you so much for this advise. I do love mountains and nature, and would love to hike, but mom cannot do much with a slightly bad hip. However, I like your suggestion to veer off toward Murren since it puts us in Rick's favorite area - and he's never wrong. Would you recommend going all the way to Murren - Schilthorn? What can we accomplish in a turn around day trip without much hiking?

I did Berne-Schilthorn and back as a daytrip, it's quite doable. If you're already in Interlaken or Lauterbrunnen, it's a cinch.

Lucerne-Montreaux-Lucerne is a lot of training for one day, and since you're retracing your steps you'll be seeing the same footage.

Have lunch in Interlaken and take the train up to the Lauterbrunnen Valley. If you want to continue to Murren, you have 2 choices (as noted).