Hello, all.
I am choosing 2nd class for my other trips, but this is almost 9 hours so I think I will spurge for extra room. If I choose business class upgrade I can choose my seat and get extra room.
1. Is it worth it?
2. Is part of this Journey the Golden Pass with nice views?
3. 2. Where should I sit if I can choose for views? Left or right side of the train?
Thanks!!!
It all depends on what time are you leaving Salzburg.
The route through Bern is not the Golden Pass. The route through Luzern is. This will take longer than 9 hours which is too long for my taste; I'd break that ride up and stay in Luzern a night.
Leaving Salzburg very early…about 5:45 am
You have to go through Luzern to go the Golden Pass route which is the long way.
You have to search Salzburg to Interlaken via Luzern if using SBB website or ap. It will be about 9hours 19 minutes if you make all the connecting trains but the Swiss trains run on time pretty well
Thanks AI. That would add about 90 minutes to my trip. We will be staying in Lucerne after our visit to Wengen. Will I be able to see some of the same views then?
If not, is it worth taking the Golden Pass or will I be seeing similar sites during my stay in Wengen?
Thanks again.
Oh, if you visit Lucerne after Wengen, then you will travel the scenic Interlaken-Lucern railway anyway (sit on the right!) so you do not need to do so on your way to Wengen: once is enough.
Use the faster way from Salzburg to Wengen.
From Zurich to Interlaken you don’t really get into the mountains until you get to Thun (take a look at Google maps and choose the ‘terrain’ option to see this).
From Thun to Interlaken sit on left side of train for best views.
First class does give you more room. Hard to say if it is worth it or not, depends on how busy the train is at the time you are traveling. It is possible to purchase an upgrade even while you are on the train. I have done this using the SBB app.
As others have said, take the Golden Pass after your time in Wengen.
My first trip to Switzerland, we were on some very crowded trains in 2nd class. So, I always travel in 1st class now on my longer train rides, especially when travelling with luggage. I prefer more room and less crowds. To me, the extra expense is worth the money.
As far as which side of the train, my sister and I sat on the side with the single seats facing each other across a table. It seemed as if we were looking out the windows on the other side of the train. But, I didn’t find any part of this train ride to be more scenic than anything I have seen in Switzerland. We try to pick seats near the luggage rack and not too far from the bathrooms.
Since you plan to leave so early, I don’t think you’ll find any grocery stores or bakeries open before you leave. The Spar grocery store in the train station opens at 6. So, plan to get some snacks the night before.
Also, but sure to select a time with the shortest number of changes. I see a 5:56 train that gets you to Lauterbrunnen in 7 hours and 59 minutes.
Thanks everyone
This has been super helpful!
Does first class or business class on this trip or any others serve a meal? Or do we need to bring our own snacks?
Is there anything available to eat on the train?
Thank you!
You can get food with all classes. With first class, you order from the menu and they’ll bring it to you. I’m assuming your Salzburg to Zurich leg is on a railjet.
The food is crap on the train no matter what class and not worth the price. You should just get some fruit and nuts, chips and preserved bread something like that does not need refrigeration the night before at a grocery store and bring it on board to sustain you which is lot healthier. Stick to cold water soft drinks or liquor on the train.
Do not use www.railjets.com to buy tickets. That is a scam website not affiliated with the Austrian Railways. Do not use that site!
My sole purpose for linking to the above railjets sites was so the OP could see that food was available on the trains.
If you prefer to view the info. on the OBB site, you can find it here:
https://www.oebb.at/en/reiseplanung-services/im-zug/bordservice
Thanks everyone. I am so grateful for the help.
I followed some great advice and got 2 first class tix. Got a great deal by leaving early am, which we wanted to do anyway, so we could catch a sunset in Wengen.
Alright!!! Make sure you have the OBB app on your phone and check on this train BEFORE you leave for the train station. I was on this particular route twice (Salzburg to Innsbruck and Innsbruck to Zurich) and the train was over an hour late both times. Hopefully, that won’t happen to you, but if you check the train before leaving your hotel, you can wait at the hotel if it’s running late.
I dunno, Thibault from Simply Railway loves to eat on Austrian and Swiss trains all the time
