My family and I will be in Switzerland for 9 days next month. If we were to take one of the scenic train rides during our trip, which one should we take? We plan to visit Interlaken and Luzern during the trip, so we could easily catch the train from one of those places.
Finally, does the Swiss Train Pass cover travel on these scenic trains? If not, will we get a discount because we have it?
Thanks for all your helpful advice.
Penn
We suggest the Bernina Express from Chur to St. Moritz. It was wonderful and we heard the most scenic part of the route. We heard this from a Chur local now living in the bay area.
One of the most scenic trains is the Golden Pass which runs from Luzern-Interlaken-Montreaux. It's covered by the Swiss Pass, but if you want to reserve specific seat or upgrade to a first class scenic car you can pay a supplement. www.goldenpass.ch
The Golden Pass scenic train travels from Luzern to Interlaken so you could take that one. However, the most scenic part of that run, in my opinion, is from Interlaken to Montreux. You can also look into the Chocolate train. The Glacier Express is some distance away from Interlaken in Brig. We did that one from Lauterbrunnen and it takes over an hour to get to Brig. Then, its 6.0hrs for the run to Chur. Then its a big hike back to Interlaken. The William Tell and the Bernina scenic trains are in Southeast Switzerland. The routes are best shown in the Rick Steve's Switzerland book.
You should be covered on the Golden Pass with any Swiss Pass or card except the 1/2 fare card. However, there are 8 special seats that are on top of the engine above the engineers. There is a small extra fare for these seats.
Thank you Michael and Larry. You also explained the "upgrade to the special seats" bit for me.
Penn
Thanks for your advice, Cheryl. Choices, choices!
Penn
We have taken the Glacier Express and Bernina Express two times. We enjoyed them both, but I think one of our favorite parts was the Bernina Express south of St. Moritz going into Italy. Also, the Glacier Express was much more exciting on a beautiful day than it was on a dreary day (our second trip). You need to get seats in second class where you can open the windows and hang out the window. It was just awesome.
