How much does the Chocolate Train cost? It appears to be 49-59 CHF with a 1st or 2nd class Swiss Pass. Is there no discount for having a Pass with Switzerland as one of the countries? Rick Steves has a PDF on his site on Train Reservations found when searching for "Chocolate Train" on the search prior to this page and he lists the Chocolate Train as having a $22 reservation (date 04-2011). $99 full fare on the Golden Pass website seems like a rip-off. It seems the Pass is our best option for visiting 4 countries but a Swiss pass would really save us money in Switzerland in the Interlaken area past Lauterbrunnen not covered by the pass. But I don't see how I could make a Swiss pass work in conjuction with crossing into France and Italy both. A Swiss half-fare card also appears to only help us break even or maybe save $20.
Posted by
OP
Peoria
20 posts
Okay, so on Rick Steve's article "Comparing Swiss Rail Pass Coverage " it says: All rail passes that include Switzerland cover...Chocolate Train (1st class excursion from Montreux). Reservations extra. " So how much is the reservation ($22 or slighly higher from what R.S. reported in 04-2011) and where do I reserve? Golden Pass website just has bullets to select full fare, Swiss Pass 1st class, 2nd class, or Half-Fare card (for 99, 49, 59, and 69 CHF respectively) Do I have to pay 49CHF with a 1st class Selectpass? This is a pretty expensive reservation when Rick steves says my railpass will "cover" this train excursion. Does anyone know how to make this reservation?
Posted by
New Paltz, NY
9110 posts
All the prices are listed on this brochure: http://tinyurl.com/7fgztrs With a Swiss Pass the reservation charge is a whopping 59 CHF 2nd class/49 first class. If you don't want to take the "official" chocolate train, you can take regular scheduled trains, do the exact itinerary, and not pay any reservations fees. The allure of the official train is that you are riding on vintage carriages. Which can be very neat, but you will have to pay a premium for it.
Posted by
Elk Grove, CA, USA
6898 posts
My undestanding on the Chocolate Train is that it's a round-trip tour with multiple stops. Thus, the 99CHF fare. You can take other local trains on the same tracks for the lower fare. Here's the scoop from their web page. "The Chocolate train runs every Monday, Wednesday and Thursday from May to October and every day in July and August. Reservations are compulsory and can be made at Montreux train station or at your travel agency. The package includes coffee and croissant on the train, bus transfers and a tour of the Gruyères castle, as well as visits to the demonstration cheese dairy and the chocolate factory". Next, the Chocolate Train is one of the rare train runs in Switzerland where the best Swiss Pass will not cover you completely. Even with the best Swiss GA 1st class pass, you will pay 49CHF. With the 2nd class GA pass, you wil pay 59CHF. Another train run where this occurs is the ride to the Jungfraujoch from Wengen. Same with the cable ride from Murren to the top of the Schilthorn. No Swiss Pass or Card will cover all of the costs for these runs. What you can do is purchase the Swiss half-fare card for 110CHF. This card is good for 30 days and covers half the fare on all trains and buses except for the Chocolate Train where the fare is 69CHF. Remember, it's a tour and not just a train ride. If you do go to the tops of the two mountains in the Lauterbrunnen Valley, the pass does work and will come in handy. By the way, your Eurail pass will work a bit beyond Interlaken into the valley but not on the buses. If I remember correctly, you get a 25% discount on the train rides up to the top of the two mountains. Remember on the Eurail pass that the countries need to have common borders. Removing Switzerland may be an issue.