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Golden Pass vs. a day in Luzern

Posted by (Edmonton, AB, Canada) on

We'd love to train from Lausanne to Luzern on the Golden Pass in Switzerland (Montreux, Zweisimmen, Interlaken), as I've read it's the most scenic train route in Europe (and as a bonus, it's covered by our rail pass). However, I noticed that this route involves a few fast changes (i.e. 4-5 minutes) and I worry that we'll end up missing at least one connection--not to mention that scrambling to find the correct platform/track in time could be very stressful. We also have a time limit (have to be in Zurich for 21:00 to settle in for a 21:45 night train), so simply taking the next train might not be an option. We'd love to see the scenery, but is it worth the stress?

The alternative is to spend a lazy day in Luzern--walking, eating, swimming and boating the lake. We'd love to swim in a Swiss lake, and if we did the Golden Pass, we'd get to Luzern for 19:00. Would it be too cold to have a swim at 7pm in Lake Luzern?

Is it at all "scenic" in the northeastern portion of Switzerland (i.e. Basel-Luzern-Zurich), especially along the rail routes?

Sorry for the barrage of questions. Input from travellers who have done either/or (i.e. Golden Pass/the city and lake Luzern) is appreciated.

Posted by
17433 posts

Stacey---your question is a little unclear. Do you have just the one day in Switzerland? You enter Switzerland on the same day you depart from Zürich on the night train, or do you enter the day before? Starting from where--Basel?

If I had just one day to spend in Switzerland, I wouldn't spend it sitting on a train, scenic or not. I've ridden a lot of them around Switzerland, including the Golden Pass route, and I haven't seen anything out the train windows that compares to the feeling of being outside IN that scenery.

So, with one day to spend, I'd do some or all of this: explore Luzern, ride a boat to Weggis, take the cablecar up to Rigi Kaltbad and walk around (gorgeous viewes over the lake to the mountains), return to the lake for a swim (depending on the weather) and leave time for dinner at an outdoor cafe in Zürich before meeting that night train.

Posted by
355 posts

We did not ride the route of the Golden Pass - at least not the entire thing, but we traveled extensively in Switzerland last summer and made numerous fast changes. The Swiss train system is so amazing - you get off one train and the next train is right across the platform. Even when we had to walk a little, we never had trouble making the changes - and all were around 5 minutes.

That said - Luzern is really a lovely town. You could definitely spend a day walking around, eating lunch on the river and even take a boat ride on Lake Luzern. If you are going to be riding the trains much at all, you will see lots of lovely scenery.

Switzerland is so beautiful, you will enjoy anything you decide to do. Have a great time...

Posted by
60 posts

Thank you so much to you both--very, very heplful answers!

To clarify: We have only one day in Switzerland. We're coming from Colmar, France (which makes getting to Lausanne or Montreux to start the "Golden Pass" quite far away, and we wouldn't even get there until noon, making the rest of the day quite rushed).

Great point--we are already spending so much time on trains, and Luzern looks like a gorgeous place. Why waste our only day in this gorgeous country INSIDE a sweltering panoramic car? lol. The choice seems extremely clear now. Thank you! Plus, I have read that pretty much any rail line in Switzerland is "scenic." Best of both worlds :-)

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