Hi,
We plan to take the Golden pass train from Montreux to Interlaken in the second week of May. Is it better to reserve seats in the train at this time of the year? If possible, I would like to avoid making a reservation so that we can be flexible with our timing, but I don't know if this is risky.
We also hold a Swiss Rail Pass. Does this complicate things either way?
Thanks,
Rama
Rama- I'm not that sure about crowds on this route in May and understand the flexibity thing.However,I took this trip in September of 2008 and made sure to get a reservation. I kept my eye on the Golden pass website for a few days in a row and could see the seats quickly being reserved and taken up (I think there is a plan view of seat placement).So I strongly suggest that you do make a reservation, rather than to miss out- you can be flexible elsewhere. We also had the Swiss Rail pass- as I recall, the combination of the two passes for that trip was confusing and I ended up paying extra/ more than needed (I'll try to recall just what and get back to you).But it's a great little route. half way through we were able to sit in the very front seats for awhile.we used our Swiss pass with boat trips, cable cars up to the Jungfrau, etc. love the Swiss trains ! have a great trip. georgia
The portion of the route you are travelling on has two track gauges so you travel Montreux to Zweisimmen on one actual train, then change from narrow gauge to standard for the balance of the journey to Interlaken Ost. If you were completing the Golden Pass route to the lovely city of Luzern you would change again to narrow gauge.
The Golden Pass, like the other scenic routes in Switzerland, are served by both sealed window, air conditioned, reserved trains for tourists and tour groups; and more frequent normal trains with windows that open very wide, slightly harder seats, no a/c, and plenty of locals - no reservations.
Your choice...
I remember travelling to Montreux one morning at go-to-school-time a few years ago on the normal train and being amazed hearing all the children chatting in german, then they got off and the next bunch all chatted in french. It was a wonderful day!
You may be able to guess which trains I prefer?
You only need a reservation if you definitely want to be on the train :-) You're not allowed to "stand" in the aisle if the seats are full - you must sit. And if all seats are reserved, well then, you can just catch the "regular" train that runs the same route on the same tracks...which is a fine option.
Reservations are optional on the Golden Pass. There are usually lots of seats available. Reservations are only useful if you want to sit in the very front of the train, or you want to upgrade to the first class panorama car. Your Swiss Pass covers the 2nd class fare.
We rode the Golden Pass last May(late May) and had no reservation and it was not a problem. We went from Lauterbrunnen to Lucerne--don't remember the train being full.
Correct - reservations are optional. But if all the seats are taken and you don't have reservations you will not be allowed to stay on the train because people aren't allowed to stand in the aisles. Yes, you can wander up and down all of the train compartments looking for a seat. But reservations are not THAT expensive and they do guarantee you peace of mind.
Yes, my Golden Pass train was full. However, I boarded the train with reservations and the poor people who were sitting in our reserved seats looked as if they had met their doom when I pointed to our reserved seats. The conductor made them vacate our seats.
I'll just make the point more clearly, in case it's not clear: If you're on a "scenic" train with the panoramic windows, those windows don't open. If you're on a regular train the windows open and you can stick your camera out the window and take photos without reflections in the windows. I prefer the non-panoramic trains...
Last year I went the second through third week of May. Here is my advice. Don;t worry. Don't make reservations. We arrived into Geneva and there was a Golden Pass marked train in the airport. We waited about 9 minutes. We then got to Montreux an hour later and got off to see the Chateau de Chillon. We returned to the train station and had just enough time to get a sandwich before the next Panoramic train left. It all seems to go like clockwork.
The weather forecast called for snow in Murren, where we were staying, and suddenly we had crystal clear skies and 70 degree temperatures for 5 days. We could see all the peaks perfectly every day. The tulips were blooming, the grass was emerald green. Many places were closed when we arrived but opened up the last day. There were very few tourists. It was a perfect trip. Have fun!
We just traveled from Interlaken to Montreux on a beautiful Wednesday in August, a peak tourist season. I had made reservations before leaving the US just to be safe, but based on our experience, the additional expense was unnecessary.
As you probably know, there are two sections of the trip due to different track guages. The Golden Pass trains travel on the same tracks as the regular trains. From Interlaken to Zweisimmen, the train had very few passengers, although the online reservations system indicated that the train had only a few remaining seats. There is a note on the site suggesting that there may be additional seats available there were lots of seats available. Also, surprisingly for the detail-oriented Swiss, the seats marked with our reservation were the complete reverse of what I ed on the other side of the train and facing the rear of the train. Fortunately, because there were so few passengers, we were able to change to the seats we actually wanted. For the section from Zweisimmen to Montreux, I reserved in first class because the online system indicated that there weren't any second class seats on the right side of the train for two people travelling together. The cars for this section of the trip were almost full, but very few passengers in first or second class had reservations. (Reserved seats are marked with a banner on the headrest.) Hope this is helpful!
