swiss trains

The trouble with the Golden Pass- Spiez route is that the part through the Alps is mostly in tunnels. So it is only "scenic" from Luzern to Spiez, where you go along the three lakes and see the Alps from a distance. After Spiez you go through two long tunnels under the mountains. The first, the Lötschberg Base tunnel is 35 km long and currently the longest " land" tunnel in the world, according to Wikipedia. The second tunnel, the Simplon, is 100 years old and under renovation, which affects train traffic and schedules. If you want the simplest and fastest route, which is also quite scenic ( although not designated as such) I suggest you take the more direct Gotthard route. This has a single change, at Arth-Goldau. It does have a few tunnels, but they are higher in the mountains and much shorter than the two above. The tracks actually do a couple of spirals to gain or lose altitude. In between the tunnels, you have lots of views of the mountains, including hanging glaciers. This route only takes 3.5 hours and you can get nice discounts on the tickets by buying well in advance on the Swiss rail site, www.rIl.ch.

You actually have a choice of three of the four scenic train routes in Switzerland. The Golden Pass and William Tell Express trains both depart from Lucerne. The Golden Pass will route via Interlaken to Spiez. You change trains for Milan at Spiez. One train change. By changing at Spiez, you miss some of the best parts of the run but the ride from Lucerne to Spiez is not bad either. The William Tell Expess includes a boat ride with lunch across Lake Luzern and then a transfer to a train down to Bellinzona where you change trains again to get to Lugano. Again a train change needed for your last train to Milan. About an 8.0hr. journey. I have not traveled on this train. Here is a LINK for more information. The last scenic train that you could ride is the Bernina Express. This would be a longer journey but the Bernina might be the most scenic. First, it's a 2hr train ride to Chur with one train change. You should be in Chur by 12:58 to catch one of the express rides. It's a 4.5hr train ride. Then, from Tirano, you will be on an Italian Trenitalia train to Milan. No further train changes. This last ride takes 2.5hrs. So, for the Bernina, you are looking at 4 different trains and a journey time of about 10hrs assuming you have lunch somewhere.

The Golden Pass will route via Interlaken to Spiez. You change trains for Milan at Spiez. One train change. Because the line from Luzern to Interlaken Ost is narrow gauge and from Interlaken Ost to Spiez is standard gauge all passengers have to change trains at both Interlaken Ost and Spiez.