Switzerland's GoldenPass Line (Part III)

The GoldenPass (Part III): Zweisimmen to Montreux

For the third and final portion of my GoldenPass railway adventure, I chose to ride the first half of the journey on a GoldenPass Panoramic train and the second half on the GoldenPass Belle Époque. I did this by breaking up my trip between Zweisimmen and Montreux with a stop in the town of Gstaad. There were 3 main reasons for my decision to split my journey in this way:

• First and foremost, I wanted to experience the two different trains that travel on this section of the route (the Panoramic train and the Belle Époque).
• Second, I had read that between Zweisimmen and Gstaad the best views were on the right side of the train, whereas between Gstaad and Montreux the best views were on the left. To be clear, it is not necessary to reserve a specific seat on any of the GoldenPass trains, however, it is highly recommended on the Zweisimmen to Montreux portion of the route during the summer season. I therefore reserved a seat on the right on my first train to Gstaad, and a seat on the left on my second train to Montreux. As it turned out, the first class carriages on both of these trains were almost completely empty so my seat reservations were not necessary and I was free to move from side-to-side. That said, almost every seat in the Panoramic train between Zweisimmen and Gstaad was reserved. I am unsure whether a tour group missed the train, or whether they perhaps boarded this train after I alighted in Gstaad.
• Third, Gstaad looked like a picturesque small town to spend an hour or so exploring.

Zweisimmen to Gstaad (Panoramic train)

The GoldenPass Panoramic trains have large, panoramic windows, in addition to a few VIP seats in the first class carriage at the front or back of the train.

On board the GoldenPass Panoramic

The train passed many green valleys, with snow-covered mountains visible in the distance. Near Saanenmöser, the train climbed to the highest point of the entire GoldenPass line, before crossing an impressive three-span truss viaduct.

In my first class carriage that was completely empty apart from me, I was able to sneak into the VIP section when the attendant was at the other end of the train. I do not think it would be worth paying extra for these seats. The view out the front (or back) of the train looks predominately at the railway tracks. The best views were out the side of the train, which you would want a regular seat to enjoy.

Views from the VIP section of the train

Gstaad

Gstaad Station

I had exactly one hour to walk around the streets of Gstaad which is famous for being a popular ski resort for high society. Current and former residents of Gstaad include Grace Kelly, Elizabeth Taylor, Julie Andrews and Roger Moore. Almost all of the stores in the town were designer labels. The pictures below show Gstaad’s picturesque pedestrian zone, as well as its many luxurious stores and chalet style buildings.

Gstaad

While walking around the resort town, I also spotted the luxurious Gstaad Palace which is set on a hill overlooking the town. During World War II, a vault in the hotel’s cellar was used to safeguard valuables held by the Swiss Bank Corporation. The same vault is currently a fondue restaurant.¹

Gstaad Palace on the hill

Gstaad to Montreux (Belle Époque)

After an hour I returned to Gstaad Station to board the GoldenPass Belle Époque. While the GoldenPass line is served by one train per hour, only two trains per day have the special Belle Époque carriages; all other trains are the GoldenPass Panorama trains. Those interested in riding the Belle Époque will need to check the train schedule carefully.

Readers should also be aware that the luxurious Belle Époque carriage is only available to passengers with a first class ticket. I do not think the marketing makes this sufficiently clear. The images below show the difference between the first class and second class carriages. First class has decorative wood panelling on the ceiling and wider, more luxurious seats, with comfortable teal upholstery. Throughout the course of the journey to Montreux, I observed the second class carriage becoming very noisy and crowded with hikers and tourists. This was in stark contrast to my very quiet first class carriage.

The beautiful interior of the first class carriage on the GoldenPass Belle Époque

Second class carriage

I spent much of the journey between Gstaad and Montreux moving from side-to-side of the carriage, taking in the beautiful views. Shortly after departing Gstaad, we arrived at Saanen, a small village of wooden chalets.

Shortly after Saneen, the train left the German speaking part of Switzerland and entered French-speaking Switzerland at the station in Rougemont. The line then travelled along a hillside shelf with good views across a very scenic valley. My guidebook reported that one of the reasons for the popularity of this journey is the almost continuously high level at which the railway runs, affording far better views than any parallel roads below. The train passed under the Col de Jaman—a mountain pass in the Swiss Alps—by travelling through the line’s longest tunnel at 2,424m in length. It also passed many impressive and historic churches, such as the 15th Century Chateau d’Oex which is shown in the last image below.

Views from the GoldenPass Line

The train then passed many vineyards above Montreux before descending towards the resort town. As the railway curved its way toward Montreux, the beautiful sight of Lake Geneva came into view. The imposing 15th-century Châtelard Castle was another impressive sight en route.

Montreux to Zurich

I only had a few minutes at Montreux Station to change trains and head back to Zurich. I travelled back to the capital via the cities of Lausanne and Bern. I was not expecting any particularly impressive scenery on this trip, but I was pleasantly surprised. Seeing as the sun did not set until close to 10PM, the trip was almost entirely during the daylight. The images below show the most impressive scenery from the route back to Zurich. Although the views did not compare to riding the GoldenPass Line through central Switzerland, it was still a very pleasant trip.

Overall, this was an excellent trip through Switzerland by rail. My 15.5 hour train adventure was over much too quick. If you can only select one portion of the GoldenPass route to complete, I would recommend the Lucerne–Interlaken segment for its particularly stunning scenery, although a ride in the luxurious Belle Époque first class carriage between Zweisimmen and Montreux is also not to be missed!