Watching the sunset on Lake Geneva at dinner in Montreux. (Photo by David Lassen)
The GoldenPass Classic (left) prepares to leave Montreux. At right is the Chocolate Train, a tourist excusion operated by the same company. (Photo by David Lassen)
A look through a window into the first-class coach of the GoldenPass Classic. (Photo by David Lassen)
Falling behind a bit here, so before I get into today’s activities, a few words about Montreux, where I stayed on Sunday night. I can’t really tell you much about the city, since I arrived at 6 p.m. on a Sunday and left at 8:30 this morning. The promenade along the lake (7 kilometers long, according to the tourist literature) is quite beautiful, with extensive gardens along the path. It was alive with people on Sunday evening — families, couples, friends. With continued summery conditions here — temperatures in the 80s — being outside near (or in) the water was definitely the place to be. Montreux is in the French-speaking part of Switzerland, and definitely has a distinctively French vibe. I had to keep reminding myself I was not in another country.
Stayed at a fabulous hotel, the Suisse Majestic, right across the street from the train station and, on the other side, across the street from the promenade. It would be hard to find a better location. And the restaurant was outstanding. I had lamp chops and watched the sunset on the lake.
On then, to today’s train trip, from Montreux to Bern. The first part, from Montreux to Zweisimmen, was on the GoldenPass Classic, a narrow gauge line that makes a dramatic climb out of Montreux on the way to Zweisimmen. (You can take the GoldenPass route all the way to Luzern, but it requires two train changes as you go on the narrow gauge to Zweisimmen, standard gauge to Interlocken Ost, and back to narrow guage to Luzern. I just took the first segment.)
This section is run by MOB, which is not some kind of gangland operation, but stands for Montreux-Oberland-Bernois, the territory it serves. (MOB is the company, GoldenPass is the service. Think of it as sort of like All Aboard Florida and its soon-to-debut Brightline trains.) MOB has a lot of interesting things going on, from both a railroading and a tourist-train perspective — enough that I believe it warrants an article in a future issue of Trains. I hope to tell you more about it then.
For now, suffice it to say that this train might not be quite as well known as the Glacier Express, but it probably should be. And one difference between the Golden Pass service and the Glacier Express: GoldenPass is a true working passenger route (which is why, if you’re on a Swiss Travel Pass, as I am, there’s no extra fee to ride it.) If you’re going to make a trip, be aware there are three kinds of service: Standard passenger service, the GoldenPass Panorama (with equipment similar to the Glacier Express) and the Classic, which I rode. it features coaches that are replicas of those used in 1914 — you’d never know they weren’t vintage cars if not for modern amenities such as air conditioning. Outside, the look really is classic; inside, it’s quite plush. (A woman riding in my car let out a very loud “wow” when she first saw the interior.) Between that and the spectacular scenery, it’s definitely worth working into a Swiss itinerary.
So, for that matter, is Bern. After reaching Zweisimmen, I transferred to a regional train operated by BLS — pretty standard European service, really, which is to say the train was modern, relatively fast (although the first segment of the trip was a true milk-run local) and absolutely punctual. Oh, and the ride was pretty scenic, too. I don’t think there are any ugly train rides in Switzerland.
I arrived in Bern shortly after noon and spend the afternoon and early evening simply walking around this beautiful city, mostly following the city walk laid out in my Rick Steves guidebook. On a normal visit, I might have visited at least one of the city’s several museums. (For example, Albert Einstein spent time here — Bern is where he developed the theory of relativity — and there are two Einstein museums, a small one adjacent to the apartment where he lived and a larger one attached to the Bern Historical Museum.) But the day was so nice, I just wanted to be out in it, so I just walked — the old town is very compact, great for walking, and has over four kilometers of arcades stuffed with interesting shops and restaurants. I took many, many pictures and had one great meal (tandoori chicken) at the Restaurant Rosengarten, in the city rose garden across the Aare River from the old town. It’s the kind of place that would survive even if the food wasn’t that good, just because of the view, but the food was excellent. I’m staying at the Hotel Allegro, a stylish, modern place just across the river from the old town (though in a different direction from the rose garden), and just three tram stops from the train station.
Tomorrow, I’m off to Luzern and the start of the Gotthard Base Tunnel media tour that is the reason for my trip. But I already know I’ll look for a way to get back to Bern in the future.
Our community is FREE to join. To participate you must either login or register for an account.