Cheapest Ticket Prices on Montreux Golden Pass Panorama Trains

Ticket prices for traveling on the luxury MOB Golden Pass panoramic, historic Belle-Epoque, and express trains from Montreux to Zweisimmen and Interlaken are amongst the cheapest of all the panorama railways in Switzerland. Seat reservations are recommended but not obligatory.

All trains on the panorama railway line between Montreux and Zweisimmen (or on to Interlaken) use regular ticket prices. There is no surcharge for the special luxury trains (Express, Panoramic, Belle Epoque) from Montreux on Lake Geneva to Zweisimmen via Château d’Oex, Gstaad, and Zweisimmen in the Swiss Alps with easy connections to Interlaken, Lucerne, Bern, and Gruyères. Seat reservations are not obligatory but sensible on Golden Pass trains. All regular railway passes and discount offers are valid. Special savings deals and packages are often available, while the Chocolate Train and Cheese Train are popular day trips from Montreux.

• See Travel on the Golden Pass Line Trains from Montreux for more on the railway routing and Luxury Golden Pass Panoramic Trains for the different trains and travel classes. Ticket prices vary only for the class of travel, not by the type of train, so pick the best.

Ticket Prices for Golden Pass Trains from Montreux

Standard one-way ticket prices on the Golden Pass Line trains when traveling from Montreux are, for example:

Train from Montreux	Second Class (CHF)	First Class (CHF)
Château d’Oex	22	37
Gstaad	28	48
Zweisimmen	34	58
Interlaken Ost	56	96
Luzern (transfer)	92	157

Ticket prices above are for travel from Montreux, but as there are no surcharges on Golden Pass trains, using these special trains on shorter distances is possible too. However, in the high season, trains are likely to be already full when leaving Montreux (or Zweisimmen).

Return ticket prices are simply double one-way fares, but some special excursion deals, especially including further services, may be available.

Tickets must be bought before boarding the train. This is now the norm on Swiss trains and even lake boats, with high fines for traveling without a ticket. Tickets are available from any outlet selling Swiss railways tickets or best directly from MOB GoldenPass.

Seat Reservations on Golden Pass Trains from Montreux

Seat reservations on Golden Pass trains, in contrast to many other panoramic trains in Switzerland, such as the Glacier Express and Bernina Express, are not obligatory. Although seat reservations are optional, it is strongly recommended, especially in the high season.

Seats on the Belle Epoque and Golden Pass Express trains often book out in the summer season. Seats are far easier to get on the older and more frequent Panoramic trains. First-class often books out faster.

Reserving seats and buying tickets may be done in two separate steps if preferred, and up to two months in advance. At MOB Golden Pass make a booking and select the option of already owning a valid ticket. (This is not done under oath. The actual ticket may be bought later, or not at all, but the reservation fee is never refunded.)

As it is possible to see on the website exactly which seats are available on every train, travelers in quieter periods may simply select a fairly empty train and take any empty seat (except Prestige Class). While Golden Pass Express and Belle Epoque trains often book out — sometimes at surprisingly short notice — seats are mostly available on regular Panoramic trains.

Seat Reservation Prices on the Gold Pass Trains

Seat reservations are CHF20 on the Golden Pass Express trains and CHF10 on the Golden Pass Panoramic and Belle Epoque trains. The reservation fee is the same for first or second-class seats, and for the distance traveled. Seats may be reserved for the same fee for children traveling for free (under 6) or on a Junior Card or any traveler with a valid ticket or pass. Swiss train reservation fees are never discounted or refunded.

Prestige Class with large leather seats always facing in the direction of travel (if preferred) is only available on the Golden Pass Express trains. Reservations for Prestige Class seats are obligatory — CHF49 in addition to the regular first-class ticket fee.

→→ See Luxury Golden Pass Panoramic Trains for more on the different trains and travel classes.

Savings Deals for Golden Pass Trains from Montreux

MOB Golden Pass trains on the narrow-gauge railways between Montreux and Zweisimmen are privately operated but are an integral part of the regular Swiss public transportation system. As a result, all usual savings deals and passes may be used. Railway passes such as the Swiss Pass, Eurail, or Interrail work well on these trains, and are often a bargain when using the railways in Switzerland.

The best deal for families is the Junior Card. (Add it for free as the Swiss Family Card to many passes for international travelers.) Children with the Junior Card travel for free when accompanied by named parents holding a valid ticket for the relevant class.

Special savings tickets are sometimes available if booked at Swiss Railways. However, bear in mind that the default at SBB is usually set for owning a half-fare card; take care to change the results to full fare if necessary. Also, savings tickets are usually bound to a specific train — the ticket becomes worthless if the train is missed.

Double-check that SBB tickets are for the Golden Pass trains. On longer journeys, the default may be for faster, less scenic routings. Adding a “via” on the Golden Pass route, such as Montboven, Gstaad, or Zweisimmen, may force the Golden Pass routing.

Regional Pass Léman-Alpes

A very good vacation transportation deal is the Regional Pass Léman-Alpes for tourists and leisure travelers in the Lake Geneva region. It is valid for 5 (or 7) days, allowing for unlimited travel on any two (or three) days and discounted travel on the other days.

This Lake Geneva regional pass is especially useful for visitors who enter Switzerland in Geneva and do not travel long distances through Switzerland while on vacation in the Lake Geneva region. It covers the Golden Pass trains from Montreux to Zweisimmen (and a 50% discount if continuing to Spiez or Interlaken. It is available from any train station or larger manned boat landing in the region.

Save with Excursion Day-Trip Tours

MOB Golden Pass has seasonal combination deals that may offer significant savings.

• Popular combinations include a cruise on a CGN Lake Geneva boat with the Golden Pass panoramic train.
• The Chocolate Train excursion (Le Train du Chocolat / Der Schokoldenzug) by MOB is worth considering, as it makes it easy to combine many sights in a single day. The basic route is by Golden Pass train from Montreux to Montbovon, and then the rest of the day transportation is by luxury tour bus. First, a visit to lovely Gruyères (cheese production and medieval village) followed by a short ride to Broc to visit the Cailler chocolate factory (unlimited free sampling), and then returning to Montreux late afternoon by bus.
• The Cheese Train excursion (Le Train du Fromage / Der Käsezug) includes a Golden Pass train from Montreux (or Zweisimmen) to Château d’Oex for a cheesemaking demonstration and fondue lunch all within easy walking distance of the station.