GoldenPass Express Guide: Montreux to Interlaken, Classes, Prestige and Reservations

The GoldenPass Express is the panoramic train that links Montreux on Lake Geneva to Interlaken in the Bernese Oberland in about three hours and fifteen minutes, with no change of train. Since December 2022 its cars change track gauge at Zweisimmen in a few minutes, which used to require a change of train. There are four through trains a day in each direction, three classes (2nd, 1st and Prestige), and in 2026 the seat reservation costs CHF 20 (about $25) in 1st or 2nd class and CHF 49 (about $61) in Prestige, which is the only class where it is mandatory.

Here is how we use this train when we design a Switzerland trip: timetable, fares, which class to pick, the gauge change, what to eat on board, accessibility, and how it differs from the GoldenPass Panoramic, the Belle Époque cars and the Luzern-Interlaken Express.

Route: Montreux to Interlaken via Gstaad

The line is 115 km long and crosses three cantons: Vaud, Fribourg and Bern. Three landscapes follow each other:

• Montreux to Les Avants and the Jaman tunnel: the train climbs straight out of Montreux in tight curves, above the vineyards and Lake Geneva. The first 20 minutes give the widest lake view of the day.
• The Pays-d'Enhaut and Gstaad: French-speaking pastures, wooden chalets and the cheese country around Château-d'Oex and Rougemont, then the chalets of Saanen and Gstaad. Somewhere along the way the conductor's announcements switch from French to German.
• The Simmental to Spiez and Lake Thun: after Zweisimmen, the train follows the Simme valley down to Spiez, then runs along Lake Thun to Interlaken.

From Montreux to Zweisimmen the train runs on the metre-gauge MOB line, and from Zweisimmen to Interlaken on the standard-gauge BLS line. That gauge difference is why travelers had to change trains for a century.

How the gauge change at Zweisimmen works

At Zweisimmen the train rolls at about 15 km/h over a ramp on tracks 6 or 7. The variable-gauge bogies widen the wheelsets from 1,000 mm to 1,435 mm and raise the car body by 200 mm, and the locomotive changes too (the electrical systems differ): an MOB locomotive pulls the train on one side, a BLS locomotive pushes it on the other. The stop lasts about eight minutes and you stay in your seat. It is a world first in regular service, and train lovers like to watch it from the window.

Timetable 2026

Four through trains a day in each direction, every day of the year:

The Interlaken departures were four minutes earlier (9:07, 11:07 and so on) until February 12, 2026. Between the through trains, the line still runs with a change at Zweisimmen, so you are never stuck.

Autumn 2026 works: from October 19 to December 12, 2026, buses replace all GoldenPass Express trains between Interlaken Ost and Interlaken West. MOB asks travelers to reserve to or from Interlaken West in that period. We plan hotel transfers accordingly.

Classes: 2nd, 1st or Prestige

All cars have large panoramic windows. The differences:

Each train has two small Prestige compartments. The raised floor puts you higher than everyone else, with the seats always turned toward the lake or the valley. Unlike the Glacier Express Excellence Class, it does not include a meal. For three hours it is a pleasant upgrade, and at CHF 49 on top of a 1st class ticket it costs far less than the Glacier Express Excellence supplement.

Should you reserve in 1st or 2nd class? Yes. The reservation is technically optional, but the panoramic cars fill up between May and October, and without a reservation you may end up standing in a section, or giving up your seat to someone who reserved it. At CHF 20 it is cheap insurance.

Fares and passes

One-way fares in 2026, per adult, without reservation:

The Swiss Travel Pass, Swiss Half Fare Card, Eurail and Interrail are valid, and there is no supplement beyond the optional reservation. With a Swiss Travel Pass, the whole ride costs you CHF 20 in 1st or 2nd class. Reservations booked at a station must be made at least two hours before departure, so we book them with the rest of the trip. If you are weighing the pass against single tickets, our guide to the Swiss Travel Pass vs the Half Fare Card runs the numbers on real itineraries.

Food on board

There is no dining car, but 1st class and Prestige passengers can pre-order regional platters up to the day before: an aperitif platter at CHF 31.90, cheese or vegetarian platters at around CHF 30, a breakfast box at CHF 15, and a caviar set at CHF 94 with champagne. Payment is by card only. For 2nd class, or simply for more choice, we suggest a picnic from the bakery at Montreux station or a sandwich from Interlaken.

Which direction?

Eastbound, Montreux to Interlaken, works best for most of our travelers: you start with the lake and the vineyards of the Lavaux region in your head, and arrive in the Jungfrau region in the early afternoon, in time for a walk in Interlaken or the train to Grindelwald or Lauterbrunnen.

Westbound, Interlaken to Montreux, fits a trip that ends in Geneva: the GoldenPass Express takes you to Montreux, and from there Geneva Airport is a little over an hour by train along the lake.

We do not book a specific side. The line curves a lot above Montreux and in the Simmental, and both sides get their share of lake and mountain.

GoldenPass Express, Panoramic, Belle Époque and the Luzern-Interlaken Express

The names confuse almost everyone. In short:

• GoldenPass Express (GPX): Montreux to Interlaken, no change, described above.
• GoldenPass Panoramic: the older MOB panoramic train between Montreux and Zweisimmen, almost two hours, with VIP seats at the very front behind the driver (bookable on board only in 2026). Reservation CHF 10.
• GoldenPass Belle Époque: restored early 20th century cars on the same Montreux to Zweisimmen line, also CHF 10 to reserve. Lovely, but not accessible for wheelchairs or walkers. It is also used for the Chocolate Train to Gruyères and Broc, which ran from May 1 to September 29 in 2026.
• Luzern-Interlaken Express: a different company (Zentralbahn) and a different line, from Lucerne over the Brünig Pass to Interlaken in 1 hour 50 minutes, hourly. Before 2022 the whole Montreux to Lucerne journey with two changes was marketed as the "GoldenPass Line", which is why many websites still mix them up. Reservation is optional (CHF 16 from May to October, CHF 12 in winter), and the operator recommends the right-hand side in the direction of travel.

Put together, Lucerne to Interlaken to Montreux is a full panoramic day across the country, and it forms two sections of the Grand Train Tour of Switzerland.

Luggage

The GoldenPass Express has luggage compartments and ski racks in each car, which makes it one of the easier panoramic trains for travelers with suitcases. Bikes are limited to one per person, loaded yourself, and not on every train. On the Luzern-Interlaken Express, space is tighter in summer: Zentralbahn asks travelers to lay wheeled cases on their side on the racks and keep aisles clear. If your trip continues to Zermatt or another car-free resort, we usually send the big suitcases ahead with the SBB service; our guide to luggage on Swiss trains explains how.

Accessibility

The GoldenPass Express is one of the most accessible panoramic trains in Switzerland. Every train has low-floor cars with space for two wheelchairs, an accessible toilet and baby-changing, in 2nd class. Those spaces cannot be reserved in advance, so MOB advises registering your trip with the SBB Contact Center Handicap (0800 007 102, or +41 800 007 102 from abroad), which also organizes boarding help. All stations on the route are step-free except Oey-Diemtigen. The Luzern-Interlaken Express also has low-floor access, with wheelchair spaces in car 3. The Belle Époque cars are not accessible.

How we fit it into a trip

The GoldenPass Express is the backbone of our Switzerland in 7 Days trip, which links Lucerne, the Jungfrau region, Lavaux and Zermatt, and of the longer Switzerland by Train in 12 Days, which adds Gruyères and the Glacier Express. Our usual pacing: two or three nights in Interlaken or Grindelwald, the GoldenPass Express to Montreux in the late morning, then two nights on the Lake Geneva Riviera before continuing to Zermatt, which is about two hours forty-five minutes from Montreux with two changes.

If you want this route with Prestige seats, a hotel above the lake in Montreux and your luggage sent ahead, ask one of our travel designers for a custom version.