Riding Switzerland’s Newest Luxurious Scenic Train |🇨🇭Golden Pass Express

Riding Switzerland’s Newest Luxurious Scenic Train |🇨🇭Golden Pass Express

Today, we ride Switzerland’s new crown jewel of rail travel, the GoldenPass Express. A journey into breathtaking landscapes unlike anything you’ve seen before. Please enjoy the trip! Hello from the banks of Lake Geneva. We are here at the city of Montreux. A beautiful day to ride Switzerland’s newest luxury scenic train, the GoldenPass Express. This is where the scenic journey starts. Montreux Station. A historic station, established in 1861. This is the route for this time. The GoldenPass Line is one of Switzerland’s most scenic routes, stretching from Montreux on the shores of Lake Geneva to Lucerne via Interlaken. Surrounded by the Alps, shimmering lakes, and lush green landscapes, it’s a favorite journey for travelers. This time, we’re taking a two-day trip, today from Montreux to Interlaken, and tomorrow on to Lucerne. The GoldenPass Express runs four times a day: 07:31, 09:33, 12:33, and 14:33. I will take the earliest departure, 07:31 – 10:48. Here is the GoldenPass Express. A truly majestic sight. The design and coloring is quite unique. It’s as if a commuter train and the Orient Express had a baby. Before 2022, there were 2 classes, 1st and 2nd class. Now that it’s not before 2022, there’s a class above first, the Prestige Class. Today, I get to ride in Prestige Class. It’ll be just over a 3-hour journey. 40 fare + 49 Prestige = 89 CHF (USD$110) Let’s board the train. There are 18 Prestige Seats, 50 1st class, 90 2nd class seats among the 5 cars. This is the 2nd class car with a 2+2 configuration. Looks very comfortable. This is the 1st class car with a 1+2 configuration. The windows are plenty big. And here comes the Prestige Class car, A 1+2 configuration. Behold, with seats that feel like fine leather luxury. Look at the size of the windows. Guaranteed views. Unless you sit here of course and don’t want to face some stranger. By asking the conductor, you can request your chair face the opposite direction. Quite rare to find chairs that swivel in Europe. Solo traveller friendly. The seats are very comfortable 
with lots of buttons. There is a footrest. Going back… to the ideal angle. These seats feel like Gran Class, Japan’s luxury Shinkansen class, now with a Swiss passport. Premium feeling seats. There is lumbar support, A comfortable headrest, A seat warmer. A power outlet. And a mini table. Here is the washroom. Very clean. Looks like a person fighting a dog, doesn’t it? Is it just me? I got birdpoo on me. When did that happen? Not a good start. The journey begins. The train will start climbing the track. We’re finally out. What is this? The train has become an observation deck. This view. Amazing views of the Swiss mountains. The train climbs a steep incline. The scenic views are made possible by the use of the narrow 100cm track gauge. This gauge size is commonly used on winding mountain railways such as the Bernina Express and the Gornergrat Railway. It allows tighter curves and is cheaper to construct in difficult terrain. The line keeps the same gauge until Zweisimmen, where the demanding uphill stretch comes to an end. Before 2022, like how Japanese bullet trains can’t run on normal tracks, the route from Montreux to Interlaken had two different track gauges, so passengers had to change trains between the two destinations. But it’s a direct train now. Nice! Since it’s the early morning journey, out of the 18 prestige seats, only 5 are in use. Guaranteed for a peaceful trip. ??? A lively family barged into the prestige class. Heeeeelpppp. Guys the kids crying. The scenery is still beautiful… once you mute the crying. The breakfast meal arrives. I completely forgot I preordered breakfast when I booked my ticket. My croissant came just in a bag, without a plate. lol this is new. There are cows as spectators. A designer croissant, a regular juice, hot chocolate.… and the bill says 12 francs. 😭 My wallet is crying in Swiss, so I’ll calm myself with a hot drink. Well, it is a luxury train. I’m sure the croissant is luxurious. Croissant on a Swiss train? Oh well, it’s not like croissants are French either. The train is quite chilly so a warm hot chocolate is nice to have. What a pleasant morning. Our first stop of Montbovon. Thanks for the food. I’ve moved over to the quieter, end of the car. The scenery is getting better and better, passing by mountainsides and green swiss towns. Look how nice those mountains look. Good news. There are 2 prestige class cars. The attendant is kind enough to change seats later. I will move to the other car after I finish this breakfast. It was the early morning train 
so there were many vacant seats. In the meantime, I’m at the end of the car. Rolling alpine meadows dotted 
with chalets and grazing cows. Switzerland is apparently so green because the mountains keep pouring water into the land. Rain falls often when clouds hit the Alps, and the snow that piles up in winter melts 👍 slowly through spring and summer, so rivers and meadows never really dry out. The soil left behind by glaciers is full of minerals, which makes the grass and forests grow thick and healthy, and the cool mountain air stops the plants from getting scorched. The grass is said to remain green for this color for half a year from April to October. Must be nice. Château-d’Oex station. Look how fast the clouds are moving. We’re passing Les Granges–Gérignoz. Nearly the halfway point of the journey is an area called Château-d’Oex. This region is famous for its international hot air balloon festival. Very beautiful. Very sugoi. What a secluded place. From what I know, there are French-speaking Swiss people and German-speaking Swiss people, and the border between the two languages is somewhere around here. The town we just passed, Château-d’Œx 
has a population of about 3000. With 90% French speakers. The town we will pass, Zweisimmen, has a 95% German-speaking population, even though the two towns are only a few kilometers apart. You can tell from the names of the stations. Château-d’Oex sounds distinctly French, while the following stations, such as Zweisimmen and Boltigen, have very German-sounding names. It is one of the many interesting details about the regions of Switzerland that can easily be overlooked. Finally made it to my new seat. what a peaceful environment. Truly prestige class. We’re now at the halfway point of the journey. From now until Zweisimmen, it’s all scenery, pure, stunning scenery. Please sit back and take it in. Feels like Heidi could pop out any second. Life looks slow here. I can see a red thing there. Ah, the gondola, a flying sofa with better views. Now arriving at Zweisimmen station. This is where, in the past, the train would terminate. I don’t know if it’s a historic 
thing but there’s a 10 minute rest. Even the warm summer air is refreshing. As early as the 1930s, there were ambitions to connect Montreux and Interlaken without transfers using dual‑gauge or third‑rail systems. Because the GoldenPass Express now uses variable-gauge carriages and an automatic gauge-changing facility at Zweisimmen, you can enjoy a direct, nonstop 3 hour 15 minute journey between Montreux and Interlaken Ost. That means the train adapts to the tracks. Pretty cool engineering. Now, we set off toward today’s destination, Interlaken. I ordered the next meal. Here’s the Aperitif plate + Drink. I think there were 3 options, vegetable platter, cheese platter, and the meat platter. Looks good. Great loaf of bread. Looks like something straight out of anime. About ¥5000 35usd 30 eur. 😭 Switzerland is not known for theft, but my wallet says otherwise. I was asked red white or rose. So I got the rose. I wonder where this wine is from. The cheese is tastes like cheese and the ham tastes like ham. Landscapes of lush green valleys, rustic 
farmhouses, and peaceful woodlands. Is that safe. Don’t tell me it’s the start of a forest fire. Thanks for the food. We are almost at our destination! Because look!! The turquoise waters of Lake Thun. The lake is quite large and is about 4/5th the size of Manhattan. There are supposedly a lakeside castle but I don’t see it. I guess the lake regions were enjoyed by even the royality back in the day. There’s even a person on a kayak. Imagine living in one of those houses. What a beautiful place. Switzerland. Summer. wow. The train stops for a passing train. Arriving at Interlaken. ??? Is that a bird? Switzerland, where ‘going for a walk’ might mean sky level. Guess I know my next trip. Snow capped mountains, even in this time of the year. We made it! Clap clap clap clappity clap. And just like that 3 hours have pass quite quickly. What a journey. Very nice. Here in Interlaken, we’re at a railway gateway in central Switzerland, nestled between two lakes, Lake Brienz and Lake Thun. Think of Interlaken as the Denver of Switzerland. Checking into my hotel for tomorrow. We’ll travel the second half, ending in Lucerne. This is my room tonight. Whoa what an incredible view. Wow, look at this hotel view. Switzerland is truly beautiful. Swizterland is a very nice place. Though there’s no air conditioning. Help me. Good night. Good morning. What a silent morning… What a view from the hotel. Not a cloud in sight. I’m still jetlagged so I can wake up early in the morning. The temperature is also ideal. Nice August weather. My hotel was close to Lake Brienz so I went for a morning walk. Wow. Even though the water looks nice, I can’t imagine myself swimming in it. The water isn’t that cold. Wait… in Switzerland, horses are basically dogs? Big scale, peaceful country. There was a grocery store next to my hotel, so I’m going to eat something. I just realized I didn’t eat dinner yesterday. Oh well. This is nice. It’s like the houses were copy-pasted in a row. Time to check out. What a hotel, with views to match. Thank you for the nice view. We are back at Interlaken station. Next up is the direct train to Luzern. Interlaken to Luzern. Unlike the prestige class, The seats are undesirable for solo travelers. Face-to-face seating. Our first scenery is Lake Brienz. Today we travel the rest of the Golden Pass Express route. Guten Morgen or Bonjour! The Canadian Rockies were amazing, yet this makes me sigh in awe. 1 hour and 48 minutes of non stop scenery. This route is also covered by the swiss travel pass. but without it, it will cost CHF 34 in second class. The rivers are even a different color here. It’s emerald green. Look at that view. There are waterfalls. so casually. We now pass the Meiringen region. It’s famous for Reichenbach Falls (where Sherlock Holmes had his legendary duel with Moriarty) Though you cannot see the 
Reichenbach Falls from the train, there are many waterfalls that can be seen. Now we climb the steep gradient of 
the Brünig Pass with views yet again. As the train crosses the Brünig Pass, we begin descending toward Lake Lungern. Wow. What a view. Lake Lungern. No one is taking pictures. The people of switzerland are so used to the scnery they don’t even bother taking a photo. What a luxury. What do people who live around here even do for a living? With more cows than people, life here feels calm and peaceful. We passed this mountain just a few minutes ago. You can still see the mountains on the other side. There are cows on someones lawn. There is another lake. This is Lake Sarnen. Another calm body of water, this time 
more expansive and flat than Lake Lungern. We are almost making arriving at Luzern. Before that there is a 2000m tall mountain. That is Mount Pilatus. It’s quite famous because it has the world’s steepest cogwheel railway to the summit. If you zoom in close enough you might be able to see the train. And just like that… We made it to Luzern. Have I ever been on a journey where such beauty never ends? What a view it was… a dreamlike moment I’ll never forget. It may be a bit far, but it’s truly worth the visit Alright, I booked my hotel in Zurich, so I will now head there. Thank you very much for watching! Have a nice day!

Today, I will ride Switzerland’s new luxurious scenic train, the GoldenPass Express. A journey into breathtaking landscapes unlike anything you’ve seen before.

Fare: ¥17,000 / US$110 / £83 / ₹9,800 / €95 / C$150 / ₩150,000 / ₽8,800
Route: Montreux. → Interlaken (next day→ Lucerne!)
Train: GoldenPass Express
Seat: Prestige Class
Experience: incredible beauty
Highlight: Green, Green, and Green

00:00 – Introduction
00:25 – Day1 Route & Time
02:00 – Train Overview & Ticket Prices
02:50 – Car 2, Car 1, and the Prestige Car + Toilet Tour
09:38 – Breakfast
13:02 – Why is everything so green? 🌿
14:25 – Chateau-d’Oex Station
15:00 – Arrival in Lucerne
16:00 – Heading to Zurich
19:42 – Zweisimmen Station
21:27 – Cheese, ham, and wine! 🧀🥓🍷
24:00 – The beauty of the lake…
26:40 – Interlaken Ost: A beautiful townscape
27:50 – Day 2 Morning Walk in Interlaken + Horse Walk
31:53 – Towards Luzern
38:35 – Arrival in Luzern: Impressions
39:05 – Head to Zurich
39:12 – Thanks for watching!