Season 2026: daily, subject to seat availability on the panoramic trains

As a sole proprietor with a capacity of one tour per day, I can be fully booked far in advance.

GoldenPass panoramic line tour from Zurich or Lucerne

With departure from Zurich we depart at 7:00 a.m. from Zurich and travel to Lucerne on 40-minute InterRegion train of the Federal Railways.

With departure from Lucerne we depart at 8:00 a.m. and start our journey right away on a panoramic train, the Lucerne- Interlaken Express.

The Lucerne - Interlaken Express is a modern, comfortable train. The panorama coaches with large windows are perfect to soak up the beautiful views.*

Just a few minutes after departure the scenery quickly transitions from urban to rural.

Between Lucerne and Interlaken, we travel through the central Alps offering stunning views throughout the journey as we pass five beautiful lakes, with constantly changing colours from deep turquoise to bright blue.

Along the way, the train makes a climb up to the Brünig Pass, with a pass hight of 1008 meters (3307 ft.) above sea level, and back down towards Meiringen.

Soon after we reach Interlaken.

If we are running on time, we can spend an hour in Interlaken, and walk through the town.

Afterward it's time to board the GoldenPass Panoramic Express with modern carriages and huge panoramic windows.*

Leaving Interlaken, the train glides along the Aare River and soon gives you sweeping views over Lake Thun, Mt. Niesen, dubbed the Swiss Pyramid mountain, and on clear days, the distant trio of Eiger, Mönch and Jungfrau.

The landscape then narrows into the Simme valley with green meadows in summer, and tidy farmhouses.

After the station Zweisimmen we start the climb towards Gstaad, a popular ski resort village.

After Schönried and Château‑d’Oex the valley deepens, forests grow denser, and you cross elegant viaducts and short tunnels as we switch into the French‑speaking Switzerland. The station names shift from German to French.

In Montbovon, 50-minutes before the trains final stop (Montreux), we leave the GoldenPass route, and take a local train to Gruyère. **

Gruyères is a charming medieval village, perched on a hilltop at 810 meters (2657 ft.) above sea level, in the Swiss Prealps. It lends its name to the famous Gruyère AOP cheese, and attracts visitors with its pedestrian-only cobblestone streets and panoramic views.

The 13th-century Château de Gruyères dominates the skyline, housing eight centuries of art, history, and exhibitions. Other highlights include the H.R. Giger Museum (Alien creator), the Maison du Gruyère cheese dairy, and the Church of St. Théodule. The walled old town features 15th-17th century houses and ramparts.

With departure from Zurich we can spend up to five hours in Gruyère at your leisure. With departure from Lucerne up to four hours. We have at least an hourly connection back to Zurich or Lucerne, hence if you like to shorten the stay that is possible, and can be decided spontaneously. Included in the tour price are the entrance fees to the cheese diary, the castle, and one museum.

In the evening we leave Gruyère and return to Zurich or Lucerne via the fast and direct train line through Bulle and Bern.

* On rare occasions, for example due to technical problems or maintanance issues there can be an equipment change, and the panoramic train can be substituted with a train without panoramic windows.

** If you prefer doing the entire GoldenPass route we can customize the tour accordingly and skip the visit to Gruyère. Please let me know at the time of booking.

Inclusions

- All required train tickets in first class for you and the guide

- Meeting at any centrally located Hotels, Apartment, or Airbnb

- Return to any centrally located Hotel, Apartment, or Airbnb after the tour

- Seat reservations in the first-class cabin of the Lucerne - Interlaken Express train

- Seat reservations in the first-class cabin of the GoldenPass Panoramic Express train

- Gruyères: Entree fess to the cheese diary, a musuem, and the castle

- Fee for the private guide, who will stay at your disposal throughout the tour

- Car-free tour by train as per the tour description

- Photography by the guide (with your own camera or smartphone)

- A booklet with comprehensive information about Switzerland (one per party, for groups of four persons or larger are two printed copies included)

What is not included in the tour price?

- Your meals and drinks

- Any personal expenses

- Optional activities

- Travel insurance (participation at your own risk)

Please regard that your lunch is not included in the tour price.

Picnic lunch on the trains

On the panoramic trains there's a small catering offer. You can also bring your own beverages and drinks for consumption on board.

We will pass by convenience shops and sandwich outlets, where you can grab a bite.

Restaurant / sit-down meal

We can have a late lunch or early dinner in one of the many restaurants in Gruyères.

The activity level is low to moderate: frequent changes of trains, with few steps to get in an out of the trains, walk through Gruyères and Interlaken (optional, and at your leisure).

I can meet you at any centrally located hotel in Zurich.

Click here to see a map of the pick-up area

I can meet you at any centrally located hotel in Lucerne.

Click here to see a map of the pick-up area

If you're staying outside of the pick-up area, I can meet you at the central train station of Zurich or Lucerne.

Weather forecast

Once a reliable weather forecast is available (usually one to three days before departure), I will send you a link to the forecast.

If there is bad weather forecasted, I will include my recommendations for our tour day.

I use the weather forecasts provided by the Federal Office of Meteorology and SRF (Swiss Radio and Television).

With the links below, you can check the weather forecast at any time by yourself. The forecasts are available for the next five days.

Operability

This tour can run in any weather condition. On rare occasions, there may be a cancellation due to landslides, avalanches, and other natural forces or the risk thereof. I will fully refund the deposit in this case.

Your options in case of bad weather (tour specific)

A full-day train tour is already the best option on a rainy day.

If not having perfect weather is a dealbreaker, you can cancel by forfeiting the deposit.

This itinerary is only an example. The schedule can vary due to various factors such as the season, the day of the week, construction work, service, and schedule changes.

The exact departure and return time depends on the pick-up/drop-off location.

6:30 a.m. - 6:50 a.m at any centrally located Hotel or Apartment

7:10 a.m. - 7:51 a.m. Zurich HB - Lucerne

8:06 a.m. - 9:55 a.m. Lucerne - Interlaken

9:55 a.m. - 11:07 a.m. If we're running on-time, we can visit Interlaken.

11:07 a.m. - 1:33 p.m. Interlaken - Montbovon

1:38 p.m. - 1:57 p.m. Montbovon - Gruyères

1:57 p.m. - 7:07 p.m. Visit Gruyères

7:07 p.m. - 7:14 p.m. Gruyères - Bulle

7:19 p.m. - 7:54 p.m. Gruyères - Fribourg

8:03 p.m. - 9:28 p.m. Fribourg - Zurich

9:45 p.m. - 10:15 p.m. at any centrally located Hotel or Apartment

Customization possibilities:

Upon request we can skip the afternoon visit to Gruyère, and do the full GoldenPass route to Montreux instead, making it a full-day train tour with only a brief stop in Montreux.

You can spontaneously decide to shorten your stay in Gruyère.

This itinerary is only an example. The schedule can vary due to various factors such as the season, the day of the week, construction work, service, and schedule changes.

The exact departure and return time depends on the pick-up/drop-off location.

7:20 a.m. - 7:45 a.m at any centrally located Hotel or Apartment

8:06 a.m. - 9:55 a.m. Lucerne - Interlaken

9:55 a.m. - 11:07 a.m. If we're running on-time, we can visit Interlaken.

11:07 a.m. - 1:33 p.m. Interlaken - Montbovon

1:38 p.m. - 1:57 p.m. Montbovon - Gruyères

1:57 p.m. - 5:58 p.m. Visit Gruyères

5:58 p.m. - 6:06 p.m. Gruyères - Bulle

6:19 p.m. - 6:55 p.m. Gruyères - Fribourg

7:03 p.m. - 7:26 p.m. Fribourg - Bern

7:33 p.m. - 8:00 p.m. Bern - Olten

8:06 p.m. - 8:55 p.m. Olten - Lucerne

9:15 p.m. - 9:45 p.m. at any centrally located Hotel or Apartment

Customization possibilities:

Upon request we can skip the afternoon visit to Gruyère, and do the full GoldenPass route to Montreux instead, making it a full-day train tour with only a brief stop in Montreux.

You can spontaneously decide to shorten your stay in Gruyère.