Is the GoldenPass Express covered by the Swiss Travel Pass?
Yes, the whole run from Montreux to Interlaken Ost is covered, in every class. The standard fare is CHF 160 in first or second class, and with a Swiss Travel Pass you pay CHF 0 for the travel itself. What you might still pay for is a seat, and that's optional in first and second class.
The one exception is Prestige Class. That needs a first class ticket or pass plus a CHF 49 reservation, the same arrangement as Excellence Class on the Glacier Express. Your pass covers the fare part, not the surcharge.
Do you need a seat reservation on the GoldenPass Express?
No, not in first or second class. Reservations there are recommended, not compulsory, so if you turn up at Montreux with a valid pass you can board. In Prestige Class the reservation is compulsory, no exceptions.
Here's what a seat costs if you want the certainty:
| Class | Reservation | Compulsory? |
|---|---|---|
| 2nd class | CHF 20 | No |
| 1st class | CHF 20 | No |
| Prestige | CHF 49 | Yes |
That's one fee for the full Montreux–Interlaken Ost journey, not two fees stacking up because the train changes gauge halfway. Children aged 6–15 pay the same reservation fee as you do; under 6s go free as long as they don't need their own seat. More on how this works across the network on our seat reservations page.
When should you book?
Reservations open in mid-December for the following year. With only four departures a day, a seat is worth having if your plans depend on catching a particular one.
The Montreux to Interlaken route in detail
Three hours fifteen minutes, twelve stops, no change of train.
The no-change-of-train bit is the whole point. Montreux–Zweisimmen is metre gauge, Zweisimmen–Interlaken is standard gauge, and for more than a century everyone got out at Zweisimmen and hauled their bags onto a different train. MOB spent CHF 89 million developing a wheelset that changes gauge in seconds. Through running started in December 2022, and it's the first train in the world to do it.
There are four departures a day in each direction, year round.
Getting to the start from Zurich
Interlaken Ost is about two hours from Zurich by direct train, so it's easy to run the route eastbound from Interlaken to Montreux rather than the other way. Both directions are covered by your pass, and reservations work the same way whichever end you start from.
What else runs on this line?
If the four daily Express departures don't fit your day, the same corridor has alternatives, all fully covered by your pass:
- GoldenPass Panoramic, Montreux to Zweisimmen, hourly, optional reservation CHF 10. You'll change at Zweisimmen and again at Spiez, so figure on about 3h 40mins to Interlaken against the Express's 3h 15mins.
- Belle Époque, which replaces the Panoramic twice a day on the same schedule.
- Ordinary regional trains, hourly, two changes, nothing to book.
Express or Panoramic, which should you take?
The same two ends, twenty-five minutes and two changes apart.
| GoldenPass Express | GoldenPass Panoramic | |
|---|---|---|
| Montreux–Interlaken time | 3h 15mins | about 3h 40mins |
| Changes | None | Zweisimmen and Spiez |
| Frequency | 4 a day each way | Hourly |
| Reservation | CHF 20, optional | CHF 10, optional |
| Premium option | Prestige Class, CHF 49 | Belle Époque, twice daily |
How to travel the GoldenPass Express with your pass
- Pick your date and direction, Montreux to Interlaken Ost, or the reverse.
- Check the four daily departure times and see which one fits your day.
- Decide whether you want a seat. In peak summer, book it. Off season, you can chance it.
- If you want Prestige, book the CHF 49 reservation in advance, it's compulsory.
- On the day, show your Swiss Travel Pass to the conductor along with any reservation. That's it, no ticket to buy, no gates, no queue.
The GoldenPass is the relaxed one of the scenic trains. On the Glacier Express the reservation is CHF 54 and compulsory. On the Bernina Express it is CHF 32 to 44 and compulsory. Here you can walk on. The Gotthard Panorama Express has a catch of its own: the train is entirely first class, so a second class pass pays a class upgrade on top of its CHF 24 reservation.
