What the Swiss Travel Pass covers on the Lötschberg
Everything. Bern to Brig over the mountain line, and Brig onwards to Domodossola in Italy, both at zero extra cost. No reservation, no supplement, no seat fee, no polite request for another CHF 20 at the barrier. You walk on and sit down.
Bern to Brig costs CHF 56 in second class without a pass. BLS also sells a neat little round trip, out over the mountain and back through the base tunnel, at CHF 112 second class. Your pass covers exactly that itinerary for nothing, which makes it one of the better value days out on the whole network.
Why the mountain line beats the Lötschberg base tunnel
There are two ways from Bern to Brig and they share a name. One is a base tunnel. The old line, the Bergstrecke, climbs over the top.
| Mountain line (Bergstrecke) | Base tunnel | |
|---|---|---|
| Bern to Brig | 1h 40mins | 1h 06mins |
| Train | RegioExpress Lötschberger | IC / EC |
| What you see | Viaducts, loops, the Rhône valley opening up below you | Tunnel wall |
| Cost with the pass | CHF 0 | CHF 0 |
| Worth it | Yes, for 34 extra minutes | Only if you're late |
Thirty-four minutes is the entire price difference. Pay it.
How to make the journey planner give you the mountain route
Left alone, every planner sends you through the tunnel, because it's faster and computers don't care about scenery. Here's the workaround:
- Enter Bern to Brig as normal.
- Add Kandersteg or Goppenstein as a via station.
- Check the train is an RE, not an IC. The RE is the Lötschberger.
- Look at the connection details for the words Lötschberg-Bergstrecke between Kandersteg and Goppenstein. That's your confirmation.
Trains run hourly, every day of the year. Stops are Bern, Spiez, Frutigen, Kandersteg, Goppenstein, Brig.
Where to sit and the trap at Spiez
At Spiez the train splits. Front portions carry on to Kandersteg and Brig, rear portions peel off to Zweisimmen. Sit in the wrong half and you'll get a lovely trip to the Simmental instead, which is nice enough but isn't where you're going. The carriage displays tell you which is which, and so will the announcement, so just check before you settle in with your coffee.
What you actually see on the Lötschberg mountain line
The Kander Viaduct comes early and sets the tone. Above Frutigen the line does a set of hairpin loops around Felsenburg castle, doubling back on itself to gain height.
Then the summit tunnel, then the southern descent, crossing the Bietsch valley bridge near Raron before dropping into Brig.
Frutigen station has been restored to its original state and there's a railway hiking trail from there up to Kandersteg if you fancy breaking the journey and walking a stretch of it. Given the hourly service, hopping off costs you exactly one hour.
The car shuttle at Kandersteg
Leaving Kandersteg, look right and you'll see loading ramps. That's the car shuttle to Goppenstein, running twice an hour, cars driving straight onto flat wagons. Fun to watch, and no, you can't use it as a foot passenger. Vehicles only. People take the passenger train, which you're already on.
Carrying on to Domodossola in Italy
Brig isn't the end of it. The pass covers you through the Simplon Tunnel and down to Domodossola, across the border, at no extra cost. It's one of the few places your Swiss pass keeps working after you've left Switzerland, and it makes a very good half day: mountain line down to Brig, Italian coffee in Domodossola, back the same evening. More on what your pass does at border crossings.
Getting to the Lötschberg from Zurich or elsewhere
Zurich to Bern is about an hour, and covered. Start at Bern, Spiez or Brig depending on which direction suits you. From Interlaken, Spiez is arguably the better place to join, since you skip the flat run and start at the foot of the climb.
If you're building a run of scenic days, this pairs well with the Voralpen Express and the Chocolate Train. See the full list on the scenic trains hub.
