In Switzerland, it’s all about rolling through stunning scenery on those trusty train tracks. Picture yourself lounging in a comfy carriage, watching the world outside transform from lush valleys to towering peaks. It’s like flipping through a living postcard, with each turn revealing another jaw-dropping view.
The Swiss Alps stand tall and proud, covered in snow like frosting on a cake. But it’s not just about the peaks; it’s about the adventure they promise. Strap on those hiking boots or hop on a cable car – whatever floats your boat – because these mountains are begging to be explored.
Now, onto the lakes which are also amazing. Crystal clear waters reflecting the sky above, surrounded by quaint villages and lush greenery. From Lake Geneva to Lake Lucerne, each one has its own story to tell and its own charm to bewitch you with. So, hop off that train and dip your toes in – you won’t regret it.
My boyfriend and I explored Switzerland for two amazing weeks and visited as much of the country as we could. Even then, there is still so much left to explore for next time!
Skip to: Montreux, Golden Pass Train,
Arriving in Switzerland
We flew into Geneva and immediately boarded a train to Montreux from the airport. I chose Montreux as it was the start of the Golden Pass Express train to Interlaken. It was a choice between Montreux and Vevey as my research suggested both places would be beautiful to visit.
The train from Geneva airport to Montreux was really easy as the train station is in the airport. Just follow the signs in the airport although I do remember it was quite a walk to get to the station! The journey took approximately 1.5 hours.
We bought the Swiss Travel Pass before our trip and therefore didn’t have to pay for the train journey. The train trip from Geneva to Montreux should have been around £70 for both of us according to Trainline.
The Swiss Travel Pass
The Swiss travel pass is well worth considering if you are planning a trip to Switzerland. You can purchase the pass for any length of time depending on your needs. As we were travelling around Switzerland using the mainline trains and the tourist panoramic trains, we knew it would be a good choice. On top of that, we got discounts on most of the gondolas going up to the mountains, so we ended up using the pass a lot. I haven’t calculated our exact savings but I will try to document our discounts and savings throughout the itinerary below.
We chose the 15 consecutive day passes and paid CHF 858 for two (£765). The pass comes as a QR code that you can save to your phone and show the ticket inspectors. We both had ours saved as a screenshot on our phone in case our internet or signal went down.
Here is some information about the pass from the SBB website. We bought ours directly from the site in advance.
Swiss Travel Pass Validity Map
The map can be used interactively on the SBB website and it can be downloaded as a PDF too.
Montreux
We arrived in Montreux late at night and walked 10 minutes to our hotel, La Rouvenaz. Montreux is set on a hill so try to use the public lifts from the Avenue des Alpes down to the Grand Rue with your luggage rather than the long flights of stairs! The lift is next to the Barrel Oak pub as you turn left out of Montreux train station.
We had one day to explore Montreux and the surrounding area and so decided to take a trip up our first mountain of the holiday. The train to the top of Rochers-de-Naye is a cogwheel train and meanders up the mountain through the town. The return journey is 70 CHF per adult or 50% off with our Swiss Travel Pass, so we saved 70 CHF (£63). We didn’t book in advance, we just turned up at the ticket office in Montreux train station on the day after checking the times of the trains online.
Rochers-De-Naye
On the day we visited, the visibility was really poor at the top of Rochers-De-Naye. We did know beforehand as we had checked the webcams but we decided to go anyway as we only had one day. The snow was really thick and it was so cold too! We stayed for about an hour wandering around in the snow, going as far as we dared. The visibility was so poor that you could only see about 100m in front of you. Occasionally, there was a break in the mist and we managed to get a glimpse of the view from the top of the mountain.
We had a beer in the restaurant and then caught the train back down again.
The journey down was just as beautiful and the views were spectacular. We knew that we would be spending a lot of time on trains just looking at the views so this first train did not disappoint!
It was our first experience of the difference in weather and temperature from the bottom to the top of the mountains. At the bottom, the sky was clear and it was sunny. At the top, it was cold and snowy with low visibility. This is something to keep in mind when travelling around Switzerland! It was difficult to get it right every time – basically take lots of layers that you can easy put on and take off if needed.
We ate cheese fondue for lunch at Caveau des Vignerons. I was keen to try traditional Swiss fondue as I love cheese. It was our first experience of the food prices in Switzerland which are generally more expensive compared to the UK! Our meal was around 70 CHF (£63) for a pan of melted cheese, bread, a bucket of potatoes and two soft drinks. Whilst it was good and hit the fondue spot, we were keen to find cheap eats wherever we could.
For the remainder of the afternoon we decided to walk all the way along the promenade around the lake to Chillon Castle. The walk took around 50 minutes and it was lovely wandering in the sun along the lake.
We didn’t go into the castle itself, we just walked up to it and back again.
Golden Pass Panoramic Train to Interlaken
The next morning, we caught the Golden Pass Panoramic train from Montreux station. The train journey is included with the Swiss Travel Pass but you have to make your seat reservations in advance. There is an additional cost for the seat reservations but this is all you pay for.
I booked our seat reservations for the specific date and time at the end of January for our trip in April. Even when I was booking, some of the seats were already sold – it is best to book as early as you can!
Where to book
I booked the Golden Pass tickets directly through GPX website. We got the train at 9:34am from Montreux to Interlaken Ost and it is a 3hr 16 minute journey. If you are staying in Interlaken, check whether Ost or West station is better, depending on the location of your accommodation.
The seat reservations cost 20 CHF per person. Without the Swiss Travel Pass, the train tickets cost 56 CHF per person as well as the seat reservations. We chose seats 44 and 46 in Coach 20.
We were so lucky, when we boarded the train we quickly realised that no one was sharing our group of 4 seats and table so we moved to sit opposite each other, both next to the window. The rest of the carriage was full so we were were really pleased!
The train journey was fabulous and the views out of the window were stunning, exactly what we hoped the journey would be like. The panoramic windows were amazing and we were so lucky that the weather was bright and sunny. We didn’t take many photos out of the windows because of the glare but we really enjoyed our journey.
Interlaken
The next stop on our trip was Interlaken. We stayed at Hotel Interlaken for 3 nights. The hotel was lovely; our room was great and the rate included breakfast.
After we checked into the hotel, we grabbed lunch at 3a Lounge Bar. This was a really affordable place to eat. The restaurant had a fast food canteen vibe and the food was delicious.
On our first afternoon in Interlaken, we climbed up Harder Kulm. As we had been sat down all morning on the panoramic train, we were ready for a hike up a mountain. There is a funicular train that goes to the top of Harder Kulm but as we visited Switzerland in April during the shoulder season, the train wasn’t running until the following week.
The walk up the mountain was excellent. Steep in places but otherwise a meandering trail upwards. The view from the top was incredible, looking over Interlaken, the lakes and surrounding mountains.
At the end of the day, we went to Coop Supermarket near the train station to grab some food for dinner. It was full of tourists with the same idea for a cheap evening meal. The ready-to-eat meals area was so busy and the shelves were quickly emptying of sandwiches, pasta pots, salads etc.
Shilthorn or Jungfrau?
On our second day in Interlaken, we explored the Jungfrau region. We chose to summit Shilthorn mountain rather than Jungfraujoch, mainly due to cost.
The trains and cable cars from Interlaken to Murren are all included in the Swiss Travel Pass.
The return cable car from Murren to Shilthorn costs 42.80 CHF per person (£38.30) which is the discount cost with the Swiss Travel Pass.
The cost of travelling to Jungfraujoch is 148.60 CHF per person (£133) from Grindelwald with the Swiss Travel Pass.
We chose Shilthorn simply because of the difference in cost and how may more activities we could do with that money over our 2 week trip. We imagined that the views at the top of both mountains would be beautiful and the trip in the cable cars up to the mountains would be equally as stunning.
Travel Route to Shilthorn Mountain
We caught the train from Interlaken Ost to Lauterbrunnen which is included in the Swiss Travel Pass.
There are two routes you can take when you arrive at Lauterbrunnen.
We took the cable car up to Grutschalp and then a scenic train ride along the mountain side to Murren. Again, both parts of this trip are included with the Swiss Travel Pass.
There is no need to book tickets for the trains or cable cars, just have your QR code handy on your phone and the conductors scan it on the train. For the cable cars, just scan your pass at the barriers to get on.
Make sure to check the webcams online before you go to the top of Shilthorn!
Lauterbrunnen
The train journey from Interlaken Ost to Lauterbrunnen is just a regular mainline train with a few stops along the way. Wilderswill was a busy place with tourists and skiers embarking here.
The journey takes 22 minutes. The Swiss rail system and cable cars are excellent and always on time.
We didn’t spend a lot of time exploring Lauterbrunnen, opting to take the cable car to Grutschalp immediately with a view to exploring on our way back down from Shilthorn. However, due to the time of year that we visited, the famous waterfall in Lauterbrunnen wasn’t cascading down the mountain side as strongly as perhaps other times of year.
Murren
The cable car up to Grutschalp is steep and you have a beautiful view over the valley and Lauterbrunnen.
There is nothing much to see at Grutschalp, it is just a changeover point for the train ride along the mountain to Murren.
When you disembark the train at Murren, you have to walk all the way through the village to the other side to get the cable car up the mountain to the Shilthorn. The cable car station is very well signposted.
The village is beautiful and lovely to walk through. There are no cars or traffic as it is unreachable by road. The only way to get there is by train or cable car. The roads are small and wind up and down through the village. The views all around are spectacular.
Shilthorn
At the Murren cable car station, you have to pay for your tickets up the Shilthorn as mentioned. This is a return trip from Murren – Birg – Shilthorn. This is easy to do at the kiosk in the station.
We didn’t explore Birg on the way up, we just swapped cable cars to go to the top of Shilthorn.
Shilthorn is known as the ‘James Bond’ mountain because the film ‘On Her Majesty’s Secret Service’ was filmed in the Piz Gloria revolving restaurant. There’s an interactive exhibition at the top of the mountain that you can go into free of charge.
The views at the top of Shilthorn are spectacular. We went on a beautiful, clear, sunny day and we could see all across the surrounding mountains of the Alps. Occasionally, clouds would roll through with some accompanying mist but otherwise our views were unobstructed.
It was really cold out on the viewing deck but also really bright. We had to wear sunglasses, otherwise we couldn’t open our eyes! I wasn’t fully prepared for how bright it would be.
Birg
On our descent, we got off the cable car to explore Birg. There’s not a lot there, just a viewing platform and restaurant. There’s also a Thrill Walk, which is a metal grate walkway around the mountain. Some parts of the path have clear glass panels and there’s a ‘tightrope’ walk half way around.
The viewing platform at Birg is also quite scary as the floor is a metal grate too.
The views are amazing though!
We stopped at Murren on the way down and had a slice of pie and mulled wine at Alti Metzg Bistro looking out over the mountains.
At Lauterbrunnen, we wandered along the road all the way to the waterfall and back again before getting the train back to Interlaken.
Grindelwald First
For our third day in Interlaken, we headed to Grindelwald on the train to explore the other side of the Jungfrau region. The train is included in the Swiss Travel Pass and then it is 34 CHF per person (£30) to get the cable car up to First from Grindelwald. This is a 50% saving from the normal price.
Grindelwald First is known for its activities. All the information about the different activities are on the Jungfrau website. There’s a suspension bridge cliff walk like the one at Birg.
We went to the top of the mountain and decided to do the 1 hour trail walk to Lake Bachalpsee. The trail was covered in snow and whilst it was easy and fun to walk along, the lake was not visible at the end.
Where the lake should have been was just snow. We knew this would be the case from research and we did the walk just for the views and the fun of wandering through the snow on top of a mountain.
After the trip up to Grindelwald First, we had a wander around Grindelwald itself. From the cable car station, we walked down Mettenbergstrasse towards the Glacier Canyon. It was opened, but we just wanted go for a look. We caught the bus back from the canyon to the main train station.
For our last night in Interlaken, we decided to splash out on a meal at a restaurant. We went to Aare Korean BBQ restaurant and had a wonderful meal that was really affordable.
Lucerne
Our next stop on the trip was Lucerne. We caught the Luzern-Interlaken express which is another panoramic train. The trip is included with the Swiss Travel Pass and should be 34 CHF per person (£30).
When we arrived in Lucerne, it was raining. We had been really lucky with the weather so far, so a little rain was fine and we still made the most of the afternoon!
Our hotel was Hotel Central Luzern which was definitely central and only a short walk to the beautiful old Chapel bridge over the river.
We wandered around Luzern in the rain for the afternoon, heading over Chapel bridge, around the old town, down the road alongside the lake and up towards the gothic church of St. Leodegar. For food, we ate pizza at Made in Sud. They had a fresh pizza oven and the pizza was huge and delicious.
Mount Rigi
For our first full day in Luzern, we made the trig up to Mount Rigi. The entire trip is included in the Swiss Travel Pass. We caught a boat from Luzern to Vitznau. You can also catch the same boat to Weggis. We caught the train from Vitznau up to the top of Mount Rigi.
The weather wasn’t great, so we wandered around at the top of the mountain for a bit and then caught the train back down. We decided to catch the train to Arth-Goldau, just because that was the next train that came along. We then caught the train from Arth main station back to to Luzern station and grabbed Mcdonalds for our evening meal!
Mount Titlis
The following day, we chose to travel to the summit of Mount Titlis. As our previous day had been relatively low cost and the whole trip to Mount Rigi was included with the Swiss Travel Pass, we decided to splash out and head up Titlis.
A return trip from Engelberg to Titlis is CHF 96 per person (about £85) and with the Swiss Travel Pass it is half price. The trip up to the top of the mountain is via cablecar. The last stretch of the journey is via a 360 degree rotating cable car.
At the top of the mountain there’s another thrill walk, an indoor glacier walk, views for miles and plenty of places to walk around. The top is also the start of a ski slope, so there’s lots of skiiers. We decided to walk down the start of the ski slope and off up another mountain. The snow was really thick but there were other people walking up the route as well.
For dinner, we went to Wirtshaus Taube which is a traditional Swiss restaurant in a really beautiful old building. The interior is rustic and similar to a cavern. I had a cheese pie, which was delicious.
The Glacier Express
The next stop of on our tour of Switzerland was Zermatt. We decided to travel to Zermatt via the Glacier Express. I was on the fence about this train journey as it is really long, depending where you are travelling from. Ultimately, we decided to do it as it is supposed to be one of the best train journeys in Switzerland.
As we were in Luzern, we reserved seats on the Glacier Express from Chur to Zermatt. Our train departed Chur at 12:14pm, arriving in Zermatt at 6:10pm. The train to Chur took just over 2 hours and the trip was included in the Swiss Travel Pass.
On the Glacier Express, we booked seats 53 and 58 in carriage 32. We booked them at the end of March for our journey on the 10th April. The window seats were booked up so we chose two seats on the aisle facing each other over a table. Ideally, we should have booked them earlier but we only decided on taking the train journey late in our planning process. The seat reservations are CHF 49 per person (around £43). The Glacier Express tickets should be CHF 124 per person (around £110) but they are included with the Swiss Travel Pass at no extra cost! This was our biggest saving using the travel pass.
I’m not sure how it happened again but when we got on the train, we had no one sat with us on our table. The passengers who has booked the window seats next to us didn’t turn up, so we sat in them instead! The rest of the carriage was full, we were so lucky.
The train journey is a amazing experience. The views and scenery are incredible. The audio tour on the train is also well worth tuning into as well!
Zermatt
We arrived in Zermatt in the evening. Zermatt is a car free resort, the only transport are small electric buses that run regularly around the village. We caught the red line to the Hotel Plateau Rosa where we were staying for 3 nights. It would have taken around 15 minutes to walk from the main train station.
The hotel was nice although the rooms were quite basic. Our room rate included breakfast and we had complementary access to the sauna. The sauna is booked via a sheet in reception. You book the entire sauna, shower and relaxing seating area for 1 hour.
After we checked in, we walked back to the main village for some food. The walk was lovely and the village of Zermatt is beautiful. We were staying in Zermatt for the ‘Zermatt Unplugged’ festival so the atmosphere was wonderful in the evening. The watched a few of the performances from the street and then headed to Restaurant Du Pont for dinner.
Hiking in Zermatt
The following day, we had breakfast in the hotel and decided to go hiking into the mountains. The weather was quite overcast and we didn’t want to go on another cable car up to the top of the mountains with potentially poor visibility.
We walked over hills and through forests on marked trails in the general direction of Arbenbach Falls and Stafelalp. We started the trail just along the river from our hotel, following the Edelweissweg path. Then we crossed over the river at Staudamm Zmuttbach and continued along the road. The road was snowy and icy but it was lovely to walk along. Occasionally, we had great views of the Matterhorn mountain when the mist cleared.
Our next day in Zermatt was quite chilled. We had breakfast and then relaxed in the hotel. For lunch, we wandered down to the main village, stopping at Stefanie’s Creperie for salmon and cream cheese crepes. We ate them in the main square near the Matterhorn museum and then walked around the village in the sun. Later, we came back out again for dinner and ate Bao buns at Bao Bar in the Unique Post Hotel.
Bern
The following morning, we caught the train from Zermatt to Bern. We stayed at the Prizotel Bern, which was easy to get to on the number 10 bus from the main station. The hotel was okay for a 2 night stay but nothing special. It would have been better to stay nearer to the station and the old town as that is where we spent most of our time.
When we arrived in Bern, we dropped our bags and went straight out for a wander around the old town. We grabbed some bubble tea from Lucky Cat (which made wonderful bubble tea – we went back again during our trip!). We ate dinner at Nooch Asian Kitchen.
Zurich – Lindt Chocolate Factory
As a last minute decision, we booked the Lindt Chocolate tour in Zurich. We couldn’t decide what else to do in Bern and in hindsight, we would have stayed for 2 nights in Zurich rather than Bern.
Our tour was booked for 5.30pm but we got the train into Zurich a few hours earlier to have a walk around. We headed to the Swiss National Museum which is just outside of the train station and included in the Swiss Travel Pass. The museum visit took around an hour and then we caught the train from Zurich to Kilchberg. The Lindt museum is a short walk from the station and well signposted.
Entry to the museum is CHF 15 per person (approx. £13) and well worth it for all the chocolate!
The tour around the museum is great too with lots of information about how chocolate is made and the history of Lindt chocolate. Then the free chocolate starts.
The first chocolate stop is lots of different melted chocolate coming out of spouts. There’s spoons available for multiple tests of it. The second stop is small chocolate blocks dropping out of clear cylindrical tubes. Each tube has a different flavour and there’s perhaps 10 tubes.
The final stop is the Lindt balls room. You are supposed to take one of each flavour Lindt ball (and there’s at least 10 flavours on display). Many people were just hanging around in this room and going back around again, getting more Lindt balls and filling their pockets too!
Needless to say, we were absolutely stuffed full of chocolate after the tour. It was so worth it, I would 100% do this again if I go to Zurich.
