A golden ticket to travel through Switzerland

The GoldenPass Express offers a vista of sorts to Switzerland where the voyage is as scenic as your ultimate destination, writes Ashwin Rajagopalan

As I sampled Swiss Caviar (Oona Caviar from the heart of the Swiss Alps) and took in the sweeping views from my panoramic window, the real magic was happening under my feet. I’m not talking about one of Switzerland’s many viewing decks or fine restaurants with a view but a new train journey that represents a fruition of the vision of Swiss train pioneers who dreamed of a direct link between three of Switzerland’s most scenic destinations — Montreux, Gstaad and Interlaken, more than a century ago.

The magic unfolds in Zweisimmen, a small town that was transformed into a spa and winter tourism destination with the completion of the Spiez-Zweisimmen-Montreux railroad in 1905. The train switches almost magically from a metric track to a standard track thanks to a new technological feat — a variable gauge bogie. It also allows the carriage to rise 20 cm to reach the platforms of the standard track line. It’s seamless and it’s not something I realised while I was ensconced in the cosy interiors of the GoldenPass Express. It typifies the Swiss transportation system that works seamlessly in the background to ensure visitors to this beautiful country enjoy a stress-free holiday. Punctuality, safety and cleanliness are among the hallmarks of one of the world’s most dense rail networks — in 2021 alone, the Swiss Federal Railways (SBB) operated 11,260 trains carrying 8,80,000 passengers per day on a 3,265-kilometre-long network with 804 stations. To put things in perspective, Kerala is about the same size (in sq km) as Switzerland.

The GoldenPass Express offers a vista of sorts to Switzerland where the voyage is as scenic as your ultimate destination. The topography swings from shimmering blue lakes to snow-capped mountains with stunning town landscapes between them. The all-new Prestige Class takes the Swiss scenic train journey experience to a new high. With unique 180-degree seats, you can always be in the direction of travel. Freddie Mercury once famously remarked: “If you want peace of mind, come to Montreux”.

That’s where my GoldenPass Express experience started. Freddie Mercury’s legacy lives on at the edge of Lake Geneva where his statue continues to attract Queen fans from across the world. The Queen trails culminate at ‘Queen – The Studio Experience’, a must-do for the band’s fans. It’s located within the Casino Barrière de Montreux, home to the legendary “Mountain Studios”. Freddie Mercury never fell out of love with Montreux; Queen recorded six albums in Montreux. The Freddie Mercury statue is one of the many stops along a scenic 13 km-long trail along lake Geneva (also known as Lac Léman). One section of the lakeshore also transforms into Montreux Noel during the last few weeks of the year. Montreux’s Christmas market is the second largest in Switzerland.

The Wooden stalls are idyllically set up on the lakeshore with fairy lights and include everything from Christmas decorations, clothes, crafts and jewellery. Don’t forget to wrap up your visit with a warm glass of mulled wine, a quintessential Swiss Christmas tradition. I’d also suggest taking the short bus ride to Vevey to explore the life and times of another modern genius.

Chaplin’s World includes an immersive studio experience that makes you part of Chaplin’s cinematic journey through the decades. It’s next door to Manoir de Ban where he spent the last 25 years of his life and is now open to the public as part of the Chaplin’s World experience.

Yash Chopra’s obsession with Switzerland is well known. His movies like DDLJ and Chandni continue to inspire Indian holidaymakers to travel to the country. He has been immortalised in Interlaken with a larger-than-life statue. Interlaken is situated between two lakes — Brienz to the east and Thun to the west (hence the name) and is one of the country’s preferred ‘all weather’ destinations.

There’s no better spot to take in the views around Interlaken than the 2970-metre Schilthorn. You get 360-degree panoramic views of the Eiger, Monch and Jungfrau (a UNESCO World Heritage Site) and more than 200 other peaks.

Schilthorn was the setting for the 1969 Bond film On Her Majesty’s Secret Service. With 53 kilometres of pistes, toboggan runs and numerous winter hiking trails it adds to Interlaken’s reputation as one of Europe’s most thrilling adventure destinations. If you’ve always wanted to go hang-gliding, there’s no better place for your maiden flight.

The 10–20-minute flight with a professional tandem pilot gives you bird's-eye views of the lakes and the Bernese Alps including the famous Jungfrau.

Interlaken isn’t just for adrenaline highs. It’s also one of the country’s most popular family destinations. The Funky Chocolate Club is one such venue that allows you to rediscover your love for chocolate and turn into a chocolatier with an apron and Chef’s hat.

You and your kids can make your own chocolate bar with signature ingredients.

There’s also Trauffer World at Hofstetten bei Brienz, an idyllic village that is the home of the Trauffer cow. This engaging family destination also has a fun workshop where you can craft your own miniature wooden cow.

The GoldenPass train journey culminates at Interlaken and adds to a long list of iconic train journeys and lake cruises in Switzerland.

There are few countries that can match Switzerland’s appeal for fairytale train journeys that can sometimes overshadow some of the country’s iconic tourist destinations.