Golden Pass

FrancesGD

We have plans to take the Golden Pass train from Interlaken to Montreaux. We have the Berner Oberland pass, which appears to give us free transportation on the Golden Pass at least part way to Montreaux. We have purchased seat reservations on the Golden Pass from Interlaken to Montreaux. Do we need to do anything else, or just show the Berner pass when we get on? And for the part of the trip from Saanen (sp?) to Montreaux, do we need to buy tickets for that segment ahead of time or pay on the train or what? That segment appears to be half price with the Berner pass. We also have the Swiss ½ fare pass. Thanks for any clarification.

Danhiel

FrancesGD Hello

You can show your reservation and your Berner Oberland Pass in the train.

From Saanen to Montreux, you need a ½ fare ticket, but it is not possible to buy it in the train. You can buy it online in advance, but I don’t think that Supersaver Saver tickets are available for these trains and you will pay the same price at the ticket office at Interlaken station.

Krist

The additional ticket you need you can buy at any station, so just do that before you board. You can also buy that on line, and from the ticket vending machines. You will need a ½ price ticket from Saanen to Montreux.

FrancesGD

Thank you Danhiel and Krist for your answers. One more question. Where could we buy the ½-price ticket for Saanen to Montreux online? We looked and couldn’t figure out how to do that. We looked for a Saanen to Montreux ticket that would line up with the times related to our Golden Pass seat reservation from Interlaken to Montreux, but didn’t see one. Perhaps since we have that reservation, we can wait until we arrive in Switzerland to buy that Saanen-Montreux ticket, but I thought maybe it would be safer to buy a ticket ahead of time. I don’t want to find the train is sold out!

Danhiel

FrancesGD In such situations, it is better to buy a ticket from the last station where the train stops inside the validity area of the pass, this is Gstaad for the Golden Pass Express.

I suggest to buy a ticket between Gstaad and Montreux to avoid any problem. I don’t think that it makes a big difference.

You have reserved seats between Interlaken and Montreux. No check is made if the train is sold out when you buy only a ticket, reservations are recommended, but not mandatory. A lot of people travel with day passes or travelcards valid in every train in Switzerland, it is impossible to know in advance how many people will travel on this train.

Krist

You can buy the ticket at the station, or on line. There is no need to “line up” anything, as tickets are good for all trains on a route for a whole day. So your ticket is not just for the train you select during the booking. Since tickets are for a route, not for a train they never, ever, ever “sell out”. So you do not have to worry about that.

So just buy a ticket Saanen - Montreux, and select half fare card as reduction. That is all. It is not important which train you select, you only need to select the right date. Or keep it simple and just buy it at the station.