Travel through Switzerland from Lake Lucerne westwards, to the country's largest lake, Lac Leman. Take a ride on the oldest rack railway in Europe up Mount Rigi, head to the Top of Europe on the Jungfrau Railway, and delight in the GoldenPass Express or the belle époque vintage carriages from a time gone by on the beautiful GoldenPass route. Please note, this trip can be customised to suit your requirements and we may alter the running order for operational reasons and subject to local weather forecast. Please ask for details. Some excursions on this tour reach high altitude.
YEAR-ROUND DAILY DEPARTURES AVAILABLE
Enhance your Experience
Upgrade to First Class rail from £100 per person
Rail departures from the UK are possible for a no-fly option - supplement from £130 per person (standard class)
Regional flights are available. Ask for details.
This tour visits high altitude.
Welcome to the Top of Europe!
In this part of Switzerland, green meadows dotted with edelweiss contrast with mountain faces dusted in white, and no less than 72 thundering waterfalls – the Lauterbrunnen Valley is a truly spectacular region.
Whether you’re staying the bustling tourist resort of Interlaken, or in the pretty villages higher up in the Alps such as Grindelwald, Lauterbrunnen, Wengen or Mürren, a trip up the Jungfraujoch is an absolute must. There are several different ways to make your ascent to the top from any one of those starting points – using the Wengernalp or Bernese Oberland Railways - both of which will eventually link up with the Jungfrau Railway; which in turn will take you directly through the infamous North Face of the Eiger and past the peak of the Mönch, before ultimately stopping at the Jungfraujoch: the highest railway station in Europe.
It’s difficult to believe these railway lines date back to the late 1800s, finally reaching the Jungfraujoch in 1912.
At 3,454m above sea level, there’s a chill in the air, and the views will give you chills too! To one side is the largest glacier in the Alps – the Aletsch Glacier – and on the other is the view of the Mittelland up to the Vosges.
But the Jungfrau is not just a railway excursion; there is also an Ice Palace full of ice sculptures, and the Sphinx Observatory with its 360-degree view - both of which are connected by a moving walkway. You will also find Lindt Swiss Chocolate Heaven, multiple restaurants and myriad options to go hiking and sledging (not included in the ticket price).
NEW FROM 2020: The Eiger Express was introduced to the region - a gondola from Grindelwald to Eigergletscher, linking with the existing railway network and another option to get up high and survey this incredible terrain.
At Fred.\ Holidays, we appreciate that everyone is different and has different preferences - our team of specialists can build a rail holiday to your exact requirements, with what is important to you in mind. Call our team of helpful Travel Specialists to build this train into your dream holiday.
The GoldenPass runs through the heart of Switzerland, between Montreux on the east end of Lac Léman (Lake Geneva) and Lucerne further north. The full route takes around 5 hours; a journey that will take you through gorgeous Swiss scenery (is there any such thing as Swiss scenery that isn’t gorgeous?), from the lower lands of the French-speaking region, towards the mountainous core of the country; skirting the edges of Lakes Thun and Brienz before heading northwards to Lucerne. You’ll glide past cascading waterfalls, and get some dramatic views of the peaks of the Jungfrau, Mönch and Eiger mountains as you pass through the stunning Bernese Oberland.
This route involves a couple of changes of train but it’s just a quick hop to the opposite platform and on you go.
For part of the journey, between Montreux and Zweisimmen, you can choose to travel in either the classic charm of the Belle Époque carriages or the more modern Panoramic carriages, each offering a different ambience to view the passing undulating landscape.
Introducing a new train to the fleet in 2023, The GoldenPass Express will travel between Interlaken and Montreux directly, using an impressive feat of engineering that allows the train to negotiate the change of gauge on the line – the train lifts and adjusts to fit the width of the narrow 1m gauge track, and resets itself to continue on the standard tracks, without passengers having to change trains (please see below video to see how it’s done!).
In addition to that, the new Prestige Class carriage with its huge panoramic windows and supremely comfortable seating, allows for the seats to change direction, so forward-facing seats will never be a problem. Some seating will also give an up-front view through the driver’s cabin along the line ahead. Watch this space!
There a lots of options to include all, or just part, of this route into a Swiss Rail holiday and we can help guide you on how to best suit your holiday requirements, so give our Travel Specialists a call and we’ll “track down” the best options for you!
