This article is part of Traveller’s Holiday Guide to train journeys. See all stories . Riddle me this: when is an express not an express? I’m pondering this question while gazing at pretty Swiss pastoral scenes with cows in green meadows, framed by mountains.
I’m travelling westward from Interlaken aboard the GoldenPass Express, a train which takes about three hours and 15 minutes to travel the 130 kilometres to Montreux – an average speed of 40 kilometres an hour. To be fair, “express” literally means the train stops at limited stations, not necessarily quickly. And seated as I am in Prestige Class, I have no great desire for the trip to end.
This class features seating arranged 2+1, and I’m in a single seat right at the front of the first carriage, in a raised section which provides great views through big windows. The scenery is always a delight to look at in Switzerland. The Prestige seat (a notch above first class) is surprisingly snug but comfortable, and the conductor has deftly turned it to face the direction of travel.
So I’m soon enjoying views over Lake Thun, a beautiful broad expanse of glacial green water dotted with small boats. Ah, Switzerland; the scenery is always a delight to look at, and even more so from its extensive railways. And that’s the point of this visit – I’ll be riding some of the nation’s lesser-known routes, part of a selection labelled the Grand Train Tour of Switzerland.
I’ll be heading roughly anti-clockwise around .