Christine's European Adventure- including the Golden Pass

Staff member: Christine // Trip date: Dec 2009

Geneva Airport to Geneva CFF (Main Station)

We arrived into Geneva Airport at 10pm. We decided to take the train into town. As it was late, there was no staff working so we used the ticket machine. This was quite confusing at first. We selected English but it kept reverting back to French. We eventually worked our way through hoping we had selected the right ticket. It cost us CHF 7 each in 2nd Class. I would recommend booking this before you go to save you the hassle plus it's about the same price. All trains go to most major Swiss towns and stop via Geneva CFF so you can use any service from the airport. The trip only took about 10mins.

Validating our Pass

We validated our Pass the day before we needed to use it just to avoid waiting in queues and also because we were leaving early the next day. We went to the main ticket counter and they were able to validate the pass. As my partner has a European passport, this was the first thing they noticed and questioned as it stated he was an Australian resident on his pass. Once we showed the visa stamp in his passport, they were happy to validate his pass.

Geneva CFF to Montreux- Dep 07:56am

We took a regional train to connect with the Golden Pass. The train was spacious and clean. As it was only a one hour trip, we kept our backpacks with us on the seats beside us. The train wasn't busy and there were only a few people in 1st class. The seats were big and comfortable and had armrests. What we found helpful was that they announced all the stations in French and English prior to stopping.

Golden Pass
Montreux- Zweisimmen- Dep 09:45am

The Golden Pass was my favourite journey on our trip. Our first sector was Montreux to Zweisimmen. We were lucky enough to reserve VIP seats which are situated at the front of the train with a driver's view. We were the only passengers booked in VIP so we had this area all to ourselves. There are 8 seats in total. The views you have are spectacular and priceless. It only costs a little more than a regular 1st class seat but it is definitely worth the money! Reservations are compulsory in VIP and it is advised to book this in advance. Food and drinks can be purchased and is brought to your seat and you are also able to purchase Golden Pass souvenirs onboard.

Zweisimmen- Interlaken Ost- Dep 11:38am

Our 2nd sector was Zweisimmen to Interlaken Ost. The conductor advised about 10mins prior to arrival in Zweisimmen that we needed to change trains and what platform our next train departed from. In our case, our train was on the opposite side so it was quite straight forward. We only had a 6 minute changeover but it was enough time. There were conductors on the platform to help if you had any problems. We placed our luggage at the end of the carriage. Again it wasn't busy on this train. As it is a regional train reservations are not compulsory. Seats are quite large and comfortable and the train is very clean. It was a pleasant journey just under 2 hours.
We arrived into Interlaken and had a 2 hour interval for lunch. We placed our backpacks into the large luggage lockers situated on platform 1. It cost CHF 5 for 24hours. We decided to walk into town rather than take a bus. It took us about a 20min walk and wasn't strenuous. Interlaken Ost Station is a small station so it is easy to get around.

Interlaken Ost- Lucerne- Dep 3:04pm

Our last sector was to Lucerne. This was a beautiful journey. We travelled past Lake Brienz and through the Brünig Pass. Again reservations aren't compulsory on this sector. We reserved seats but realised it wasn't necessary as it wasn't busy. The train was clean and seats very comfortable. We had a decent sized table between us and the panoramic windows are quite large. There is a dining car in the middle of the train and meals are an additional cost. The scenery is magnificent all the way through however as we were travelling in winter, it started getting dark at around 4pm so we missed seeing the last 45mins of the trip in daylight which was a pity. Apart from that, I really recommend doing the Golden Pass in winter especially around Christmas time when all the lights and decorations are up.

Lucerne to Zurich- Dep 5:10pm

This was the last leg of our journey after a very long day. We only had a 6 min connection so we were practically running to our next train. I would advise a longer connection time as the station was quite busy since it was peak time. Our train was a regional service so we sat anywhere in first class. It was really busy and most seats were taken. Seats were big and comfortable. Snacks and drinks are available to purchase onboard.

Zurich to Salzburg- Dep 8:40am

Zurich Hbf is a huge station. There are plenty of escalators and elevators to assist disabled passengers and parents with prams. The Signage is both in German and English and there are plenty of signs and departure/arrival screens beside the platforms. We travelled on a Railjet service to Salzburg. The train was really clean. We sat in a booth of 6 seats (3 seats on each side). Seats can be moved forward to make a day bed but this would only work if you were the only passengers occupying the booth. There were power points and you were also able to adjust the temperature in the booth and the volume of the loud speakers. The seats were extremely comfortable and there are overhead compartments to store luggage.
As you are travelling through the Alps, the scenery is breathtaking and I highly recommend doing this journey.

Salzburg to Venice- Dep 1:34am

We travelled on an Italian International night train. I wouldn't recommend anyone departing this late in the night. There are security guards walking around the station which gave us peace of mind however there were still people hanging around. It just didn't seem too safe. Our train was delayed by 15mins and this was advised on the departure screen to keep us informed. Our train was heading to both Venice and Zagreb and splitting up in Villach. There were plenty of signs on the train doors to advise the train number and also the final destination so you were able to get on the right carriage. We headed down the wrong end of the train but there were train conductors on the platform to guide us to the right carriage. Once onboard, our conductor showed us to our couchette and asked our preference for tea or coffee in the morning which is included. We stayed in a 6 berth couchette with 2 other travellers. Linen, pillows and a bottle of water are provided. You can leave your luggage underneath the bottom bunk or place it above the door. Our couchette had a lock on the door and we each had reading lights. About an hour prior to arrival, the conductor brought us breakfast and tea/coffee. Breakfast is a bread roll with butter. We had a 45 min delay coming into Venice because of heavy snowfall.

Venice to Milan- Dep 07:58am

The train was very modern and spacious with large overhead luggage storage. The seats were really comfortable and had a fold down table. A snack trolley came around regularly. Unfortunately due to bad weather we were hit with delays that spanned out to 2 hours which made us miss our connection to Nice. The conductor was extremely helpful and went around to each passenger to find out their final destination and to advise of the next available train from Milan. As most services in and out of Milan were disrupted that day, we were waiting in line for about an hour to speak to a Trenitalia ticket officer at Milan Station to sort out our connections. Unfortunately there were no other connections into Nice that evening so we decided to go direct to Paris instead.

Milan to Paris- Dep 4:10pm

We took the Artesia day train to Paris which is a 7 hour journey. Our train was delayed by an hour coming from Paris so it affected our service, and this was due to bad weather. There was plenty of luggage storage and seats were large and comfortable. Each table had a lamp for reading. You had the option of having dinner brought to your seat which as an additional cost or having dinner in the dining car. They had a drinks trolley come around a few times on the journey also.
We arrived just after midnight into Paris Gare de Lyon station and there were plenty of taxi's outside the main entrance readily available to take you to your accommodation.
Getting our tickets stamped unused in Paris.

As we couldn't utilise our sleeper reservations from Nice to Paris, I had to get the tickets stamped unused by a rail official. I checked the Eurail traveller's guide (which is given with the tickets), looked under 'Assistance in Europe' and it gave the list of stations in Paris which I could go to. We chose to go to Paris St Lazare station as this was closest to our hotel. We went to the SNCF office and they had a help desk specifically for international travellers, and they were able to stamp it unused so I could apply for a refund.

On a final note, I really enjoyed travelling around Europe by rail. Having travelled only by plane the last time I was in Europe, I was able to appreciate the scenery whilst relaxing at the same time. Most of the trains are modern and clean and I found 1st class travel really comfortable. The only frustration we had was the delays due to bad weather, but we were always kept well informed by staff. I highly recommend seeing Europe by rail and I would do it again.

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