GoldenPass

The dictionary defines prestige as “widespread respect and admiration felt for someone or something on the basis of perceived achievements or quality.” Sadly, this definition bore little resemblance to the experience of our party of three generations aboard the MOB GoldenPass Prestige Express on 2 December. This journey was intended to be the highlight of a long-awaited trip. We researched extensively: where to sit for the best views, which side of the carriage offered the most dramatic scenery (although, to be fair, both sides are beautiful), and the optimal time of day to travel. Our itinerary was built around this journey. In fact, we even changed our accommodation from Zurich to Interlaken Ost specifically to ensure we wouldn’t miss the train. Unfortunately, from the moment we arrived at the station, things began to unravel. We discovered—only after questioning a staff member on the platform—that our scheduled train had “issues” and we would first need to board a different train for 1 hour and 10 minutes before transferring to the Prestige carriage. No prior notification was provided. Had we not asked, we could easily have missed the train entirely. On this replacement train, we were forced to sit on the opposite side to the one we had carefully researched and paid extra for, while other passengers enjoyed the views we had planned for weeks to see. Four stops and 70 minutes later, we finally arrived at the station to transfer. This is where the Prestige experience truly revealed itself. We entered a carriage with croissant crumbs scattered across the floor, chairs facing the wrong direction of travel (despite our having travel sickness), and a couple attempting to occupy Prestige seats without paying for the upgrade. It took approximately 20 minutes before a staff member arrived to rotate the chairs—something we had been assured was possible—and to resolve the seating situation. By this point, the calm, immersive experience one expects from a scenic journey had already evaporated. The seats themselves deserve particular mention. They are advertised as comfortable, manoeuvrable, and heated. While the heating function worked well, comfort did not. With long legs, both my daughter and I struggled to sit comfortably even before attempting to recline. Reclining the limited 4–5 inches available caused the seat to slide forward, placing immediate strain on the lower back. Two members of our party already suffer from back issues; this design made sitting for the duration of the journey genuinely painful. Adding to this, passengers seated in the centre seats have their view significantly restricted by the central window divider. For a journey marketed as a panoramic, premium scenic experience, this noticeably interrupts the views and further undermines the value of paying extra for the Prestige carriage. Facing one another while reclining is, in practice, impossible. Sitting upright was uncomfortable; reclining was worse. The only way to remain reclined without slipping was to brace oneself with a foot—hardly the effortless luxury one associates with something marketed as Prestige. Adding to this, the chairs themselves were visibly dirty, with dried stains running down the backs, which further undermined any sense of cleanliness or care. Cleanliness and ambience overall were equally disappointing. A Prestige experience conjures images of immaculate surroundings, subtle lighting, and a calm, refined atmosphere. What we encountered instead felt tired, untidy, and entirely lacking in any premium quality. Approximately 45 minutes before arrival, a staff member entered the carriage to comment on the crumbs on the floor—prompting me to clarify that they were not ours. Shortly afterwards, a cleaner entered with a vacuum cleaner and proceeded to hoover the Prestige carriage while passengers were seated. This alone was astonishing. Worse still, the cleaner had a very strong and unpleasant odour, which caused all three of us to develop headaches and nausea. The smell lingered for the remainder of the journey and materially affected our comfort. This is not an exaggeration, nor an attempt at humour. I have video evidence of the vacuuming, which I cannot upload on this platform but will share on other review sites where video uploads are permitted. We disembarked feeling entirely unmoved and deeply disappointed. What should have been a memorable highlight became a lesson in unmet expectations. We paid full price, and it was unequivocally not worth it. I have contacted customer services three times since the journey and have yet to receive any explanation or apology. This review is therefore not written lightly, but out of genuine disappointment that something marketed—and priced—as Prestige fell so far short of even basic standards.

As the range of ratings for this train suggest, there is more to know than meets the eye. I reserved two Prestige Class seats on the 3:30 PM Golden Pass from Zweisimmen to Montreux. I had to email after reserving and paying because they did not send the tickets. Be aware! There is more than one Golden Pass train! The difference between a Golden Pass and a "regular" train is essentially the Golden Pass has bespoke coaches. The service was mediocre at best in terms of getting a snack and the waiter was clearly stressed and over-worked. The AC in our coach wasn't working well and the less expensive cars were actually more comfortable in that regard. The scenery was impressive and it was a gorgeous sunny day. But the planning and expense involved were not worth it. You can see the same thing from a regular train. If I were doing this again, I would simply use my first class Flex Pass and forego the Golden Pass. Our experience using Swiss Railways was otherwise very good but it definitely is worth double-checking your itinerary to be sure the train you plan to take actually is going to the destination you want based on your understanding of the online schedule.

Booked MOB train from Montreux to Interlaken. Paid for seats in “Prestige” section…….A/C out in car, had to leave door open to section behind to get any air. Purchased meat/cheese platter to enjoy on the trip. They don’t tell you they serve it on a flat try, vegetarian platter had seeded grapes, cauliflower, tomatoes all, round and rolled off if you didn’t catch them with movement of train. Oh and hang on to everything they give you, knife/fork, drink, bag of bread because the jolting of train causes it to fall on floor. Save yourself the money and aggravation and travel another way! Beautiful scenery though if you can enjoy it while sweating. Staff polite and friendly.

In Zweisimmen we boarded the 1st Class of the GoldenPass Belle Époque, featuring beautiful carriages styled on the 1930s Pullman Express. The train travels through enchanting Swiss landscapes, and stops in Gstaad on it's way to Montreux on Lake Geneva. Comfortable seats, real vintage feeling, friendly and helpful conductor. Sadly, the restroom is tiny and doesn't match 1st Class. The snack & beverage attendant was useless, didn't show up until short before end station. I recommend to start or finish this trip in Gstaad since the place has more to offer than Zweisimmen.

Did a return Montreux-Interlaken trip in second class, next to Prestige cabin. Highly recommend booking these seats as it is quieter and service was excellent. Inbound train service was better but we had pre-ordered a few trays and it was excellent. Scene is gorgeous and the train was spotless and of course, on time!

We were on our way to Wengen for a few days and to make our journey a little different from the usual line from Geneva to Bern, we took the direct train from Montreux to Interlaken, paid for reserved seats and returned on the same route a few days later. On the outward journey as the train arrived at Montreux Station, members of the crew kindly asked the waiting masses to allow passengers to disembark, allow time for the crew to check the carriages and we would be informed when it was time to board. Sadly, no one took notice and it was a free for all as travellers without reservations were in a great hurry to find available seating. This was not a pleasant experience and once the situation had become calmer, we were able to locate our reserved seats. Happily they were still available! In spite of the earlier problems, we thoroughly enjoyed the journey in very comfortable seating and no one can argue that the scenery isn't worth admiring! On our return trip, it was more or less the same manic situation and we had to ask a family to allow us to take our reserved seats. They were not happy! The return trip was extra special due to the extremely interesting commentary in English given by the wonderful John who is very knowledgeable about the history of the area, farming, building, etc. Thank you John! Husband and I enjoyed talking to you as the train approached Montreux. Keep up the good work.

I traveled Golden express interlaken to Montreux in prestige cabin June 2025. It was a horrible experience. ALL the staff were rude, unprofessional and useless. They spoke to us as if we got on the train for free or as if we are little children! The waiter was horrible, seemed like he didn’t want to work or be here. A man who was the supervisor walked back and forth and ignored us every time we tried to ask a question. The ticket conductor was loud and disrespectful to everyone. The train stopped half way for an hour. No one would say why we are at dead stop for no reason. Finally we were dropped off in the middle of nowhere in 90 degree heat to take a regular train to Montreux. No one offered apology, explanation of change in train, or compensation for delay and downgrading our train from prestige to class 2. We tried to ask but everyone turned their faces away and ignored us. The most unprofessional group of people I have ever encountered in my life. EVERYONE PLEASE DO NOT WASTE YOUR MONEY ON GOLDEN EXPRESS GOING TO Montreux ESPECIALLY THE PRESTIGE IS A SCAM!!

WARNING!! The train seems to break down often and refunds are not really offered for food orders and YMMV on tickets or reservation costs. There were multiple breakdowns in May and June, so good luck getting to your destination. Our train in June 24, 2025 broke down one stop from Interlaken Ost (at Interlaken West). SBB gave us a 3-step connection on trains and a bus hop to get to Montreux. MOB was useless and did not even give us clarity on how to get to our destination. We had ordered aperitifs, which were delivered as our train was announced as canceled, we left them as they were on ceramic plates, as were told to exit the train. When we requested refunds, we were only given refunds for the reservation and not for the food. Further SBB will not help you as they consider this a MOB problem. We reached our destination over 3 hours after our target time, hauling luggage over every stop and bus hop. Horrible experience.

Appalling customer services! We spent 1k CHF on prestige class panoramic seats. Train was cancelled and we had to take a bus. NO REFUND or compensation! They don’t guarantee the class of service. So instead of having a pleasant journey with comfortable seats we were crammed on to an old bus with no legroom for 2 hours and spent 1,009 CHF for nothing. NEVER AGAIN! AVOID!

We went on the Golden Pass train from St Moritz to Interlaken. We reserved our seats and really enjoyed it until about 2hrs in. We were told the train was going to stop due to a fallen tree - which is unfortunate. We were told a train would then take us part of the way and then buses would be laid on with Staff to assist. The next Train was waiting for us, which was straight forward but then when we got to the next Station to get a bus it was horrendous. There was no order, no queues, no staff or any extra buses. There was literally hundreds of people standing around not knowing what to do. A few buses came and everyone charged forward. Didn’t matter how long you had been there it was chaos. This happened numerous times and there was more people turning up from other trains. I did go in to the Train Station to see what was happening but the guy in the Information Centre just shrugged his shoulders when I asked where the extra buses were and why there was no order to who got on the buses first. I would have preferred him to just apologise. Eventually we got on a bus 3hrs later, about 20/30 people squashed on a bus. Not a pleasant end to our Train trip

A fabulous train ride with great views along the way of lake Geneva and the adjoining valley through the mountains. Food and drinks available on the train and comfortable seating.

In just a little over three hours we enjoyed the heart of Switzerland. Snow covered mountains! Idyllic villages and farms! Glistening lakes! The trip from Interlaken to Montreux checked all the boxes for scenery and comfort.