The scenery rolled by like something out of a fairytale. My breath was well and truly taken, around every corner another utter of ‘wows’ and ‘ahhs’ rolled uncontrollably off my tongue. Without doubt one of the most unique and special things I’ve ever done, riding one of Switzerland’s famous Panoramic Trains is an absolute must for anyone wanting an unbeatable experience in this wonderful country.
An Introduction to Switzerland’s Panoramic Trains
Everywhere in Switzerland is pretty scenic. Even getting the normal trains can give pretty epic countryside and lake views and the ones around Lake Geneva were particularly special.
But a Panormaic Train is next level. There are a number of Panoramic train routes across Switzerland:
- The Glacier Express (Zermatt to St. Moritz)
- Bernina Express (Chur/St. Moritz to Tirano)
- Gotthard Panorama Express (Lucerne to Ticino)
- MOB Golden Pass (Montreux to Interlaken/Lucerne), (Montreux to Rochers-de-Naye)
With the Glacier Express being probably the most famous, I’d had my heart set on it but the itinerary just couldn’t make it work as we’d be nowhere near the start/end point. So instead, given we were only going to be staying around 15 minutes from Montreux in Lausanne, we settled on the MOB Golden Pass Line.
Riding a Swiss Panoramic train
We settled on the Montreux to Rochers-de-Naye route for 2 reasons: 1) It was shorter so we could go there and back in a day, and 2) we wanted to hike so this gave us the ability to get off a stop from the top and hike the remaining 2hrs to the summit (as opposed to 7hrs from ‘ground level’). Please note, you don’t have to hike and could just stay on the train.
A small incident involving falling down some steps the weekend before I was due to travel meant I was in significant pain and thinking about stopping the hike. BUT I am stubborn and it was really important to me to hike in Switzerland, so I dosed up on pain killers and boarded the train.
The train cruised along the Lake for around 15 minutes, before starting its ascent. We passed through rolling hills, incredible views back down to Lake Geneva and then started seeing mountain peaks pass by the window. I didn’t know which way to look, whether to have my camera out or just take it all in. It was truly incredible.
After an hour of ascent snow capped mountains started coming in to view and it was time to get off the train and start our hike from the Jaman train stop. The sun had been shining at the bottom of the mountains, but wow was it cold up here and I had to put 2 jumpers on to stay warm.
We walked the 2 hours up from Jaman to Rochers-de-Naye peak. It was epic. I’ve never done a more beautiful hike and every second of pain was worth it. My husband hates heights but is fine as long as he’s not too close to the edge – this hike forced him to be right up against the cliff side scrambling in places so he really did amazingly not to quit. We reached the summit pretty euphoric. What a day to be alive.
At the top there is a restaurant and toilets so after a drink and sit down, we got the next train back down to Montreux, agreeing it was one of the best experiences of our lives (even though painful/terrifying).
The Details of Montreux to Rochers-de-Naye
- The train departs from Montreux station but you will need to buy tickets from the MOB Golden pass office near Platform 1, not the main ticket boxes in the station.
- The journey takes just over 1hr to reach Rochers-de-Naye, leaving every hour from 8.17am until 3.17pm
- Trains departing Rochers-de-Naye back to Montreux leave every hour from 9.11am until 4.11pm
- A return ticket costs 60CHF per person, with a 50% discount if you have the Swiss Travel Pass (well worth it)
- Take warm clothes, it’s cold at the top if you do want to get off and explore the hiking routes
So, what did you think of the Swiss Panoramic train experience? It was one of my top travel experiences ever and next time I visit this wonderful country I’ll definitely be doing another of the routes.
This amazing day formed part of my 10 day Switzerland trip which you can read more about via these posts if you are researching a trip:
- Geneva
- Nyon
- Lausanne – the base from which we did this train ride
- Castle Chillon
- Zürich
Stay safe and happy travelling all!
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