Adelaidean, this report is so beautiful. I want to commend you for this and your previous trip reports. We are going to Germany/Prag and a little bit of Austria in seven weeks and really looking forward to it. Switzerland is definitely on my short list for our next trip.

Thank you so much for sharing your holiday and your beautiful photos with us.

Thanks for this wonderful TR, Adelaidean! You inspired me to change my booking for our last 2 nights from Lausanne to a lake view room at the Golf-Hotel René Capt in Montreaux. I think we'll be ready for half board after a week and a half in Switzerland.

If you book the Rene Capt be SURE that you book a lake view room or all you will see are the trains and the train lines!!

We did book lake view! Trying to figure out whether we should take the long train route from Bern to Montreaux (Golden Pass) or go more directly via Lausanne. Any advice?

I also cannot seem to find anymore the timetable showing exactly which trains are panoramic. Is it safe to guess that the ones online that appear that they'll be much more crowded (3 little people icons instead of 1) are the panoramic? there must be a more reliable way to know.

First it is not "Montreaux". If it were the name would be pronounced very differently... It is "Montreux". Best to know the spelling for the railway timetables if nothing else.

So - you will be starting your day in Bern and travelling to Montreux for that night? The Goldenpass line is far more scenic than the faster route Bern/Fribourg/Lausanne. The part Lausanne/Montreux on that route IS very scenic - train runs through the bottom of the Lavaux and almost right on the lake in some places. Sit on the RH side facing the engine if you do this!. Goldenpass - you need to get to Spiez and then to Zweisimmen. The "panoramic" trains are MOB trains and run only between Zweisimmen and Montreux. Far more "normal" trains Spiez to Zweisimmen and totally "normal" ones Bern to Spiez. Scenery - it is pretty but this is not the best section for scenery of the Goldenpass. That is between Interlaken Ost and Luzern. From Zweisimmen the train runs via small villages, first in the German speaking area and then after Saanen in what we call the "Pays d'Enhaut" or the back country of the Canton de Vaud. Two villages are especially pretty should you want to stop for an hour - Saanen and Rougemont. It is also possible to make a detour to Gruyères - get off at Montbovon and connect to Gruyères. Allow at least an additional 3-4 hours for this including sightseeing time in Gruyères.

Right now the MOB rolling stock is being upgraded because relatively soon the trains will be able to run all the way from Montreux to Interlaken Ost. (Work being done on the carriages to enable the bogeys to change from narrow to standard gauge). Anyway - according to the MOB timetable Panoramic trains leave Zweisimmen as follows: 0825, 1025, 1225,1425. Travel to Montreux takes a little under 2 hours on this sector. So use the SBB timetable - www.sbb.ch/en - to get your connection from Bern to Zweisimmen for any one of those trains. Seat reservations are not necessary and at the moment the "VIP" seats in 1st class are not available. Get onto the SBB timetable, enter Bern as departure, Montreux as arrival and - important! - VIA Zweisimmen to get the connections.

The little icon you saw - 1, 2, 3 figures - refers to predicted occupancy and has nothing to do with a train being panoramic or not.

I just saw your trip report and Wow, Wow, gorgeous! It looks like we were in Switzerland about the same time. We didn't get to Montreux and are now sorry we didn't make the time to do so. Your pictures are fabulous. I love the pictures of the cows being brought up to pasture. Wish we had seen that but we were a little late getting to Switzerland for this.

What are you planning for next year? It seems we like the same places :)

Last year we took them both to the Outback, but I have had my fill of desert, flies, and endless driving.

I hear ya! A little of that goes a very long way...

This additional information is very helpful; thank you. I also found a pdf shared several months ago which also lists the current panoramic schedules: Attachment 2849

For the train from Bern to Montreux on a Sunday, we’ll depart Bern @8:39 on a direct to Zweisimmen arriving 9:59. Then depart 10:25 on a panoramic to Montreux arr 12:04. Are there preferred seats for scenery on this stretch, ie, does it matter if we are both facing front or sitting on a particular side of the train?

For a Saturday day trip from Bern to Solothurn, would it be feasible to also include another town such as Biel/Bienne, or some other combination? It appears that there’s a nice ‘river cruise’ for about 2.5 hours between the two which I think would be covered by our Swiss Pass (the train is much shorter if we are crunched for time or weather is poor).

Solothurn
 

I stayed in Solothurn for two weeks a few years ago. I would not try to cram in Biel/Bienne in the same day!
Solothurn has two beautiful church's to tour (the first with a great tower to climb for fab views, eleven fountains, a medieval town square, its own microbrewery, many fine cafes, and a beautiful 'Hermit's Walk' on the edge of town.
Ask at the TI.
Click on my name to read the corresponding past tri report if desired!

Just now reading this really really GREAT report with the stunning photos. We love Switzerland and you've given a lot of travel inspiration. Thanks very much.

Love, love, love this report!!!
 

Adelaidean, finishing your great report was my entertainment this evening. Your beautiful photos made your text come alive. The blue skies made the scenery gorgeous, but sorry that you had to endure that extreme heat. We've visited many of the same areas in summer, but never experienced such heat. But your report certainly brought back wonderful memories, and introduced us to places we have yet to explore. And, I love your "traveling report". Always great to hear about your travels! Thanks again, Adelaidean!

For most people in this forum, Switzerland is nothing but Zurich, Lucerne, Jungfrau area, Matterhorn, Gruyeres and Chillon castle.
Adelaiden shows us the real Switzerland.
Many thanks - grazcha fichun - grazie mille - merci infiniment, gwautige Dank heigisch !!!!!

Loved pics and report...Thinking about Switzerland next year