I'll be taking a trip in July to Geneva and was interested in taking a day trip to Gstaad via the train. Would this be enough time to do so? What all can be done in Gstaad (won't have a car)? What is the best way to go about getting reservations for the train (when i get there or in advance)?

thanks
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Please see your other post to which I just replied re. what to do.
Sorry, I thought you were also looking for accommodation in the Gstaad area.

You won't need a reservation for the train. Get the ticket at the Geneva station, when you get there.
Trip takes some 2,5 hours. So, it's doable in just one day, provided you leave early in the morning.

Geneva dep. 07:51 AM (Mon-Sat)
Gstaad arr. 10:27 AM
or
Geneva dep. 09:18 AM (daily)
Gstaad arr. 11:45 AM

You will ALWAYS have to change in Montreux.
There are some trains with a change in Lausanne too, but they take somewhat longer, of course. Try to avoid these.

I agree with ther above..reservations for trips that occur wholly WITHIN Switzerland cannot be made, anway. You should't have any trouble at all finding a seat, especially if you arrive a little early...assuming you are boarding at the train's origination point.

Is that true? I've never heard that. Curious. J.

Hi Folks,

jmw & Bootman4u, some trains in Switzerland do *require* reservations, but those are the scenic/specialty trains like Glacier Express, Golden Pass, etc. Other trains do allow reservations, though it's been a long time since I've had to use them.

rayoflight104, just to justify my posting here, I'll point you to the Swiss rail website at www.rail.ch. I love playing around with routes and schedules, so you may enjoy it too!

s

Hi, Swandav is right. On some IC trains on main lines such as GVA-ZRH, seats can be reserved at the station. For most other trains on Swiss federal lines, you can send fax to SBB/CFF to reserve if you are a group of more than 10(?)persons. The Golden Pass (MOB), I think this is one of the semi-private lines, trains going from Montreux to Gstaad and further can also be reserved with a fee of CHF 7-10. According to MOB, the reservation is not compulsory(IS compulsory with 1st class panoramic cars)but is recommended especially on weekends when certain trains are contantly full (This is what MOB told me the other day when I called them for an information.)

Do the regular trains get to destinations faster than the panoramic trains? Or are they equal with pretty close to the same view from the train?

rayoflight,

The "regular" trains and the Panoramic trains travel about the same rate. This Golden Pass route is a regular SBB route -- you can even use your Eurailpass.

Although the Panoramic cars (especially the front one, which has a bar and seats looking directly out the front of the train!) are very scenic, with overhead views, the "regular" cars can be better for photographs: you can lower the windows.

The fifteen minutes leaving/entering Montreux on the way up to/back from Gstaad, where the train climbs up over Lake Geneva and passes right through lush backyards, is a major scenic highlight of European travel.

I don't know if you are a tennis fan, but the Swiss Open is held in Gstaad in early July. We went several years ago, and tickets were pretty easy to get (we used a travel agent back then!). It is a beautiful venue for a tournament -- red clay, nestled in the Alps. I recall that Gstaad was a pretty village. Our stopover there was short (we went for the tennis), and then we went on to Grindelwald.