GoldenPass

Decent train ride but the reservation isn't free and the seat plan (like when picking a seat on an airplane) is wrong when it comes to which seats are facing forward and which are facing backward and which are facing each other and which are in twos. MOB knows this and yet doesn't change it.

I had a very disappointing experience in Carriage 4 (restaurant carriage) on the GoldenPass panoramic train from Interlaken Ost, despite having paid for first-class reservations. The restaurant staff member, Daniela Schmidkoch, provided extremely poor customer service. From the moment we sat down, her attitude was rude, dismissive and unwelcoming. We felt pressured to order drinks immediately, even though our journey was around two hours long and we fully intended to make a purchase later. When we did not order straight away, she made comments implying that we should not be sitting in first class and should have been in second class if we were not buying drinks in her native language/english. This was both inappropriate and embarrassing, especially considering we had valid first-class reservations. During the interaction, she also spoke in her own language in what appeared to be a disrespectful manner, which made us feel even more uncomfortable. Ironically, after repeatedly pressuring us to order, when I eventually ordered the vegan pretzel schnitzel, it was served with the schnitzel patty still frozen in the middle. Given how we had been treated throughout the interaction, it genuinely felt as though no care had been taken with my meal, and it left me wondering whether it had been served that way deliberately. Regardless of the reason, serving frozen food is completely unacceptable. The situation became so uncomfortable that I had to speak to another member of staff who came to check out tickets to raise my concerns about her behaviour. Rather than making us feel welcome, her conduct discouraged us from ordering anything at all. First-class passengers should be treated with courtesy and respect, not judged or pressured into making immediate purchases. The combination of poor customer service and food being served frozen made this an extremely disappointing experience and left a negative impression on what should have been an enjoyable GoldenPass panoramic journey.

The historical train was cancelled and replaced with a standard turistbus. Goldenpass gave no warning of this before departuretime even though they knew it. Our first class ticket had no value then. After complaining to them, they told me that the train part of the chocolate train, wasnt a big part and therefore only offered a meager discount.

I traveled Prestige class in July 2026 from Montreux to Interlaken West. It is not worth the extra money compared to first. It has the same view as first, but it is much harder to reach with bags and the space is small. First class had more room between seats. The chairs leg rest is a joke. I would not do it again.

Our family of 5 rode the Goldenpass MOB from Montbovon to Montreaux on May 24. We paid for first class as part of a tour group doing the chocolate cheese train experience. There were locals and single seats in our assigned car so families could not sit together and the conductor got aggravated when some families tried to move to the second (empty) first class car because he wanted to fill every seat in tall the single seats along one side. In addition the air conditioning in late afternoon was very poor. Despite it being Switzerland in late May the high temperature was above 80 Fahrenheit and several older couples and younger people with disabilities could not sit in the full sun of the panoramic windows which made only some seats possible-seats with very restricted views because fewer sunny windows! We wanted to ride the Belle Epoque train instead and maybe that would have been a better experience if tickets had been available months ago. Gorgeous views if you got a lucky seat, could take the heat and didn’t mind having no one to share them with. Not what we expected for the price paid.

Travelled in july 2024 from Interlaken to Montreux. The train is good, well maintained, modern coaches. travelled first class. Panoramic windows and a great scenic route. Whether you travel by this train or any other, travelling on this scenic stretch is highly recommended.

Fantastic scenery viewed from a very nicely designed train. Its ability to change gauge is very unusual. We took a second class seat by the window and enjoyed the trip immensely. My only gripe was being advised to reserve seats at 20chf each. Ours were the only ones reserved. I feel I've been ripped off. There was plenty of space throughout the train.

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.