Swiss Trains Promo with Federer and Noah

[PaunchyPirate]

I'm spending way too much time researching and fantasizing about my September 2023 trip to Switzerland. I ran across this video this morning on a TripAdvisor post.

It's a promo video for Switzerland's Grand Tour panoramic train routes starring Roger Federer and Trevor Noah. It also features some beautiful background scenery. It's a fun watch if you're so inclined.

I can't wait to be riding the train they are in.

https://youtu.be/5JK7vjVaIvo

 

[Souschef]

Here is the story of our train trip in the Bernese Alps:

 

[rodi]

Fun video.

 

[dixonge]

We will be visiting a friend in Switzerland (hopefully) this September, as a slight detour while touring France. DW now really wants to ride the trains there!

 

[PaunchyPirate]

We will be visiting a friend in Switzerland (hopefully) this September, as a slight detour while touring France. DW now really wants to ride the trains there!

I’m a bit of a train enthusiast. So I’ll be doing the 4 major panoramic trains:

Gotthard Express
Bernina Express
Glacier Express
GoldenPass Express

Plus a couple trips on “regular” trains here and there.
I’m quite excited about the train trips, for sure.

 

[Freedom56]

We are headed out to Switzerland in just over two weeks. Some tips on trains in Switzerland:

1- Buy a Swiss Travel Pass if you plan to use public transportation (trains, boats, funiculars, cable cars). Individual point to point tickets can be very expensive.

2- Trains get crowded in second class, buy a first class pass if you want to ensure that you have a seat. Also the first class cabins are much nicer (like in the video).

The best views from trains in Switzerland are from funicular trains that ascend mountain peaks and also the cable cars.

 

[Chuckanut]

I would love to take a ride on a scenic Swiss train route.

But, please, can I have a seat in a car where neither of these two guys mentioned above will be? How boring to be stuck with a tennis player and TV entertainer. Between them and their adoring fans I imagine the trip would be quite tiresome.

 

[oiseux]

I quite enjoyed the jokes about being late, a huge cultural thing. The whole exchange about " see you in four minutes".... "see you in five". "No four minutes". I remember when I lived there a national inquiry being opened because the trains between Geneva and Lausanne were on the average, 1 minute and 34 seconds late. It was a national scandal, the worst performance by far in the entire country.

I had not realized that the pair share the exact same heritage -- Swiss and South African.

 

[Texas Proud]

I quite enjoyed the jokes about being late, a huge cultural thing. The whole exchange about " see you in four minutes".... "see you in five". "No four minutes". I remember when I lived there a national inquiry being opened because the trains between Geneva and Lausanne were on the average, 1 minute and 34 seconds late. It was a national scandal, the worst performance by far in the entire country.

I had not realized that the pair share the exact same heritage -- Swiss and South African.

OH yea.... I remember being on a platform waiting for a train to depart as mine was the next train coming in... the engineer leaned out of the cab and was yelling at someone on the platform as he was already 1 minute late leaving and he wanted out NOW...


I will be going there soon and will see how things are going now...

 

[CardsFan]

OH yea.... I remember being on a platform waiting for a train to depart as mine was the next train coming in... the engineer leaned out of the cab and was yelling at someone on the platform as he was already 1 minute late leaving and he wanted out NOW...


I will be going there soon and will see how things are going now...

Reminds me of the time I was in Zurich. Business trip, but we had a day before meetings started. Two of us were taking the train to Interlaken, and then up to Jungfrau.

Got to the platform, 10 minutes before scheduled departure. Got on a train. Doors close and it leaves. Early? No. Wrong train. Fortunately it was only going to the airport and back. Got the next one.

On another trip, I remember taking a local. If the train was scheduled to leave at 10:02, they left EXACTLY at 10:02, when the second hand crossed 12.

 

[braumeister]

On another trip, I remember taking a local. If the train was scheduled to leave at 10:02, they left EXACTLY at 10:02, when the second hand crossed 12.

Once upon a time, the Munich subways were like that. No more.

 

[Freedom56]

Here are some pictures of inside a Swiss train I took with my phone yesterday. The inside is from a first class cabin on the IC train between Zurich and Bellinzona Switzerland. I had the cabin to myself. I also snapped some pictures of the scenery between Arth Goldau and the Gotthard Base Tunnel.

I also shot some video of the Panorama Express train from Arth Goldau to Lucerne. That train was similar to the one in the Federer Noah video. I will post pictures from that also.

 

[f35phixer]

Oh i want to go !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[Freedom56]

Here is the Panorama Express train from Arth Goldau to Lucerne Switzerland yesterday. The exterior paint color is gold. The windows are larger. The tray tables are smaller and made for drinks and snacks rather than holding laptops. This train is very similar to the one in the Federer and Noah video. There were only four of us in this first class cabin.

 

[Freedom56]

This is the Golden Pass train from Montreux to Zwiesimmen. We were headed to a summit near Montreux but it was clouded over so we saw the Golden Pass train ready to leave in 10 minutes so we got on and took the ride on a near empty first class cabin of the panoramic train rather than hike around a clouded over summit. This is the flexibility of having a Swiss Travel Pass rather than buying tickets. This is supposed to be the best segment of the Golden Pass line with some of the best scenery but in reality the best views from a train in Switzerland are from Lausanne to Montreux or Lausanne to Palezieux. The same can be said about the drive by car.

 

[Badger]

I like riding trains but have only been on a few that are steam locomotives for a day trip. I wouldn't mind a train trip that travels for a few days but don't want to just watch the scenery go by without the chance to get out and wander the towns or countryside.

Cheers!

 

[Freedom56]

That's the advantage of having a pass. You can hop on and hop off as you want to explore. We use it just for getting to places instead of driving. The scenery is much better when you are outside hiking or just walking around. I wouldn't want to sit in a train all day.

 

[oiseux]

snip
This is supposed to be the best segment of the Golden Pass line with some of the best scenery but in reality the best views from a train in Switzerland are from Lausanne to Montreux or Lausanne to Palezieux. The same can be said about the drive by car.

I used to live about a half km from the station in Lausanne and took some of these routes often. Although it is not a regular train, I thought the trains to Jungfraujuch were pretty spectacular. The cogwheel to the the Rocher de Nayes is great, if you have the time in Montreux and it is clear enough to complete the hike to the top. Even the walk through the Lavaux vineyards is pretty special, like around St Saphorin

 

[GalaxyBoy]

The tray tables are smaller and made for drinks and snacks rather than holding laptops.

OMG who would want to use a laptop with scenery like that?!

I think I need to make reservations.

 

[Sunset]

That's the advantage of having a pass. You can hop on and hop off as you want to explore. We use it just for getting to places instead of driving. The scenery is much better when you are outside hiking or just walking around. I wouldn't want to sit in a train all day.

Great photos, wish we were there.

How much is the pass per person ?

Why are the trains so empty ?

 

[Freedom56]

Great photos, wish we were there.

How much is the pass per person ?

Why are the trains so empty ?

The pass was 707 CHF each (or $782 USD) on any 15 days over a 30 day period for First Class. It costs 449 CHF for second class. That works out to 47 CHF per day for trains, boats, trams, busses, and museums (first class) or 30 CHF for the same in second class. It's still early in the season but, seconds class is pretty full and first class is virtually empty now. It's well worth the extra money.