Aboard Switzerland’s GoldenPass Belle Époque Train

The pages of the 1931 edition of l’Illustre describe the panoramic voyage from Montreux to Interlaken in the Golden Mountain Pullman Express not only of splendor, but émouvante. The arrival of four new Pullman carriages in 1931 would help transform the Montreux Oberland Bernois Railway (MOB) into an Alpine Orient Express. Nostalgic for a time period that I never knew, and an avid reader of plots concocted by Agatha Christie, I knew that the GoldenPass Belle Époque train was how I wanted to celebrate my 34^th year around the sun.

As we stepped foot inside the train departing from Montreux, I was taken aback by the gleaming oak ceiling and sliding doors leading from one train carriage to the next. We sat down in velvet, emerald green cushioned seats, embellished with golden plated numbers, complete with a wooden fold out table and large window overlooking the Alps and vineyards below. The train began its departure from the Gare de Montreux, easing on an upward incline on the mountain and entering  a dark tunnel.

“C’est là qu’il va y avoir le premier crime,” my husband said. “This is where the first crime takes place.”

The GoldenPass Belle Époque was reconstructed in 2005 to give our 21st century minds a glimpse into the glorious, albeit brief, period of the original railway from Montreux to Interlaken, which closed within a year of its opening due to the weight of the Great Depression. I tried to imagine those who were able to enjoy the train’s short-lived journey, a moment of peace in between two world wars.

The sudden pop of a bottle of champagne being opened woke me from my dreamlike state. I unwrapped two drinking glasses from my knapsack as  my husband placed a box of pastel colored Ladurée macarons on the wooden table before us. We poured the bubbling champagne and shared toasted vanilla, rose petal, salted caramel and lemon ganache filled macarons. Eating Ladurée is experiencing French history in itself, which is famously known for implementing the concept of the French tea room. According to Laduree’s website, Jeanne Souchard, wife to Ernest Ladurée who famously opened the pasty shop, suggested  pairing coffee with pastries  to encourage women to meet together on their own. At the time, France was hosting the 1900 Paris Exposition, celebrating the century’s greatest achievements, including the Eiffel Tower (at the time painted a golden yellow) and the Ferris Wheel. To further immerse ourselves into the past, I put together a playlist with songs from musicals such as Meet Me in St. Louis (1945) and Hello, Dolly (1964) that we listened to while looking at the Swiss alpine landscapes. 

The GoldenPass Belle Époque train was once reserved for an elite demographic, but is  today open to tourists and daily commuters alike. The train runs twice a day between Montreux, Switzerland’s take on the French Riviera, and the Swiss-German speaking village of Zweisimmen. We pass through the high glamour ski resort of Gstaad, said to be a favorite among celebrities including  Anne Hathaway and Julie Andrews. According to this article from The Guardian, Gstaad was built on “staging Christmas for the beautiful people.” The train passes a Louis Vuitton boutique converted into a Swiss chalet and a small tarmac for private jets to land. 

We opted to stay in the more budget-friendly village of Zweisimmen. 

“Zweisimmen?!” exclaimed my in-laws when we told them our birthday trip plans. “Il n’y a rien là bas ! There’s nothing there!” My expectations of Zweisimmen were very slim, which is perhaps why I was pleasantly surprised to find a post office, a bank, a small grocery store and even a wooden cow statue to take visitor photos with. The sun shone while it softly started to rain, leaving a vivid rainbow arched outside of our hotel window. In the evening, we ate at one of the restaurants in the village, the Brasserie zur Simme, sharing pork escalope with cranberry sauce and meatloaf cooked in plums, finishing with Toblerone chocolate mousse.

Returning home in the Belle Époque train from Zweisimmen to Montreux, I thought of how lucky we are to get older. Aging is a privilege. At 34, I feel evermore eager to go to new places or try new experiences at home. I haven’t yet stopped dreaming, and I’m not sure if I ever will.