GoldenPass Train Ride

The biggest reason we stayed in Montreux was to be able to ride the GoldenPass train over to Interlaken. Switzerland has a great passenger train network, which many people use to commute. They also have special tourist trains that operate on particularly scenic routes. The two most popular are the GoldenPass from Montreux to Interlaken and the Glacier Express from  Zermatt to St. Moritz. The GoldenPass is the shorter of the two tourist trains and took us into the Bernese Oberland, which was on my must see list. I cannot recommend the GoldenPass train enough. It is fully covered by a Swiss Saver Pass (8-10 day, all-inclusive train ticket) and has panoramic cars for better views. We splurged for first class seats (an extra $45 for all three of us!) and reserved spots right in front. By right in front, I mean right in front.

We rode in the first row with the same view as the train operator. The train operator sits up top.

First class was predominately old people. I think our fellow passengers were a little worried about Inga, but she did great! 

 The GoldenPass line between Montreux and Zweissimmen is a narrow gauge rail line. It was built specifically for sightseeing.

Leaving Montreux station

The first 30 minutes are climbing out of Montreux with breathtaking views of Lake Geneva. This is the most dramatic part of the train ride.

Grapevines and chateaus

 Inga got her own seat for the train ride. She felt like such a big girl, which is probably why she kept wanting to take pictures with "Mama picture"(camera). The train goes through many tunnels, which Inga always announced for the fellow passengers in case they didn't see the tunnel ahead. She also made sure to say bye to the tunnels when we left them.

Inga in choo-choo heaven.

You go through a pass above Montreux and enter the Fribourg canton, which is French-speaking and known for its cheese (think Gruyere). You stop in Montbovon where you can change trains to go to Gruyere, which Sam has done on a previous trip to Switzerland. The French-speaking countryside is very neat and tidy. All the hay fields were freshly mown and raked. All the gardens carefully weeded. All the geraniums perfectly planted. 

Montbovon train station

You travel through this nice valley with lots of cows and hay fields. Eventually you cross another pass (well, tunnel through it) and come out in the German-speaking part of Switzerland. It definitely has a different look from the French part. The houses are a little bigger with the classic carved-wood balconies covered in geraniums. You stop in Gstaad, which looked beautiful, but expensive. I think I would stay in the next town over. The valley with Gstaad was the prettiest on the trip.

Gstaad train station

Homes outside Gstaad

Heading down to Zweissimmen

At Zweissimmen, you change trains to a standard gauge rail line. We were back in second class in a regular window train car. It was about lunch time by now and Inga was starting to fade. The trip to Interlaken is still pretty, but the train follows a river and doesn't have the same views. The area was more industrial with several lumber mills. I wish my daughter would take naps on a train, but she just never did. It was a fussy ride to Interlaken, but what else is new when traveling with a toddler.

Inga was not happy about being back in 2nd class.

The GoldenPass line is a must-see if traveling in Switzerland. I recommend riding a panoramic car and reserving first class seats ahead of time.

Kinderspielplatz of Switzerland

Switzerland is a very family friendly country that also loves outdoor recreation so they put playgrounds in all the right places. It made the trip much more enjoyable to be able to always find a playground for Inga. She loves to slide and learned all about up and down on the teeter-totters. Her ladder climbing skills also greatly improved. It was an interesting cultural experience to see and talk with other parents. We were obviously the American, helicopter parents helping our daughter climb things too big for her and riding down the slide with her. The other parents just watched from the sidelines unless their child was really young (like 1 year old). Inga did a great job communicating with the other kids by being her extroverted self and teaching the other kids to say "jump" and "slide".

Here are pictures of some of the playgrounds we visited.

Family Car train (yes, a playground on the train):

Here is Sam being an American, helicopter parent.

The Intercity (IC) and nicer Interregio (IR) trains have family cars with a small playground. There is a short slide.

The boat was great for imaginative play.

The family cars are always at the end of the train and have a jungle theme painted on the outside.

Haute-Nendaz/Tracouet ski area:

There was a brand new playground at the top of the gondola from Haute Nendaz to Tracouet. This is a ski area in winter and hiking area in summer.

There was even a jump-jump! Inga played with a little boy in the firetruck for awhile, too.

 Gimmelwald (Lauterbrunnen area):

Gimmelwald is a tiny town above the Lauterbrunnen valley. It had the best slide we saw, in my opinion. This slide is located right next to the gondola station.

 Allmendhubel (above Muerren):

You can take the Allmendhubelbahn (a funicular) from Muerren up to this amazing view (that's the Eiger, Monch, and Jungfrau). There is a restaurant, hiking and skiing, and a playground. The slide wasn't as great because it had a flat spot in the middle.

 Muerren:

We went to the playground in Muerren many times since we stayed there four nights. Inga really liked the slide in teeter-totter although it was a playground designed for older kids.

 Winteregg (railway station/ski lift near Muerren):

The Winteregg train station/ski lift restaurant had just added a playground. It had a miniature "ropes" course, tunnels, playhouse, slide (of course), carved animal figures, and hammock swing. The restaurant also had toy trains inside to play with.

Lumberjack merry-go-round and wooden chickens.

Cow rocker with slide in background.

 Kleine Scheidegg (Grindelwaldbrick berghaus):

The redneck old chair lift swing at the Grindelwaldbrick berghaus playground. This playground is on the trail from Mannlichen to Kleine Scheidegg. 

Inga found a little to play with on the teeter-totter. The little Swiss girl just spoken German and all I understood her to say was "Jungfraujoch" as in she had visited the Jungfraujoch, I think.

Luzern:

This playground is in New Town not far from the train station. There was a water table with hand pump. It was messy.

The big kids side of the playground where Inga befriended the playground bully and got her to play nicely.

 Zurich/Oerlikon Migros restaurant:

This is the equivalent of a McDonald's play place. It is in the Migros (grocery store) restaurant.

Lauterbrunnen:

This playground is the near the cemetery and church in Lauterbrunnen along the main walking path out of town. It had a slide and tunnels built into the hillside. This water table thing drained into the sandbox area.

Other places with playgrounds we didn't take pictures of are:

• Montreux: in the central water front park near the Freddie Mercury statue
• Sion: a few blocks from the train station

All the playgrounds were principally made from wood. There were no monkey bars or large climbing structures. The sandboxes were filled with a granite type sand not the American play sand, but it worked just fine. There also weren't many toddler swing seats. 

The playgrounds were a lifesaver many days when Inga was begging to do something she wanted to do and to play with "other kids!".