Geneva to Interlaken
The Western Gateway to the Jungfrau

The journey properly begins before the city: Genève-Aéroport station sits directly beneath the airport terminal, and the direct Interlaken InterCity starts there - land, clear arrivals, ride one escalator down, and board. Seven minutes later the same train calls at Genève Cornavin, the main city-centre station, a short walk from the lakefront and the old town.

Boarding is Swiss-simple at either station: no gates, no check-in, no reservation - find the platform on the departure boards and take any seat. If your departure is not one of the direct trains, board anything toward Bern; the connection there is typically a few minutes across the platform, and Swiss punctuality makes it a genuinely relaxed change.

The first forty minutes run along the north shore of Lake Geneva - vineyards on the left, water on the right, Mont Blanc occasionally showing off on the far side. Sit on the right for the lake; you will want the views. Lausanne, the Olympic capital stacked on its terraces above the water, is the first major stop and western Switzerland's junction city.

Beyond Lausanne comes a quietly spectacular stretch: the line climbs away from the lake through the Lavaux, the UNESCO-listed staircase of terraced vineyards that has been worked since Roman times. For a few minutes the train runs above the whole sweep of the lake - the scenic overture before the Alps take over the second half of the trip.

Lake on one side, a thousand years of vineyard terraces on the other - the Lavaux is the reason to sit on the right.

Inland now, the train crosses the rolling farmland of the Fribourg canton to its capital - a medieval town folded dramatically into a bend of the Sarine river, its old bridges visible from the viaduct as you arrive. Fribourg sits exactly on the Röstigraben, Switzerland's French–German language border: announcements that began in French start arriving in German, and the station signs quietly agree.

It is a short, satisfying lesson in how this country works - four languages, one railway - delivered at 160 km/h between two coffees. Half an hour later the towers of Bern rise ahead.

Bern is the operational heart of this journey. Direct trains simply pause here and continue; everything else connects, usually across the platform and usually within minutes - this is the change to know about, and the easiest one in Switzerland. The UNESCO-listed old town, all arcades and fountains beneath the Zytglogge clock tower, begins five minutes from the platforms if you fancy breaking the trip.

Bern is also where this corridor meets the rest of the network: the Zurich main line, and the Lötschberg line south toward Visp and Zermatt. Leaving Bern, your train turns south for the Bernese Oberland, and within twenty minutes the scenery stops being pretty and starts being Alpine.

At Thun - medieval castle above, paddle steamers below - the Bernese Alps finally fill the horizon: the white wall of the Eiger, Mönch and Jungfrau standing across the turquoise water. The line then hugs the lake to Spiez, prettily stacked around its bay, before turning east along the southern shore for the final run.

This last half hour is the postcard: tunnels punching through the headlands, the lake flashing between them, mountains doubling in the water. It is the same finale the Zurich route enjoys - the two gateways merge at Spiez - and it never feels shorter than it is.

From Thun onward the journey stops being a transfer and becomes the first excursion of your Oberland holiday.

The train calls first at Interlaken West - closest to the hotel-lined Höheweg and the town centre - and terminates at Interlaken Ost, the mountain gateway. Get off at Ost if you are heading upward: the Berner Oberland-Bahn's green-and-yellow trains wait across the platform, and the Jungfrau valleys begin the moment they leave.

From Ost, frequent trains reach Lauterbrunnen - the waterfall valley, springboard for Wengen, Mürren and the Schilthorn - in about twenty minutes, and Grindelwald, beneath the Eiger's north face, in roughly half an hour; the train divides at Zweilütschinen, so board the clearly signed correct portion. Boats to the lake villages leave from behind the station, and the Harder Kulm funicular climbs to the viewpoint over the whole watery, mountainous tangle.

The Swiss Travel Pass is built for exactly this trip: 100% coverage from Geneva Airport to Interlaken Ost, 100% coverage onward to Lauterbrunnen and Grindelwald, free boats on the lakes, and a substantial discount on the mountain railways above (the Jungfraujoch itself is discounted, not free - budget accordingly). Interrail and Eurail behave the same on the main line: fully valid, no supplements, no reservations, with the usual mountain-railway discounts instead of coverage - check current terms.

Buying point-to-point instead? SBB's supersaver fares discount specific departures, ordinary tickets keep you flexible, and children travel remarkably cheaply with the family cards. There is no security screening, no luggage limit, and no need to arrive early beyond finding your platform - though SBB's luggage-forwarding service is worth knowing if you would rather send suitcases ahead to a resort and ride unencumbered.