During my summer visit to Switzerland, I decided to take the train and explore Gstaad. The GoldenPass Line traverses from Montreux to Zweisimmen with many scenic stops. Gstaad was one of them. This was an ideal opportunity for me.

As I alighted onto Gstaad station with a host of other tourists, I found myself a little disoriented. I walked straight to the Tourist Information on Promenade, barely two minutes away from the station. Since I already had a rough plan in place, I asked the representative if it made sense and he encouraged me with a map of Gstaad and Saanen. And so I set out on foot— to explore this luxurious Swiss town, sans its grandeur. To find beauty in all its intricacies and nondescript details.

I spent the first half of my day in the quiet town of Gstaad.  Here I walked photographing the Swiss chalets incessantly. Exploring the traditional Swiss craft of paper-cutting (or scherenschnitte in German and découpage in French) took me across to numerous souvenir shops on the Promenade. (I was going to meet a renowned artist in this field later in my Swiss travel.) Thereafter, I stopped for an early lunch at the oldest hotel of Gstaad.

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Posthotel Rössli has been around since 1845. I must admit, it was the ‘oldest hotel’ label that I read on Prachi’s blog which included this restaurant in my plan. I sat outside with a local Feldschlösschen beer while I waited for the intriguing veal sausage with onion sauce, rosti and spinach. And it did not disappoint at all.

I walked onwards to Saanen, which was three-four kilometres away. Saanen was even more charming (if that was possible) than Gstaad. The very few people I met were friendly and open to conversations, in their broken English. Here I visited the church and a few more shops.

From Saanen I made my way back to Montreux, again on a GoldenPass Line train. As I sipped my beer onboard, I witnessed the everlasting beauty of Swiss countryside swish across me.

Read: Photo Story: Winterthur Local Market, Switzerland

Good to know
-The routes of GoldenPass Line are included under the Swiss Travel Pass. Go here to buy the best that suits you.
-There are three routes namely, Montreux to Zweisimmen; Zweisimmen to Interlaken Ost; and Interlaken Ost to Lucerne.
-If you have the First Class pass on GoldenPass Line, you should definitely book the front seats for a panoramic view. On non-touristic season, you can try your luck without prior online booking.
-Food and drinks are available onboard, at an extra cost.

Which part of Switzerland has captivated you with its beauty?

Read: Planning Your Travel In and Around Switzerland

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