Far by Rail
A Zentralbahn Brünig-line train running beside Lake Brienz.

Switzerland · Scenic

Luzern–Interlaken Express

Luzern–Interlaken Express runs every hour year-round between Lucerne and Interlaken Ost in about 1h50, crossing the Brünig Pass amid lakes, waterfalls and Alpine scenery.

Lucerne → Interlaken

Photo: Kabelleger / David Gubler (http://www.bahnbilder.ch) · CC BY-SA 3.0

Time needed
1h 50m
Best for
First-time rail travellers · Photographers
Route
Lucerne → Interlaken

Why this route

A landscape that arrives in route order.

It is one of Switzerland’s easiest scenic trains to use because no special ticket is required: simply take a normal hourly service, with an optional reservation if you want certainty in busy periods.

How it scores

Our current editorial assessment, for comparing journeys, a considered judgement, not a measurement.

SceneryExceptional
ComfortExceptional
Value for moneyExceptional
Food & drinkStrong
Character of the trainStrong
Show the full editorial profile

More subjective

UniquenessStrong
Iconic statusExceptional
PhotographyExceptional
RomanceStrong
Travelling with childrenStrong

Not rated yet: seat quality, onboard service, slow travel quality, remoteness.

Step-free access and assistance are set out with the practical detail further down rather than reduced to a score.

The route

Lucerne to Interlaken

The map and published stops show the verified geography this journey travels through.

The published route runs from Lucerne to Interlaken via Lungern railway station, Meiringen railway station, Brienz railway station.

74 km · Lucerne to Interlaken

Key stops

Lucerne railway stationLungern railway stationMeiringen railway stationBrienz railway stationInterlaken Ost railway station

Lucerne railway stationInterlaken Ost railway stationLungern railway stationMeiringen railway stationBrienz railway station
Switzerland · geographic corridor through verified stops · indicative alignment, not exact track geometry

  1. Lucerne railway station

    Switzerland

  2. Lungern railway station

    Switzerland

  3. Meiringen railway station

    Switzerland

  4. Brienz railway station

    Switzerland

  5. Interlaken Ost railway station

    Switzerland

A Zentralbahn ADLER train beside Lake Lungern on the Luzern–Interlaken Express route in Switzerland.
A Zentralbahn ADLER train beside Lake Lungern on the Luzern–Interlaken Express route in Switzerland. · Photo: Zb Zentralbahn AG / Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 4.0

Along the line

Geographic milestones

Published highlights in the order the route reaches them.

  1. Brünig Pass

    The route climbs to its high point before descending toward the Bernese Oberland.

  2. Lake Brienz and waterfalls

    The western half combines lake views with waterfalls including the Giessbach area.

Luzern–Interlaken Express: GoldenPass Line Kaiserstuhl Giswil
Luzern–Interlaken Express: GoldenPass Line Kaiserstuhl Giswil · Photo: Kecko · CC BY 2.0

Evidence on demand

Practical reality

Route, onboard, season, fit and booking detail remain available without interrupting the journey above. Unknowns stay visible.

Time & itinerary

1h 50m

View route map and verified stops

Lucerne → Interlaken Ost

The published route runs from Lucerne to Interlaken via Lungern railway station, Meiringen railway station, Brienz railway station.

74 km · Lucerne to Interlaken

Key stops

Lucerne railway stationLungern railway stationMeiringen railway stationBrienz railway stationInterlaken Ost railway station

Lucerne railway stationInterlaken Ost railway stationLungern railway stationMeiringen railway stationBrienz railway station
Switzerland · geographic corridor through verified stops · indicative alignment, not exact track geometry

  1. Lucerne railway station

    Switzerland

  2. Lungern railway station

    Switzerland

  3. Meiringen railway station

    Switzerland

  4. Brienz railway station

    Switzerland

  5. Interlaken Ost railway station

    Switzerland

On board

It is a daylight run chosen for the landscape, which means the best use of the time is simply to keep looking out. It is a short hop between Lucerne and Interlaken (about 74 km), so the interest is concentrated rather than spread out, there is little dead time either side of the best stretches. Passing Lungern railway station and Meiringen railway station gives the journey its midpoint, and the character either side of it is noticeably different.

Views & seating

Panoramic windows

Ultra-modern panorama trains are used on the route.

✓ Yes

Food & drink

Café / food service

Zentralbahn advertises a bistro onboard the service.

✓ Yes

2 onboard details are confirmed against a source. Anything not listed here has not been researched yet; treat it as unknown, not absent.

When to go
  1. JanRuns
  2. FebRuns
  3. MarRuns
  4. AprRuns
  5. MayRuns
  6. JunRuns
  7. JulRuns
  8. AugRuns
  9. SepRuns
  10. OctRuns
  11. NovRuns
  12. DecRuns
  • Runs
Year-round
Runs

Jan: Hourly year-round service between Lucerne and Interlaken Ost.

These months show when the train runs, which is a service fact. How good each month is for the experience has not been rated yet, so no month is presented as better than another.

Month-by-month notes
  • Jan: Hourly year-round service between Lucerne and Interlaken Ost.
  • Feb: Hourly year-round service between Lucerne and Interlaken Ost.
  • Mar: Hourly year-round service between Lucerne and Interlaken Ost.
  • Apr: Hourly year-round service between Lucerne and Interlaken Ost.
  • May: Hourly year-round service between Lucerne and Interlaken Ost.
  • Jun: Hourly year-round service between Lucerne and Interlaken Ost.
  • Jul: Hourly year-round service between Lucerne and Interlaken Ost.
  • Aug: Hourly year-round service between Lucerne and Interlaken Ost.
  • Sep: Hourly year-round service between Lucerne and Interlaken Ost.
  • Oct: Hourly year-round service between Lucerne and Interlaken Ost.
  • Nov: Hourly year-round service between Lucerne and Interlaken Ost.
  • Dec: Hourly year-round service between Lucerne and Interlaken Ost.
Good for

Good fit for

  • First-time rail travellers

    Especially good

    Hourly year-round service and normal ticketing make it exceptionally easy to use.

  • Photographers

    Especially good

    Five-lake scenery, waterfalls and panoramic windows create continuous visual interest.

Think twice if

No verified trade-offs on record. That is an absence of evidence, not a promise that there are none.

Traveller-fit research on this journey is still thin.

Reservation & booking
Reservation
Not required
Typical price
CHF 34

Prices quoted Normal 2026 2nd-class one-way ticket Lucerne–Interlaken Ost excluding optional seat reservation; optional reservation CHF 12 off-season / CHF 16 peak. Reservation fee CHF 12–16.

Booking difficulty
Easy
Rail pass
Accepted
  • Normal train ticket or Swiss Travel Pass is sufficient.
  • Seat reservation is optional and costs CHF 12 off-season or CHF 16 in the 2026 peak period.
  • No extra reservation is needed with a rail pass.
Official journey information, Zentralbahn (opens the operator site in a new tab)Compare similar journeys

We link to the operator's own journey page. No direct booking channel has been verified for this service, so availability and fares must be checked there. Journey length: 1h 50m. Source: Zentralbahn; no check date recorded.

Sources & freshness

The detailed source record remains at the end of this guide. Review the evidence.

Your next step

Plan the route, then confirm it with the operator.

Normal train ticket or Swiss Travel Pass is sufficient. Seat reservation is optional and costs CHF 12 off-season or CHF 16 in the 2026 peak period. No extra reservation is needed with a rail pass.

Official journey information, Zentralbahn (opens in a new tab)

We link to the operator's own journey page. No direct booking channel has been verified for this service, so availability and fares must be checked there.

Far by Rail is a discovery guide, not a live timetable or booking service. Confirm times, fares and availability with the operator.

Continue exploring

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Sources & freshness

Journey information is reviewed against published material and maintained as sources change.

Last reviewed date not recorded.

Official sources