Best scenic Swiss train rides for a 2-week trip

  • Amtsang
    Participant
    16 posts
    22 June 2021 at 17:50:03 #825872

    Hello

    I am planning a two weeks trip . Which train routes are a must ! should I fly into Zurich and fly out from Geneva? If I were to see only one of the two cities due to time constraints, which city is nicer ? thanks

    Amelia

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    Anna
    Moderator
    6279 posts
    22 June 2021 at 18:54:07 #935301

    Hi Amelia,

    Welcome to MySwissAlps.

    If you’re flying into Zurich, I would suggest taking the Glacier Express from Chur to Zermatt. Alternatively, you can take the Bernina Express from Chur to Lugano. These two scenic train rides offer great views of the Swiss landscapes. For more information, do check out the links below:

    Zurich and Geneva are both lovely cities. I think if you have time constraints, you should visit the city that requires the least travel distance from your base. You can plan your journey using the SBB timetable: http://www.myswissalps.com/timetable

    Regards,

    Anna

    Laurae
    Participant
    47 posts
    22 June 2021 at 20:42:50 #935302

    Amelia, the standard ones on the SBB site are all beautiful but some of the smaller ones are my favorites. The Glacier Express route from Chur to Brig is long but spectacular. I’d suggest you just book regular tickets and save some money rather than doing the official Express ride. You can break up the trip by overnighting in Andermatt. Take a short hike to the Teufelbrucke (Devil’s Bridge) if you do. The train ride from Montreux to Gruyeres is charming, the ride from Luzern to St. Gallen is another great one. I love the ride from Bellinzona to the Viervaldstattersee area (Lake Lucerne)—but I route it through a town, Goschinen I think, to avoid the St. Gottard tunnel. Who wants to ride through a tunnel when you can see all that beauty? But my all time favorite rides are from Lauterbrunnen to Wengen (sit on the right hand side of the train for the iconic view of the Lauterbrunnen Valley) and the ride over the Brunig Pass from Luzern to Brienz/Interlaken (take it in this direction if at all possible and watch for the wooden carvings on the right side of the train). Hope some of these rides fit in your itinerary.

    Arno
    Moderator
    15471 posts
    23 June 2021 at 7:14:10 #935303

    @Amelia: be sure to browse our list of suggestions here: http://www.myswissalps.com/activities/scenictrips/train.

    @Laurae: good tips there! The town you mentioned is Göschenen. This is that route: http://www.myswissalps.com/gotthardpanoramaexpress.

    Removed user
    Participant
    72625 posts
    23 June 2021 at 12:37:36 #935304

    Hi Amelia,

    my favourite train trip is the Golden Pass route, from Montreux to Interlaken (check it here: http://www.myswissalps.com/goldenpass).

    My most beloved cities/villages are Montreux (http://www.myswissalps.com/montreux), Lucerne (http://www.myswissalps.com/lucerne), Grindelwald (http://www.myswissalps.com/grindelwald), Kandersteg (http://www.myswissalps.com/kandervalley) and Locarno (http://www.myswissalps.com/locarno).

    What else would you like to see and do? Do you like hiking or museums? If you tell us a bit more about what you prefer we can suggest more places.

    Ildiko

    StevefromHou
    Participant
    148 posts
    23 June 2021 at 12:50:17 #935305

    Amtsang,

    I have traveled on some scenic trains in Switzerland a couple times in recent years, my last trip was in January of 2020. I landed in Zurich and took the train to Lucerne for the night. The next day I traveled from Lucerne to Montreux incorporating the Goldenpass segment between Zweisimmen and Montreux. After a night in Montreux and made my way to Zermatt for 2 nights before catching the Glacier Express from Zermatt to Chur. Again spending 2 nights in Chur and taking the Bernina Express from Chur to Tirano (Italy). After 2 nights in Tirano I used the Italian trains to get to Lugano for another 2 nights. From Lugano I took the Gotthard Panorama Express (route) up to Flüelen and finished the route with a nice boat ride back to Lucerne.

    I have taken the Glacier Express all the way to Filisur before where I spent 2 nights. I was able to take in the sights including a short walk to an observation point overlooking the Landwasser Viaduct and then walking down to the base of the viaduct for a little different view. During this trip I also took the train from Filisur to Preda then hiked/walked back to Bergün following the well marked trail that pretty much follows the train track with some amazing views. From Filisur it is a short train ride up to Davos where you can catch the Bernina Express down to Tirano.

    I am not sure what is the best option between Tirano and Lugano, during most of the year the Bernina Express runs a bus, but the time I did the bus, it was packed full and I was in an aisle seat and couldn’t see much out the window. In 202o I did the Italian trains but they were not as nice as the Swiss trains.

    The first time I did the Gotthard Panorama Express was during the warmer months and they were still using the refurbished steam paddlewheel boat from Flüelen to Lucerne. It was an incredible piece of machinery so clean and running so perfectly, I believe it was first introduced into service in 1901. During the winter they switch over to diesel, which are still nice boats but don’t have the old steam powered charm.

    If all goes right I will be heading back to Switzerland in January 2022 and riding the rails again myself. Good luck on your journey!

    Steve

    Removed user
    Participant
    72625 posts
    23 June 2021 at 13:04:47 #935306

    Hi Steve,

    I can confirm, those steam boats are truly amazing! I love them. There are the same type of boats at Lake Geneva too.

    And yes, they are very old, like 100-110 years old but totally renoviert.

    🙂

    Ildiko

    StevefromHou
    Participant
    148 posts
    23 June 2021 at 14:02:28 #935307

    Here is a short video I made of the trip between Flüelen and Lucerne on the steam ship.

    rumble.com/veh6oj-vintage-steamship-on-lake-lucerne-switzerland.html?mref=22lbp&mrefc=2

    Everybody I show can’t get over how smooth it runs being that it is so old, I wish I ran as smooth and I am only 52.

    Steve

    Removed user
    Participant
    72625 posts
    23 June 2021 at 14:22:16 #935308

    Thank you for sharing your video with us! 🙂

    Ildiko

    Amtsang
    Participant
    16 posts
    23 June 2021 at 23:11:03 #935309

    thanks Anna

    Amtsang
    Participant
    16 posts
    23 June 2021 at 23:39:52 #935310

    Laurae

    Thank you for taking the time to post all these helpful informations . I will try to fit as many of these train rides as possible in my 2 week trip .

    regards

    Amelia

    Amtsang
    Participant
    16 posts
    24 June 2021 at 0:10:36 #935311

    IIdiko

    thank you for your tips ! I bought tickets for Verbier festival and plan to spend July 25 to 27 there. Plan to arrive in Switzerland around July 22 and leave around Aug 4 but those dates are flexible . I was not sure if this trip is possible until now due to the Pandemic ! Do you know if fully vaccinated Canadians need to quarantine upon arrival . Plan to spend 10 days in Paris first before coming over if we do ! I enjoy nature and cities , love architecture and design . I do not think there is enough time to fly into Zurich and fly out from Geneva , or the other way around . Should I just go to Geneva ? Can I get by with english only ? Sorry for all these questions !

    Amelia

    Amtsang
    Participant
    16 posts
    24 June 2021 at 0:14:03 #935312

    Thanks Steve, that was a lovely video you posted, and very helpful tips !

    StevefromHou
    Participant
    148 posts
    24 June 2021 at 0:59:43 #935313

    You’re very welcome. Any trip to Switzerland is going to be a good trip.

    Hope you have a good time!

    Removed user
    Participant
    72625 posts
    24 June 2021 at 5:01:24 #935314

    Hi Amelia,

    If you are fully vaccinated then there are no restrictions, you can travel free, without quarantine. You can read more information (like “Who is considered vaccinated” ) and always the latest update in this thread in the first post: http://www.myswissalps.com/forum/topic/does-the-corona-virus-affect-trips-to-switzerland.

    If you want to visit Paris for a few days too, then you can take the TGV (train) from Paris and arrive in Geneva or Lausanne in just 4 hours, so from Paris to Switzerland there is no need to fly: http://www.myswissalps.com/traintickets/france.

    Switzerland is a relatively small country with many-many wonderful things to do and see. If you want to arrive in Geneva and fly out from Zürich that is possible too even in 2 weeks.

    You can get very well with English here, most of the people speak English at tourist places, no worries. And even more people speak English in Geneva as it is a very international city. More about the languages in Switzerland: http://www.myswissalps.com/aboutswitzerland/culturehistory/languages

    Geneva is a great city but you should see smaller places if you are here, as they are very different. Geneva (http://www.myswissalps.com/geneva) is a big multinational, living city while the smaller mountain villages have a wonderful atmosphere (like Grindelwald or Wengen).

    If you like hiking then I recommend either Zermatt (http://www.myswissalps.com/zermatt) or the Jungfrau region (http://www.myswissalps.com/jungfrauregion).

    You can browse these pages too:

    Let me know if you have further questions, we are all happy to help!

    Ildiko

    Danielsan
    Participant
    628 posts
    25 June 2021 at 21:56:00 #935315

    Hi Steve,

    Just watched your video. Absolutely fantastic, just like a few others I watched. Brings back memories of when I did it in Sept 2018. I did it from Lucerne to Fluelen though. (And then on to Lugano.) Based on a couple other of your other video’s, I believe we were there around the same time. I think you were a couple days behind me. I was bumming out a bit at some of the…not so

    great weather you had, where mine was great. The Gornergrat, (for instance) was a spectacular day for me (on 9/11/2018) that started on the Glacier Paradise earlier in the day, and ended watching the sunset behind the Matterhorn from there (the Gornergrat, that is). Keep sending, we’ll keep watching. Look forward to your next trip and hope you go through some snow. I can not wait to get back myself. Thanks for evoking these beautiful memories.

    (I apologize to the Swiss Alps folks if I am writing this in the wrong area/forum. Please let me know if I am, and how to correct it.) Thank you.

    Danielsan

    Danielsan
    Participant
    628 posts
    25 June 2021 at 23:06:44 #935316

    Hi Amelia,

    Below is a link with a map of the ”Grand Tour of Switzerland”. (Or just enter Grand Train Tour of Switz, if that doesn’t work). That map is what I used to create my two week itinerary. I wanted (planned) to hit each of the 8 train lines. I hit 6 of them, (with the St, Gallen-Schaffhausen and the Voralpen, the two lines I missed). I looked at the map, planned my route, changing my mind several, several, times and then picked out hotels near to the stations I was to arrive in. It took me about a week or more just to decide on the itinerary alone, (possibly more).With certain sights/destinations I knew I wanted to see. (I first bought the plane ticket, into and out of Zurich, and then filled in the blanks). Then I spent the next three weeks or so booking the hotels, and the next six months reading up on the internet all the places I was to visit. This sight (below) gives you much info on the scenic lines and hopefully will help spark some interest in where you may want to go, things to do, etc. That and all the great input from all the forum folks. That being said, the scenic lines are great, but the Swiss Travel Pass does give you great flexibility if you want to just get on/get off also, as some folks have said in this thread. The time spent in the internet and the anticipation from that was part of the fun of the trip. I wrote a trip report in Oct/2018 about it, in seven parts (but I don’t know how to get it onto this) if you have any interest in reading it.

    You can go to both Zurich and Geneva if you’re spending 2 weeks there. Maybe a couple days in Montreux and visit Geneva from there. I hope you have fun and that this helps you in some way to plan your journey. Enjoy it.

    Danielsan

    http://www.myswitzerland.com/en-us/experiences/experience-tour/highlights-by-train-bus-and-boat/grand-train-tour-of-switzerland/

    StevefromHou
    Participant
    148 posts
    26 June 2021 at 13:26:31 #935317

    Danielsan,

    Glad you enjoyed the videos, they brought back a lot of memories putting them together. Now that places are opening back up I am ready to go make more memories. I have heard of the Grand Train Tour of Switzerland and I might need to do some of those trains and kinda change up my trip a little bit one of these days. Very good information.

    MySwissAlps has a spot for you to post your trip report and I would enjoy reading it.

    http://www.myswissalps.com/forum/tripreports

    I have a couple of my trips on there.

    Steve

    Amtsang
    Participant
    16 posts
    28 June 2021 at 19:19:44 #935318

    Hi Danielsan

    Thank you for sharing your experiences and ideas in planning your Swiss trip. You have some very good advices here . I do want to cover as many train routes as possible ! I am a little stress out, my vacation is coming up in 3 weeks and the only thing I booked is two nights in Verbier. Did not find out til couple of weeks ago there is no need for fully vaccinated Canadians to quarantine. I have been researching on all the train routes , all seems to be incredibly scenic !! I will follow your advice , book the flights then accommodations then everything else . hope will work out ! I will go with the mentality that the trip does not need to be perfect , if there is such a thing , I am going to enjoy it . Would love to read your report of your 2018 trip !!

    Thank you!

    Amelia

    Danielsan
    Participant
    628 posts
    29 June 2021 at 4:16:43 #935319

    Hi Amelia,

    Your welcome. I only hope you are able to book things with just three weeks left. Maybe there are lots of openings due to the craziness of the past year +. Again, I had the luxury?….of having plenty of time to plan things.

    I’m in the process of putting my trip report together in reply to Steve. (There’s quite a bit of reading there..) So you can look for it coming up, hopefully soon. It’s good that you have the attitude of “not having to be perfect”. That helps, and it may not be, but as Steve also said, it doesn’t have to be. Switzerland is just so beautiful.

    Just a quick tip — on the Schaffhausen/St Gallen – Voralpen to Lucerne train lines, they can be done in 5-6 hours from Zurich to Lucerne, IF, you don’t stop. That’s what I was planning on until my flight was delayed 4 hrs….. I hope all goes well and you enjoy your trip.

    Danielsan

    Danielsan
    Participant
    628 posts
    29 June 2021 at 4:28:24 #935320

    Hi Steve,

    If I was able to do it right, the following links should be my trip reports. A lot of reading, but, hey, a lot of good times…hope you enjoy it. Also, if the links don’t come through, you can find them in the link you put on your reply to me. I believe on pages 9-10 (oct of 2018).

    Danielsan

    wwuw.myswissalps.com/forum/topic/part-1-of-triip-report

    Trip report Grand Train Tour of Switzerland (2)

    http://www.myswissalps.com/forum/topic/trip-report-grand-train-tour-of-switzerland-ll

    http://www.myswissalps.com/forum/topic/grand-train-tour-of-switzerland-part-lll

    http://www.myswissalps.com/forum/topic/trip-report-grand-train-tour-of-switzerland-4

    http://www.myswissalps.com/forum/topic/trip-report-grand-tour-of-switzeerland-5

    http://www.myswissalps.com/forum/topic/trip-report-grand-train-tour-of-switzerland-part-6

    http://www.myswissalps.com/forum/topic/trip-reportgrand-train-tour-of-switzerland-part7

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