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For my forthcoming Interrail trip to Switzerland I would like to enjoy some ‘senior’s’ short walks between stations and wonder if you can offer advice or point to any online details of length, severity, whether the paths are maintained or the walks would be a muddy scramble, route maps, etc. I am interested in:
Alp Grüm to Cavaglia, Privilasco to Poschiavo and Litzirüti to Langwies on the Ariosa line. You’ll notice that these suggestions are all downhill! These are all on rail lines I’ve used before where I wanted to get off and explore.
I also intend to travel some branch lines in some of the quieter tourist areas and hope to leap off a train at some remote spot that takes my fancy and walk to the next station or halt. This will mean using request stops. I suppose you ask the guard or conductor on the train in good time, but what about on a platform? Is it a handsignal to stop a train?
Thanks in anticipation
John
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Hi John,
>> This will mean using request stops. I suppose you ask the guard or conductor on the train in good time, but what about on a platform? Is it a handsignal to stop a train?
On the train, there will be a button near the door to press to get the train to stop at the next station.
On the platform there is also a button to press to alert the next train to stop there. There will be a different button for each direction if trains travelling in both directions use the same platform.
“Stop on request” is “Halt auf Verlangen” in German and “Fermada sün dumonda” in Romansch. (“Fermada sün dumonda” will be spelt slightly differently in different parts of the Romansch area, as there are several varieties of Romansch.)
Alpenrose
Thank you alpenrose. That’s very helpful. Also interesting about the Romansch varieties.
John
Hello John
While you are in Spiez, you could do the lakeside walk from Spiez to Faulensee which is a nice easy walk along a lakeside path. You can return to Spiez by boat or take a longer cruise to Thun or Interlaken after your walk.
There is also a walk along the rail route between Zweisimmen and Lenk where you can hop on and off the train – all flat!
Maggie
Thank you Maggie. I am spending some time in Spiez and Zweisimmen, so your suggestions may prove very useful.
John
Hello again John
I knew from an earlier thread that you were going to spend time in Spiez but didn’t realise you would also stay in Zweisimmen. As you are I have another idea for you! As a fellow “senior walker” who likes going downhill this may suit you! Take train from Zweisimmen to Lenk (hourly I believe). Outside the station in Lenk are some bus stops. One of the buses goes to Iffigenalp. We took this ride up to the terminus then walked down again as far as Iffigenfälle. I stuck to the road but my husband found a detour along the river! His route was definitely more of a scramble than mine but we ended up in the same place! We took photos of the waterfall then used the bus to get back to Lenk. I expect you can get information in the tourist office in Zweisimmen about the buses – their destinations and timetables as they are not very frequent. There is also a gondola ride from a stop on this bus route (not far out of Lenk so you could walk to it) up to Leiterli. There is a more challenging walk up there which is a flower trail. We had a nice meal at the top gondola station!
We like visiting the less busy places which is why some of my suggestions are a bit different from the more popular destinations!
Have a great time!
Maggie
A few suggestions:
Any two or more stations between Oberwald and Fiesch (MGB ex FO)
Spinas – Bever – Samedan (RhB)
Zuoz – Samedan (RhB)
Davos valley Frauenkirch – Davos Glaris and all stops between)
Filisur – Tiefencastel (RhB)
Saanenmoser – Saanen – Rougemont – Chateau d’Oex (MOB)
Frutigen – Reichenbach – Mulenen (BLS)
Spiez – Faulensee – Leissigen (BLS)
along the Walensee (SBB)
This web site has all transport (including foot):
map.wanderland.ch/?lang=en&bgLayer=pk&sea son=summer&resolution= 250&E=2631750&N=118900 0
downhill walks on the Bernina route are quite steep
Thanks Maggie and 1960man. This blog is wonderful!
Just for the record, Maggie, I’ll be budgeting very carefully for my 3 weeks Interrail pass holiday, mostly in Switzerland, so don’t think I’ll be using too many buses, which aren’t included. But I do intend to use the railways very extensively, hence my interest in the gentle walks between stations or halts. I’ll actually be staying in Leissigen and Gstaad, so plenty of opportunities for railway walks.
1960man – isn’t the map.wanderland.ch site wonderful? – especially as I’ve loaded it for off-line use onto my ipad. The Filisur – Tiefencastel route looks very interesting, especially as it takes you near the Landwasser viaduct. I also hope to travel out from Filisur to Davos (Wiesen) to have a look at the viaduct there. Filisur is one of my favourite Swiss villages. I discovered this flower meadow just below the station in June 2012 – my desktop image ever since.
I did think the Alp-Grüm to Cavaglia walk might be a bit of a scramble, but I’ve seen some lovely view pics and it looks well worth while. Does anybody have experience of this, or the Litzirüti to Langweis walk on the Arosa line?
John
Attachments:Hi John
The bus ride from Lenk is not a long one so will not be very expensive especially if you are walking a good part of the return trip. We always go for the Swiss Travel Pass so use buses quite a lot and often use them as an alternative return route rather than just taking same train route back! Does your rail pass only cover trains or boats as well?
Will put my thinking cap on again to see if I can come up with ideas only involving trains!
Maggie
Hi Maggie
Sorry to hear about your health issues and cancellation.
The Interrail 'Global' (ie Europe) pass is amazing value – 22 continuous days for £350 or so, senior rate, across Europe, though by concentrating on Switzerland I really do get the cream! – few reservation or supplement issues or costs (the Bernina, Glacier and Golden Pass lines are all free so long as you don’t go ‘posh’, as are most regional railways and even most narrow gauge lines up into the mountains, eg around Aigle, the Swiss Jura, the Arosa, Centovalli and Zermatt lines and the very interesting system around Appenzell) and my trip is SNCF-strike free, apart from a change of plan to avoid a long trip across Northern France on the way home. It now also includes a ‘free’ Eurostar return journey from St Pancras to Lille or elsewhere, but you have to pay a ‘passholder’ reservation of about £30 each way.
I can also pop into Italy, Austria, Germany and France (strikes allowing) without further charge.
Some of the privileges have been added in recent times, I would think, judging by the confusing websites (not this one) that still show old arrangements, eg only discounted fares on most independent or regional railways. This is wrong.
The good news doesn’t stop there – BLS allows holders to travel free on their ferries, and I even discovered a special historic train with preserved electric loco from Bern to Brig via Spiez and Kandersteg on Sunday 10th June that is for ordinary walk-on fares, and is covered by Interrail (I checked!) This has the added attraction (for me) of stopping at the long-closed Blausee Mitholz station, where the climb to / descent from Kandersteg goes through all those amazing corkscrew turns. There are a few other dates in the summer when this train runs.
The financial implication, but one I’m perfectly happy with, is that train wins over bus every time. My itinerary is now pretty full, though I’ve left myself a bit of breathing room on ‘lighter’ days, when I can do the inter-station walks as the fancy takes me (and the weather allows).
Get well soon
John
Hi John and thank you for your good wishes.
Your pass sounds ideal for your plans and great value. It sounds as though you are going to have a really great time! Looking forward to hearing all about it when get back home!
Maggie
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