Do it yourself 7-day tour "Ultimate Swiss Scenic Trains"
The ultimate vacation for train lovers: a week filled with the best scenic train trips across the Alps.
The itinerary of this tour can be booked as displayed here (see the shopping list), or you can extend it to have more time in the towns along the way. You can book extra nights in Zurich, Lucerne (to split day 1 or 7), Interlaken, Montreux, Zermatt, Chur and Lugano. If you have time, we strongly recommend to spend a couple of extra days in one or more towns.
Be sure to check the timetables of the various trains and boats. This tour can be made throughout the year, but in low season you may have to skip a boat trip or travel by a regular train instead of an express train (on the same route though). Further details are on our train and boat pages which are linked on this page.
Shopping list for this tour
Please note that this is a sample itinerary. You can make any changes you like, to adapt the tour to your preferences and available time. The list below is what you would need to book if you choose to make the tour as described.
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8-day Swiss Travel Pass. This includes all town-to-town transfers. There are discounts on the mountain trips such as the Jungfraujoch and Gornergrat. Note that the suggested tour only requires 7 travel days, so the pass allows you to easily extend your stay by one night. Of course you can pick another rail pass if you want to extend the tour even further. A good town to stay longer is Interlaken, as more days increase your chances of having good weather for your Jungfraujoch trip. Also, Lucerne is a good town for an extra night.
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Optionally: seat reservations for the GoldenPass
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Seat reservations for the Glacier Express
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Seat reservations for the Bernina Express
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Seat reservations for the Gotthard Panorama Express
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Optionally: train tickets from Tirano to Lugano if you travel in winter, when the Bernina Express bus does not operate.
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Hotel in Interlaken (2 nights)
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Hotel in Montreux (1 night)
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Hotel in Zermatt (1 night)
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Hotel in Chur (1 night)
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Hotel in Lugano (1 night)
Optionally: hotel in Lucerne
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Optionally: hotel in Zurich or near Zurich Airport
Look here I you prefer an all-inclusive train holiday package over booking all items yourself.
Day 1: Voralpen-Express and GoldenPass northern leg
You'll first take a regular train from Zurich to St. Gallen. Then change to the Voralpen-Express for a scenic ride across the pre-Alps to Lucerne. Finally you will take the Golden Pass route to Interlaken Ost (East). The whole trip will take nearly 6.5 hours.
Day 2: Highest rail station in Europe: Jungfraujoch
From Interlaken Ost, you will take the spectacular railway to Lauterbrunnen and Kleine Scheidegg, and finally reach the highest rail station in Europe: the Jungfraujoch. After enjoying the view and the snow up here, you descend back to Kleine Scheidegg. Then you'll take another route down to Grindelwald, passing the impressive Eiger North face. From Grindelwald you'll take a direct train to Interlaken Ost. This day trip takes about 6 hours.
It is not worth going up the Jungfraujoch if it's cloudy up there. Check our Interlaken page for bad weather activities.
Day 3: GoldenPass southern leg
A magnificent trip from Interlaken Ost via the Golden Pass to Montreux, along Lake Geneva. The trip takes about 3h40. If you choose to arrive early, there's still time left to travel up to Rochers-de-Naye by cogwheel train. A visit to Chillon Castle is another good option for the late afternoon.
Day 4: Montreux to Zermatt
The train ride to Zermatt takes about 2.5 hours. That leaves time to do something extra, like a boat trip from Montreux to Lausanne. From Lausanne you can take the train to Zermatt. This adds about 3 hours to today's activities. Another option is to arrive early in Zermatt and do the cogwheel train trip up the Gornergrat, for a good view of the Matterhorn.
Day 5: Glacier Express
You'll board the famous Glacier Express to enjoy the 6-hour ride up the Oberalppass and across the Rhine valley to the historical town of Chur.
Day 6: Bernina Express
Another famous train: the Bernina Express offers a scenic ride across a varied landscape. The train takes you to Tirano, just across the Italian border. From there the special Bernina Express bus takes you back into Switzerland, to the town of Lugano. In winter, there's no bus; you can use regular trains instead. This journey takes about all day. You'll arrive in Lugano around dinner time.
Day 7: Gotthard Panorama Express
This is the last time you will cross the Alps this week. From the Italian like climate and atmosphere in southern Switzerland, the Gotthard Panorama Express will take you back north. First you'll travel by train to Flüelen. There you will change to the boat to Lucerne. In Lucerne you'll take a train to Zurich. The complete trip takes about 6.5 hours.
