The GuideSwissness
22 February 2022

Destination – Dream trips & excursions by train

by Laëtitia Cadiou


©Glacier Express

Lovers of atypical train trips, board immediately and throughout Switzerland.

At a time when everything is going fast, taking the train means taking time. You sit comfortably in your seat, have a drink, look out the window and enjoy the scenery as it passes before your eyes. That’s what train travel is all about, and if you add haute cuisine and dreamy beds, you could well choose this means of transport to travel around the world! In addition to the notion of slow travel, the train is becoming more and more attractive for its ecological interest. So let’s forget about the daily routine and take the train for an unforgettable trip.

Belmond Venice Simplon-Orient Express

Belmond Venice Simplon-Orient Express
©Belmond Venice Simplon-Orient Express

When we talk about mythical trains, we think of course of the Orient Express which opened its line on October 4, 1883 by the Compagnie Internationale des Wagons-Lits. Behind it was a young Belgian engineer, Georges Lambert Nagelmackers, passionate about mechanics, travel and humanism because he was convinced that it was a way to unite people. The Orient Express was to link Paris to Istanbul in six days, crossing Central Europe and the Balkans via Lausanne, Munich, Vienna, Budapest and Bucharest and then Constantinople. A means of transport reserved for the elite, the train quickly became an inexhaustible source of inspiration for many great authors of literature such as Leo Tolstoy, Graham Greene, Ernest Hemingway and the famous Agatha Christie, who boarded more than 60 times. Today the train has been put back on track and renamed the Belmond Venice Simplon-Orient Express and continues to feed the collective imagination. Please note that there is only one date for the entire Paris-Istambul route, but there are other dates for other stops.

The Gotthard Panorama Express

The Gotthard Panorama Express
©Le Gotthard Panorama Express

The latest of the Swiss panoramic trains, completed in 2017, offers a route between Lugano and Lucerne, it represents 182 Km for about 5 hours 30 minutes of travel through the historic heart of Switzerland. It leaves from Lugano or Bellinzona to cross 22 bridges, the region of Lake Lucerne and as its name suggests, the Gotthard Panorama Express uses the historic Gotthard tunnel, which opened up the region in 1852. A small surprise in Flüelen, to reach Lucerne, it is necessary to get off the train, to take a steamboat and finish the journey by sailing on Lake Lucerne. You will be able to eat hot meals while watching places full of history such as the Rütli meadow, Schiller’s Rock or Tell’s chapel pass by. This route is a splendid journey back to the origins. Available from May to October.

The Glacier Express

The Glacier Express
©Le Glacier Express Switzerland

The Glacier Express is said to be the slowest express train in the world, connecting Zermatt to St. Moritz in about 8 hours on a 170 km route. A journey rich in emotion that takes you through the most beautiful mountain landscapes, alternating with 291 bridges and 91 tunnels. 
You will pass the Oberalp Pass, its highest point offering a magnificent Alpine panorama, then cross the Rhine Gorge which reveals a striking contrast, then the train takes two famous viaducts, the Landwasser Viaduct and its 65 meters is classified as a UNESCO heritage site and the Solis Viaduct and its 85 meters.  A journey through 3 cantons that oscillates between rivers, lakes and mountains that remind us how beautiful Switzerland is.

The Bernina Express

The Bernina Express
©Bernina Express

The call of Italy in a mythical train, the Bernina Express! A train that rubs shoulders with the stars with the highest railway tracks in Europe but also the steepest. Its reputation as an exceptional journey is due in part to the segment it crosses between Thusis and Tirano, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The line covers a number of sublime sites, between impressive landscapes and valleys, such as the Ospizio Bernina, the dominant station of the Rhaetian Railway, built at an altitude of 2,253 meters, or the famous Brusio spiral viaduct, built over 9 arches. The Chur – Tirano line is 156 km long and takes about 4 hours and 20 minutes to complete. The arrival is very smooth as soon as you see the shores of Lake Poschiavo. The Bernina Express is an experience not to be missed. 

Golden Pass MOB Belle Epoque 

Golden Pass MOB Belle Epoque 
©Région du Léman ©Golden Pass MOB Belle Epoque 

For all romantics, lovers of train travel with a retro atmosphere, the Golden Pass MOB Belle Epoque is for you! Its cars are inspired by the Golden Mountain Pullman Express of the 1930s, a luxury train in the style of the Orient Express, which unfortunately only had a short existence due to the economic crisis. The current train is a reconstruction in the Belle Epoque style, in which you travel in ultimate comfort. From Montreux to Zweisimmen, a journey between lake and mountains that gives a glimpse of the diversity of a spectacular Swiss nature. We overlook the lake and then rush into the valley, a few kilometers in the Gruyère region before heading towards the Pays-d’Enhaut. A mandatory stop in Gstaad, a world-renowned winter resort, and then a last stop in Zweisimmen. A magical journey in a typical Swiss country with an old-fashioned charm.