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Switzerland rail holidays

Car, what car? Switzerland makes travelling by public transport easy – and that’s largely down to its exceptional rail system. Trains in Switzerland are everything they’re rumoured to be – on time, quick and comfy. The network also spiders over 5,000km across Switzerland, to remote mountain towns and up to peaks on lines that seem to defy physics. Read on for the highlights of our Switzerland rail holidays.

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Switzerland rail holidays

Trying to choose a favourite rail journey in Switzerland throws up a dilemma – there are too many choices.

“So many!” says Mojca Peterka, when considering her favourite. She organises some of our top Switzerland rail holidays. “Riding the Glacier Express through the Alps feels like being in a moving postcard.” But if she had to choose? “The Bernina Express.”

The Bernina Express does seem to win the popular vote, with even train aficionado Mark Smith – better known as The Man in Seat 61 – crowning it Switzerland’s most scenic train. But what about the Gornergrat Railway, with views over the witch’s hat peak of the Matterhorn, or the GoldenPass line that smooths past lakes Lucerne and Geneva?

I found the Jungfrau Railway to ‘the top of Europe’ (and to what was surely Europe’s most expensive fondue) spectacular. I’ll always remember the giddy feeling of peering down the mountainside to see the next scheduled train far below us, the silvery lakes shrinking with every climb.

And for every top-10-listicle-hogging route, there are a hundred storied stations in between. I loved the Bernese Oberland, which hides in Jungfrau’s shadow. We disembarked at tiny stations to wander buttercup meadows, one-café villages, and alpine churches where wooden gravestones were carved with ships, daffodils, saints and pines. Our best holidays also go a little off-piste, making time for the quieter corners.

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Riding the Glacier Express through the Alps feels like being in a moving postcard.

Freedom made easy

There’s something amazing about looking at a map of the Swiss train system and realising just how far you can go. It can also be very, very overwhelming. When I organised my own rail holiday in Switzerland, I spent weeks poring over maps, Googling everything, wondering which travel card was best, trying to get the best deals, and refreshing rail booking websites to see if the tickets had been released.

Local expertise would have made things much easier. That’s where our tailor made rail experts step in. They’ve done the hard work, designing brilliant trips that can be tweaked to your interests. Love a walk through a wildflower meadow? No problem. Want the best view of the Eiger but don’t fancy the climb? We’ve got you. Fancy basing yourself in one place instead of roaming around? We can create an itinerary for that too.

“We take care of all the planning – train times, reserved seats, transfers, tickets, everything,” says Mojca. “We also give our clients a detailed itinerary with step-by-step information so they don’t have to figure anything out.”

There are small group tour options too, which run to fixed itineraries and departure dates. Our Switzerland highlights tours use rail throughout, swishing between Zurich and Bern via Lake Lucerne and the Jungfrau region because it’s the easiest way to get around. It’s one of the most planet-friendly transport options too. Most trains in Switzerland are electric, with each journey producing 27 times less CO₂ emissions than the equivalent private car journey.

Fancy a more active trip? Our walking tours and cycling holidays often use trains to zip you between trailheads and towns. They’ll likely opt for the Swiss Travel Pass – an almost-all-access pass for trains, ferries and buses. If city-hopping is more your cup of mountain thyme tea, that’s very doable by train.

“More people are asking for train-only trips,” says Mojca. “We’re seeing more interest in combining scenic routes with city stops, which train travel makes super easy.”

Most trains in Switzerland are electric, with each journey producing 27 times less CO? emissions than the equivalent private car journey.

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What are the most scenic train rides in Switzerland?

Glacier Express

It’s mountains all the way on the Glacier Express, which rolls through the heart of the Swiss Alps on a route connecting the mountain towns of Zermatt and St Moritz, passing the Rhone Glacier. Highlights include the 2,033m-high Oberalp Pass, towering Landwasser Viaduct, and a series of wide, looping tracks that ease the train up steep inclines. Due to the terrain, the Glacier Express is billed as ‘the slowest express train in the world’ – which means all the more time for admiring the views through the widescreen windows.

Pilatus Railway

The Pilatus Railway is the world’s steepest cogwheel train. At its most death-defying point, it cranks up Mount Pilatus at 48°… but don’t worry, it’s also been safely doing so since 1889. Hop on at Alpnach village near Lake Lucerne, pass craggy rock formations, forests and meadows, and disembark near the Esel summit. Here, you can explore the myth-wreathed Dragon Trail, zoom around on the toboggan run, and peruse chalet restaurants and panoramic bars.

Jungfrau Railway

Swiss engineers never do anything by halves, so here’s another record-breaker – a trip to the highest train station in Europe. En route, you’ll have travelled over 7km uphill, tunnelling through mountain giants like the Eiger before arriving at Jungfraujoch (3,454m). Take a walk on the perpetually snowy viewing platform for panoramas over the ever-retreating Aletsch Glacier. At over 20km long, it’s the largest glacier in the Alps. Explore the ice gallery, pop by Lindt’s highest chocolate shop, and sip a glacier-blue cocktail at the restaurant while watching the ant-trails of mountaineers far below in the snow.

Gornergrat Railway

The legendary mountaineering and skiing base of Zermatt has another trick up its sleeve – the Gornergrat Railway. This is another peak-reacher, finishing at a station just below the top of Gornergrat Mountain. Poor Gornergrat finds itself overshadowed, however, by the 4,000m-plus peaks crowding all around, including the mighty Matterhorn. There’s the usual plethora of mountain activities here, including excellent walking paths that connect the stations. “Absolutely loved walking… between stops on the Gornergrat Railway,” says our traveller Rebecca Garber. “Seeing the Matterhorn was amazing.”

Schynige Platte Railway

Exhausted by epic views? The alpine gardens and tinkling soundtrack of cowbells of the Schynige Platte are a calm palate cleanser. The views are still dramatic, mind you – but you’ll spy them from the gentler, not-quite-2,000m mountains of the Bernese Highlands. Plus, you’ll be carried up from Wilderswil, on the edge of Interlaken, in restored Belle Epoque carriages. Grab a bite to eat at the century-old panoramic restaurant still serving classics like smoked chamois and apple pie – sometimes to the sound of live alphorn music.

Lotschberg railway

You could catch a high-speed train from Bern to Brig (and onwards, if you choose, to Domodossola in Italy). Or you could take the slow, scenic route that existed before the Lotschberg Base Tunnel was built. We prefer the latter – not least for its journey of viaducts, loops of spiral tunnels, restored century-old stations, and long, lingering looks over turquoise Lake Thun.

GoldenPass Express

The GoldenPass Express connects the lakeside cities of Montreux and Interlaken. There’s nothing historic about this train – apart from the fact that it’s been in the making for years. Carriages are super-sleek, with cushy seats, luxury ticket options and Lavaux and Valais wines served at your seat. You just have to sit back and watch the scenery transform from the vineyard-striped Vaud Riviera into the snow-dipped Bernese Alps.

Bernina Express

Some of the best rail routes don’t stop at the Swiss border. The Bernina Express journeys from Chur in Switzerland to Tirano in Italy via St Moritz. Sweeping across the high-rise Landwasser Viaduct is a highlight, as is passing alpine glaciers and ticking off 196 bridges. Our Switzerland and Italy rail holidays also offer a route over the border to Lake Como – and then onwards, to Verona and Veneto. Venice is a fitting finale, as the train rolls across the Venetian Lagoon to the central station perched next to the Grand Canal.

Activities beyond the rails

Our rail holidays in Switzerland leave you plenty of time to explore life beyond the train lines. Here’s a taster…

Hiking & cycling

Switzerland is hiking heaven. Follow the Dragon Path on Mount Pilatus or walk amongst the Five Lakes of Zermatt, where the Matterhorn is mirrored in still waters. From Randa station, you can wander through larch woods to the Charles Kuonen Suspension Bridge, a pedestrian suspension bridge almost half a kilometre long. There are cycling options too, including pretty pedals through the UNESCO-listed Lavaux vineyard terraces.

Boat trips & kayaking

Squeezed between lakes Thun and Brienz, Interlaken is a great base for adventures on the water. Cruise to Thun town, admiring precipitous vineyards and medieval castles along the way. Kayaking is another way to explore, with trips aiming for the calmest and clearest corners of the lakes, where the mountains soar above. As a bonus, the lakes remain nice and cool, even in the heat of summer.

City tours

“We’re seeing more interest in combining scenic routes with city stops,” says Mojca, “which train travel makes super easy.” Our Swiss holiday specialists favour central hotels with the train station – and everything else – on the doorstep. In Lucerne, seek out the wooden Chapel Bridge. Montreux is for Chillon Castle, the island base of the royal Savoys. Lausanne, meanwhile, is built across a trio of hills, with a traffic-free old town in easy reach of the Lavaux vineyards. Bern – one of the prettiest capital cities in Europe – is tucked into a bend of the River Aare and has excellent e-biking city tours.

Food & drink

Our Switzerland specialists are poised with recommendations for the best places for fondue or where to pick up handmade chocolate pralines. For a more immersive dive into Swiss delicacies, join a chocolate making class in Interlaken or a wine tasting walk in Lavaux to find out what goes into making some of Switzerland’s culinary must-tries.

Cable cars & funiculars

Haven’t quite had your fill of mountains? Throw in a few cable cars for good measure – to Murren, Grindelwald First, or the Matterhorn glacier. Funiculars are another Swiss favourite, a cableway railway designed to climb some of the steepest slopes, where traditional train lines can’t be laid.

Our travellers also ask…

Are the panoramic trains in Switzerland worth it?

Yes, the panoramic trains are worth it – especially if you time the journey wisely and visit when they’re less busy, in early summer (June) and outside the summer holidays. Some of the most popular tourist trains, including the Glacier Express, are expensive but the experience is an adventure worthy of a splurge.

Is it easy to travel by train in Switzerland?

It’s really easy to travel by train in Switzerland. “Switzerland has the most reliable, clean, and scenic train system in the world,” says Mojca. “It’s like clockwork.” It’s the planning which can get tricky; there’s so much choice! That’s why we recommend booking a rail holiday arranged by our experts who’ll take the hard work off your shoulders, so you can enjoy the journey.

What is the most beautiful scenic train ride in Switzerland?

Many people – including our Swiss rail experts – name the Bernina Express as the most scenic train ride in Switzerland. That said, each alpine line has its charms, so we’d add the Glacier Express, the Jungfrau region network, and lakeside lines from Lucerne and Thun to that list.

What is the best way to travel around Switzerland?

We think train is the best way to travel around Switzerland, thanks to over 5,000km of tourist, heritage, inter-city and regional trains. In fact, public transport in general is a pleasure in Switzerland, thanks to a well connected network of trains, buses, boats and cable cars. With all that choice and flexible transport passes, you can easily mix things up – say, cruise across Lake Thun and catch the equally scenic lakeside train back again.

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Written by Catherine Roberts

Switzerland rail holidays