Discovering Switzerland by rail: the most beautiful train routes through the Alps

There are countries best explored by car, and there are countries where the train will take you to places you would never find otherwise. Switzerland overwhelmingly falls into that second category. With a rail network that extends into the smallest mountain villages and panoramic routes that take you past glaciers, mountain lakes and wide valleys, a train trip through Switzerland is an experience you won’t soon forget. Alpine country combines Swiss precision with overwhelming scenery. Best of all, you can enjoy it from your seat.

Whether you are a seasoned train traveler or are considering leaving your car at home for the first time: in this article, we take you through the most beautiful routes, most useful tips and most special destinations for a train vacation in Switzerland.

The Glacier Express and Bernina Express: two routes not to be missed

If you think of train travel in Switzerland, the Glacier Express quickly comes to mind. This train, charmingly nicknamed “the slowest express train in the world,” covers the 291-kilometer route between Zermatt and St. Moritz in about eight hours. Along the way, you pass 291 bridges and 91 tunnels, while the landscape changes constantly. From deep gorges and snow-capped peaks to green alpine meadows and small villages that seem stuck to the mountain slopes. The highlight – literally – is the Oberalp Pass at 2,044 meters altitude.

The Bernina Express is at least as impressive, but feels completely different. This bright red train runs from Chur to Tirano, Italy, climbing over the Bernina Pass to an altitude of 2,253 meters. Together with the Albula line, the railroad is part of the UNESCO World Heritage Site “Rhaetian Railway in the Albula/Bernina Landscape. The famous turning viaduct at Brusio, a circular arch bridge from 1908, and the 65-meter-high Landwasserviaduct are highlights that will stay with you. Also special is how the landscape changes in a few hours: from eternal snow to almost Mediterranean warmth in Tirano, Italy.

Both trains are equipped with panorama windows, so you don’t have to miss a detail. A tip: book well in advance, as the most popular periods fill up quickly.

Hidden gems along the trail

Besides the famous panorama trains, Switzerland has an intricate network of regional lines that take you to places most tourists don’t visit. Take the GoldenPass Express, which connects Interlaken with Montreux. The route takes you past Lake Thun, through fashionable Gstaad and finally to the shores of Lake Geneva. Along the way, you constantly change scenery: mountains give way to vineyards, and cows in pastures alternate with medieval castles.

Another recommendation is the Gotthard Panorama Express. This route combines a boat trip on the Vierwaldstättersee with a train ride through the famous Gotthard Tunnel to Italian-speaking Ticino. In Lugano, you suddenly imagine yourself in Italy. Palm trees, pastel-colored facades and a lake glistening in the sunlight. Those who associate Switzerland only with mountains and snow will be pleasantly surprised here.

The Voralpen Express between Lucerne and St. Gallen also deserves a mention. This train winds through the Swiss hilly landscape past Lake Zurich and the Appenzell region, known for its cheese and its unexpectedly wild nature. It’s exactly the kind of route you’ll never find in a travel guide, but which you’ll tell most about afterwards.

Practical: this is how to plan a train tour of Switzerland

Swiss public transportation is known for its punctuality and excellent connections. Trains often run every half hour and generally wait for each other, even in the smallest mountain villages. That makes planning a round trip a lot less stressful than you might expect.

For those who want to keep track, a rail pass is a smart choice. The Swiss Travel Pass gives unlimited access to the Swiss rail network, including buses, boats and many mountain railways. There is also a Swiss Half Fare Card that offers 50 percent discounts on all routes. Which pass is most economical depends on how much you travel and how many excursions you want to take.

From the Netherlands, Switzerland is easily accessible by train. From Amsterdam, Utrecht or Arnhem you take the ICE to Basel, and from there you are in Zurich, Bern or Interlaken within a few hours. That saves a flight, and frankly, the journey there is an experience in itself. By the way, you can also opt for a night train, which will wake you up in the Swiss mountains in the morning. A perfect way to start your vacation.

The most beautiful destinations along the way

A train tour of Switzerland is not only the journey itself, but also the places where you get off. Zermatt, the car-free village at the foot of the Matterhorn, is one such place where you’ll want to stay longer than planned. From here you can take the Gornergrat cogwheel train in 33 minutes to a vantage point at 3,089 meters, with views of 29 peaks above four thousand meters.

Interlaken is another favorite and the perfect base for a day trip to the Jungfraujoch, Europe’s highest train station at 3,454 meters. The cog railway cuts through the Eiger and the Mönch, with a stop halfway up where you can take in the view through windows in the rock face. Above, a world of snow and ice awaits, year-round.

Less obvious, but well worth exploring, is Chur, Switzerland’s oldest city. With its narrow streets, wine bars and museums, it feels like an Italian town that accidentally ended up in the Alps. And Lucerne, on Lake Lucerne, is the ideal combination of culture and nature. Here you can admire the famous Chapel Bridge in the morning and climb to the top of Mount Pilatus on the world’s steepest cog railway in the afternoon.

Why the train makes all the difference

You can explore Switzerland by car, by bike or even on foot. But there’s a reason why the train is so popular here. The country has more than five thousand kilometers of track and one of the densest rail networks in Europe. Almost every village is accessible by public transportation, and the trains take you to places that are simply inaccessible by car. Over mountain passes, along steep cliffs and through tunnels carved more than a century ago.

In addition, train travel in Switzerland is just incredibly comfortable. Whether you’re in first or second class, the seats are spacious, the windows are large and the views are always spectacular. There is no stress about parking lots, mountain roads or gasoline prices. You get in, lean back and let the scenery pass by. And if you want to take a break? Then you get off at the next station, walk around a mountain village and catch the next train an hour later. That flexibility is what makes a train tour of Switzerland so special; it’s traveling at your own pace, with the mountains as your constant companion.

Credits photos: Canva.com