Switzerland by Rail

In late May - early June 2026 I traveled to Switzerland for a two-weeks tour with Great Rail Journeys. What a terrific trip, and what a wonderful country to visit. Clean, scenically beautiful, a model for efficiency and a high quality of life, and a country with excellent rail service and spectacularly scenic trail journeys. I arrived in Zurich several days early and explored the city, walking the narrow streets of the Old Town (Altstad), going to the opera, and enjoying sipping water from the 1200 public fountains in the city, all providing cool, refreshing, potable water. I joined the tour in Winterthur and our rail journeys began, a different journey each day. From Wintherthur we travelled to Grindelwald, one of the lovliest towns I saw on the trip, located in a valley surrounded by mountains. I took the gondola ride up First Mountain to do the Cliff Walk and view the gorgeous scenery. From Grindelwald I travelled to Kleine Scheldeeg then took the Jungfrau Railroad to the world's highest rail station (at 11,332 feet). The train traveled through a 6 mile tunnel (which took 14 years to build) inside the mountain. When I arrived at Jungfraujoch, the world's highest rail station, i viewed the Aletsch Glacier (the largest and longest glacier in Switzerland). I travelled up to the Sphinx Tower to view the Eiger, the Jungfrau, and other alp peaks. I walked through the Ice Palace with walkways and chambers cut inside a glacier, and then explored the Glacier Plateau (yet more glorious mountain scenery). The next day I travelled on the Golden Pass Express to Vevey on Lake Geneva. There I visited the ancient Chateau (Castle) de Chillon. The following day I took the train through the pretty Matter Valley to Zermatt, a resort known for skiin, climbing, and hiking. It is located near the Matterhorn, one of Switzerland's highest mountains at 13,435 feet. At Zermatt I took the Matterhorn Glacier Paradise cable car to the highest observatory in all of Europe. The next day I took the Gornergrat Mountain Railway to the second highest railway station in Europe. It was a gorgeous day and I saw some of the tallest mountains in the Swiss Alps (Monte Rosa and Liskamm) and had wonderful views of the Matterhorn free of cloud cover. On the following day I boarded the famous Glacier Express for a spectacular 5+ hour train ride to Chur. The train went through 91 tunnels and over 291 bridges!. At Chur I travelled by bus to the spa town of Bad Ragaz where I hiked halfway up the Tamina Gorge. The next day I travelled on the Bernina Express from Chur to Tirano, Italy, then got on the Bernina Express Bus for a 3-hour bus ride across N. Italy and by Lake Como, to the Swiss resort town of Lugano on Lake Lugano. The Glacier Express and the Bernina Express are rated as two of the five most scenic rail journeys in the world. The next day I went by boat on Lake Lugano to the quaint coastal village of Gandria. The lovely village is perched on a hillside, is car free, and has narrow streets with lots of steps. From Gandria I hiked on the Olive Trail (Sentiero dell Olivo) to the town of Castagnola, and then on to Lugano. The next day I took another spectacular train ride with views of beautiful Swiss countryside, the Gotthard Panorama Express, from Lugano to Fluelen. At Fluelen I boarded a vintage paddle steamer for a 3-hour boat trip across Lake Lucerne to the beautiful city of Luzern. Then, I returned to Zurich for another day of exploring, before heading home. What a trip! What a scenically gorgeous country! What imposing mountains! What a great destination for those who enjoy travelling by train! Here are just a few photos of a very memorable trip.