I tried out all the best trains in Switzerland on a First Class pass

The Swiss make getting around seamless and so enjoyable.

We’re enjoying a bird’s-eye view as we soar down into the valley,   taking in the postcard-pretty   scenery of majestic peaks and lush   pastures dotted with contented   cows, bells clanging as they move   to another mouthful. This is not an   unusual view from a Swiss gondola but what is unusual is that we’re not in the gondola, but on it, the wind in our hair as we fly towards the beautiful town of Wengen.

The Swiss really dig any form of transport that glides or flies along on cables or on tracks, from gondolas to trams and trains. In fact, when it comes to trains, Switzerland holds the record for rail travel, with every Swiss person travelling an average of 2200km by rail per year. And there are a lot of trains to catch. Every day, 11,000 trains travel along around 3000km of track with even the most remote mountain villages accessible by public transport. In the few places trains don’t go, boats and trams and buses do.

My Swiss sojourn starts in Zürich, catching a train from the airport to the city centre, where I seamlessly segue on to a tram to the hotel to drop my bags. Another tram takes me to the Old Town where I stroll through historic streets, watch locals float down the Limmat River on blow-up dolphins, as you do, and have lunch in a tranquil square.

With time I could visit the FIFA Museum or maybe the Kunsthaus – the largest art museum in Switzerland, but today I can manage neither, because I am off to Chur on the InterRegio train, riding in First Class thanks to my 15-day First Class Swiss Travel Pass. Seats are comfy and the views are ridiculous – verdant meadows, children splashing in pristine streams, glassy teal lakes against a backdrop of spiny mountain peaks, and cute-as-a-button chalets complete with flowers cascading from window pots. Very Truman Show in its perfection and par for the course on every train ride thereafter.

Arcas Square in the historic town of Chur.

Switzerland’s oldest city, Chur is in the Graubünden canton and was squabbled over by Celts, Franks and Romans. No wonder, as it is a delightful place with its beautiful buildings, winding alleyways, crystal-clear drinking fountains and an 800-year-old cathedral. From here, we board the Glacier Express panoramic train which runs between St Moritz and Zermatt, with an on-board chef providing gourmet food and wine. Really. We are taking it only as far as Andermatt, but we do feast on the majestic scenery, especially as we go up and over the Oberalp Pass, stopping for a photo op over the idyllic alpine meadows.

In Andermatt, a popular ski town in winter, we go through an old toll gate erected in 1556 to access the Devil’s Bridge over rugged Schöllenen Gorge. While the Reuss River rushes below, trains roll out of a tunnel up above and we pop into an old military tunnel, one of thousands throughout Switzerland.

From Andermatt, we wave goodbye to our luggage as we have every other day – a handy door-to-door luggage transfer service leaves us free to see the sights without dragging pesky suitcases around. We board the Gotthard Panorama Express bound for Lucerne, but at Flüelen, on Lake Lucerne, we disembark and wait for our next mode of transport, a steamboat. Built in 1901, the Uri is the oldest steamboat in the Lake Lucerne Navigation Company’s fleet. It’s an elegant vessel, and it’s fascinating to watch the engine work from the deck above before we head to the restaurant for lunch. The views are enchanting as we stop in some of the many lakeside villages on the way to Lucerne, with a commentary on sights such as Tell’s Chapel – where it is said William Tell escaped from custody after the whole shooting the apple with an arrow incident. Fittingly, the William Tell Overture by Rossini is playing.

Gotthard Panorama Express at Flüelen where passengers switch to steamboat for the Lucerne leg.

After seeing the sights of Lucerne, from its famous Chapel Bridge to the Lion Monument and the Glacier Garden, we stroll to the station and board the Luzern-Interlaken Express, part one of a trilogy of trains to Wengen. We switch to a regional train for the trip up the mountain to Lauterbrunnen, then switch again for the rack railway that clings to the mountain as it chugs up to the car-free, postcard-pretty village of Wengen.

Sitting on a sunny plateau in the shadow of the Jungfrau, Wengen is gobsmackingly gorgeous. Known for the famous Lauberhorn downhill ski races in winter, summer sees visitors hiking the trails to neighbouring villages or up to Kleine Scheidegg. We sensibly take the train, and then climb even higher, riding the cog railway up to the Jungfraujoch’s Top of Europe, perched at a lofty 3454m. This impressive building straddles the peak, and offers an array of experiences on top of its prodigious panoramas. From the Sphinx Terrace, we look out over the river of ice that is the Aletsch Glacier, then go underground to walk through the Ice Palace to see ice sculptures, and explore the Alpine Sensation exhibit – a tribute to how this remarkable railway was built. You can dine up there, and shop at the highest Lindt shop in the world.

The Jungfrau railway is the highest railway line in Europe.

Laden with chocolate, we descend to Grindelwald on the fancy Eiger Express tricable gondola, then board another gondola up to Männlichen. We take the Royal Walk to the crown-shaped lookout, marvel at the views, talk to the cows that wander around up there, and then it is time to experience the Royal Ride. This is the area on top of the gondola that runs from Männlichen to Wengen. Yep – on top. We are safely corralled for the six-minute trip, and take plenty of group selfies with windblown hair and broad smiles.

From Wengen, we train it back to Interlaken to board the GoldenPass Express. Running between Interlaken and Montreux, this train’s Premier Class is impressive, as is the train itself. Operating since December 2022, it can run on two different gauges, with the wheels able to expand or contract. Previously, passengers had to change trains. We alight in Gstaad, another ski haven for A-listers, royals and VIPs. We hike around a lake, have dinner atop a mountain, and go underground to discover a cheese cave, walls crammed with wheels from local farmers.

Back above ground we sit at a fondue table looking out to the mountain peaks that surround Gstaad and its villages. Dipping fresh bread into a bubbling pot of Swiss cheese feels like the perfect way to end our trip, before heading to the airport. By train, of course.

The writer was a guest of Switzerland Tourism and the Swiss Travel System.

Royal Ride gondola from Männlichen to Wengen.

How to get to Switzerland

Etihad flies from Australia to Abu Dhabi with easy connections to Zurich and Geneva. Trains operate from the airport. 

Where to stay in Switzerland

Andermatt: Radisson Blu Hotel Andermatt.

Wengen (Jungfrau): Hotel Regina.

Lucerne: Grand Hotel Europe Lucerne.

Gstaad: Golfhotel les Hauts de Gstaad & Spa in Saanenmöser.

Best way to travel around Switzerland

The Swiss Travel Pass provides unlimited travel by train, bus, and boat as well as free entry to 500 museums. Purchase a pass for three, four, six, eight or 15 consecutive days. To take advantage of all the panoramic trains, take the Grand Train Tour of Switzerland. 

Originally published as I tried out all the best trains in Switzerland on a First Class pass