Rail Journeys in Europe: Switzerland

Rod Smallwood: Nether Moor Images

Getting to Switzerland is easy – take the RER from the Gare du Nord to the Gare de Lyon and get on the TGV to Genève or Lausanne. Or for a slower start, get off Eurostar at Lille Europe, have moules frites and a good beer for dinner, next day catch the TGV to Lyons and change to the TGV to Genève. Done.

Lac Léman and the Jet d’Eau at Genève.

A paddle steamer on Lac Léman. The young woman left of centre with her leg crossed is sketching the other passengers. First class passengers are on the upper deck.

Framed pastoral view from the Golden Pass Panoramic train between Montreux and Zweisimmen, on the way to Interlaken and the Berner Oberland. Mother and daughter are bored by the view.
The Schynige Platte Railway, climbing from Wilderswil south of Interlaken to the hotel and Alpine Garden at Schynige Platte.
Schynige Platte station and the entrance to the excellent Alpine Garden.
The view north-east from Schynigge Platte.
Looking south from the Schynige Platte Panoramaweg towards the Eiger, Mönch and Jungfrau. The Panoramaweg runs from Schynige Platte to the Berghotel Faulhorn. The dark mass in the middle distance is the Männlichen, reached by cable car from Wengen, with an excellent walk to Kleine Scheidegg.
Eiger, Mönch and Jungfrau from the Panoramaweg.
The Faulhorn (2680m) and Simelihorn (2751m). The Berghotel Faulhorn is just visible on the summit of the Faulhorn.
Early morning at the Berghotel Faulhorn. View north over the Simelihorn to the Schreckhorn (4078 m) and Finsteraarhorn (4274 m).
The Berghotel Faulhorn – the oldest Alpine hotel (1830).
The railcar from Grütschalp to Mürren – maximum speed 30 km/h. Grütschalp is reached by cable car from Lauterbrunnen.
Eiger, Mönch and Jungfrau from the high level path between Grütschalp and Mürren. The best views are when walking towards Mürren – use the railcar for the return journey.
Eigerglescher Station on the Jungfraubahn, with the Eiger and Eigerglescher behind.
The Mont Blanc Express to the Chamonix valley at Martigny.
The Glacier du Trient from the path between Trient and the Fenêtre d’Arpette on the Walkers’ High Level Route from Chamonix to Zermatt.
The Fenêtre d’Arpette – you will not be lonely on the Walkers’ High Level Route.
The Matterhorn (4478m) and the Gornergrat Bahn.
Anna views the Gornergrat panorama – Monte Rosa, Liskamm, Castor, Pollox, Briethorn, Klein Matterhorn and Matterhorn. This is a 180° panorama – hence the curved glacier.
The Matterhorn from the Schwartzsee, with the chapel by the waterside.
The chapel at Schwartzsee.
The Matterhorn and Dente Blanche (4357 m).
View north from Schwartzsee towards the Mischabel (4545m).

Travel details

Genève and Lausanne can be reached on the same day from London. The TGVs from the Gare de Lyon travel south very quickly before slowing down through the Jura – book an upper deck seat and enjoy the scenery. For the Berner Oberland you need to get to Interlaken from Montreux, which is further east along Lac Léman (Lake Geneva). Continuing on from Montreux, the Rhône Valley heads roughly south until Martigny, where it turns through a right-angle and heads north-east. The Mont Blanc Express is a marvellous slow journey into the Chamonix valley. Further east, the Postbus from Sion will take you to Arolla, and at Visp you change to the train for car-less Zermatt.

Dawdling is recommended – a stop in Paris is difficult to resist. The alternative route to Genève is via Lille or Lyon, both of which are worth a stop – for me, Lille is moules frites and beer, Lyons is Haute Cuisine. Genève has situation, paddle-steamers on Lac Léman, and snow-covered mountains on the horizon – and good food. Lausanne rises steeply from the lake, and the whole of the north side of the lake is vineyards.

Interlaken, as the name suggests, is on the flat ground between two lakes. To the south are the great north walls of the Eiger, Mönch and Jungfrau, with wonderful and accessible walking. From Interlaken, the Berner Oberland Bahn heads south, dividing at Zweilütschinen, one half of the train going to Grindelwald and the other half to Lauterbrunnen. From Grindelwald, a train goes up to Kleine Scheidegg, which is also reached by a train which climbs from Lauterbrunnen through car-less Wengen. From Kleine Scheidegg the train tunnels through the Eiger to the highest station in Europe, on the Jungfraujoch. Across the road from the station in Lauterbrunnen, a double-deck cable-car, with a freight truck on the lower deck, ascends to Grütschalp. From there, a railcar, towing the freight truck, trundles along a shelf high above the valley to Mürren, another car-less resort. If you get off the Lauterbrunnen train at Wilderswil, you can take the historic Schynige Platte Bahn up to the hotel at the beginning of the Panoramaweg.

At Zermatt, the Gornergratbahn goes up to the hotel on the Gornergrat, and wandering back down to one of the lower stations gives wonderful views from Monte Rosa round past the Matterhorn to the Mischabell. Cable cars acess high-level walking to the south, closer to the Matterhorn.

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