The Romance of Swiss Trains
By Chris Wildgen, McMaster Alumna, travel writer, photographer and tour leader.
From the everyday commute to the weekend getaway, Swiss trains are emblematic of Switzerland, and for good reason. They connect you all parts of Switzerland to experience the different languages — Romansch in the Grisons, Italian in the Ticino, French in Vaud, Neuchatel and Valais, and German in the north — local cuisine, culture, lifestyle, history and urban and rural activities such as alpine hiking and skiing.
It’s not just the destinations that make me nostalgic for Swiss trains — the journeys traverse stunning landscapes, on trains that vary in character and to and from unique train stations, conveniently located to connect you to your destination or to onward journeys.
In train stations like the Zurich Hauptbahnof, I bought flaky croissants and dark bread rolls at the bakery, wine at the shop, and sometimes ate at the excellent restaurant. In Luzern, I used the escalators outside the train station to access the underground shopping area, coming up the escalators to arrive at the lake or old town, avoid the street crossings above.
From Zurich, I took trains all over Switzerland, from the Rhine Falls near Schaffhausen in the north — with a stop in Wintherthur for its art museum — to St. Moritz in the Engadin for a weekend.
From the other direction, the Bernina Express goes fromTirano in Italy to St. Moritz, on railway tracks that are the highest and steepest in the world and that go from palm trees to glaciers. It doesn’t matter from which direction I reach St. Moritz I arrive early enough (before 10 am) to eat a weissburger.
Another touristic train, The Glacier Express, goes from St. Moritz to Zermatt, where one can take a tram from Tasch to Zermatt and then ride the highest cogwheel railway in the world to the 3,048 meter Alpine ridge of Gornergrat. Weather permitting, this provides the best view of the Matterhorn! Unfortunately for me, it snowed but I enjoyed the beautiful mountain view for the 10 minutes of sunshine!
To get to Zermatt by car, the simplest way is to load it onto the Lötschberger train, going from Bern to Tasch and then leaving the car in a parking lot, taking the tram into Zermatt.
The Panorama Express goes from Interlaken through the Alps to Montreux, home of the world-famous annual jazz festival, and for Queen fans, a statue of Freddie Mercury and the stories that From Montreux, a boat or a train goes Geneva or Lausanne, or to Villeneuve to visit the historically important Chillon Castle.
All trains of course can connect with places such as Zermatt, Villars, Crans-Montana for access to alpine hiking, perhaps followed by a fondue dinner with local wine, and for dessert the local William Pear eau-de-vie.
Short day trips are easy from Zurich, with so many destinations in less than two hours. As I have a propensity to go to places because of food, I went to Appenzell for the Appenzeller cheese. It is a beautiful, fresh, pre-Alpine town set among rolling hills, with ornate Swiss chalet-style architecture. After wandering around and stopping for lunch and coffee, I purchased cheese to take with me. I learned by experience that this is not a cheese to be opened on a train — its strong smell almost knocked me out of my seat and lingered for a while.
Another easy one-hour trip from Zurich took me to Luzern where I walked the 1,000-year-old wooden bridge and ate the local specialty of Chugeli Pastetli, a hearty dish in a delicate dome pastry. A 15-minute walk took me to the Lion Monument and then I ended the day back in Old Town at the Stadtkeller Restaurant for a fondue dinner that began with fondue accompanied by a fun and interactive dinner show.
In Luzern, the large arch in from of the modern station is a piece of history and an example of the ingenuity of Swiss engineering. In front of the new station, the façade of the previous train station was kept to discreetly provide air ventilation to the parking lot beneath it.
The more that I think and write about Swiss trains, the more I appreciate their role in connecting all aspects of Switzerland, its engineering skill, history, accomplishments, food, culture and lifestyle. And when in doubt about what to experience, I know that I can count on the train offices to give me suggestions and to help me when I need it.
After an international career in sports medicine and sales and marketing, McMaster graduate Chris Wildgen is following her dream of connecting with people and diving into local cultures around the world through travel. Now a digital nomad, Chris is a travel writer, photographer and tour leader. With a natural flair for languages, she can converse in German, French, Italian, Spanish and English. Visit her site www.travelbetterlivebetter.com.
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