Page 35 - Dreamscapes Magazine | Fall/Winter 2024

SMOOTH RAILING
The best, most Swiss way to see Switzerland is by train BY KAREN BURSHTEIN
Thanks to perfectly coordinated departures and connections, you can criss-cross Switzerland with ease. No need to rent a car in Switzerland. An all-in-one ticket, the Swiss Travel Pass from the SBB (Swiss Federal Railways), will take you into every cranny of the country with unlimited travel by train, bus and boat. One trip might include rail travel, a steam- boat ride, Wi-Fi-equipped buses and a cable car, all seamlessly linked and fabulously scenic. Talk about convenience (on-board restaurants and luggage service), glorious vistas, free admission to over 500 museums, and the Swissness of it all!
The Swiss Rail Icons
The Swiss are as familiar with their iconic train journeys as they are with their own family names. These routes are among the world’s greatest train experiences.
One wondrous rail journey is the GoldenPass Express, linking Montreux to Interlaken. Although a newer addition to the Swiss rail network, it has been a century in the making. With innovative variable-gauge bogies, this route adapts to different track gauges seamlessly. The three-hour-and-15-minute trip offers a changing panorama—snow-dusted peaks, lush vineyards, castles, quaint chalets, and piercing blue lakes. You can stop in the glitzy alpine village of Gstaad for a hike in the summer, or for
DID YOU KNOW?
With the Swiss Family Card, children under the age of
16 enjoy free travel when accompanied by a parent who has a Swiss Travel Pass or Swiss Half Fare Card.
skiing in the winter; indulge in raclette tasting by an open fire, or watch hot air balloons at Château-d’Oex in January. Trains operate year- round. Reserve an all-leather seat in Prestige Class for an elevated view.
The Gotthard Panorama Express from Lucerne to Lugano is an unforgettable three-and-a-half- hour trip that starts with a steamboat cruise in Lake Lucerne and switches to a train with first-class experiences. Within that time, prep for diverse Swiss scenery from snowy mountains to palm trees observed from huge panoramic windows.
The Bernina Express, a train and bus adventure, running since the early 20th century, remains a bucket-list journey. No fun-fair ride can match the thrills this train and Bernina
Express Bus offers from Tirano to Lugano. The train tackles 180-degree curves beneath glaciers and climbs 2,300 metres to the Bernina Pass summit. Upon arrival, savour lunch or dinner in a charming piazza. How perfect is that day? DS
TRAVEL PLANNER
For Swiss Travel Pass reservations and the complimentary Swiss Family Card, visit myswitzerland.com/rail and for the best train itineraries, see myswitzerland.com/ grandtraintour
FALL/WINTER 2024 DREAMSCAPES 35
PHOTOS: SWITZERLAND TOURISM/ROB LEWIS | SWITZERLAND TOURISM/PETER PFEIFFER | JOBERSIER-AGENCEB