Switzerland, 2026
In July, 2026, I took a trip to Switzerland. I flew to Zurich and took the train to Luzern, Interlaken, Montreux, Lausanne, Zermatt, Pontresina, Zurich, then flew back.
Before my trip, I had calculated how much each train ticket would cost. The Swiss Travel Pass cost 599 CHF and provides free local and long distance train tickets, but only provides 50% discount on mountain trains, gondolas, cogwheels, cable cars. The Swiss Half Fare Card costs 150 CHF and provides 50% off all transport – local and long distance trains, mountain trains, gondolas, cogwheels, cable cars. In the end, it seemed slightly cheaper to buy the Swiss Half Fare Card with some advance discounted point-to-point tickets and some advance discounted day passes. The disadvantage with using the Half Fare Card was that I had to look out for discounted advance tickets, and those are restricted to a specific day/time, which does not give much flexibility. Also, if you make a mistake and get on the wrong train, you have to buy another ticket, but with the Swiss Travel Card, you are covered. Downloading the SBB Mobile App may help with planning and purchasing tickets. The code required for using 2 factor authenticating with credit cards works better with the app than on the website. Planning the train journey can be done on the app or using the ticket machine in the station. Pay attention to the departure time, the platform number and the ‘direction’, which is the train’s final destination. When the train pulls in, it shows the final destination and some of the stops, not all of them. You may be getting off at one of the intermediary stops, and it may not be shown, so it is important to note the final destination, to figure out which train to get on.
I arrived in Zurich, walked to the airport train station and took the train to Winterthur, which is where my hotel was. Winterthur is cheaper than Zurich but the airport is between Winterthur and the Zurich central station. It was late and I had a hard time finding the hotel. Google Maps took me on a roundabout way to the back of the hotel, to a door that was locked. At first I was afraid that the desk was not 24H, but then I realized I just needed to walk around to the front. The hotel is actually very close to the station. I just needed to cross the road in front of the station, and walk straight ahead, but Googler Maps messed me up. Zurich Airport station is called Zurich Flughafen, and the main Zurich central station is called Zurich HB
The next day, I took the train to Rhine Falls. I then took the train to Schaffhausen, a pretty little town, that was close by. The Tellenbrunnen Fountain in Schaffhausen has a statue of William Tell, who is a symbol of the free Swiss. I walked to Munot, the city fortifications. There’s over 200 steps to get inside Munot, which is free. Schaffhausen has a lot of fountains and interesting architecture.
The next day, I took the train to Luzern. The hotel was a 10 minute walk from the station, but because I had luggage, I took the bus. A guy wearing an official looking high visibility vest told me the bus was free, but I don’t think it was, though no-one was checking tickets. Throughout Switzerland, I noticed that they frequently checked tickets on trains but never on the bus. When leaving Luzern, I walked, instead of taking that bus.
After checking in, I started walking around Luzern. I walked to the Kapelbrucke, the Chapel Bridge, a pretty covered bridge decked out in flowers, with triangular paintings on the gables. Some of the paintings were destroyed in a fire. Across the river, my next stop was the Jesuitenkirche, the Jesuit Church. I then walked to another covered bridge, the Spreerbrucke, which also has triangular paintings on the gables. Luzern has a lot of buildings with interesting architecture. I then went to the Lowendenkmal, the Lion Monument. This is a memorial to the Swiss Guards who served as part of the Royal Household of France, and were killed during the French Revolution. The inscription on the monument reads ‘in praise of the loyal bravery of the Swiss Guard’. The monument has a dead or dying lion, with the Fleurs-de-lis, the symbol of the Kingdom of France, the House of Bourbon, on the crest, and a broken spear in the lion’s back. The Altes Rathaus or Town Hall, was the former Kornmarkt, or Grain Exchange or Corn Market.
The next day, I went to Pilatus Kulm. I took the train to Alpnachstad. I did not buy advance tickets to Pilatus Kulm, which was a mistake. The tickets are timed, and I ended up having to wait at Alpnachstad for almost 2 hours for the next available time slot. I bought a roundtrip ticket that went up on the cog railway, and returned by the cable car and gondola. With a gradient of up to 48%, and a journey of about 30 minutes, it is supposed to be the steepest cogwheel railway in the world. Sit on the left, facing downhill. I did two of the hikes rated medium. They are not really hikes, just stairs. The last section of one was a metal ladder. On the way back, I took the Dragon Ride Cable Car from Pilatus Kulm to Frakmuntegg, then transferred to the Panorama Gondola from Frakmuntegg to Kriens via Krienseregg. At Kriens, follow the signs to Luzern Bus, don’t take the bus in front of the gondola station.
The next day, I went to Mt Titlis. I took the train to Engelberg. There is a free bus to the Titlis Visitor Center. The ticket includes 3 gondolas that take you to the top. The last one is a rotating gondola. The ticket also includes the Glacier Cave and the Cliff Walk (suspension bridge), and the ability to walk in the snow. I paid extra to ride the Ice Flyer. One of the gondolas stops in Trubsee, where there is zip lining, sledding and other activities. In Trubsee, I did a short hike to a waterfall.
Luzern has some remaining city walls and towers. I think you can walk up 4 of these towers. The towers have several levels, with steep, narrow stairs. I got there just before 6:30 pm and they close at 7:00, so I was only able to climb up the Schirmerturm, walk along the walls to Zytturm or Clock Tower and climb up that one.
The next day, I took the Luzern Interlaken Express, a segment of the Golden Pass train from Luzern to Interlaken Ost. Tickets can be booked on Zentralbahn. Seat reservations are not required, but are recommended during peak times. I walked around town. There was a Catholic and Protestant church standing side by side. Casino Kursaal has a pretty functioning flower clock. I took the funicular up to Harder Kulm and saw some great views of Lake Thun and Lake Brienz.
The next day, I took the train to Bern. The city has a lot of fountains where you can fill up your water bottle with clean, cold, drinking water. I went to the Barengraben, the Bear Pits, where a couple of bears were walking around.
On the way back from Bern, I got off at Thun. I went to Schloss Thun, Thun Castle. I didn’t think the interior was worth the entrance fee. Untere Schleuse, Lower Lock is a covered bridge over a lock system. People surf at this place.
The next day, I took the train from Interlaken Ost to Brienz (not Brienz West). The ferry dock is right next to the station. I took the ferry to Glessbach See, and the funicular to the hotel near the Glessbach Falls. I hiked to the first bridge to see the falls, then hiked to the second bridge that is behind the falls, then continued on the trail, and came back to the hotel.
From Brienz, I took the train to Lauterbrunnen. From the station, I walked along the road, to Staubbach Falls. There was a trail that was supposed to go to the back of the falls. It was long and steep, and ended in metal steps, followed by rock steps, but it did not go behind the falls and was a waste of time. I decided to continue on the road, walking past Staubbach Falls, and saw a few more waterfalls. I then saw a lot of people headed towards Trummelbach Falls. It had an entrance fee, but it was very unusual. It is a series of 10 powerful cascading waterfalls inside caves. It is the largest underground waterfalls in Europe. It is formed by the glacier water of the Eiger, Monch and Jungfrau, 20,000 litres of water per second.
The next day, I took the Golden Pass Express from Interlaken Ost to Montreux. Tickets can be booked on GPX.swiss. Seat reservations are required. Sit on the right, if possible. I took a train to Lausanne, and walked around Lausanne, after checking in to my hotel.
The next day, I took the train to Veytaux Chillon, and walked to Chillon Castle. I had two days in Montreux and Lausanne, but there wasn’t that much to see. I could have gone to Chillon the afternoon of the first day, and either left the second day, or gone to Geneva the second day.
The next day, I took the train from Lausanne to Zermatt, changing at Visp. I walked to Gornerschlucht, or Gorner Gorge. Glacial melt rushes through this gorge, with force and volume. You can walk through the gorge, using steps and platforms. This water then ends up in a loud and fast river that runs through the middle of Zermatt town. Hinterdorf is the old part of town and has some nice old wooden houses on stilts. In summer, shepherds walk Valais Blackneck goats through Zermatt, to and from Alpine pastures, in the morning and evening. This is not a tourist show, but is part of everyday life. They can be seen just outside the train station and outside St Mauritius Church, around 9:00 am and 5:00 pm.
The next day, I went to Matterhorn Glacier Paradise. There is a free Green Line bus that departs from just outside the Zermatt train station, and goes to the Matterhorn Tallstat. There is a good view of the Matterhorn at the Tallstat. Take the Matterhorn Express gondola to Klein Matterhorn. The ticket covers several stages. The first stage is a gondola from Zermatt to Furi. The second stage is another gondola from Furi to Schwarszee. Walk to the lake and take a photo. The third stage is a gondola from Schwarszee to Trockener Steg. Walk to a small glacier lake right next to the cable car station. The final stage is a larger gondola from Trockener Steg to the summit. This last stage can be upgraded to a glass bottomed gondola called Crystal Ride. At the summit, there is an observation deck with good views of the Matterhorn. The ticket also includes entrance to Glacier Palace, that has ice sculptures.
The next day, I went to Gornergrat. The Gornergrat Bahn station is across the street from the Zermatt train station. Sit on the right, going up. The cogwheel train stops at several stations along the way. Get off at Rotenboden station and take the Riffelseeweg trail to Lake Riffelsee. You can get a good reflection of the Matterhorn in the lake. At Gornergrat, the first viewpoint shows Gorner Glacier. Walk in the direction of the hotel and take the winding walkway up. The 2nd viewpoint, at the back of the hotel, shows Lake Ruinsee. Continue on to the 3rd viewpoint. At the end, there is a narrow hiking path called Rundwanderweg. There is a Zoom the Matterhorn VR experience, and a small chapel.
The next day, I took the Glacier Express from Zermatt to Pontressina, via Desentis and Chur. Tickets can be bought on SBB.CH. Just outside Desentis, you can see the Benedictine monastery. Seat reservations are required. Sit on the right side. After Chur, the train changes directions. Just before Filisur, you will see the Landvasser viaduct on the right. This is probably the slowest express train in the world. Meals and drinks can be purchased, and will be served at your seat.
The next day, I took the train to Bernina Diavolezza and the cable car to the top. On the way back, I got off at Alp Grum which has some lovely views from the station. I then took the train to Filisur, and walked 20 minutes to the upper Landvasser Viaduct viewpoint. The trail to the upper viewpoint is shorter. There is a longer and steeper trail to the lower viewpoint, which may give a better perspective on how big this viaduct is. I had to wait about 30 minutes for a train to cross the viaduct. I then took the train to St Moritz, where I walked around the lake and through town and saw the Leaning Tower of St Moritz.
The next day, I took the Bernina Express from Pontressina to Tirano. Tickets can be purchased on SBB.CH. Seat reservations are required. There is one coach where you can sit without seat reservations. Sit on the right, as far back as possible. Just before Tirano, in Brusio, the train takes the circular viaduct, where you can see the front and rear coaches. I did not buy seat reservations on the return journey, and sat in the coach that did not require reservations. In Tirano, the Bernina Express runs like a tram, through town, near the Basilica Madonna di Tirano.
The next day, I took the train back to Zurich. I checked in, then took the train to Zurich main station and walked through town a little, seeing Fraumunster, St Peter’s Kirche, and Lake Zurich.
The next day, I flew back home.
