Switzerland Itinerary

Possible itinerary for a Switzerland only trip or rail trips and hiking. Buy a Swiss Travel Pass Flex.

As I recently discover the extent of cider making in Switzerland, I will look to try lots. Cider production on concentrated in the middle to eastern sections of the country.

Buy and bring back a bottle of Berentzen Apfelkorn (available in most liquor stores) and also a bottle of Mathilde Framboise, if any is still available (no longer listed on Ferrand's website).

Generally travelling from west to east. Fly or ride to Geneva (or Lausanne), leave from Zürich.
Cruise on Lake Geneva from either Geneva or Lausanne then to Montreux
Geneva.> Lausanne > Montreux - by rail or lake steamers
Montreux > Bern > Thun > Interlaken (Gelmerbahn Railway & hang gliding - see below) > Lucerne
Lucerne:
Stanserhorn cable car (take train to Stans)
The "Dragon Ride" cable car or cog railway to Mount Pilatus from Fräkmüntegg
Fräkigaudi toboggan run on Mount Pilatus

Lucerne > Zürich. See the "Things to see and do in Zürich" and "Food and Drink in Zurich" pages.

Possibly go to Liechtenstein to visit the National Museum and tour some of the small villages - see "Little Europe: Liechtenstein" in the video section.

Stanserhorn Cable Car

While in Interlaken try hang gliding with Bumblebee Hang Gliding Interlaken. I saw this on the YouTube channel DownieLive. Cost is CHF260.00.

Home of some of the world's great hiking locations - check out my Swiss walks, Switzerland's 8 Best Day Hikes and More European Hikes on my Fell Walking page. Try hikes in the Appenzell area especially Mount Schäfler. The best ones are in the areas of Zermatt, Interlaken and Appenzell. On hiking in the Bernese Oberland and in area around St. Moritz see the article The 15 most beautiful hikes in Switzerland.

Geneva to Zermatt

Geneva to Lausanne or Vevey by boat

St Moritz to Zurich

Brienz Rothorn Railway

The Brienz Rothorn Railway is a popular mountain route that finishes at a mountaintop restaurant with spectacular views.

 

Mountain Coasters

Besides the Fräkmüntegg toboggan there are seven other mountain coasters in Switzerland.

Rodelbahn Oeschinensee

Moléson Bob-luge

Gurten Rodelbahn

Pfingstegg Toboggan

Alpine Coaster Glacier 3000

Fräkigaudi Toboggan

Feeblitz Rodelbobbahn

Train travel

Switzerland has an extensive rail network. Two of the most scenic rail journeys according to Travelscope host Joseph Rosendo are:
Bernina Express - Chur, Switzerland to Tirano, Italy
St. Moritz to Zermatt Glacier Express (208CHF, 2nd Cl.) or SBB for 78CHF.

Bernina Express map

Glacier Express map

Another scenic railway is the Golden Pass Line that starts in Montreux and ends in Lucerne with side trips to Jungfraujoch and Lenk. Towns along the way are Château d'Oex, Rougemont, Gstaad, Zweisimmen and Interlaken. By regular rail, Montreux can be reached from Geneva, and Lucerne from Zurich. (There is a second website with details on the Golden Pass Line)

Golden Pass - Montreux to Lenk

Golden Pass

Golden Pass route

Golden Pass map

The Rochers-de-Naye Railway starts in Montreux and goes up to a station near the peak of Rochers de Naye mountain, 2,042m (6,699ft).

The Gornergrat Railway goes from the resort town of Zermatt to the Gornergrat Station, the second highest railway station in Switzerland at 3,089m (10,135ft), with a view of 29 peaks above 4,000m (13,123ft) including the Matterhorn (4,478m or 14,692ft).

Gornergrat railway w. view of the Matterhorn

The highest railway station in Switzerland is the Jungfrau station at 3,454m (11,332ft).

Lucerne

FOOD

There are very unusual eating locations near Lucerne. There is a 3-course meal served aboard a cable car going from Weggis to Rigi Kaltbad. The Rigi Tavolata takes place on the edge of a cliff overlooking Lake Lucerne and is held only once a year in August. Tickets are sold by lottery and auction in January.

Weggis to Rigi Kaltbad

Rig Tavolata

Try the Old Swiss House for the best true veal schnitzel, their most popular dish. Located at Löwenplatz 4. Tues-Sat 11:30-14:30 & 18:00-23:30. See the menu here. See video of Schnitzel preparation here.

Accommodations

A good article on places to stay outside of the large towns and cities: 11 Places to Stay in Switzerland for Epic Views of Alpine Peaks and Glittering Lakes.

An interesting mountain guest house is Berggasthaus Aescher.

Berggasthaus Aescher

In Zurich, the St. Gotthard Hotel is a good 4-star hotel only a block from the Hauptbahnhof. It looks very old from the outside but rooms are modern.

Stoos Railway & Fräkmüntegg

Stoos Railway

The steepest railway in the world is the spectacular and innovative Stoos Railway that runs from Schwyz to the mountain village of Stoos. The passenger cabins rotate as the grade increases so that they are always level. At its steepest, the grade is 110% which is an angle of over 45°! It is about a one hour drive from Lucerne, or one and a half hours by train.

Fräkmüntegg toboggan run

Located in Hergiswil, Switzerland, the Fräkmüntegg is one of the longest artificial toboggan runs at 1.35km. It is about a 25 minute drive from Lucerne, or 57 minutes by train. Opne from mid-April to October 22, 10:00-17:30. Here is a video of the run.

Click to view video

Gelmerbahn Funicular Railway

A hair-raising ride over what is really a slow-moving roller coaster, the Gelmerbahn rides through the Swiss wilderness with at one point a 106° plummet. You can either buy a one-way ticket — opting to hike one from the end of the run back down to Handegg — or roundtrip, riding in the cable car back. Cost id CHF18 for one-way and CHF36 for the round trip. It is located near the town of Handeggfallbrücke, about a 53 minute drive from Interlaken. Open from May 26th to October 21st.