What to expect aboard the Grand Train Tour of Switzerland

From its soaring mountains to its atmospheric cities, Switzerland is one of the prettiest – and most sustainable – places on the planet.

As your train pulls into St. Moritz, there will be a moment when the rest of the world will fade into insignificance. Gazing over the countryside – all impossibly green fields dotted by wide-eyed cows, postcard-perfect mountains, and chocolate-box chalets – you’ll feel like someone has taken off your glasses and polished them for the first time. The colours will seem brighter, the air fresher, the wilderness wilder. Arriving here is like a tonic for the soul, and it makes sense – being in nature heightens all your senses – and being amid nature in Switzerland takes that endorphin rush to the next level.

Flexibility on the Grand Train Tour

If there isn’t enough time available to traverse all eight routes, guests can opt for one or multiple sectors. Travellers can book their own accommodations and stay for as little or as long as they like in each destination, allowing for deeply immersive experiences in a variety of spectacular city, lake and alpine mountain settings.

Zurich to Interlaken (3 hours)

Having explored the delights of Zurich, take an intercity train to Lucerne before boarding the premium Luzern-Interlaken Express with its glorious lake and mountain scenery. Many alpine adventures await in and around Interlaken, with excursions to Brienzer Rothorn, the soaring Jungfraujoch, mountaintop Schilthorn, Harder Kulm funicular, and historic Schynige Platte railway.

Interlaken to Montreux (3 hours)

Explore Lake Thun, the Simmen Valley and Zweisimmen where the GoldenPass Panoramic train takes over, passing castles and meadows of grazing cows, before winding through the hills of Montreux. The vineyards of Lavaux, Chillon Castle, Chaplin’s World and a mountain excursion to Rochers-de-Naye are highlights making Montreux an absolute delight.

Montreux to Zermatt (2.5 hours)

It’s an alpenhorn’s toss from Montreux to Visp, but the journey through the Nikolai Valley – the deepest in Switzerland – is sublime. As the iconic Matterhorn comes into view, the train rises 900 metres in altitude, partly with the help of cogwheel technology. Zermatt’s glamorous and car-free village is the perfect base for exploring the Matterhorn’s vast glaciers.

Zermatt to St. Moritz (8 hours)

The world’s slowest – but surely most beautiful – train sees the fabled Glacier Express weaving through the Swiss Alps and linking these uber-chic, all-year resorts. Travel through the pretty Cantons of Valais, Uri and Grisons as the train traverses 91 tunnels and 291 bridges with majestic views of mountains, deep ravines and valleys.

St. Moritz to Lugano (7 hours)

The lovely Bernina Express to Tirano followed by the onward express bus to Lugano delivers travellers from mountains to lake. Sit back and soak up the scenery as knockout views abound of glaciers, turquoise waterways and verdant valleys.

Lugano to Lucerne (5.5 hours)

The first-class Gotthard Panorama Express takes guests from Mediterranean-style Ticino along the grand Gotthard Panorama Route, before transferring to a boat that glides over Lake Lucerne, surrounded by Switzerland’s traditional heartland and imposing mountains.

Lucerne to St. Gallen (2.5 hours)

Explore Pilatus, Rigi, Stanserhorn and Titlis from Lucerne before boarding the Voralpen-Express through more classic Swiss scenery. The train passes Lake Zurich, Rapperswil – the ‘city of roses’ – and the Sitter Viaduct. At 99 metres, it’s the highest railway bridge in Switzerland.

St. Gallen to Zurich (2.5 hours)

Despite being landlocked, Switzerland has its own ‘maritime’ heritage, best seen by train on a 40-kilometre stretch of Lake Constance shoreline and following the Rhine downstream to Schaffhausen, home to Europe’s largest waterfalls, the Rhine Falls. It’s a fitting finale to an extraordinary round-trip journey from Zurich, and one that delivers Switzerland at its very best.