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Day 2 All-day round trip to Tirano, Italy, on the Bernina Express. It’s the best train ride in Europe. Enjoy lunch at an open-air cafe in Tirano. Swiss currency is accepted. Day 3 Day 4 At Zermatt cross the street to the Gornergrat Railway station and buy a ticket to Gornergrat (showing your Swiss Pass will get you a discount). Nearly all the way up the Matterhorn, the icon of Switzerland, is visible from the train windows. Day 5 Interlaken has two stations, West and Ost (East). Most of the hotels in Interlaken are nearer the West station. In the afternoon, explore the town or ride trains and funiculars to the mountain village of Mürren for a spectacular view of the Jungfrau massif: train to Interlaken West, train to Lauterbrunnen, funicular to Grütschalp, and another train to Mürren. Day 6 Day 7 Depending on the weather in Luzern, visit the Swiss Transportation Museum (take a route 6 or 8 trolleybus from the station — your Swiss Pass covers the fare) or board a boat at the station quay for Vitznau, about an hour down the Lake of the Four Woodland Cantons. At Vitznau, buy a ticket to the summit of Mount Rigi and down the other side to Arth-Goldau (your Swiss Pass gives you a discount). Ride a red train to the summit, spend some time there then ride a blue train down the other side to Arth-Goldau, where you can get a train back to Luzern (three trains each hour; travel time is 25 to 30 minutes). Day 8
Copyright © 2001 George H. Drury Switzerland
by Train, Boat, Cable, Bus Something you didn't find? Search us! Questions about planning a similar
trip? Comments for the author? George Drury has been traveling by train on his own and as a group tour leader throughout North America and Europe since 1961. He has written rail travel articles for Trains Magazine, Vintage Rails, International Railway Traveler, and Rail Travel Newsletter. During his tenure at Kalmbach Publishing Co., publisher of Trains and Model Railroader magazines, he compiled or edited most of the books in Kalmbach's Railroad Reference Series. George is also the author of The Railfan Guide to Germany, The Railfan Guide to Britain and Ireland and, most important to us, The Railfan Guide to Switzerland. If you're not yet a railroad enthusiast, Switzer Land is the best place to start a new hobby. Whether new to enjoying railroads or an old hand, the Railfan Guide is invaluable in getting the most out of your time on and around Switzerland's railroads. We're grateful to George for providing this article for our readers. Would you like to add an article about your travel experiences in Europe? It's easy to do. Our Favorites Trip Tips and Tools Published August 16, 2001 Traveling
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witzerland is a theme park for people who
like trains, no matter what their degree of enthusiasm. Trains of different sizes, colors,
and gradients take you to different parts of Switzer Land: Wine Land (the Rhône Valley),
Cheese Land (Emmental and Gruyère), and The Real Matterhorn — and all of it looks
like Heidi Land. Switzer Land has quaint villages, sophisticated cities, and dining and
shopping that outclass anything you’ll find in an American theme park. The park staff
are helpful and speak several languages, including English. Switzer Land is as clean as
Disneyland. 
our first contact with this paradise might
well be glossy tour brochures that promise you the great little alpine trains of
Switzerland along with three square meals each day and a bed in a three-star hotel each
night. You read further and discover that a deluxe motor coach will meet you at the
Zürich airport and take you from one train to the next. 
ow does all this work? It’s a
combination of the 
he Swiss Pass is a transportation
ticket that is valid for 4, 8, 15, or 30 days of travel on Swiss railroads, postal buses,
city buses, streetcars, and lake boats. In addition it yields a discount on most of the
cog railways, funiculars, and aerial cable cars. While it’s possible to buy the Swiss
Pass in the U.S., it costs less if you buy it in Switzerland — it’s available at
principal rail stations (they accept credit cards). Reservations are necessary only on the
Bernina Express and Glacier Express trains; otherwise simply board and choose a seat. Here
is an eight-day, bare-minimum itinerary that will show you the best of Switzerland by
train. 
ight days is adequate to see Switzerland,
but it’s nowhere near enough. There’s plenty to occupy you for two weeks and
even bring you back again.