Swiss Rail Adventure

We’re now back from an amazing holiday to Switzerland with Great Rail Journeys. Since we’ve travelled a lot, we wanted something different to celebrate our Golden Wedding Anniversary in June. There was a touch of nostalgia about it too, as we had visited the country the year after we were married.

This was a very different experience as we travelled as part of a group, with a tour guide ensuring we all got on, and off, the correct trains of which there were many, although we both love rail travel! Once through Paris after arriving by Eurostar, we had an overnight stay at the pretty little town of Colmar on the French German border.

The next eight days in Switzerland were full-on with an itinerary that involved three nights in the beautiful Alpine town Chur, then four nights in Brig. In between we had two very famous scenic rail journeys: the Bernina Express and the Glacier Express. Both involved many stunning mountain views and pretty valleys, plus numerous bridges and tunnels.

Other highlights, besides all the different trains, included:

• A breath-taking ride husband and I took on two cable cars to the mountain top at Chur, the first larger carriage accompanied by lots of young people and their bikes!

• The Gornergrat cogwheel train up from Zermatt, to a high altitude with a view of the Matterhorn, where it snowed while we were eating lunch at the outside café.

• A visit to beautiful Spiez by Lake Thun where we could visit the old castle and ancient simple church, followed by an aperitif on the terrace under an enormous parasol.

• A sail on Lake Thun, followed by a little time by ourselves in old Thun and a leisurely coffee at a river-side café.

Overall, our special trip is full of lovely memories and we were very lucky with the friendly group and tour guide. It has confirmed to us, however, that we would like to return on our own next time, as we first did all those years ago. Although I didn’t mind staying in different hotels, husband prefers being based in one hotel and travelling about from the one base using the Swiss Pass – easier for packing!

We both adore Switzerland, not least for its cleanliness, lack of litter, the polite friendly people, and no mobile phones clutched to young people’s hands while they’re out and about. Locals sit and chat to each other at cafes and restaurants. Yes, the country is generally more expensive overall, but worth it for a delightful holiday.

Rosemary