Hope it's ok to make a new post on this, mods please move or delete if not. Trip taken second week in October. I have low mobility so that's why I go on about station size. I won't go into fares and timetables loads as I know the readers of this do not need that help, but I will mention bits. I used the SBB app which I found really good for times and other details including whether there was an easy change of platform or was there a distance/lots of steps. Anyway.
Day 1, Geneva Airport to Zermatt. The airport station is next to the airport, about a 10 minute walk, plenty of places to get a bite. There's a ticket office but I used the machine to buy the ticket. Change at Visp, 4 hour trip. On arrival at Zermatt I did the trip on the Gornergrat Railway. It was out of season and at the end of the day so I got off for the 10 minute turnaround and got back on. It's expensive but, you know. The clean air is something I'll remember. Zermatt make it a thing to keep it this way at ground level with little electric buggies as taxis and hotel transport.
Next day, Glacier Express. The seat reservation suggests reserving a lunch 48hours before but I hadn't done this, but I just asked and they bought a knife and fork ready for lunch, which was served at 11.45. Had a curry and beer, very nice. I think that a trip with a bit more snow and ice would have been better but still some excellent views. I sat window right, I think this was marginally the right choice but nothing in it. Quiet tourist crowd. Most everybody got off at Chur, I stayed on to St Moritz. I can see that the trip could be done on normal service trains but I didn't see loads going the other way, so check those times carefully. St Moritz was pretty much closed near the station so I caught the train to my hotel in Bergun. Bergun looks to be a really nice place, though I stayed inside the hotel for food/drink.
Next day, Bernina Express from Bergun. here's a thing if you do this, there's one platform at the station and at 9.46 the stopper to Chur stops. A minute later the Bergun express pulls in next to the Chur train, meaning that you have to walk to the back of the Chur train, leave the platform and cross the track to the Bernina Express. I did this and goy on the last carriage of the Bernina, which was a 'normal' coach. To be honest, the views are fine if the train isn't crowded but I guess there's no guarantee of that. I changed carriages to me reserved seat at the first stop. This was my favourite of all the trains, amazing views, a really clear day, all good. Coffee bought to the seats and a free tin of little bits of chocolate. Plenty of serious photography. Arrived in Tirano, had an ice cream, and checked the bus to Lugano, which I had booked. Now, if I had my time again I would probably get a train to Milan, have a coffee and get a train back to Lugano. The bus was ok as I was sat at the front. If you get a window seat on the left you will see lots of Lake Como, on the right, not so much. The seats are allocated by the train people and I don't know if you could book a left window seat. The coach was full. It arrives in the car park at Lugano. The station suffers a bit from town planning and big roads. My hotel was on the other side of the tracks, which means going through the subway under the tracks and making your way down a little path and through a car park. Perfectly safe and all that but not super easy. Took the bus to the old town, using the bus pass that the hotel send you (I think this is the same for all cities).
Gotthard Panorama Express the next day. There's a rep on the platform to tell you where to board. This is the one that insists in a first class ticket (I used full price Swiss passes on all these trips, by the way). I think that needs to be done in the winter because some of it was very pretty, but you are next to or close to a major road for much of the journey, and so you don't get that sense of remoteness that you get from the best train journeys. There's lots on the PA about the amazing engineering that bought the line into existence and even a bizarre little presentation on the tunnel wall. The carriage attendants do little bits of history. Off at Flüelen onto the boat, nice trip but quite cloudy. Visit to the art gallery at Lucerne/Luzern on arrival then onto the train to St Gallen, aka the Voralpen-Express. This has a name but just uses normal trains, which is about right. I bailed at Wattwil s it was getting dark and returned. Very pleasant. An alternative would have been to go from Lugano on the train and stay on after Fluelen to Arth-Goldau, and change there to St Gallen, which covers most of that line, the taken the train back to Luzern.
Next day, the first part of the Golden Pass trip, Luzern to Interlaken. This is a good journey, and I think any 'normal' service on this trip would be fine. At Interlaken Ost I took the train for 5 minuts to Wilderswil to take the Schynige Platte cogwheel train. At about 1500m there's a stop with a little bar/cafe. had a lovely beer. This meant that by the time i was back at Interlaken Ost I couldn't get the Panorama Express to Montreaux and took normal trains there via Bern. Still some great views as darkness fell.
Next day, a trip to the Chaplin museum, which is good in its own sweet way, followed by a normal train to Geneva airport. And there you go.
Day 1, Geneva Airport to Zermatt. The airport station is next to the airport, about a 10 minute walk, plenty of places to get a bite. There's a ticket office but I used the machine to buy the ticket. Change at Visp, 4 hour trip. On arrival at Zermatt I did the trip on the Gornergrat Railway. It was out of season and at the end of the day so I got off for the 10 minute turnaround and got back on. It's expensive but, you know. The clean air is something I'll remember. Zermatt make it a thing to keep it this way at ground level with little electric buggies as taxis and hotel transport.
Next day, Glacier Express. The seat reservation suggests reserving a lunch 48hours before but I hadn't done this, but I just asked and they bought a knife and fork ready for lunch, which was served at 11.45. Had a curry and beer, very nice. I think that a trip with a bit more snow and ice would have been better but still some excellent views. I sat window right, I think this was marginally the right choice but nothing in it. Quiet tourist crowd. Most everybody got off at Chur, I stayed on to St Moritz. I can see that the trip could be done on normal service trains but I didn't see loads going the other way, so check those times carefully. St Moritz was pretty much closed near the station so I caught the train to my hotel in Bergun. Bergun looks to be a really nice place, though I stayed inside the hotel for food/drink.
Next day, Bernina Express from Bergun. here's a thing if you do this, there's one platform at the station and at 9.46 the stopper to Chur stops. A minute later the Bergun express pulls in next to the Chur train, meaning that you have to walk to the back of the Chur train, leave the platform and cross the track to the Bernina Express. I did this and goy on the last carriage of the Bernina, which was a 'normal' coach. To be honest, the views are fine if the train isn't crowded but I guess there's no guarantee of that. I changed carriages to me reserved seat at the first stop. This was my favourite of all the trains, amazing views, a really clear day, all good. Coffee bought to the seats and a free tin of little bits of chocolate. Plenty of serious photography. Arrived in Tirano, had an ice cream, and checked the bus to Lugano, which I had booked. Now, if I had my time again I would probably get a train to Milan, have a coffee and get a train back to Lugano. The bus was ok as I was sat at the front. If you get a window seat on the left you will see lots of Lake Como, on the right, not so much. The seats are allocated by the train people and I don't know if you could book a left window seat. The coach was full. It arrives in the car park at Lugano. The station suffers a bit from town planning and big roads. My hotel was on the other side of the tracks, which means going through the subway under the tracks and making your way down a little path and through a car park. Perfectly safe and all that but not super easy. Took the bus to the old town, using the bus pass that the hotel send you (I think this is the same for all cities).
Gotthard Panorama Express the next day. There's a rep on the platform to tell you where to board. This is the one that insists in a first class ticket (I used full price Swiss passes on all these trips, by the way). I think that needs to be done in the winter because some of it was very pretty, but you are next to or close to a major road for much of the journey, and so you don't get that sense of remoteness that you get from the best train journeys. There's lots on the PA about the amazing engineering that bought the line into existence and even a bizarre little presentation on the tunnel wall. The carriage attendants do little bits of history. Off at Flüelen onto the boat, nice trip but quite cloudy. Visit to the art gallery at Lucerne/Luzern on arrival then onto the train to St Gallen, aka the Voralpen-Express. This has a name but just uses normal trains, which is about right. I bailed at Wattwil s it was getting dark and returned. Very pleasant. An alternative would have been to go from Lugano on the train and stay on after Fluelen to Arth-Goldau, and change there to St Gallen, which covers most of that line, the taken the train back to Luzern.
Next day, the first part of the Golden Pass trip, Luzern to Interlaken. This is a good journey, and I think any 'normal' service on this trip would be fine. At Interlaken Ost I took the train for 5 minuts to Wilderswil to take the Schynige Platte cogwheel train. At about 1500m there's a stop with a little bar/cafe. had a lovely beer. This meant that by the time i was back at Interlaken Ost I couldn't get the Panorama Express to Montreaux and took normal trains there via Bern. Still some great views as darkness fell.
Next day, a trip to the Chaplin museum, which is good in its own sweet way, followed by a normal train to Geneva airport. And there you go.
