Swiss roll: a scenic tour of Switzerland by train

The Guardian

16-03-2025

Switzerland isn't expensive, it's just very exclusive,' joked our tour guide as we walked along the paved path by the shore of Lake Lucerne. The Grand Train Tour of Switzerland – or GTToS for aficionados – certainly has the feel of an epic journey, complete with trains and boats offering panoramic views of its mountains, valleys and lakes.
The GTToS takes in 1,280km of sights, many of them Unesco world heritage sites, such as the Swiss Alps of Jungfrau-Aletsch, the Matterhorn and the crystal clear waters of Lake Thun. The route is very flexible – you can hop on and off as you go.
Armed with our Swiss Travel Pass, four different train lines took us from Montreux and on to Spiez, Lucerne, Locarno and Sion. The pass is a dream ticket, offering unlimited trains, boats and buses for up to 15 days, entry to 500 museums for no extra charge and half-price for some mountain excursions.
We set off on a rainy Tuesday morning, taking the Eurostar from London to Paris and then on to Montreux via Geneva. Our first excursion was a visit to the Château de Chillon, which sits on Lake Geneva. Built in the 11th century, it is the biggest castle fortress in Europe and also, with good reason, the most visited monument in Switzerland. The pin-up medieval castle blends the Gothic and Romanesque, its vaults and windows of particular note. We did a whistle-stop tour of the four courtyards, bedrooms and watchtower with its 16th-century bell, before taking a short bus ride back into Montreux.
There, I made straight for the Freddie Mercury tour, which starts in the covered market. Needing to keep a low profile and his head down at the height of his fame, Queen's frontman lived in Montreux on and off from 1978 until his death in 1991.
The tour started at his bronze statue overlooking Lake Leman, Mercury's fist punching up into the air, and ended at the Montreux Casino where Queen recorded six of their albums. Their Mountain Studio now houses an exhibition dedicated to the band, showcasing outfits worn onstage by Freddie, including that yellow jacket with the straps. Seeing slot machines and roulette wheels below such an iconic place in music history felt almost surreal.
That afternoon it was time for the first leg of the GTToS, the Goldenpass Express: a two-hour journey from Montreux to Spiez. With its navy blue exterior and golden interior, it all felt rather luxurious, even in second class. The train's enormous windows afforded panoramic views of stunning landscapes, brown Simmental cows with bells around their necks and trees turning into spring's fresh green foliage.
Spiez is a small town beside tranquil Lake Thun. After a walk around the lake, I climbed approximately 75 steps up to Spiez Castle, with more fabulous views, this time of the Bernese Alps and the lake below.
An early morning ferry on Lake Thun took us past Beatenberg, Europe's longest village, which stretches more than 12km before arriving at Interlaken. Walking through the city took us to the Jungfrau mountain range to the right and the Grand Hotel, which looks like something from a Wes Anderson film, given its grandeur and nostalgic feel. It had a tourist resort vibe about it, with souvenir shops on every turn but, overhead, paragliders dotted the brilliant blue sky, the Jungfrau mountains still snow-capped.
After that, we jumped on the Interlaken-to-Lucerne Express, a route famous for its stunning views of the region's five lakes. The onboard bistro was a hit, too: I enjoyed a vegan tartare and a dish called 'Ghackets mit Hornli' – a typical Swiss meal of minced beef, macaroni and Sbrinz cheese served with a side of apple sauce.
Picturesque Lucerne, once the playground of aristocracy, is divided into two parts by the Reuss river and boasts seven bridges. I crossed the famous 14th-century covered Chapel Bridge, with the landmark water tower standing beside it, and went for an early evening stroll into the car-free Old Town. I spent an afternoon at the impressive Swiss Transport Museum, which is especially fun for kids, with interactive exhibitions and simulation rides.
Our next train was the Gotthard Panorama Express, via a boat ride across Lake Lucerne. Adding dramatic effect, it was a misty day, so the clouds covered much of the mountains. But on a clear day, you can see glaciers at the peaks with a height of 3,000m above sea level. For the train leg of the journey, the carriage could only be described as a cylinder spaceship. It included going through the Gotthard Tunnel, which at one time was the longest in the world at 15km.
Locarno's old town is dotted with different coloured houses, each shade denoting the status of its fishers. My hotel, the three-star Hotel Garni Muralto, had spectacular views of Lake Maggiore. The next morning we took a ferry ride to Isola Grande, one of the Brissago Islands, home to Switzerland's only botanical gardens and 2,000 types of subtropical species. If you'd told me that I'd find bamboo, curry plants and orange trees in Switzerland, I wouldn't have believed you in a month of Sundays. We hopped back on the ferry and walked around the neighbouring Ascona, a quaint village full of designer stores and boutique outlets.
Our final panoramic train journey was aboard the Centovalli Express to Sion, crossing through Italy and into the village of Domodossola. The train itself wasn't as glamorous as the previous ones, but it didn't matter. This scenic route passed by waterfalls, streams and vast forestry, going no faster than 40km on the almost two-hour journey.
Arriving in Sion towards the evening, I hiked up to Sion Cathedral, where I viewed the city from the hilltop. I got there just in time to see a private jet land on the runway to my left as the sun set.
Train travel offered a slower-paced alternative that allowed for me to see and sense all Switzerland's unrivalled beauty had to offer. It didn't disappoint one bit.
A Swiss Travel Pass starts from 244 CHF (£215) for three days, go to myswitzerland.com for more details; Villa Toscane, Montreux, has double rooms from £142 per night (villatoscane.ch); Seegarten Marina Spiez has double rooms from £168 per night (seegarten-marina.ch)