An 8-Day Train Holiday in Switzerland

If, like me you like train travel, you might consider visiting Switzerland by train. I have put together an 8-Day trip suggestion for you to see a lot of the best parts of Switzerland. The first thing you need to buy is an 8-Day Swiss Rail Pass, which you purchase here in Australia. You can’t buy those in Switzerland. The 8-Day pass will cost you $400, or $630 fir first class. With this ticket you can travel on any federal trains, buses and boats on lakes. It also entitles you to purchase half price tickets on some of the most spectacular private mountain railways in the world, and cable cars. It also allows you to use free trams in 41 cities, during the 8 days you start to travel.

What that means is when you buy the ticket here in Australia it is an open ticket and starts, the first time you use it and runs for eight consecutive days. So if you decide to stay in your hotel room one day, you miss the use of your ticket for that day.

There are longer Rail Passes available up to 30 Days if you want to stay longer in Switzerland. I am just working this travel plan around the 8-Day pass.

Spiez is on an important Rail Axis

Swiss trains are clean comfortable and very safe and run like clockwork. If the time table says, your train departs at 10.02 AM, it will depart at 10.02 AM.

OK, let’s now have a look at our 8-Day trip. For this trip, you’ll stay on a railway axis at the foot of the Alps in a town called Spiez on the beautiful Lake of Thun. We’ve recommended this place to a lot of our friends and all have come back very excited about it. There are lots of nice places to stay in Spiez, but we recommend the Hotel Seagarten-Marina right on the lake. You can book your stay directly with them by email, that's what we have don a couple of times.

Hotel Seegarten, Spiez - Just click the link

FIRST DAY

You arrive at Zurich airport where after getting through customs and collecting your luggage, you proceed to the railway station right in the airport.

The Kloten Railway Station is directly at the airport in Zurich

At the railway station, ask at the ticket office for a free timetable for direct trains to Spiez. They are very helpful at all railway stations in Switzerland and have free time tables for all the journeys I have listed here.

In Zurich, you board the next train to Italy, via Berne, Switzerland’s capital. There are two railway lines headed for Italy, one through the Gotthard tunnel and the other through the Lötschberg tunnel via Berne, so make sure you pick that one. Trains there run just about every hour and half-hourly at peak times.

A typical Train will get you to Spiez

You don’t need to make bookings on Swiss trains like you have to in other countries, the Swiss rail Pass allows you access to any trains. Sit anywhere in the class of your ticket. When the conductor comes, he’ll valuate your Swiss Pass which starts from then for the next eight days.

Now sit back and enjoy the ride from Zurich to Olten, Aarau, Bern, Thun, Spiez. The train ride will take you through the lowlands and you’ll see the alps getting closer and closer for about 2 hours. When you pass a town called Thun, get ready for your destination Spiez about 15 minutes later. You disembark in Spiez, where you have two options. You can phone the Seagarten and if they have a vehicle available, they’ll pick you up, or you can take a cab. It’s only about five minutes away but it’s quite steep. You wouldn’t want to walk with your luggage. Without it it’s quite all right. The Hotel Seagarten is on the edge of the Lake of Thun near the ferry terminal. It has a very nice Restaurant with a big variety of foods so there is no need to go anywhere else but there are other restaurants around.

 SECOND DAY

To get over your travel stress to get there, you’ll take a relaxing lunch cruise from Spiez on the Paddle steamer ‘DS Blümlisalp’, covered of course by your Swiss Rail Pass. The boat stops at Spiez just before 1.00PM and get’s to the famous Swiss town of Interlaken just after 2.00 PM. There is fine dining on the boat, or you can buy a snack while you enjoy this magnificent cruise along the Swiss Alps.

The DS Blüemlisalp gets you to Interlaken during lunch

In Interlaken you have a couple of hours to stroll through the town, visit the over-priced souvenir shops geared at overseas visitors of have a coffee in one of the many coffee shops. Or you may want to visit some of the most expensive grand hotels in the world along the relatively short walk in the town.

Just after 4.00 PM the Blüemlisalp returns to Spiez, or if you prefer, you can take a train from Interlaken-West for a 15 minute ride back. So you had a very relaxing first day. Have dinner and a glass of red and get ready for,

THIRD DAY

Another relatively easy day today. About mid-morning, take the train to the capital Berne. It takes about an hour to get there. Again, trains run about every hour. Upon arrival in Berne, leave the railway, which is right in the middle of town and take a walk through this medieval town under the covered footpaths.

Berne' famous fountains and the Zytglooge tower in the back

There is lots to see in Bern, which I don’t have time to mention all, get some brochures and follow their suggestions. One thing I will mention though, go visit the new bear enclosure on the river Aare, which has now replaced the old bear pits which became politically incorrect. The pits are still there but empty. All are in walking distance.

When you had enough sight seeing, jump on a train back to Spiez. Relax, have a nice meal, a glass of red and get ready for,

FOURTH DAY

OK, time to visit the Alps.  After breakfast, take a train to Interlaken-Ost, which takes about 20 minutes. Disembark and take a train to Grindelwald. This is now  heading into the mountains. Grindelwald is at the foot of the famous Eiger North Face, which attracts hundreds of climbers every year, not all of them returning to their homelands.

Train from Grindelwald to Kleine Scheidegg

If you want to, you can have a stroll through this mountain village, have a coffee, before you climb onto a cog railway up to Kleine Scheidegg, 2016m above sea level and next to the Eiger. You can have lunch up there, admiring the snow-capped mountains, or if you’re really adventurous, you can take another train to the Jungfrau-Joch. This train will take you inside the Eiger with a stop in the middle of the Eiger North Face where you can look out over the whole of Switzerland and on a clear day into France and Germany. You are now 3,400m above sea level. This is called The Top of Europe. It’s Europe’s highest railway station. At the summit, there are restaurants and an ice palace carved into the glacier.

In the afternoon, take the train back to Spiez. There at the railway station, make a booking for the next day for the Montreux-Obeland Train. It’s essential to book a seat on that train, or you won’t get on. It is very popular.  Ask to be placed in one of the panoramic carriages. There is a small booking fee and if you don’t go, you’ll lose it.

After a day out, relax at the Hotel Seegarten in Spiez

Now go back to the Seagarden, relax, have dinner and a glass of red and get ready for,

FOURTH DAY

After Breakfast, take a train for Zweisimmen in the Simmental. In Zweisimmen you change onto the MOB train, which you booked yesterday. You will have been allocated seats in a panoramic carriage, which has very large windows and glass roof for good viewing.

The Golden Pass Panoramic Train from Zweisimmen to Montreux

You leave Zweisimmen which is still in the Swiss-German speaking part of Switzerland but as you travel through the green meadows, you are gradually seeing the houses starting to look different and when you see the Lake Geneva below you, you know you are now in French speaking Switzerland and soon arrive in the town of Montreux, famous for its annual Jazz festival. Disembark at Montreux station and have lunch down by the lake.

After lunch and a stroll through town, go back to the railway station, but this time, take a train to a town called Brig, in the Rhone valley. You’ll ride through the Swiss Fendent Wine region, with castles in just about every town you pass.

 Get off the train at Brig and if you still have time, take a stroll through this very catholic seminary town.

Finally get back on a train to Spiez, this time through the Lötschberg tunnel. The train heads for Zurich, but you get off at Spiez. It’s a long day but you’ll see lots of different regions.

Back at the hotel, relax, have dinner, a glass of red and get ready for,

FIFTH DAY

OK, time for an Italian Experience. After Breakfast take a train back through the Lötschberg to Brig but this time you stay in the train and travel through the Simplon tunnel to Domodossola in Italy, still on the Swiss Rail Pass.

The Centovalli Train from Domodossola in Italy back to Locarno in Switzerland

You may or may not have to show your passport when you arrive, we never had to so far. In Domodossola you change onto a narrow-gauge train which takes you through the Centovally valley for an hour and a half and you’ll re-enter Switzerland in Locarno in the Italian part of the country.  Locarno is on the Lake Maggiore.

It’s famous for its International Film Festival.

SIXTH DAY

You’re now quite a distance from Spiez, so you need to stay overnight in one of their many hotels or B&B’s. It maybe a good idea to book a room at the Spiez railway station a day before. Take a stroll along the lakeshore after dinner and take in the Italian atmosphere.

In the morning, after breakfast, take the train for Zurich through the Gotthard tunnel another one of those long rail tunnels they have through the Alps.

The train stops in Lucerne and you could get off there and have a look around. I don’t recommend it. It’s too touristy for my liking with the hundreds of Trafalgar tour buses calling in overnight, so if you want to mingle with Japanese or English tour buses, by all mean stop there for lunch. I suggest you stay on the train and get out in Zurich.

You can get out of the train in Lucerne for lunch

Or a better option is have lunch in Zurich

In Zurich, have lunch in any restaurants at the railway station and after lunch and a bit of sight seeing in the famous Bahnhofstrasse. Use the fabulous tram system to get around the city. Then hop aboard the train you took the first day back to Spiez.

Relax at the Seegarten, have dinner with a glass of red and get ready for,

SEVENTH DAY

To ease you back shortly before the end of the trip, we make a short visit to the neighbouring town of Thun, on the lake with the same name.

You can just walk down to the ferry terminal and take the next boat to Thun for a half hour leisurely cruise as you pass the Niesen and Stockhorn  mountains. The ferry will take you to the Thun railway station. Take a walk through this medieval town with its towering castle overlooking the town and the alps. Climb up to the castle which is open daily between April and september. It's well worth a look.

Thun on the River Aare has many wonderful sights to explore

The castle of the Kyburgs stands proudly over the town

Have lunch in any of the many restaurants throughout the town. In the afternoon travel back to Spiez either by boat or by train.

LAST DAY

Sad to say, this is your last day. After booking out of the Seegarten, get them to drive you and your luggage up to the railway station. Take a train to Zurich Flughafen (airport) from where you travel either home or to other destinations.

I hope you enjoyed Switzerland by train.