A bright and early start at terminal 5 Heathrow for our 1 hour 45 minutes British Airways flight to Zurich, my first mode of transport for the next 5 days.
On arrival in Zurich, a swift transfer by train took us from the airport to St Moritz station – I would highly recommend anyone travelling to Switzerland to get a Swiss travel pass. This gives you unlimited travel on the Swiss travel system – by train, bus, boat, and public transport in cities plus the added bonus of free entrance to many museums.
On arrival in St Moritz, we were transferred to the beautiful hotel called Waldhaus Sils, a 5-star luxury hotel located in the village of Sils Maria, a 15-minute drive from St Moritz. This historic hotel is family-run and we were welcomed on arrival by the 4th generation of the family, which I thought was a lovely touch. My bedroom was in the tower wing with spectacular views of Lake Sils, and mountains beyond – a simply stunning view. A quirky point to note is that they even allow dogs in the hotel and have a separate breakfast area for guests with their pets to sit in.
Waking up the next morning, it was a winter wonderland – it had snowed considerably overnight. The snow ploughs were out clearing the roads for us to be able to get to the train station, where the Glacier Express was waiting to carry us aboard the next part of our classic railway journeys. This iconic train was the highlight of my trip.
It crosses the Alps from St Moritz to Zermatt taking just over 7 hours. However, we were to break our journey in Brig. The Glacier Express takes in breathtaking landscapes around every bend, over the famous Landwasser viaduct and through many tunnels all magnificent feats of engineering. A 3-course meal was served at our luxury first-class seat while we enjoyed the view through the panoramic windows – snow-clad mountains, quaint Swiss chalets, wildlife such as Ibex (mountain goats) and abundant wildflowers despite the snow. The hot chocolate was to die for.
From Brig, we took a train to Interlaken, our home for the next 2 nights. We visited the 4-star Hotel Interlaken boasting wood-panelled rooms, with family rooms here featuring hand-carved wooden bunk beds. The Harder Klum station in central Interlaken was where we took the funicular 1322 metres up to the top of the mountain to have dinner in the Panorama restaurant – the clouds and mist had descended upon us, but after a tasty fondue and local entertainment the chill was soon taken off us while taking in the view of the Eiger, Monch and Jungfrau mountains.
The Eiger Express and then the Jungfrau railway were to be our next trains for this “once in a lifetime journey“ trip. After a gondola ride up the mountain to Eigergletscher, the Jungfrau Express took us up 3454 metres above sea level to the Top of Europe. Skiers and snowboarders were enjoying the huge dump of snow on the slopes below us on what was to be a beautiful sunny day in Switzerland. Once you reach the top of the mountain there is a lovely restaurant with outstanding views – and a Lindt chocolate shop not to be missed!
Our evening excursion was to the famous St Beatus caves – a popular tourist attraction where stalactites and stalagmites that have a formed over millions of years in this natural underground world can be experienced. And after working up an appetite walking around the caves, the restaurant Stein and Sien produces local seasonal food and can be recommended.
Lucerne’s medieval old town was our destination and our last night. A walking tour across the famous two bridges – which from May to October are decorated with flowers and popular with visitors. The Jesuitenkirche catholic church is a stunning Baroque-style building and one of the first large churches built north of the Alps. We had a guide for our walking tour and I would highly recommend her expertise and local knowledge – don’t miss the iconic wooden covered Chapel bridge too.
Our final day started off with a boat on Lake Lucerne before taking the cog-wheel railway up the snow-capped Alps to Rigi Kulm, the top of Mount Rigi. This historic train was to be one of the last trains before our return to Zurich airport – after 22 trains and nearly every other form of transport taken in 5 days, Switzerland was a truly amazing and unforgettable trip.
