2026 Majestic Switzerland By Rail

Arrive in Zurich and transfer to the hotel by train with your Swiss Rail Pass, provided by Special Interest Tours.

Enjoy a leisurely afternoon in the heart of Zurich. Ideally located, Hotel Schweizerhoff is across the street from the Zurich station.

In the evening, we will gather for dinner at the hotel, where you will meet your fellow travelers and be greeted by our Trains Magazine special guest.

After breakfast we hop across the street to the train station and start our journey by rail to St Gallen.

Close to the station there is a very big model train dealer. For those wanting to enjoy the local culture, St.Gallen is well worth a walk through its city center.

We next hop to St Margrethen for a tour of Stadler ́s shops, where a large number of trains are being built. Stadler is a supplier of modern trains that have become very popular in the U.S. Stadler has a factory in Salt Lake City as well.

We will continue our rail journey through Chur to Celerina which will include the famous line over the Albula pass.

After breakfast we journey by rail to Tirano Italy where guests have free time for lunch, shopping and exploring.

Next we will hop on the famous Bernina Express with panoramic coaches traveling through the Alps from Tirano to Chur, where we will overnight.

After a 7-minute walk to the station, we will catch a series of trains from Chur to Oberwald, where will have free time for lunch.

After lunch we will board the Furka Steam Railway for an exciting journey through the Furka Pass to Realp. In Furka, the train stops at Furka for 25 minutes for photos and refreshments.

On arrival in Realp we will have a private tour of the Furka depot.

From Oberwald, we will travel by rail to Visp and then to Zermatt, where we will settle in for a two-night stay in this quaint, car-free city.

Morning free to enjoy the village, which also has many shopping opportunities.

To let the morning mist over the mountain disappear, we save the mountain climb on the Gornergrat Cog Railwway until the afternoon.

At the top, enjoy views of the famous Matterhorn and time to have a coffee or beer. There is also a very nice 3d movie theatre and where you can fly around the Matterhorn in virtual reality.

After breakfast, we travel by rail to Geneva where we will break for lunch followed by a walking city tour followed by some free time to enjoy this beautiful city at the lake Geneva with the alps as backdrop.

In the mid-afternoon, we will take the train back to Montreux and check into our hotel on the lake. The rest of the afternoon is at your leisure to explore Montreux.

Today guests can either enjoy a free day of exploring the lakeside town of Montreux, or a full day of sightseeing in the surrounding area. Guests who choose the guided sightseeing will travel by bus to Montbovon to visit La Maison du Gruyère, the cheese factory, and Gruyères-Vilage, a medieval town where guests will have free time to explore, dine, and shop at their leisure.

After Gruyères-Village, we will travel by bus to La Maison Cailler, the chocolate factory in Broc Fabrique.

On the return, guests have the option of visiting the Chaplin museum in Vevey, before ending back in Montreux in time for dinner.

In the morning, we will travel by train from Montreux to Interlaken Ost on the Golden Pass Express.

After free time for lunch, we will hop back on the train to Brienze to board Switzerland’s only steam cog railway to Rothorn. Guests will have some time at the summit to explore and grab refreshments at their leisure.

Upon our descent, we return to Interlaken where we will overnight.

After breakfast, from Interlaken, we will take a combination of trains and cable cars up to Jungfraujoch, the highest railway station in Europe, with panoramic views of the snow-covered Alps.

Two hours free time at the top time to explore, take in the view and grab lunch.

After our descent, we will make our way by Rail to Lucerne, where we settle in for a 2-night stay.

After breakfast, we depart Lucerne by boat to Alpnachstad, where we transfer to the Cog Wheel Tran up to Pilatus.

Free time at the top to take in the view and grab snacks or souvenirs.

From Fräkmüntegg, we will travel by aerial tramway to Pilatus Kulm. Guests will have time at the summit to explore and enjoy the views.

We will next take the cog railway from Pilatus Kulm to Alpnachstad before traveling by train back to Lucerne.

After a break for lunch, guests have the option to visit the Swiss Transport museum or take the rest of the day is at your leisure to stroll and dine in this scenic city.

The day begins with a boat cruise from Lucerne to Fluelen. Upon arrival, 200m level walk to the train station.

Fluelen to Lugano on the Gotthard Panorama Express.

Upon arrival in Lugano, we will return to Lucerne via the high spreed train traveling at 250 km/h (155 MPH) on parts of the journey.

After breakfast, travel by boat to Vitznau where we board the Rigi Kulm Cog Railway. At the summit, guests have free time to enjoy the view and grab lunch.

Upon our descent we travel by rail to Zurich and check back into our same Hotel Schweizerhof across from the station. Guests have free time to freshen up before our farewell dinner in the hotel.

Guests can use the remainder of their Swiss Travel Passes to continue to explore Switzerland on their own, or to transfer to the airport for their flights home.