Switzerland Rail Tours

Switzerland packs more famous rail journeys into one country than anywhere else in Europe. The Glacier Express, the Bernina Express, the GoldenPass: these are the routes most people picture when they imagine travelling Switzerland by train, and our escorted holidays are built around them. As an independent, family-run rail specialist with over 40 years of experience, we handle the hotels, the seat reservations, the scenic legs and the logistics, so you arrive, settle in, and enjoy the Alps without the planning. Switzerland is one of our most popular destinations for rail holidays in Europe.

Swiss Mountain Steam

Our Swiss Mountain Steam film follows alpine travel at its best, from lake steamer cruises to mountain rail climbs. You get a front-row seat on the historic Furka Steam Railway, which runs on the original mountain route of the Glacier Express before the base tunnel opened in 1982, and the Brienz Rothorn steam railway as it climbs towards the summit.

The World’s Most Famous Rail Journeys: The Glacier Express And The Bernina Express

The Glacier Express is one of the most celebrated rail journeys on earth. It crosses the high Swiss Alps between Zermatt and St. Moritz, running over 291 bridges and through 91 tunnels in around eight hours. Snow-capped peaks give way to deep valleys, and the panoramic windows are built so you take in every stretch of it. The pace is gentle and deliberate. This is a train designed for watching the landscape, not rushing through it.

The Bernina Express is its equal for drama. A UNESCO World Heritage railway, it carries you from the glaciers of the high Alps down to the palm trees of Tirano in Italy, crossing the famous Landwasser Viaduct on the way. It climbs to Ospizio Bernina at 2,253 metres, the highest rail crossing in Europe, then descends into a completely different world of valleys and Mediterranean-influenced towns. Few journeys show Switzerland’s range so clearly in a single day.

Many of our Switzerland tours combine both routes, with comfortable hotels as your base between the scenic legs. Your tour manager handles the reservations and the day-to-day detail, so the journeys are all yours to enjoy.

The Grand Train Tour Of Switzerland

The Grand Train Tour of Switzerland links the country’s most scenic panoramic routes into one circular journey of around 1,280 kilometres. It connects eight separate rail lines across all four language regions, taking in lakes, Alpine passes and the major mountain towns along the way. You can travel the whole loop or, as most of our guests prefer, take the best sections as part of a planned holiday.

That is how our tours work. Rather than commit you to the full circuit, we build in the standout legs, including the GoldenPass Express, which runs between the shores of Lake Geneva and the Bernese Oberland. It is a practical way to experience the highlights without the planning, the changes and the day-to-day logistics of piecing the route together yourself.

Mountain Railways And Cable Cars

Switzerland’s mountains are the backdrop to some of the best excursions on our tours, and you reach them by some remarkable feats of engineering. On several itineraries you can ride the Titlis Rotair, the world’s first revolving cable car, which turns a full circle as it climbs to over 3,000 metres for a 360-degree view of the glacier.

The Rigi Railway is the other great name here. Opened in 1871, it was Europe’s first mountain railway, and it still carries visitors up the “Queen of the Mountains” above Lake Lucerne. From the top you look out across the lake and a wide sweep of Alpine peaks. These mountain excursions sit alongside the main rail journeys, giving you the heights on a day trip while your tour base stays in a comfortable valley town.

Cogwheel railways and cable cars are woven right through Switzerland’s transport network, and our itineraries make good use of them. They add another dimension to a holiday already built around the country’s finest rail routes.

The Swiss Alps And The Bernese Oberland

The Alps are what make every Swiss rail journey worth taking. As the train winds through them, the reason artists and writers have returned here for two centuries becomes obvious. Our tours show you the range from every angle, across the lakes and through the panoramic train windows.

The Bernese Oberland features in several of our holidays, and it is home to three of the most famous peaks in the Alps: the Eiger, the Mönch and the Jungfrau. The scenery here is the classic Swiss picture, high peaks above flower meadows and timber chalets. Travel through it by rail and you see why this corner of the country has drawn visitors for generations.

Winter changes the character of the Alps completely. Snow settles on the peaks, Christmas markets fill the town squares, and our festive tours are built around exactly this. You can ride the Glacier Express through snow-covered landscapes, spend time at the markets, and base yourself somewhere warm and welcoming in between.

From The GoldenPass Express To Heritage Steam Railways

The GoldenPass Express is the newest of Switzerland’s panoramic trains. It runs directly between Interlaken and Montreux with no change of train, a connection that only opened in recent years, carrying you from the German-speaking Bernese Oberland to the French-speaking shores of Lake Geneva. Large windows frame the whole journey as the landscape shifts from mountains to vineyards.

Switzerland’s rail heritage runs much deeper than its modern trains, though. On our Switzerland Steam-Powered Six tour you travel on three steam railways: the Rigi Railway, the Brienz Rothorn Railway and the Furka Steam Railway, the heritage line that runs on the original mountain route of the Glacier Express. These are working pieces of railway history, with vintage locomotives climbing the same Alpine gradients they always have. For the steam and heritage enthusiast, this is what the holiday is built around.

The Lucerne–Interlaken Express adds another classic route, crossing the Brünig Pass with lake views along the way. Switzerland gives you the newest panoramic expresses and the oldest steam lines on the same holiday.

Lake Lucerne And The Swiss Lakes

Lake Lucerne is often called the most beautiful lake in Switzerland, and several of our tours base themselves right on its shores. That puts you within easy reach of both the mountain excursions and the boat cruises across the water.

The lakes give a Swiss holiday its slower half. After a morning on a mountain railway, a cruise is the natural counterweight, the same scenery seen from the water rather than the rails. Lake Geneva brings the elegance of Montreux and the medieval Château Chillon on its shore. Lake Brienz brings its distinctive turquoise water, set against the mountains that feed it.

Many of our itineraries pair the rail journeys with these lake cruises, and the contrast is the point. Picture a vintage paddle steamer in the afternoon after a steam railway in the morning, two very different ways to travel, on the same day.

Switzerland By Season

Switzerland works as a rail destination all year, and the season you choose changes the holiday. Summer opens up the Alpine meadows and runs the mountain railways at full service. Autumn turns the forests gold and brings a particular clarity to the mountain air, often the clearest views of the year.

Winter is its own draw. Snow transforms the landscape, the Christmas markets open, and our festive and winter tours are built around the season, including trips like Montreux Festive Magic. Spring brings the wildflowers and the slow reopening of the high routes.

There is no single best time to come. Pick the season that matches the Switzerland you want to see, and our year-round programme covers all of them.

What Is The 5-Day Train Tour In Switzerland?

Our Montreux Festive Magic tour is a five-day introduction to Switzerland by rail, pairing Lake Geneva with the GoldenPass Express. The itinerary takes in the medieval Château Chillon, tastings of Swiss cheese and chocolate, and free time to explore Montreux’s Christmas Market.

A five-day tour suits anyone short on time, or planning to combine Switzerland with another European destination. The itinerary is shorter, but it is built to cover the highlights rather than rush them.

Book Your Switzerland Rail Holiday With Confidence

Over 40 years of running escorted rail holidays sits behind every Switzerland tour we offer. We are an independent, family-run specialist with a UK-based customer care team, and that shows in the detail: tours designed in-house, expert tour managers, and the kind of personal service the larger operators cannot match. Big on Quality. Small Enough to Care.

Your booking is fully protected. We hold ABTOT membership (member no. 5577) for our non-flight holidays and an ATOL licence (ATOL 9056) for any flight-inclusive tours, and we are rated Excellent on Trustpilot. We were awarded Silver in 2024 and Bronze in 2025 at the British Travel Awards for Best Small Travel Company for Rail Holidays. You can secure your place with a deposit from £75 per person.

Our luxury train holidays raise the comfort further, with premium hotels, first class rail and fewer transfers.

Ready to start planning? Request a brochure and our team will help you find the right holiday, or call us on 01538 382323.