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A c t i v e JULY/AUGUST 2012 activeadultmag.com

Switzerland

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Riding the William Tell ExpressBY WENDY & ROB LINDSAY

FFilled to the brim with dramatic moun-tain scenery, pristine villages, sparklingclear lakes and Europe’s most delec-table chocolate shops, Switzerland isalso home to the best travel system inthe world.

As much as the Swiss are renownedfor world-class timepieces, their trans-portation system runs like clockwork,too. A seamlessly integrated networkof trains, boats and PostBuses — allcovered by the Swiss Pass — carries youto even the smallest mountain village.In fact, the rail map arrives with your

Swiss Pass before you leave Canada.Resembling a fine red spiderweb, themap covers every bit of Switzerland.Rail travel is easy and definitely the wayto go.

After landing at Zurich Airport, wevalidated our Swiss Passes, which mustbe ordered ahead while in Canada.Next we travelled, complimentary lug-gage cart and all, down the escalators tothe airport rail station. We simply tooka train into the city and onward to ourdestination of Lucerne, where we wouldcatch the William Tell Express. Speeding

smoothly along the shore of LakeZurich was a relaxing, hassle-free intro-duction to Switzerland. There we were,within an hour of landing, enjoying fab-ulous mountain scenery from the largewindows of the upper lounge on a dou-ble-decker intercity train.

Lucerne, like Zurich and Geneva, islocated at the end of a clear blue moun-tain lake with majestic snow-cappedpeaks rising along the shore. However,unlike the other two bustling com-mercial centres, Lucerne has a moreleisurely pace. It’s a beautiful city whose

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architecture bears both Dutch andFrench influences. Walking is really thebest way to see Lucerne. Remnants ofthe old city wall, with its nine towers,are an easy half-hour walk. The city’smost famous landmark, the ChapelBridge, which claims to be the oldestcovered bridge in the world, spans theReuss River right in the heart of down-town Lucerne.

On warm summer evenings, Lu -cerne’s narrow cobblestone streets comealive with the crowds, street entertain-ers and sidewalk cafés. It’s like a joyful

celebration of life, with music and laugh-ter floating in the air as heraldic ban-ners hanging from old buildings flutterin the breeze. It would be easy to spenda week in Lucerne and do somethingdifferent every day. During high season,there are over 40 different excursions,including the Rigi, a brand new hoteland spa on top of Mount Rigi.

The beautifully restored paddlesteamer we boarded the next morningat the Lucerne docks would be only thefirst leg of the William Tell Express. It’sa historic journey into both railroad

and Swiss history, running daily fromMay to October. Our ship had been usedbefore 1900 to link the small villagesalong Lake Lucerne with the rail system;now it was refurbished and back at workgathering passengers from hotels andresorts along the lake. The surroundingmountains reflected off the mirror-likewater while picture-perfect villages dot-ted the shore. The ship stopped nearfamous Rütli Meadow where — accord-ing to legend — Switzerland was formedwhen an alliance was forged amongthree founding cantons to become thePh

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Brusino Arsizio at LakeLugano, Canton Ticino.In the back Mt. Bre andMt. Boglia (1516 m).(Right top) Bellinzona,with two of its threecastles visible on distantmountain tops.

Circa 1900 paddle steamer, restored for use on the first leg of the William Tell Express (WTE).

Hiker enjoying the view of Locarno nestled in the valley below.

A c t i v e JULY/AUGUST 2012 activeadultmag.com

Swiss Confederacy. The guide also toldof the heroism of William Tell, whomlegend credits with solidifying Swissresistance to occupation by shooting anapple off his son’s head with a crossbow.A building on the site holds a copy ofthe first constitution. The guide hadbarely finished speaking when twogroups of schoolchildren aboard eruptedinto happy cheers, their young voicesechoing off the cliffs. Everyone wassilenced by the beauty of the moment.

THE GOTTHARD PASSWhen the paddle steamer reached theend of the lake in Flüelen, the first stageof our memorable voyage ended. A first-class panorama train waited to carry usall on the second leg — the spectacularjourney through the Gotthard Pass. Aswe took our seats in air-conditionedcomfort, it was hard to believe that thiswas the same spot where travellers,before the opening of the rail tunnel in1882, had to unload their belongingsfrom a lake barge onto pack mules forthe long, dangerous trek through thepass. Soon our pollution-free electrictrain was gliding through woodedmountains while the hostess took

orders for drinks and snacks. Built over125 years ago, this unique trans alpineroute features engineering achieve- ments that still impress today. As itdescends from the snow-capped peaksof Central Switzerland into Ticino, itcrosses 13 viaducts and uses 32 tun-nels, seven of them spiral ones.However, in the blackness of the tun-nels, it was hard to tell if they were spi-ral, until we approached Wasser, thatis. There, the little church provided agreat reference point. First we wereabove it, then, one tunnel later, levelwith it, and finally, after popping outof the next tunnel, far below it.

We were soon out of the mountainsand into the canton of Ticino, where thecountryside gradually sloughs off itsalpine roughness and transforms into aluxuriant Mediterranean landscape. Asthe train headed toward Bellinzona, thecapital of Ticino, we took in vineyard-covered hillsides and the broad TicinoValley stretching out before us. Here,three mountain valleys converge. Notsurprisingly, three mighty castles, nowUNESCO World Heritage Sites, werebuilt to control this strategic spot. Youcan catch a quick glimpse of them before

the train pulls into the station, or glanceback as it leaves. We were now in theItalian-speaking part of Switzerland andhad to make a choice. Would we jour-ney on to Lugano or Locarno? Bothcities are like jewels amid the moun-tains, shimmering beside their ownpalm-fringed lakes.

LUGANO WINS OUTThe Rio de Janeiro of the Old Continent,Lugano is the most southerly city inSwitzerland, surrounded by Italy onthree sides. It enjoys a Mediterraneanclimate that draws tourists for theweather alone. The city also has a beau-tiful setting — spread out along theshore of Lake Lugano between the peaksof Monte Brè and Monte San Salvatore.A magnificent view of the city and thesurrounding mountains awaits anyoneriding to the summit of either of thesetwo peaks. It comes as a surprise thatbehind the laid-back facade, Lugano isactually the third-largest financial cen-tre in Switzerland.

However businesslike, Lugano stillhas an eye for beauty. The historic cen-tre of town by the old city hall has beenclosed to traffic to create a wonderful

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Lucerne’s famous Chapel Bridge; the oldest covered bridge in theworld. (Right) The charming mountainvillage of Bauen on Lake Lucerne is a stop on the WTE.

An early morning ferry plies Lake Lucerne.

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plaza. Beds of bright red blossomsenhance the old stonework, a fountainsplashes in the sun, and people seemcontent to stay and chat. At night theplaza comes alive with sidewalk cafésand wine bars. Many of the older streetshave also become “pedestrian precincts.”Here, free from traffic, you can window-shop for the latest Italian fashions, letyour nose lead you into cheese andsausage shops, enjoy the vibrant coloursof fruit and vegetable stands, or followthe ever-present aroma of chocolate toa nearby shop. Even sitting under apalm tree in one of the lovely lakesideparks watching windsurfers flit acrossthe lake is fun in Lugano.

One warm day we spur-of-the-minute decided to catch the ferry to

Gandria. We simply showed up at thedock, Swiss Passes in hand, and boardedthe next passenger ferry. The sunlightsparkled on the waters of Lake Luganoas we neared Gandria, the former fish-ing village that has become the haunt ofartists. The village clings like lichen tothe sheer rocky cliffs above the lake.There’s a Mediterranean feel to theplace, with its tiled roofs, pastel facades,and arcades that offer shelter from thenoontime heat. Steep, winding pedes-trian-only streets, in places narrowingto only one person wide, link the housesand numerous specialty and craft shops.This tiny gem of a place is unique, withrestaurants cantilevered out over theblue waters of the lake.

This seamless travel pass offers manyoptions. For example, going by train andreturning by PostBus, or vice versa,makes for two entirely different trips.The bright yellow road coaches, all withnew Internet access on board, glidealong high alpine roads with views ofmountain peaks, picturesque valleys andpretty villages. Our passes also gave usfree access to city transit buses and aselection of over 400 Swiss museums —perfect for a rainy day. Seats can also bereserved on the special excursion trains,something we did for a portion of thespectacular Glacier Express to visit themountain village of Zermatt. A smallsupplement was required to top up our

Swiss Passes, but when we stepped offthe little cog railway train at the obser-vation station and found ourselves over-whelmingly close to the snowy splendourof the iconic Matterhorn, we knew thatit had been worth every penny. Like thatmoment on the William Tell paddlesteamer, it was a magical Swiss memorywe’ll never forget.

PRE-BOOK LUGGAGESwiss Rail also offers the option of book-ing your luggage straight through fromone Swiss destination to another at anytrain station in the country. The nomi-nal price per bag was well worth theconvenience, especially when we wereplanning on a lot of walking or makinga number of train transfers during ourday. Also, 24 hours before departure onour last day, we checked our luggage atthe train station, sending it directly toZurich Airport. This freed us to spendour last day walking in Bern, exploringthe historic part of the town, with itsmedieval fountains and unique arcades,unencumbered by baggage.

Between Bern and Zurich, we hadour first experience in a “silent car.”Some high-speed trains, especiallycommuter trains, have cars with signsprohibiting loud conversations and theuse of cellphones and personal musicsystems. We wonder if the idea willcatch on in other countries. �

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Trip PlanningSwiss Tourist Board480 University Ave., Suite 1500Toronto, Ont. M5G 1V2416.695.3496myswitzerland.comSwiss Rail Passswisstravelsystem.chPostBus / postbus.chThe Rigi / rigi.ch

Small villages blend together as they clinglike lichen to the cliffs above Lake Lugano.

The spectacular Matterhorn, iconicsymbol of Switzerland and the mostphotographed mountain in the world.