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Beautiful Switzerland: Images from Zermatt, St. Moritz, Stans and Mount Stanserhorn taken on Courier Editor Penny Whitman’s recent media trip, which was sponsored by Switzerland Tourism and Rail Europe. To read about her journey, turn the page.

ALL PHOTOS BY PENNY WHITMAN

54 October 2013

SWITZERLAND IS KNOWN for efficiency,

from its legendary excellence in watch-

making to the timeliness of its trains.

I recently returned from a media trip,

sponsored by Switzerland Tourism and

Rail Europe, which was organized to

showcase the country’s comprehensive

public transport network. The system

includes scenic and commuter trains,

mountain railways, postbuses, boats,

funiculars, cables cars and city buses,

all, from the traveler’s perspective,

seamlessly linked.

Zurich to ZermattA first-class Swiss Pass in hand, I began

my journey at the Zurich Airport rail-

way station, which is a short, covered

walk from the airport’s customs. On a

Friday morning, trains to Zermatt leave

approximately once an hour, and, after

a straightforward train change at Visp, I

arrived in Zermatt in about three and a

half hours.

This mountain resort village, whose

name appeared first as Zur Matte (in

the meadow), is at the foot of the

Matterhorn, one of the highest peaks in

the Alps. The hamlet is a combustion-

engine-car-free zone to prevent air

pollution that could obscure the tre-

mendous views visitors enjoy. Small

electric vehicles cruise around silently,

transporting visitors’ luggage to the

many hotels. Restaurants and shops

catering to outdoor adventurers line the

narrow streets. But you don’t have to

be an uber-fit adventure zealot to enjoy

this pristine region. When our group

of journalists took an excursion on the

Matterhorn Express gondola to Furi

and continued on an aerial cableway to

the Klein Matterhorn, we encountered

many seniors enjoying the icy air and

360-degree views at the highest moun-

tain station in the Alps.

Descending to Furi, we took a beauti-

ful walk to the Glacier Garden Dossen,

where smooth potholes created by the

retreat of glacier-melt water are part of

an idyllic recreation area that includes a

typical Swiss picnic spot, equipped with

a firewood-stocked stone grill. For our

lunch, however, we hiked back to Furi and

bought grilled sausages, pomme frites,

raclette and local wine at a shepherd fes-

tival, where we witnessed the judging for

the best-looking Valais Blacknose sheep

and the shepherd of the year.

Zermatt to St. MoritzThe Glacier Express is a narrow-gauge

railway connecting Zermatt to St.

Moritz. The journey, an attraction in

itself, moves slowly past spectacular

scenery, through 91 tunnels and across

291 bridges. We had reserved seats in

the dining car, and although the pan-

oramic windows showed atypical rainy

skies, the landscape was dramatic.

We enjoyed the excellent service of

the dining car staff and a three-course

luncheon served with wine, coffee and

schnapps, which was poured with flair.

Although the route is just short of eight

hours, the train is so comfortable and

the views so extraordinary that the

hours pass by unnoticed.

Up, Up and Away!Switzerland’s public transport system

takes visitors to new heightsBY PENNY WHITMAN

Riding up the Stanserhorn on the new CabriO cableway S

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55www.NTAonline.com

While St. Moritz is known as a luxury

winter ski resort that was founded

around its healing thermal springs,

the Engadin Valley offers excellent

opportunities for outdoor experiences

year-round. Protected on all sides by

high mountains, the area boasts strong

sunshine 322 days a year, and outdoor

enthusiasts of all levels enjoy dedicated

paths for walking, hiking and mountain

biking in spring, summer and autumn,

and tobogganing and skiing in winter.

Sailing, kayaking and paddle boarding

are also popular in summer, and for

three weeks in February, the famous

White Turf horse races are held on the

frozen Lake St. Moritz.

The region is also known for its

gastronomy, and one place to experi-

ence it is at the Panorama Restaurant

at the Romantik Hotel Muottas Muragl.

This beautiful property was completely

renovated in 2010 and is now the first

PlusEnergy hotel in the Alps, producing

enough power for its own needs plus

more to share with St. Moritz below. The

hotel is only accessible by the funicu-

lar Muottas Muragl Railway that runs

up the mountain at a steep 56-percent

gradient. The historical railway has

been in continuous operation since

1907. We enjoyed tasting regional dishes

including muattas (chard leaf stuffed

with spätzli and vegetables) and pizokel

(homemade pasta with vegetables and

Engadiner mountain cheese) paired with

local wines in the modern dining room.

St. Moritz to LuganoAt the St. Moritz train station, we

climbed aboard the Palm Express, part

of the Swiss PostBus system’s fleet,

which brought us from St. Moritz’s

snow-capped peaks to the palm-tree-

lined, Italian-speaking city of Lugano.

The PostBus began its service in 1849,

and today passengers can ride comfort-

able, full-sized coaches on 13 scenic

routes that crisscross Switzerland in

areas that trains cannot access.

This spectacular four-hour journey

passes through tiny medieval villages

on roads so narrow that the bus barely

avoids scraping the buildings on either

side; it climbs the Maloja Pass and then

descends to the Bregaglia Valley. Midway

through the journey, the bus stops, and

passengers can step out to enjoy a cof-

fee or cocktail at a local restaurant. The

route crosses into Italy at Castasegna

and then back into Switzerland via

Gandria, ending in Lugano.

This international resort on Lake

Lugano is the largest Italian-speaking

city outside of Italy and a popular

weekend getaway for Swiss seeking its

Mediterranean weather, recreational

options and great nightlife. We enjoyed

wonderful hospitality at the Hotel

International au Lac, a family-run hotel

in the city center with views of the lake

and a hidden outdoor swimming pool

surrounded by lush gardens.

Lugano to LucerneIn Lugano, we boarded the Wilhelm Tell

Express, an approximately five-hour

scenic route that connects the southern

Ticino region to central Switzerland by

rail and paddle steamer. We enjoyed

an outstanding gourmet lunch on the

boat as we glided past Lake Lucerne’s

pristine shoreline. Once docked, we

stepped out of the steamer, walked

across a park and stepped onto a city

bus that took us several stops to our

hotel. Switzerland’s city buses are part

of the Swiss Travel System, and a Swiss

Pass holder can ride free of charge.

The following morning, we enjoyed

our final outing: after a brief trip to

Stans by train, we climbed into a vin-

tage wooden funicular that carried

us to the intermediate station, and

then we stepped on the CabriO aerial

cableway, which took us to the top of

Mount Stanserhorn. The state-of-the-

art cableway, which launched in 2012,

is the world’s first cable car that moves

on side-mounted cables, giving riders

unhindered views from the sundeck.

At the summit of Mount Stanserhorn,

we were astounded by the views of green

valleys below, the sparkling lake, floating

clouds within reach and the snow-covered

peaks just beyond. We hiked a beauti-

ful geo-trail to an earth energy spot and

later enjoyed a traditional Swiss lunch of

Älplermagronen (a gratin with potatoes,

macaroni, cheese, cream and onions with

stewed apples on the side) in the visitors

center’s revolving restaurant.

For more information about the Swiss

Travel System visit www.swisstravel

system.com/trade. For sales support,

call 866.589.4953 (9:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m.

ET). For bookings and reservations in the

United States and Canada, go to agent.

raileurope.com (available in English,

Spanish and French), and for groups of

10 or more: raileurope.com/groups, or

email groups@raileurope.com.

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