I made the most of my company’s 2023 summer vacation (August 10th to 19th) by spending 10 days in Switzerland. The goal of this trip was to enjoy the breathtaking scenery while riding Switzerland’s famous tourist trains: the Gornergrat Railway, the Glacier Express, the Rhatische Railway, and the Gotthard Panorama Express.

(Itinerary)
Departing from Haneda on Thursday, August 10th → Zurich → Zermatt (2 nights) → St. Moritz (2 nights) → Tirano (Italy) → Lugano (1 night) → Lucerne (2 nights) → Zurich → Arriving at Haneda on Saturday, August 19th. This was a completely handcrafted trip, with all flights, trains (8-day Swiss Travel Pass), and hotels arranged online by myself.

August 10th (Thr)-11th (Fri）
I arrived in Helsinki the next morning at 6:35 AM on flight JL047, departing Haneda at 10:50 PM, and then arrived in Zurich at 9:40 AM on flight JL9351 (a codeshare flight operated by Finnair) departing Helsinki at 7:55 AM. I’ve used Helsinki Airport many times for business and travel, and it’s a convenient airport for transfers. After clearing immigration and exchanging money, I took the 11:45 AM train from Zürich Flughafen (airport station) to Brig, then changed at VISP station to get to Zermatt. There was a power outage along the way, so I had to take a replacement bus from the station, but I arrived at my hotel around 4:00 PM. I stayed at the Resort Hotel Alex Zermatt, located close to the station. Tired from the journey, I had dinner at the hotel restaurant.

Zermatt station

August 12th（Sat）
You can see the Matterhorn from the square in front of Zermatt Station.

Today I will take the Gornergrat Railway (an Abt-style mountain railway) to Gornerrat station, where the Matterhorn observation deck is located, and after a short walk uphill I will reach the observation deck where I can enjoy a spectacular view.

After enjoying the view while sipping wine at Kulmhotel Gornergrat, located at an altitude of 3,100 meters below the observation deck, return from Gornergrat station to Riffeberg station and trek down to Riffeberg station, where you can also see the upside-down Matterhorn along the way.

I had lunch at a restaurant near Riffeberg station. I returned to Zermatt station, walked around the area, and bought dinner at COOP and had it in my room.

August 13th（Sun）
Today I’m taking the Glacier Express to St. Moritz. Seat reservations are required and it gets crowded at this time of year, so I made the reservation two months in advance. However, there were no good seats available on the first train, so I booked the second train, Gracier Express No. 904, departing at 9:52 and arriving in St. Moritz at 17:32.

When I reserved my seat, I also selected a two-course lunch, so the waiter came to my seat around noon and served the food. As the train approached St. Moritz, passing through the idyllic Swiss scenery, the train traveled through the mountains.

My accommodation in St. Moritz was Hotel Steffani St. Moritz. It was not far from the station, but I had to walk uphill with my luggage, so I booked a free shuttle in advance. Since I was staying two nights, the front desk gave me a ticket for local transportation when I checked in. For dinner, I enjoyed Swiss cuisine, including cheese fondue, at the hotel restaurant.

August 14th (Mon)
Today I spent the whole day exploring the outskirts of St. Moritz. First, I took a bus from St. Moritz station to Silvaplana Surlej, which is about 15 minutes away, then took the cable car to Murtel and changed to Corvatsch station.

As you can see in the picture, this observation deck is located at 3,303m. There is a glacier right next to it.

There are clouds in the sky, hiding the distant mountains, but if there are no clouds, you should be able to see the Bernina Alps. On the bus back to town, I got off at the Segantini Museum.

When I got to the entrance, I found out it was closed. We went back to town and had pasta at an Italian restaurant called La Rtalla, then bought dinner at the COOP to save money and had it in my room.

August 15th (Tue）
Today, I will be taking the Bernina Express of Rhatische railway train departing St. Moritz Station at 09:17 and arriving in Tirano, Italy at 11:32. The idyllic scenery unfolds from the train window.

Along the way, the train makes a long stop at Alpe Grum station. Since the Rhatische Railway is a sister railway of the Hakone Tozan Railway, there are signs in Japanese at the station.

I took a bus from Tirano Station to Lugano, Switzerland, but I had more than two hours to spare, so I took a walk around the area. St. Mary’s Cathedral towered against the blue sky.

The Bernina Express slowed down and came through the square in front of the church.

After my stroll, I enjoyed some authentic pasta at an Italian restaurant near Tirano Station. I took the 14:30 bus to Lugano North Exit and arrived around 17:00. My accommodation for the night was also Hotel Federale Lugano, which was close to the station. After dropping off my luggage, I strolled around the town of Lugano.

I returned to the hotel and had dinner at the restaurant, and the day ended.

August 16th (Wed)
When I checked out in the morning, the owner of Hotel Federale Lugano greeted me. His wife is Japanese, so he spoke Japanese very well, and he even prepared a souvenir for me.

I took the GOTTHARD PANORAMA EXPRESS from Lugano at 09:18 and arrived at Flüelen, where the Lake Lucerne sightseeing boats depart, at 11:37. We boarded the boat and had lunch at the restaurant on board. We stopped at various ports on the lake and saw some typical Swiss houses. We arrived at the port of Lucerne at 14:47.

Tonight, I stayed at the Waldstaetterhof Swiss Quality Hotel, located close to the station. For dinner, I enjoyed beer at Rathaus Brauerei, located in the restaurant district along the river.

August 17th (Thr)
Today I spent the whole day sightseeing in Lucerne city, taking a bus from the station to the Lion Monument (the dying lion statue).

From there, walk to the Musegg ramparts.

Lucerne city from the city walls

The warehouse downstairs

Walking along the river, you will come across one of two wooden bridges in the cuty, the Spreuer Bridge.

If you cross the river from here, you will come to the Reuss River dam, which regulates the water level with wooden boards.

Further on you will come to another wooden bridge, the Kabel Bridge.

I crossed the bridge and returned to the other side, where I had lunch at a Swiss restaurant called Restaurant Fritschi. After lunch, I boarded a boat from the port of Lucerne and visited the Richard Wagner Museum.

As I was tired from walking, I had dinner at the hotel restaurant.

August 18th (Fri）
I took the train departing from Lucerne Station at 07:09, arriving at Zurich Flughafen (airport station) at 08:21, then took flight JL6844 (a codeshare flight operated by Finnair) departing Zurich Airport at 10:50, arriving in Helsinki at 14:35, took a break in the Finnair lounge, and then boarded flight JL048 departing at 16:40, arriving at Haneda at 12:55 the next day.

Conclusion: Although the weak yen meant that travel expenses were high, Switzerland is still a great place. The trains are just as punctual as in Japan, and I was able to travel according to plan. Next time, I’d like to visit cities I didn’t visit this time. Also, during peak tourist season, it’s a good idea to reserve seats early on tourist trains and buses. The Swiss Travel Pass is very convenient and economical for rail travel.