mySwitzerland
In the high mountains, where the air is pure and thin, one breathes more freely and feels lighter in body and brighter of mind.” Thus wrote the philosopher Jean-Jacques Rousseau. And he was absolutely right. On a mountaintop, everyday stresses seem insignificant: you feel on top of the world! The views from Switzerland’s high summits are heavenly. Each peak – from the Rigi to the Säntis, from Muottas Muragl to the Schilthorn – reveals a breathtaking natural landscape with its own unique charm. Our new holiday magazine gives you a preview of what to expect when you visit, and shows how you can reach the finest viewpoints easily with the help of spectacular cog railways, cable cars and funiculars. Switzerland’s magnificent natural landscapes thrill and inspire countless visitors. Discover for yourself the magic of our mountains, glaciers, forests and lakes – and experience natural highs that you’ll never forget. Welcome to Switzerland: we look forward to your visit!
In the high mountains, where the air is pure and thin, one breathes more freely
and feels lighter in body and brighter of mind.” Thus wrote the philosopher
Jean-Jacques Rousseau. And he was absolutely right. On a mountaintop,
everyday stresses seem insignificant: you feel on top of the world!
The views from Switzerland’s high summits are heavenly. Each peak – from the
Rigi to the Säntis, from Muottas Muragl to the Schilthorn – reveals a breathtaking
natural landscape with its own unique charm. Our new holiday magazine gives
you a preview of what to expect when you visit, and shows how you can reach
the finest viewpoints easily with the help of spectacular cog railways, cable cars
and funiculars.
Switzerland’s magnificent natural landscapes thrill and inspire countless visitors.
Discover for yourself the magic of our mountains, glaciers, forests and lakes –
and experience natural highs that you’ll never forget.
Welcome to Switzerland: we look forward to your visit!
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<strong>mySwitzerland</strong><br />
The Swiss holiday magazine . Summer 2014<br />
Views<br />
1
Fine views on the Uri cableway hike, with the peaks of Rossstock (left; 2,461 m) and Fulen (2,491 m).
Editorial<br />
Grüezi<br />
I<br />
n<br />
the high mountains, where the air is pure and thin, one breathes more freely<br />
and feels lighter in body and brighter of mind.” Thus wrote the philosopher<br />
Jean-Jacques Rousseau. And he was absolutely right. On a mountaintop,<br />
everyday stresses seem insignificant: you feel on top of the world!<br />
The views from Switzerland’s high summits are heavenly. Each peak – from the<br />
Rigi to the Säntis, from Muottas Muragl to the Schilthorn – reveals a breathtaking<br />
natural landscape with its own unique charm. Our new holiday magazine gives<br />
you a preview of what to expect when you visit, and shows how you can reach<br />
the finest viewpoints easily with the help of spectacular cog railways, cable cars<br />
and funiculars.<br />
Switzerland’s magnificent natural landscapes thrill and inspire countless visitors.<br />
Discover for yourself the magic of our mountains, glaciers, forests and lakes –<br />
and experience natural highs that you’ll never forget.<br />
Welcome to Switzerland: we look forward to your visit!<br />
Jürg Schmid<br />
Director, Switzerland Tourism<br />
<strong>mySwitzerland</strong><br />
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Contents<br />
Views<br />
6 Peak thrills for all the family Uri cableway hike<br />
12 Being here is beautiful Poets and novelists<br />
SPECIAL<br />
14 360° panoramas<br />
The fi nest viewpoints<br />
28 Playground for pioneers Summit rides<br />
34 Walks on the wild side Panoramic city strolls<br />
38 Pinnacle of achievement First ascent of the Matterhorn<br />
40 Roads to freedom Panoramic postbuses<br />
44 100 years of pristine nature Swiss National Park centenary<br />
48 Man of leisure SBB RailAway<br />
54 Switzerland from above Yann Arthus-Bertrand<br />
51 Be our guest<br />
58 A la carte<br />
60 Picked for you<br />
62 Swiss made<br />
67 Switzerland at a glance<br />
EXPERT TIPS<br />
<strong>mySwitzerland</strong><br />
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<strong>mySwitzerland</strong> 6 Views
Uri cableway hike<br />
Peak thrills for<br />
all the family<br />
Words: Christoph Zurfluh Pictures: Angel Sanchez<br />
The small canton of Uri alone has 39 passenger cableways.<br />
Many are quaint, old-fashioned installations offering a real sense<br />
of adventure. It’s easy to devise spectacular mountain hikes<br />
incorporating these nostalgic rides – to charm visitors of all ages.
Uri cableway hike<br />
Moments such as this linger long in the memory:<br />
the mild summer sun is bathing Uri’s<br />
dramatic 3,000-metre peaks in a wonderfully<br />
soft light, while the lush meadows below<br />
us are so green they look freshly painted.<br />
The chiming of cowbells supplies the perfect soundtrack.<br />
It’s just like in a film, and this one is called “Perfect Mountain<br />
World”.<br />
I take a deep breath. The fresh morning air feels so liberating<br />
– and I need to summon a little courage before climbing<br />
into the cable car that is supposed to carry us down the<br />
mountain. We are at Kessel, just below Biel, a charming centre<br />
for walking and skiing where we have spent the night on<br />
our two-day “cableway hike”. The next stage of the walk begins<br />
in Witterschwanden, down in the valley.<br />
The green cabin looks rather scary, half-exposed and a<br />
bit elderly, but in fine working order. Typical Uri, in other<br />
words: functional and fancy-free. I push open the heavy door,<br />
and the children jump cheerfully into the small green cabin:<br />
at least it’s better than walking, they say …<br />
A multitude of cableways<br />
Uri boasts an abundance of two things: high mountains and<br />
cableways serving their slopes. Of course, some cable cars<br />
access Uri’s world-class ski areas, such as the Gotthard region<br />
around Andermatt, but most serve remote hamlets, farms and<br />
mountain pastures. To this day, they bring provisions up to<br />
the heights, and children down to the valley for school. They<br />
make life easier for alpine farmers, and also make the high<br />
mountains more accessible for everyone.<br />
Hikers and holidaymakers, swimmers and nature lovers<br />
can use these cableways to access a superb network of footpaths,<br />
pretty mountain lakes and glorious views. But they are<br />
not just a means to an end: they are among the highlights of<br />
hikes in this region, especially when the ride is in a simple<br />
old-style cabin. A genuine Uri cableway is usually small, basic,<br />
partly open to the elements, and unstaffed. To ride them, you<br />
buy tokens – and run the ride yourself.<br />
And that is exactly how it is with our nostalgic ride down to<br />
Witterschwanden for our hike. We’ve bought a token for a<br />
couple of francs from the farm opposite, popped it into the<br />
slot, and very soon we’ll be on our way. An alarm bell rings for<br />
30 seconds, urging us to board – and the cable car sets off automatically.<br />
Almost like a roller coaster<br />
“Daddy,” asks my 9-year-old daughter Amélie, “are you sure<br />
the cabin won’t fall off?”<br />
Well, I think to myself, it depends what you mean by sure.<br />
But I have confidence in Uri’s cableway-building skills,<br />
tried and tested for over a century. So I say: “Of course!” and<br />
“Whoooah!” as we clatter over the first pylon and drop<br />
steeply down towards the valley. Unlike tourist cable cars,<br />
ours does not feature a mechanism for keeping the cabin<br />
level. As the ride gets steeper, the cabin tilts further, so you<br />
feel that at any moment you’re going to slide out – although<br />
you won’t, of course.<br />
“It’s a bit like being on a roller coaster,” I say, winking at<br />
my other daughter, Sophie (12). She just shrugs and looks<br />
down at the pastures below, full of colourful spring blossom.<br />
“Main thing is, we don’t have to walk,” she says with a<br />
cheeky grin.<br />
And that’s exactly what makes “cableway hiking” in Uri<br />
so attractive. With 39 official cableways of all kinds to choose<br />
from, you can clock up a lot of vertical metres and have a lot<br />
of fun along the way.<br />
We began our cableway hiking adventure yesterday in<br />
Flüelen, conquering our first 1,000 vertical metres in just<br />
nine minutes thanks to the Eggberg cable car. The next<br />
400 vertical metres up to little Lake Flesch cost rather more<br />
effort as well as a promise: that we would call in at the lakeside<br />
café for refreshments. The climb took about an hour, as<br />
did the stop for a dip and a bite. Refreshed, we needed only<br />
another half an hour to walk to our planned lunch stop: the<br />
Alpstubli Selez, a charming mountain restaurant on the<br />
Schächental High Trail offering sensational views.<br />
<strong>mySwitzerland</strong><br />
8 Views
Appetite for adventure: on an Uri cableway hike, picnic spots come with glorious mountain views.<br />
Even high up, the meadows in Uri are lush and green.<br />
The prospect of tasty treats en route is sure to revive weary legs.<br />
You can’t get lost: paths are all clearly signposted.<br />
<strong>mySwitzerland</strong><br />
9 Views
And if you look to your right,<br />
you can see Heidi.<br />
<br />
That’s because we make sure that Swiss quality is never an empty promise. Thanks to our personal<br />
service, excellent regional cuisine and warm hospitality, you’ll experience the beauty of Switzerland before<br />
you even start your holiday.
“Are you hungry?” asked the host, Joe Arnold, as he pulled<br />
out his notepad. His words revealed such a genuine desire to<br />
feed us well that we would have ordered the whole range of<br />
Uri specialities – from “Älplermagronen” pasta with apple<br />
purée to a platter of local cheese and meat – if we hadn’t just<br />
filled ourselves up only a short while earlier.<br />
The next ride is never far away<br />
“How far do we still have to go?” asked Amélie every couple<br />
of minutes that afternoon as we walked high along the sunny<br />
side of the Schächental valley towards Biel. From there, the<br />
high trail continues to Ratzi and up to the Klausen Pass, but<br />
our goal was the Berggasthaus Biel, our accommodation for<br />
the night. After all, we were here not just to hike but to ride<br />
cableways – as many as possible, and the more spectacular, the<br />
better.<br />
And so, on day two, after a short walk downhill, we’ve arrived<br />
here at the top station of the Kessel–Witterschwanden<br />
cableway. It brings us 770 vertical metres down to the bottom<br />
of the Schächental valley, where our next ride awaits: a cable<br />
car from Witterschwanden up to Eggenbergli (600 vertical<br />
metres). From the top station, a two-hour walk will take us<br />
to the high sunny terrace of Haldi; I wonder whether my<br />
younger daughter is going to ask me endlessly how much longer<br />
the walk will take. I’ll count the minutes patiently before<br />
playing my trump card: the Alpenrösli. At Mary and Albert<br />
Planzer’s mountain restaurant, children are especially welcome:<br />
almost every wish is granted. And because everyone tends to<br />
overindulge at the Alpenrösli, I’m happy that just a short walk<br />
away there’s yet another cable car to carry us the 600 vertical<br />
metres down to Schattdorf, weary, full and happy.<br />
Vierwaldstättersee<br />
2952<br />
Brunnistock<br />
Flüelen<br />
Schattdorf<br />
Reuss<br />
Schwyz<br />
Eggbergen<br />
Haldi<br />
Muotathal<br />
Biel<br />
Witterschwanden<br />
Eggenbergli<br />
3295<br />
Schärhorn<br />
Uri cableway hikes<br />
Canton Uri boasts a remarkable concentration<br />
of cableways, so the options for creating “cableway<br />
hikes” are vast. Uri Tourism has picked out some of<br />
the finest, and created packages around them lasting<br />
three to seven days, with accommodation and<br />
cableway rides booked in advance (www.uri.info).<br />
The two-day route described in the article leads along<br />
the Schächental valley, incorporating a stretch of the<br />
popular Schächental High Trail (Eggberge–Klausen<br />
Pass) and four cableway rides. Simple accommodation<br />
is available at Biel (www.biel-kinzigag.ch).<br />
www.seilbahnen-uri.ch<br />
Breathtaking panoramic hikes.<br />
e Graubünden, Fil de Cassons: 4 hrs, Sardona Tectonic Arena, view of Martinsloch rock hole<br />
e Bernese Oberland, Gurnigel–Stockhorn: 5 hrs, high trail framed by parade of Bernese peaks<br />
e Ticino, Monte Lema–Monte Tamaro: 5½ hrs, ridge hike soaring high above sparkling lakes<br />
e Valais, Lötschental high trail: 2½ hrs, classic hike with views of the Bietschhorn<br />
e Jura & Three-Lakes, Chasseral circuit: 4½ hrs, panorama from Säntis to Mont Blanc<br />
e Eastern Switzerland, Hoher Kasten–Staubern–Brülisau: 5½ hrs, epic hike on the Alpstein<br />
e Fribourg Region, Moléson–Teysachaux: 3 hrs, sweeping views across western Switzerland<br />
MySwitzerland.com, Webcode: AL25153 /<br />
Swiss Extend<br />
<strong>mySwitzerland</strong> 11 Views
Poets and novelists<br />
Words: Marco Casile<br />
These words by the German poet Rainer Maria Rilke about his stay in<br />
Bad Ragaz elegantly encapsulate a world of emotion.<br />
Switzerland’s scenic beauty has long enchanted poets and writers, both as<br />
a source of inspiration and a haven of tranquillity.<br />
<strong>mySwitzerland</strong> 12 Views
In September 1744, the Genevan writer and philosopher<br />
Jean-Jacques Rousseau travelled from the Simplon<br />
through the Valais. His experiences of the dramatic<br />
Alpine landscapes inspired him to write “Julie, or the<br />
New Heloise”, a novel that was to prove a turning point<br />
in French literature. In 1765, Rousseau spent about six weeks<br />
on St. Peter’s Island in Lake Biel, and wrote: “I have been<br />
granted barely two months on this island. But I could have<br />
spent two years, two centuries and the whole of eternity here<br />
without a moment of boredom. These two months have been<br />
the happiest time in my life.” The monastery that hosted<br />
Rousseau is now a hotel, crowned Swiss Historic Hotel of the<br />
Year 2010. You can see the room in which he stayed – and<br />
spend the night at this blissful spot yourself.<br />
Perpendicular nothingness<br />
Mark Twain’s second European journey also took him to<br />
Valais. The American author arrived from the Bernese Oberland<br />
via the Gemmi Pass and the precipitous mule trail down<br />
to Leukerbad. In his witty travelogue “A Tramp Abroad”,<br />
Twain wrote: “We began our descent, now, by the most<br />
remarkable road I have ever seen. It wound its corkscrew<br />
curves down the face of the colossal precipice – a narrow way,<br />
with always the solid rock wall at one elbow, and perpendicular<br />
nothingness at the other.” After arriving exhausted in<br />
Leukerbad, he visited the thermal baths and wrote: “Those<br />
baths remove fat and also skin diseases. The patients remain in<br />
the great tanks for hours at a time.” Today you can still walk<br />
in Mark Twain’s footsteps, following the historic trail from<br />
Kandersteg over the Gemmi Pass to Leukerbad.<br />
On the right side of the mountains<br />
When Hermann Hesse moved to Ticino in 1919 after separating<br />
from his wife and children, he was in a state of creative<br />
crisis, describing himself as “a minor, burnt-out writer”. He<br />
settled in the village of Montagnola above Lake Lugano. His<br />
new home, “on the right side of the mountains”, proved rich<br />
inspiration for his writing and painting, and at the age of 42<br />
he flourished once again. Here he produced works such as<br />
“Siddhartha”, “Steppenwolf ” and “Narziss and Goldmund”,<br />
which sold by the million and won Hesse awards from the<br />
Goethe Prize to the Nobel Prize for literature. For many<br />
years he lived in the Casa Camuzzi, a Ticino palazzo of elaborate<br />
turrets and ornate windows, and today the complex is<br />
home to a museum devoted to Hesse and his work. Both the<br />
museum and the theme trail through the village beautifully<br />
conjure the spirit of this great humanist writer.<br />
On the trail of great writers<br />
Rainer Maria Rilke<br />
In 1919, in an attempt to<br />
overcome a creative crisis and<br />
rediscover his lyrical voice,<br />
Rilke travelled to Switzerland.<br />
After a long search he found his<br />
new home in Sierre, Valais, in<br />
1921. The poet also found<br />
happiness at the thermal spa<br />
of Altes Bad Pfäfers in Bad<br />
Ragaz, and in the charming<br />
mountain village of Soglio in the<br />
Val Bregaglia, where he stayed<br />
at the Palazzo Salis. The historic<br />
hotel offers guests a warm<br />
welcome to this day.<br />
Johann Wolfgang<br />
von Goethe<br />
On his second journey to<br />
Switzerland in 1779, Goethe<br />
visited the Lauterbrunnen<br />
valley, where he marvelled at<br />
the 300-metre-high Staubbach<br />
Falls – a wonder of nature that<br />
has lost none of its magic.<br />
His third Swiss journey took<br />
him to historic sites in central<br />
Switzerland. The nation was<br />
founded on Rütli meadow and<br />
the William Tell story unfolded<br />
nearby, each location linked by<br />
the charming Swiss Path.<br />
Thomas Mann<br />
Thomas Mann spent May and<br />
June 1912 in Davos, in order<br />
to visit his wife, Katia, who was<br />
undergoing treatment at a<br />
sanatorium. He worked his<br />
impressions into the novel “The<br />
Magic Mountain”, published<br />
in 1924. The evocative Art<br />
Nouveau Hotel Schatzalp,<br />
a former sanatorium, is still<br />
a place of restful tranquillity.<br />
Lord George<br />
Gordon Byron<br />
The Romantic poet Lord Byron<br />
travelled through Switzerland<br />
from May to October 1816.<br />
Sailing trips by the Château de<br />
Chillon on Lake Geneva and<br />
visits to the Bernese Oberland<br />
inspired his poem “The Prisoner<br />
of Chillon” as well as passages<br />
in “Childe Harold’s Pilgrimage”.<br />
Like Goethe, Byron was<br />
profoundly impressed by the<br />
Staubbach Falls and the famous<br />
peaks of the Eiger, Mönch and<br />
Jungfrau.<br />
Friedrich Nietzsche<br />
In July 1881, the philosopher<br />
Friedrich Nietzsche made his first<br />
visit to Sils Maria, “the most<br />
delightful corner of the world”. He<br />
spent his summers here until<br />
1888, finding he was at his most<br />
creative in the Upper Engadin.<br />
More information<br />
on inspiring locations at<br />
Webcode: 65745 /<br />
<strong>mySwitzerland</strong> 13 Views
46°55'55"N, 6°43'17"E Creux<br />
du Van, Jura & Three-Lakes<br />
3600 panorama<br />
with the<br />
Swiss Extend app
360°<br />
Switzerland boasts as many splendid panoramic viewpoints as it has<br />
mountains – thousands, in other words. MySwitzerland presents seven of<br />
the most spectacular, and explains how to reach each one.<br />
Pictures: Matthias Taugwalder<br />
The Creux du Van is about two and a half hours on foot from Noiraigue,<br />
or an hour by electric bike. Motorists can drive from Couvet as far as<br />
Le Soliat, 20 minutes’ walk away. The photo location is midway along the<br />
rock amphitheatre, at an altitude of 1,466 metres.
46°30'31"N, 9°54'38"E Segantini<br />
hut, Engadin St. Moritz, Graubünden
From Punt Muragl in the Upper Engadin, take the funicular up to Muottas Muragl.<br />
A well-marked trail leads from the summit station to the Segantini hut, about an<br />
hour away at 2,731 metres. The photo location is about 15 minutes’ walk below<br />
the hut, by the path.
46°25'54"N, 8°5'37"E Eggishorn,<br />
Aletsch Arena, Valais
From the Valais village of Fiesch on the route up to the Furka Pass, take<br />
the cable car to Fiescheralp and then the Eggishorn. A path leads from the<br />
top station to the summit (2,927 metres) in about half an hour. The photo<br />
location is on the path of stone slabs leading towards the Aletsch Glacier.
46°32'56"N, 7°1'1"E Moléson,<br />
Fribourg Region
From Moléson-sur-Gruyères, ride the funicular and then the cable car<br />
to the top station of the Moléson. Footpath signs point the way to the<br />
summit, about five to ten minutes’ walk away. The photo location is at<br />
2,002 metres, close to the peak.
45°58'37"N, 8°56'50"E San<br />
Salvatore, Lugano, Ticino
A five-minute walk from Lugano-Paradiso station leads to the funicular<br />
up the San Salvatore. At the top station, follow the footpath signs to reach<br />
the church on the summit in about ten minutes. The viewing platform and<br />
the photo location are on the roof of the church.
46°18'36"N, 7°13'24"E Glacier<br />
3000, Les Diablerets, Lake Geneva Region
From the Col du Pillon, between Gstaad and Les Diablerets, take the cable<br />
car up to the Scex Rouge and then the chairlift down to the glacier.<br />
A path marked “Glacier Walk” leads to the “Refuge l’Espace” mountain hut.<br />
The photo location is a little higher up, at 2,865 metres.
46°37'6''N, 7°56'17"E Männlichen,<br />
Jungfrau Region, Bernese Oberland
Ride up to the Männlichen either by gondola from Grindelwald or by<br />
cable car from Wengen. At the top station, follow the path to the summit<br />
at 2,343 metres, a walk of about 20 minutes. The photo location is a<br />
few steps from the summit.
Summit rides<br />
Playground<br />
for pioneers<br />
Words: Lucas Roos<br />
Beginning of a boom: Vitznau-Rigi railway.<br />
A model for the world: the Wetterhorn cable car.<br />
<strong>mySwitzerland</strong> 28 Views
Niklaus Riggenbach (1817–1899)<br />
As tourists began discovering the Alps in the mid-19th century,<br />
Swiss engineers devised ever more ingenious methods for carrying<br />
them to the summits. Soon, Switzerland was leading the world in<br />
the construction of cog railways and cableways.<br />
I<br />
n the first half of the 19th century, travel in the Swiss<br />
Alps was arduous: the only way up most mountains<br />
was on foot. But the first tourists, especially the<br />
British, spared no effort to reach the summits. The<br />
extraordinary appeal of the mountains for foreign<br />
visitors was not lost on Swiss engineers, who recognised the<br />
potential of summit railways. Many curious ideas finally led<br />
to a successful project: the Vitznau-Rigi railway, inaugurated<br />
on 21 May 1871. The innovative technology devised by engineer<br />
Niklaus Riggenbach led to a boom in the construction<br />
of mountain railways, which reached a climax around the<br />
turn of the 20th century. Swiss pioneering spirit and inventive<br />
genius produced no fewer than four systems of cog traction,<br />
all of which are in use to this day: Riggenbach, Strub, Locher<br />
and Abt. The Jungfrau railway runs on the Strub system,<br />
while the Pilatus cog railway, the world’s steepest since it<br />
opened on 4 June 1889, runs on a traction system invented by<br />
Eduard Locher, by which two horizontal cog wheels engage<br />
on either side of a toothed rack.<br />
Cables instead of cog wheels<br />
It soon became apparent that cog railways suffered a major<br />
disadvantage: the locomotives were heavy, and most systems<br />
could not tackle gradients steeper than 25 per cent. Only<br />
Eduard Locher’s invention could cope with steeper inclines –<br />
up to 48 per cent on the Pilatus railway – but such systems<br />
were expensive to build and operate. The solution lay in the<br />
use of cables. The world’s first cable railway for tourists<br />
opened on 21 July 1879, linking the shore of Lake Brienz<br />
with the Hotel Giessbach. This was also the first funicular to<br />
use a system invented by Roman Abt, whereby both cars run<br />
on the same pair of rails, except at a passing section halfway<br />
up the slope. It was the invention of the cable car, however,<br />
that enabled engineers to access truly remote pinnacles. Switzerland’s<br />
first passenger cable car for the public opened in<br />
Grindelwald on 27 July 1908, to carry visitors up the Wetterhorn.<br />
It had to close in 1914, but remained the model for<br />
future cable cars, able to overcome deep gorges and high cliffs<br />
without difficulty. Other significant projects – such as the<br />
cable car from Beckenried to Klewenalp (1933) and the Säntis<br />
cable car (1935) – soon sealed Switzerland’s reputation as the<br />
land of spectacular mountain rides.<br />
Rotair and Cabrio<br />
Today, about 670 summer cable cars, funiculars and cog railways<br />
are key links in Switzerland’s transport network, as well<br />
as an important tourist attraction. In 1992, Rotair, whose<br />
rotating floor gives passengers 360° views, opened on the<br />
Titlis as the world’s first revolving cable car. The world’s first<br />
gondola with revolving cabins opened on the Hochstuckli in<br />
2005. Then 2012 saw another world first: the CabriO ® , a<br />
double-decker cable car on the Stanserhorn with open sun<br />
deck. It’s no surprise that Switzerland’s mountain rides are as<br />
popular as ever with visitors.<br />
<strong>mySwitzerland</strong> 29 Views
Swiss Pass –<br />
one ticket for everything.<br />
With the Swiss Pass you can tour Switzerland by public transport with (almost) no restrictions.<br />
For the most memorable travel experiences by train, bus and boat – SwissTravelSystem.com
Rides to the top of the world.<br />
Steeper, higher, extremer: around 670 summer cableways and cog<br />
railways compete to promise passengers the biggest thrills.<br />
Spectacular views come included, needless to say. Here we pick<br />
eleven of the country’s finest mountain rides.<br />
Win a scenic holiday<br />
with the<br />
Swiss Extend app<br />
1<br />
CabriO ® cable car (Stanserhorn) 711–1,850 m<br />
Lucerne – Lake Lucerne Region<br />
The CabriO ® is the world’s first and only double-decker cable car<br />
with an open upper deck. The innovative design allows passengers<br />
on the roof to enjoy glorious open-air views as they glide up the<br />
Stanserhorn. The cabin can take up to 60 people below, and around<br />
30 on the sun deck. Definitely a ride not to be missed!<br />
1 www.cabrio.ch<br />
2<br />
Gelmer funicular 1,400–1,850 m<br />
Bernese Oberland<br />
The Gelmer cable railway promises a guaranteed blast of adrenalin:<br />
with gradients of up to 106 per cent, this is easily the steepest<br />
funicular in Europe. Built in the 1920s as a works railway for<br />
construction of the Lake Gelmer dam, it opened to hikers and<br />
other visitors in 2001. Today, this wonder of technology offers<br />
an unforgettable experience of near-vertical travel.<br />
2 www.grimselwelt.ch<br />
3<br />
Vitznau-Rigi cog railway 435–1,752 m<br />
Lucerne – Lake Lucerne Region<br />
Europe’s first passenger cog railway, inaugurated on the “Queen<br />
of the Mountains” in 1871, scales 1,317 vertical metres over a total<br />
distance of 6,975 metres. Steam trains still ply the route regularly.<br />
The “Belle Epoque” salon car from 1873, featuring mahogany, plush<br />
fabrics and shining brass, offers a wonderfully nostalgic experience –<br />
a must for romantics.<br />
3 www.rigi.ch<br />
4<br />
Gornergrat cog railway 1,620–3,089 m<br />
Valais<br />
The railway from Zermatt up the Gornergrat opened on 20 August<br />
1898 as Switzerland’s first electric cog railway. It is also Europe’s<br />
highest open-air cog railway, and runs 365 days a year. The views<br />
from the summit station are spectacular, taking in 29 peaks<br />
above 4,000 metres including Switzerland’s highest mountain,<br />
the Dufourspitze (4,634 metres).<br />
4 www.gornergrat.ch<br />
<strong>mySwitzerland</strong> 31 Views
5<br />
6<br />
7<br />
8<br />
Pilatus cog railway<br />
497–2,132 m<br />
Lucerne –<br />
Lake Lucerne Region<br />
A ride on this historic railway is<br />
guaranteed to set pulses racing:<br />
with a total distance of 4,6 kilometres,<br />
a vertical climb of<br />
1,635 metres and gradients of<br />
up to 48 per cent, this is the<br />
world’s steepest cog railway. The<br />
ascent of the Eselswand cliffs<br />
is particularly spectacular, while<br />
the views from the summit are<br />
breathtaking: way below lies<br />
Lake Lucerne, and all around,<br />
73 Alpine peaks frame the horizon.<br />
5 www.pilatus.ch<br />
Schwägalp –<br />
Säntis cable car<br />
1,350–2,472 m<br />
Eastern Switzerland /<br />
Liechtenstein<br />
The Säntis cable car was only the<br />
third to be built in Switzerland. In<br />
just ten minutes, it carries visitors<br />
effortlessly up the highest peak of<br />
the Appenzell region. From the<br />
summit of the Säntis, famous for<br />
its extreme weather conditions,<br />
you enjoy sensational panoramic<br />
views of mountains, lakes and<br />
over six countries: Switzerland,<br />
Germany, Austria, Liechtenstein,<br />
France and Italy.<br />
6 www.saentisbahn.ch<br />
Jungfrau cog railway<br />
2,061–3,454 m<br />
Bernese Oberland<br />
Inaugurated in 1912, the Jungfrau<br />
Railway is one of the pioneering<br />
achievements of Swiss engineering.<br />
The cog railway leads from<br />
Kleine Scheidegg up to the “Top<br />
of Europe”, the Jungfraujoch –<br />
home to the continent’s highest<br />
railway station, 3,454 metres up,<br />
in a world of rock, ice and snow.<br />
Seven out of nine kilometres of<br />
the spectacular route lead<br />
through tunnel; in all, the railway<br />
climbs 1,400 vertical metres.<br />
7 www.jungfrau.ch<br />
Brienz Rothorn<br />
steam railway<br />
566–2,244 m<br />
Bernese Oberland<br />
The Brienzer Rothorn has<br />
been one of the most popular<br />
excursion destinations in the<br />
Bernese Oberland since the 19th<br />
century. Steam-powered cog<br />
trains still carry visitors to the<br />
spectacular summit viewpoint<br />
today. The locomotives take<br />
about an hour for the climb of<br />
1,678 vertical metres – plenty of<br />
time to enjoy the gradually<br />
unfolding views of Lake Brienz<br />
and the mountains beyond.<br />
8 www.brienz-rothorn-bahn.ch<br />
<strong>mySwitzerland</strong> 32 Views
9<br />
Cardada Cimetta 200–1,340 m<br />
Ticino<br />
A ride from Locarno on the nostalgic funicular up to Orselina<br />
is the start of a charming trip in time. After a leisurely glide past<br />
Mediterranean-style villas and gardens, at Orselina you step<br />
into the future – the first cable car by an internationally renowned<br />
designer. The station building, cable car cabins with glass floors<br />
and the summit station in Cardada are all by the Ticino architect<br />
Mario Botta.<br />
9 www.cardada.ch<br />
10<br />
Rochers-de-Naye cog railway 372–2,042 m<br />
Lake Geneva Region<br />
In three-quarters of an hour a cog train climbs from the palms of<br />
Montreux to the lofty heights of Rochers-de-Naye. The daring route<br />
chosen by the railway’s builders and the steep gradients make for<br />
an unforgettable ride. The views from the summit extend from the<br />
shores of the Vaud Riviera across Lake Geneva to a string of Alpine<br />
summits along the horizon.<br />
10 www.goldenpass.ch<br />
11<br />
Rhaetian Railway 563–2,253 m<br />
Graubünden<br />
The Rhaetian Railway is neither a cog railway nor funicular, yet it<br />
offers some of the country’s most spectacular train rides. One of<br />
the classics is the Albula / Bernina line, heart of a UNESCO World<br />
Heritage Site. Linking Thusis and Poschiavo, the route features the<br />
famous Landwasser viaduct and the highest rail crossing of the<br />
Alps, the 2,253-metre Bernina Pass, and is regarded as a masterpiece<br />
of railway engineering.<br />
11 www.rhb.ch<br />
6<br />
5<br />
3<br />
8 1<br />
7 2<br />
10 11<br />
9<br />
4<br />
Discover other great Swiss mountain railways and cable cars:<br />
Webcode: AM25153 / Swiss Extend<br />
<strong>mySwitzerland</strong> 33 Views
Panoramic city strolls<br />
Walks on<br />
the wild side<br />
Words: Reto Wilhelm<br />
The summit of Zürich’s Uetliberg reveals glorious<br />
views of the city lights, Lake Zürich and the Glarus Alps.
Visit any Swiss city and you’ll find nature on the doorstep. Just minutes<br />
from the downtown shops, museums and restaurants there’ll be a<br />
mountain peak offering panoramic hikes and sightings of local wildlife.<br />
Our writer explores three of Switzerland’s finest urban getaways.<br />
Lovely Lugano and its Monte Brè<br />
Aproper day in Lugano begins with an espresso on<br />
the Piazza della Riforma. Soon after, as if by<br />
magic, I see my first “sight”: spaghetti, handmade,<br />
1,2 metres long. Everything here seems<br />
bigger than normal. At Gabbani in the Via<br />
Nassa, oversize salami hang from the ceiling; at Muni I<br />
come across giant watermelons and huge porcini mushrooms.<br />
I find this city breathtaking, even before I’ve<br />
scaled its famous local peak, Monte Brè. The funicular,<br />
built in 1912, climbs 925 vertical metres in half an<br />
hour, over two stages. Lugano lies way below my feet,<br />
glittering in the bright sunshine; San Salvatore, the<br />
city’s own sugarloaf mountain, rises on the far shore of<br />
the deep-blue lake. The panoramic show is dazzling, all<br />
the way down the path and steps to the hamlet of Brè.<br />
Here it’s well worth calling in at the little museum displaying<br />
evocative paintings by Wilhelm Schmid, a Swiss realist artist<br />
and honorary citizen of Brè. I, too, feel inspired: beautiful<br />
Lugano with its mountains must be one of the most creative<br />
environments on earth.<br />
Views over a sleepy Zürich<br />
7.25 am, and the train on platform 2 is ready to depart. It sets<br />
off up Zürich’s Uetliberg mountain, affectionately known as<br />
“Üetzgi” to the locals. After only 20 minutes, I’m at the<br />
summit. A few last wisps of mist snake over the ridge, but the<br />
sun is already warming the air. Nearby is the start of the<br />
Planet Trail, a path that initiates walkers into the secrets of the<br />
heavenly bodies. I follow my earthly needs instead, and treat<br />
myself to a cappuccino and fresh Birchermüesli in the panoramic<br />
restaurant. Here, 871 metres up, I contemplate God,<br />
<strong>mySwitzerland</strong> 35 Views
Best to take only<br />
empty suitcases with<br />
you on holiday.<br />
Frey is available in your Migros.
the universe and the waking metropolis below. A<br />
gentle breeze blows from the west as the sun’s first<br />
rays dance on the surface of Lake Zürich. My journey<br />
back down to the city leads me along twisting paths, past<br />
little waterfalls and lush mossy banks. The air is full of the<br />
sounds of splashing water and singing birds, just like in a fairytale<br />
forest. In an hour I have reached Triemli at the edge of<br />
the city. I ride the train back to the locker where I have left<br />
my other shoes. After all, I wouldn’t want to walk down the<br />
spotless Bahnhofstrasse in muddy hiking boots …<br />
A trip in time high above Bern<br />
For my trip to the Gurten, the mountain on Bern’s doorstep,<br />
I skip the funicular and opt for a gentle walk up instead.<br />
Within moments I’m overtaken by countless joggers. Surely<br />
not in Bern, where everything is supposed to be more<br />
leisurely? I carry on at my own pace. A voice behind me<br />
shouts “Wait, children!” as a class of schoolkids eagerly clambers<br />
up the steps alongside the funicular. I huff and puff, even<br />
if the Gurten is only 864 metres high. But I’m glad I’ve made<br />
the effort when I reach the lush green summit plateau and<br />
reward myself with a refreshing Gurten beer, which used to<br />
be brewed at the bottom of the funicular. Up here, time really<br />
seems to pass more slowly. A miniature train carries children<br />
around the park; families on checked blankets tuck into<br />
picnic hampers, just as they did generations<br />
ago. Soon after, I am back in<br />
Bern, strolling under the medieval<br />
arcades of the Old Town, still at Gurten<br />
speed. I linger in front of the parliament<br />
building, where a couple of elderly<br />
gentlemen are playing chess. In and<br />
around the Swiss capital, I’m glad to<br />
see, everything is just as it should be.<br />
Superb city views.<br />
e Geneva, Salève: the world city of Geneva, seen from above<br />
e St. Gallen, Säntis: panoramic view of the Alps from 2,502 m above sea level<br />
e Schaffhausen, Munot: fortress overlooking the Rhine, vineyards and the Old Town<br />
e Solothurn, Weissenstein: beyond the Swiss Plateau rise the mighty Bernese Alps<br />
e Biel, Bözingenberg: superb views over Lake Biel, Lake Murten and Lake Neuchâtel<br />
e Basel, Bar Rouge in the Messeturm: 105 m above the city in the Trade Fair Tower<br />
e Zug, Zugerberg: scenic mountain packed with attractions<br />
MySwitzerland.com, Webcode: K25237 /<br />
Swiss Extend<br />
<strong>mySwitzerland</strong> 37 Views
First ascent of the Matterhorn<br />
Pinnacle of<br />
achievement<br />
Words: Andreas Feuerstein Pictures: Zermatt Tourism<br />
Matterhorn live<br />
with the<br />
Swiss Extend app<br />
The conquering party, from left:<br />
Peter Taugwalder senior, Michel Croz, Charles Hudson, Francis Douglas,<br />
Robert Hadow, Edward Whymper, Peter Taugwalder junior.<br />
<strong>mySwitzerland</strong> 38 Views
The Matterhorn, the symbol of Switzerland and the world’s most<br />
recognisable mountain, was long considered impossible to climb.<br />
In 1865, an unlikely team gathered in Zermatt to conquer the peak.<br />
The first ascent was a triumph – but also a tragedy.<br />
With good weather, summer nights are short<br />
at the Hörnli hut, up at 3,260 m. Soon after<br />
3 am the first wake-up calls sound – but<br />
that’s good. As many as 140 people on any<br />
given day are here to climb the Matterhorn,<br />
and most sleep only fitfully. They’re happy when it’s time to<br />
set off in the dark to walk to the foot of the towering cliffs.<br />
Today’s climbers are well prepared for the final ascent. The<br />
stakes are high, but they aren’t taking any risks.<br />
In 1860 things were different. Mountaineers such as the<br />
21-year-old Londoner Edward Whymper would risk their<br />
lives to conquer a peak. The 4,478-metre Matterhorn was<br />
thought to be unclimbable, but despite this – or rather,<br />
because of it – Whymper made it his personal goal in 1861.<br />
For four summers, every attempt to scale the mountain from<br />
Breuil-Cervinia failed. In 1865 Whymper realised the most<br />
promising way up was not from the southwest, but via the<br />
northeast ridge in Switzerland, with Zermatt as a starting<br />
point. In that year, the Italian Alpine Club (CAI) declared the<br />
conquest of the Matterhorn a matter of national priority –<br />
and in July 1865, a party of Italian climbers set off to climb<br />
the peak. When Whymper found out, he felt betrayed. He<br />
hurried to Zermatt to assemble a team to tackle the ascent<br />
immediately via the Hörnli ridge. On his ninth attempt,<br />
Whymper finally succeeded, accompanied by three mountain<br />
guides and three other British climbers. On 14 July 1865 the<br />
seven mountaineers reached the summit shortly before their<br />
Italian rivals: the Matterhorn had finally been conquered. But<br />
uneven levels of alpine experience and fitness within the team<br />
proved disastrous: on the way down, the young and exhausted<br />
British climber Robert Hadow slipped and fell, pulling three<br />
of the other mountaineers off the rock face. The quickthinking<br />
guide Peter Taugwalder senior threw the rope<br />
around a rock to prevent his comrades falling any further. For<br />
a moment they seemed to have been saved – but the rope<br />
snapped, and all four fell to their deaths. Whymper and<br />
the Zermatt guides, Peter Taugwalder, father and son, survived.<br />
Triumph turned into tragedy, and Whymper became the<br />
subject of bitter controversy. He was long accused of having<br />
cut the rope in order to save his own life; however, a court<br />
case cleared him and Taugwalder senior of suspicion.<br />
The first ascent, whose 150th anniversary is being celebrated<br />
on 14 July 2015, marked the beginning of a new era<br />
for Zermatt: the small village soon became one of Switzerland’s<br />
most popular and successful mountain resorts.<br />
The finest views of the Matterhorn.<br />
e Gornergrat – Riffelsee: the waters of the Riffelsee beautifully reflect the iconic peak<br />
e Rothorn: the Matterhorn at its most beautiful, especially when seen from the Five Lakes Walk<br />
e Schwarzsee: the path via Stafelalp to Furi showcases the mountain from below<br />
e Matterhorn Glacier Paradise: the observation platform at 3,883 m reveals 38 peaks above 4,000 m,<br />
including a fresh perspective on the Matterhorn<br />
e Matterhorn Museum – Zermatlantis: view of the old village with the Matterhorn<br />
MySwitzerland.com, Webcode: 28413 /<br />
Swiss Extend<br />
<strong>mySwitzerland</strong> 39 Views
Panoramic postbuses<br />
Roads<br />
to freedom<br />
Words: Matthias Mächler Pictures: Matthias Mächler, Christof Sonderegger<br />
<strong>mySwitzerland</strong> 40 Views
Enjoy the film<br />
with the<br />
Swiss Extend app<br />
Markus Bösch has been driving<br />
postbuses through the Bernese<br />
Oberland for 26 years. But one scenic<br />
trip still gives him a special thrill<br />
every time: the Four Passes Tour<br />
through the central Alps.<br />
Two hundred metres before the corner, a smile<br />
spreads across Markus Bösch’s face. In a moment<br />
he’ll give his passengers a little fright. Another<br />
hundred metres. Fifty. He brakes gently. But<br />
instead of steering his 12-ton vehicle straight<br />
around the hairpin bend, he lingers during the manoeuvre<br />
and allows the coach to swing across the road markings, as if<br />
bound for the open sky above the Gadmen valley. Bösch<br />
knows his passengers, sleepy from the ride, are now wide<br />
awake again.<br />
Markus Bösch has been driving postbuses for 26 years. He<br />
started at the age of 29, when he wanted to switch from being<br />
a lorry driver to a job that would give him more time with<br />
his family. Today he is the longest-serving coach driver in<br />
Meiringen, and enjoys the variety his job offers: driving<br />
regional bus routes one day, taking children from remote<br />
farms to school the next, another time bringing visitors on<br />
excursions. But the entry he most likes to see on the work<br />
schedule is “Four Passes Tour: Markus Bösch”, which<br />
happens about every two weeks. “You might think that after<br />
26 years you’d be used to a ride like that,” smiles Bösch. “But<br />
two, three days beforehand, I always feel a tingle of excitement:<br />
the Four Passes Tour is definitely our top trip.”<br />
Dance with the steering wheel<br />
Bösch is a calm, reserved man, in his element at the wheel.<br />
The 55-year-old’s movements are so smooth that he looks as<br />
if he is dancing sitting down – probably the reason nobody<br />
feels queasy on the twisting route. When he speaks into the<br />
<strong>mySwitzerland</strong> 41 Views
<strong>mySwitzerland</strong> 42 Views
microphone to point out a waterfall or a famous hiking trail<br />
or to tell the legend of the Devil’s Bridge, he uses just a few<br />
pithy words – and always gets a laugh. Of course, Bösch also<br />
knows the departure times of every connecting train and cable<br />
car. And when an exhausted cyclist or a tired hiker boards the<br />
bus for the final stretch of climb up to a pass, Bösch greets<br />
them with a gentle humour that works wonders.<br />
Does he have a favourite among the four passes? No, he<br />
says: a diplomatic answer, perhaps, or maybe he really is<br />
equally fond of all four in their diversity – like a parent who<br />
does not want to favour one child over others. “I enjoy the<br />
beginning of the tour, when the day is still fresh and the passengers<br />
are really curious,” he says – in other words, the stage<br />
from Meiringen over the bare Grimsel Pass into Valais, past<br />
many mountain dams and reservoirs. But he also likes the<br />
Nufenen Pass, because it marks the highest point of the<br />
tour – 2,478 metres – and offers spectacular views of the<br />
Gries Glacier. Of course he loves the Gotthard, king of passes,<br />
because there are always vintage cars to be admired along the<br />
way – as well as the historic horse-drawn mail coach.<br />
The sound of Switzerland<br />
And finally comes this last stage, the drive from Andermatt<br />
over the Susten Pass back to Meiringen: “maybe the most demanding<br />
stretch, because it’s the longest,” says Bösch. 48 kilometres,<br />
25 bridges, 21 tunnels: the road makes enormous<br />
demands of the drivers, particularly as postbuses have become<br />
wider over the decades, as have the tourist coaches coming in<br />
the opposite direction. “It’s getting tighter and tighter on the<br />
road,” says Bösch, “and at the same time traffic is increasing,<br />
with more and more motorcyclists and drivers underestimating<br />
the difficulty of the drive.” So, before every blind curve,<br />
the postbus’s famous three-tone horn echoes around the<br />
mountains. For Markus Bösch, the nostalgic notes are the<br />
sound of his homeland – no doubt one reason why, as a boy,<br />
he wanted to grow up to be a postbus driver.<br />
Beyond the Susten Pass, Markus Bösch repeatedly sounds the<br />
horn as the bus winds its way through the soft evening light<br />
down to the valley. The passengers, pleasantly fatigued after<br />
an eventful day and their adventures up on the passes, have no<br />
inkling of the little joke he’ll shortly play on them at the<br />
hairpin turn. Of course, there’s no danger at all, even though<br />
perspective creates the impression that the bus is perched on<br />
the edge of an abyss. Markus Bösch waits for his passengers<br />
to take photos of the lush Gadmen valley, and smiles: “Sometimes<br />
it is the unexpected turns in life that produce the best<br />
prospects,” he says.<br />
4158<br />
Jungfrau<br />
2350<br />
Brienzer Rothorn<br />
Brienz<br />
Eiger 3970<br />
Mönch 4107<br />
Aletschgletscher<br />
Meiringen<br />
3503<br />
Sustenhorn<br />
Aare<br />
Oberwald<br />
4274<br />
Finsteraarhorn<br />
Engelberg<br />
3238<br />
Titlis<br />
One tour, four passes, 8,000 vertical metres:<br />
from Meiringen over the Grimsel to Oberwald, over<br />
the Nufenen to Airolo, over the Gotthard to<br />
Andermatt and over the Susten back to Meiringen.<br />
Reuss<br />
Andermatt<br />
Airolo<br />
Other famous scenic routes.<br />
e Glacier Express: from Zermatt to St. Moritz / Davos in a panoramic train, a journey of around 7 hrs<br />
e Bernina Express: from Chur to Tirano through the Albula-Bernina UNESCO World Heritage Site<br />
e GoldenPass Line: from Montreux through idyllic mountain scenery to Lucerne<br />
e Wilhelm Tell Express: from Lucerne to Flüelen by historic paddle steamer,<br />
then on by train through the Gotthard to Locarno / Lugano<br />
e Pre-Alpine-Express: from St.Gallen through the gentle Prealps to Lucerne<br />
MySwitzerland.com, Webcode: 60314 /<br />
Swiss Extend<br />
<strong>mySwitzerland</strong> 43 Views
Swiss National Park centenary<br />
100 years of<br />
pristine nature<br />
Words: Lucas Roos Pictures: Nico Schaerer<br />
Exactly 100 years ago, visionary conservationists founded the Alps’<br />
first national park. Here, in 170 square kilometres of mountain terrain,<br />
nature develops without human interference. A half-day tour offers<br />
an enchanting glimpse of a magical natural world.<br />
When we reach the third mountain pine<br />
beyond the entrance to the Swiss National<br />
Park, warden Domenic Godly points up.<br />
“Often there’s a boreal owl staring out from<br />
that nest hole, which a black woodpecker<br />
originally made. But today it seems to have flown off.” Godly,<br />
who lives in the Engadine village of Brail and has worked for<br />
the park for 15 years, is accompanying us on the short but<br />
varied round walk from the Ofen Pass road to the Margunet<br />
viewpoint, 2,328 metres above sea level. The route is also<br />
known as the Bearded Vulture Path. Not far from Margunet,<br />
26 of these magnificent birds with a wingspan of nearly<br />
3 metres were released into the wild between 1991 and 2007.<br />
“Some of them still live in the park and breed in the region,”<br />
says Godly. “But normally we don’t intervene in nature, we<br />
let things follow their natural course.”<br />
The walk leads uphill through a forest of mountain pines. All<br />
around lie fallen trees, which are slowly rotting. The park<br />
warden points to a sapling with blue-green needles. “These<br />
Swiss stone pines are planted by our park gardener, the spotted<br />
nutcracker. It hides huge numbers of the pine nuts in the<br />
ground as a winter food reserve. About a fifth of them it<br />
never finds again, and those grow into trees.” Beyond the<br />
edge of the mountain pine forest we reach Alp Stabelchod;<br />
150 years ago this was a pasture for livestock, today it’s a rest<br />
area with a shelter for the wardens. Yellow pegs mark out an<br />
area for walkers to relax and enjoy their picnics. “If people<br />
leave the permitted areas, there’s a fine,” says Godly, “but most<br />
visitors behave very well and follow the park rules.”<br />
Beyond, the path becomes steeper, and follows a cascading<br />
river up the Val da Stabelchod. Maintaining trails and<br />
building bridges are two of the duties of the eight park<br />
<strong>mySwitzerland</strong> 44 Views
Enjoy the film<br />
with the<br />
Swiss Extend app<br />
Three goals<br />
The Swiss National Park pursues three<br />
objectives. First, it allows flora and fauna<br />
to develop freely and natural processes to<br />
run their course without human interference.<br />
Second, it makes use of this rare<br />
patch of untouched natural landscape to<br />
run long-term scientific research projects.<br />
Third, it encourages people to take<br />
pleasure in nature, raising awareness of<br />
the importance of protecting it.<br />
An attractive programme of events celebrates<br />
the centenary in 2014. Find more<br />
information at:<br />
www.nationalpark.ch /centenary<br />
<strong>mySwitzerland</strong> 45 Views
Pristine nature, as far as the eye can see:<br />
in the Swiss National Park, nature follows<br />
its course without human interference.
wardens; because of storm damage, they had to rebuild a section<br />
of path here higher uphill. After we pass another rest<br />
area, the views open up on the right to reveal vast slopes of<br />
scree on the flanks of the Piz Nair and spiky pinnacles of<br />
dolomite that look as if somebody planted them there. The<br />
dolomite soils also support a rich variety of plant life, including<br />
edelweiss and gentians. Every few steps, Godly points out<br />
a rare flower: a frog orchid, the rosy vanilla orchid, a shortspurred<br />
fragrant orchid, and many others you would normally<br />
only ever see on postcards or in botanical books. Plants are<br />
one of his passions.<br />
Most visitors, however, come to the Swiss National Park<br />
to see the animals, especially the four species of hoofed mammals:<br />
ibex, chamois, roe deer and red deer. They are the big<br />
stars, says Godly. Soon after, we appreciate why: we spot a<br />
chamois buck just a hundred metres away grazing among the<br />
scree – a magnificent sight. “He’s about seven to ten years<br />
old,” says Godly, “and needs to shed his winter coat, so he is<br />
seeking out just the most nutritious plants, rich in protein.”<br />
Later, below the Margunet viewpoint, we have a surprise<br />
sighting of red deer: a hind with her fawn. Among young<br />
visitors, alpine marmots are the big favourite: furry, comicallooking<br />
creatures that live in underground burrows and<br />
which are easy to spot throughout the park.<br />
Margunet reveals glorious perspectives: wild mountain<br />
scenery, vast slopes of scree, huge snowfields and 17 summits<br />
in Switzerland and Italy. Asked about the prospects for the<br />
Swiss National Park, Domenic Godly says: “I hope that the<br />
park will be like this for centuries to come – an untouched<br />
gem where visitors can enjoy pristine nature.”<br />
The beauty of a landscape in which only nature has a say.<br />
Park warden Domenic Godly: the park is an “untouched gem”.<br />
Beautiful viewpoints in Swiss parks.<br />
e Locarnese National Park*, Laghetto dei Saléi: 2¾ hrs from Spruga in the Valle Onsernone<br />
e Diemtigtal Nature Park, Grimmiwasser: 1¾ hrs from Grimmialp<br />
e Pfyn-Finges Nature Park, Schnydi: 1½ hrs from the top of the Torrent cable car<br />
e Thal Nature Park, Vogelbergfluh: 45 mins from the top of the Wasserfallen gondola<br />
e Jura Vaudois Nature Park, Dent de Vaulion: 2 hrs from Le Pont station<br />
e Doubs Nature Park, Les Roches de Moron: 2½ hrs from La Chaux-de-Fonds<br />
* National park project<br />
MySwitzerland.com, Webcode: AN25153 /<br />
Swiss Extend<br />
<strong>mySwitzerland</strong> 47 Views
SBB RailAway<br />
Man of leisure<br />
Interview: Marco Casile<br />
René Kamer is an expert on spending free time – other people’s<br />
free time. As head of SBB RailAway, his job is to devise<br />
original ideas for leisure excursions throughout Switzerland.<br />
The result: a vast range of great deals to suit every interest.<br />
René Kamer, 60, lives in Kriens<br />
near Lucerne, and has two daughters.<br />
He has been CEO of SBB RailAway<br />
for 15 years. Previously, he spent<br />
13 years at the Rigi Bahnen railway /<br />
cable car network, leaving in 1998 to<br />
develop a concept for a leisure<br />
subsidiary for SBB. This became<br />
Switzerland’s largest leisure provider,<br />
with about 65 staff and a turnover in<br />
2012 of 120 million francs.<br />
René Kamer, do you know what to<br />
do with your own free time?<br />
Of course – my interests are travel,<br />
sports and cooking, and I love spending<br />
time with family and friends.<br />
Do you know how other people<br />
spend their free time?<br />
Studies show that a lot of people<br />
don’t really know what to do in their<br />
spare time. Our task is to come up with<br />
ideas and specific offers involving travel<br />
by train, boat or postbus. These ideas<br />
are proving popular: every year, more<br />
than 1.5 million people book an<br />
SBB RailAway combined ticket.<br />
Where can I get excursion ideas<br />
from SBB Rail Away?<br />
Online at www.sbb.ch/en/leisureholidays<br />
on the SBB RailAway app and<br />
of course at all Swiss railway stations,<br />
where you can book any of the deals.<br />
What’s the advantage of<br />
organising outings with<br />
SBB RailAway?<br />
First of all, the combined deals are<br />
easy to book. Second, you save time:<br />
you get tickets for travel and your destination<br />
attraction – anything from<br />
Lucerne’s Swiss Museum of Transport<br />
to a musical show – in one go, at the<br />
station or online. And third, you make<br />
a saving on the whole package of anything<br />
from 10 to 50 per cent.<br />
What are the main deals<br />
offered by SBB RailAway?<br />
The winter Snow’n’Rail deals with<br />
42 Swiss ski resorts are very popular,<br />
and in summer we sell a lot of packages<br />
including rides up to panoramic<br />
peaks, lake attractions, festivals, zoos<br />
and the Swiss Museum of Transport.<br />
Do Swiss people and<br />
visitors from abroad choose<br />
similar excursions?<br />
More or less. But visitors from<br />
abroad tend to go for famous attractions<br />
such as the Jungfraujoch, the Glacier<br />
Express or cities such as Lucerne. Swiss<br />
people prefer smaller, lesser-known destinations.<br />
Which of your deals go best with<br />
this summer’s theme of “views”?<br />
Any of our combined tickets that<br />
involve travel to the mountains – such<br />
as round trips incorporating a ride on<br />
the Glacier Express or Bernina Express,<br />
or excursions on Switzerland’s lakes.<br />
The views from the water are spectacular,<br />
too.<br />
One last question: as a boy,<br />
what did you want to be when<br />
you grew up?<br />
A train driver, of course! We’ve<br />
been railwaymen for generations in my<br />
family.<br />
The full interview:<br />
Webcode: 182541 /<br />
Swiss Extend<br />
<strong>mySwitzerland</strong> 48 Views
René Kamer’s favourite scenic trips<br />
2<br />
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Royal Rigi round tour,<br />
Lucerne – Lake Lucerne Region<br />
The trip starts in Lucerne with a cruise on a historic paddle<br />
steamer to Vitznau. Here you change onto a cog train for a<br />
ride on Europe’s first mountain railway, built in 1871, up to Rigi<br />
Kulm. The summit of the “Queen of the Mountains” promises<br />
glorious panoramic views of the Alps, lakes and the Swiss<br />
Plateau. Return on the beautiful alternative route via Arth-Goldau.<br />
Webcode: 28260 /<br />
3<br />
Swiss Extend<br />
Schilthorn, Bernese Oberland<br />
Some of the finest views of the Bernese Oberland’s spectacular<br />
mountains, including the famous Eiger, Mönch and Jungfrau,<br />
are from the 2,970-metre Schilthorn. The 32-minute ride up in<br />
the panoramic cable car – past thundering waterfalls and sheer<br />
cliffs – is an unforgettable experience in itself; at the summit,<br />
the vista opens out to take in 200 peaks.<br />
Webcode: 42578 /<br />
Swiss Extend<br />
Four Lakes Trail,<br />
Lucerne – Lake Lucerne Region<br />
This walk from Engelberg to Melchsee-Frutt is a classic among<br />
the many spectacular high-altitude hikes of central Switzerland.<br />
Highlights include the mountain scenery around the glaciertopped<br />
Titlis, the views of the Bernese Alps, the rich flora and<br />
of course the four lakes: the mirror-like Trübsee, the deep-blue<br />
Engstlensee, the turquoise Tannensee and the picturesque<br />
Melchsee.<br />
Webcode: A57088 /<br />
Swiss Extend<br />
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Centovalli train trip, Ticino<br />
Train journeys don’t get much more spectacular than this. The<br />
narrow-gauge Centovalli railway leads for nearly 60 kilometres<br />
through 100 valleys, across giddy viaducts, along deep<br />
gorges, past thundering waterfalls and through colourful forests<br />
of chestnut and lush vineyards. Book accommodation for<br />
the following night in Locarno, and enjoy a relaxed evening by<br />
lovely Lake Maggiore.<br />
Webcode: 28324 /<br />
Swiss Extend<br />
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Lavaux vineyards, Lake Geneva Region<br />
The terraced vineyards of Lavaux overlooking Lake Geneva, a<br />
UNESCO World Heritage Site, are a sight no one should miss.<br />
The “Train des Vignes” offers a comfortable way of exploring<br />
them. The blue-and-yellow train takes just 12 minutes to wind<br />
from Vevey through the vineyards up to Puidoux-Chexbres,<br />
where you can sample the superb local wines: virtually every<br />
cellar offers tastings.<br />
Webcode: 36515 /<br />
Swiss Extend<br />
<strong>mySwitzerland</strong> 49 Views
We’re something<br />
you<br />
can all enjoy.<br />
450 times.<br />
Listen to your good taste if you like being selective. There<br />
are around 450 varieties of cheese in Switzerland. From<br />
extra hard, to soft and right through to cream cheese – plus goat’s<br />
cheese and sheep’s cheese too. There’s something to keep<br />
all connoisseurs happy.<br />
Switzerland. Naturally.<br />
Cheeses from Switzerland.<br />
www.switzerland-cheese.com
Scenic places to stay<br />
Rooms with a view. Snowy peaks, sparkling lakes,<br />
the rooftops of an old town: a fine view is the ultimate asset of any<br />
accommodation, from luxury hotel to mountain hut. MySwitzerland presents<br />
places to stay with vistas you’ll never forget.<br />
Hôtel Beau-Rivage Ä<br />
Geneva<br />
This luxury hotel, built in 1865, stands on the Lake Geneva shore,<br />
a stone’s throw from the shopping district, offering glorious views<br />
over the lake and snow-capped Alps beyond. The restaurant terrace<br />
is the perfect place from which to admire Geneva’s famous emblem,<br />
the Jet d’Eau water fountain.<br />
1 www.beau-rivage.ch<br />
Montagne Alternative<br />
Commeire, Valais<br />
In the charming, remote hamlet of Commeire, a group of mountain<br />
chalets renovated in traditional local style forms an original hotel<br />
full of character. The beautifully furnished chalets are surrounded<br />
by nature, and offer glorious views over the valley of the Great<br />
St. Bernard and the Mont Blanc massif.<br />
2 www.montagne-alternative.com<br />
Hotel Riffelberg Ô<br />
Zermatt, Valais<br />
The Hotel Riffelberg stands at an altitude of 2,600 metres, framed<br />
by Zermatt’s glorious mountain scenery. Opened in 1855, the historic<br />
hotel evokes all the charm of the pioneering days of mountain<br />
tourism. The views of the majestic Matterhorn are breathtaking: this<br />
is the profile of the peak that has become famous the world over.<br />
3 www.riffelberg.ch<br />
Hotel Eden Roc Ä<br />
Ascona, Ticino<br />
A superb location on Lake Maggiore, glorious views across the<br />
water to the Brissago Islands and stylish décor by the celebrated<br />
designer Carlo Rampazzi charm guests at this luxury holiday<br />
hotel. The Eden Roc stands in extensive grounds with pool, private<br />
beach and boat jetty, close to Ascona’s delightful piazza.<br />
4 www.edenroc.ch<br />
<strong>mySwitzerland</strong> 51 Views
Be our guest<br />
Hôtel du Pillon – Relais du Silence Ô<br />
Les Diablerets, Lake Geneva Region<br />
Built in 1860 for British visitors drawn by the region’s famous glaciers,<br />
this historic hotel oozes period charm. Located just above the village<br />
on the old pass road to the Col du Pillon, it offers spectacular views<br />
of the mountains and glaciers of Les Diablerets. Today, it is the last<br />
surviving grand hotel of the era.<br />
5 www.hoteldupillon.ch<br />
Parkhotel Bellevue À<br />
Adelboden, Bernese Oberland<br />
As the hotel’s name suggests, the Bellevue enjoys beautiful views –<br />
of the mighty Wildstrubel and the famous Engstligen Falls. A delightful<br />
location above the pretty village and an enchanting garden complete<br />
with heated outdoor salt-water pool contribute to making this a<br />
blissfully relaxing base for a break.<br />
6 www.parkhotel-bellevue.ch<br />
Gleckstein hut (Swiss Alpine Club)<br />
Grindelwald, Bernese Oberland<br />
This well-appointed Swiss Alpine Club hut, built in 1854, boasts a<br />
spectacular setting high on the slopes of the Wetterhorn. The views<br />
of the pristine mountain landscape, taking in 4,000-metre peaks,<br />
glaciers and the Grindelwald valley, are breathtaking. With luck, you’ll<br />
also see some of the horned ibex that live nearby.<br />
7 www.gleckstein.ch<br />
Jugendstil-Hotel Paxmontana Ã<br />
Flüeli-Ranft, Lucerne – Lake Lucerne Region<br />
Built in Art Nouveau style on a scenic hilltop in Flüeli-Ranft and<br />
recently renovated, the Paxmontana offers a beguiling combination<br />
of period charm and modern comfort. The Veranda restaurant<br />
with its impressive 47-metre glass façade reveals gorgeous views<br />
of the Sarneraa valley and the Glaubenberg.<br />
8 www.paxmontana.ch<br />
Rigi Kulm Hotel<br />
Rigi Kulm, Lucerne – Lake Lucerne Region<br />
Situated just below the summit of the “Queen of the Mountains”,<br />
the Rigi Kulm offers sublime views over the lakes and peaks of central<br />
Switzerland. The hotel makes an ideal base for experiencing<br />
the Rigi’s famous sunrises and for exploring its extensive network<br />
of panoramic footpaths.<br />
9 www.rigikulm.ch<br />
<strong>mySwitzerland</strong> 52 Views
Scenic places to stay<br />
Hotel Wassberg Ô<br />
Zürich-Forch, Zürich Region<br />
The Wassberg, a country hotel built in 1837, stands on a high<br />
plateau with fine views across the sparkling Greifensee and the Zürich<br />
highlands. The lush, tranquil setting, fresh air and the hotel’s elegant<br />
decor, with classic pieces of furniture, make this an idyllic location for<br />
a break, just 15 minutes from Zürich city centre.<br />
10 www.hotel-wassberg.ch<br />
Alter Säntis mountain guest house<br />
Urnäsch, Eastern Switzerland / Liechtenstein<br />
This traditional Appenzell mountain guest house at the summit of<br />
the Säntis offers an intimate experience of nature as well as a taste of<br />
genuine local hospitality. On a clear day, from the highest point of<br />
the Säntis just behind the guest house at 2,502 metres, you can see<br />
up to 2,000 peaks in six countries.<br />
11 www.altersaentis.ch<br />
Terri hut (Swiss Alpine Club)<br />
Obersaxen, Graubünden<br />
Located at 2,170 metres in the Greina Plateau nature reserve, the<br />
Terri hut boasts an elegant extension of natural stone by the<br />
renowned architect Gion A. Caminada as well as glorious views of<br />
the Tödi. The refuge makes an ideal base for hikes through this<br />
pristine, tundra-like landscape, rich in wildlife.<br />
12 www.terrihuette.ch<br />
Hotel Waldhaus Ö<br />
Sils-Maria, Graubünden<br />
With its five stars, long history and commanding position overlooking<br />
the pretty village, sparkling Lake Sils and the valley of the Upper<br />
Engadin, this hotel radiates monumental grandeur. Inside, guests are<br />
charmed by the personal and welcoming way the Waldhaus has<br />
been run for five generations.<br />
13 www.waldhaus-sils.ch<br />
Discover other scenic accommodation:<br />
Webcode: AP25153 / Swiss Extend<br />
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<strong>mySwitzerland</strong> 53 Views
Yann Arthus-Bertrand<br />
Switzerland<br />
from above<br />
Words: Florence Michel Pictures: Yann Arthus-Bertrand / Altitude<br />
In August 2013, the award-winning<br />
photographer and environmentalist Yann<br />
Arthus-Bertrand flew over Switzerland to<br />
gather footage for his new film, “Human”.<br />
<strong>mySwitzerland</strong><br />
54 Views
Yann Arthus-Bertrand<br />
Yann Arthus-Bertrand is an awardwinning<br />
French photographer.<br />
His book “Earth From Above”, first<br />
published in 1999, revealed a<br />
bird’s-eye view of the blue planet and<br />
its natural treasures, and became an<br />
international bestseller. His documentary<br />
film “Home” (2009) also used<br />
powerful images to make audiences<br />
aware that the human race bears<br />
responsibility for repairing the devastation<br />
it has inflicted on nature and<br />
must halt further destruction. In 2005,<br />
Yann Arthus-Bertrand created the<br />
GoodPlanet Foundation, of which he<br />
is president, to raise awareness<br />
of environmental issues and to<br />
encourage humanity to protect its<br />
natural heritage.<br />
www.yannarthusbertrand.org<br />
Yann Arthus-Bertrand, last summer<br />
you photographed and filmed<br />
Switzerland from a helicopter.<br />
What were your impressions?<br />
I loved the variety of landscapes,<br />
mountains and valleys, glaciers and<br />
lakes. The Rhine Falls took my breath<br />
away – it’s the most beautiful waterfall<br />
I’ve ever seen. I was also impressed by<br />
the agricultural landscapes of the region<br />
of La Gruyère. The views of a waterfall<br />
near Lauterbrunnen were magical: we<br />
could make out an ancient, gnarled face<br />
in the rock. And as we flew over the<br />
Matterhorn we saw two mountaineers<br />
who had just reached the summit and<br />
were embracing: that was beautiful and<br />
unexpected.<br />
What did you find<br />
particularly striking?<br />
The blue of the lake water, the<br />
green of the grass – you see that it rains<br />
a fair bit in Switzerland! I appreciated<br />
the fact that there aren’t advertising<br />
billboards in the streets or fences<br />
between the houses, and that everything<br />
is so clean.<br />
Were you already familiar<br />
with Switzerland?<br />
No, I only knew the region around<br />
Geneva. I travelled across the country<br />
as a child, and remember the smell of<br />
cows – a very pleasant smell, actually! I<br />
believe few French people visit Switzerland<br />
in summer, they mostly come to<br />
ski – but in fact there’s plenty to<br />
discover. Next year I’m going to spend<br />
a week in Switzerland with my wife.<br />
Why did you come to<br />
Switzerland?<br />
Switzerland was one of the filming<br />
locations for “Human”, my latest project.<br />
I’ve been travelling around the<br />
world now for two and a half years with<br />
my cameraman, Bruno Cusa. In September<br />
2015 the film will be released<br />
and the website will go live. I want to<br />
show the world’s most beautiful places,<br />
letting people speak for themselves –<br />
because living together means listening<br />
to one another. It’s a plea for peaceful<br />
coexistence, for love for the earth and<br />
the life all around us.<br />
<strong>mySwitzerland</strong> 56 Views
<strong>mySwitzerland</strong> 57 Views<br />
Preceding pages: Lavertezzo,<br />
Verzasca valley, Ticino. Large<br />
image, left: Piz Scerscen,<br />
Graubünden. Above left:<br />
farmland in the Fribourg Region.<br />
Below left: Port de Chevroux,<br />
Lake Neuchâtel, Lake Geneva<br />
Region. Below: Rhine Falls,<br />
Schaffhausen, Eastern<br />
Switzerland / Liechtenstein.
A la carte<br />
House speciality: delectable views.<br />
Switzerland’s mountain restaurants and inns offer treats in double portions:<br />
authentic homemade cuisine, often featuring local alpine produce, served<br />
alongside spectacular scenery. MySwitzerland presents eight panoramic<br />
venues with a feast for the eyes as much as for the taste buds.<br />
Auberge de Sonchaux<br />
Veytaux, Lake Geneva Region<br />
This mountain restaurant an altitude of 1,260 metres is well known<br />
for its fabulous views over Lake Geneva and the surrounding<br />
mountains – and for its delicious “charbonnade” (table-top barbecue).<br />
Rösti dishes, fondues and homemade cakes are also highly popular.<br />
Open all year.<br />
1 www.aubergedesonchaux.ch<br />
Chalet du Soldat<br />
Jaun, Fribourg Region<br />
Located at 1,752 metres with glorious views of the dramatic Gastlosen<br />
pinnacles, this traditional restaurant serves delicious Fribourg dishes<br />
such as Fondue de l’Armailli, Gastlosen Rösti and meringues with<br />
Gruyère clotted cream. The chalet is open daily from 1 June to the<br />
end of October, and most weekends the rest of the year.<br />
2 www.chaletdusoldat.ch<br />
Le Ferrage<br />
Morgins, Valais<br />
Le Ferrage is a small, rustic mountain restaurant boasting superb<br />
views of the serrated Dents du Midi. The chalet is famous for its Valais<br />
specialities such as air-dried meat, Valais platters (dried meat and<br />
cheese), homemade sausages, fondues and a wide variety of other<br />
cheese dishes.<br />
3 www.leferrage.ch<br />
Hüsliberg restaurant<br />
Zweisimmen, Bernese Oberland<br />
This small family venture, located above Zweisimmen at an altitude<br />
of 1,669 metres, has an enthusiastic following for its delicious<br />
homemade cheese dishes and air-dried meat. The cakes and<br />
desserts are superb, too! Open from mid-June to mid-September.<br />
4 www.gstaad.ch<br />
<strong>mySwitzerland</strong> 58 Views
Mountain cuisine<br />
Restaurant Grosser Mythen<br />
Grosser Mythen, Lucerne – Lake Lucerne Region<br />
The 360° views from this hut on the summit of the Grosser Mythen<br />
extend from the Säntis to Germany’s Black Forest. After the onehour<br />
climb to get there, enjoy specialities such as Älplermagronen<br />
(potatoes, pasta, cheese and cream), cordon bleu or game dishes<br />
in autumn. Open from May to November in good weather.<br />
5 www.grosser-mythen.ch<br />
Grotto Borei<br />
Brissago, Ticino<br />
At this “grotto” or traditional Ticino inn high above Lake Maggiore,<br />
the food is as enchanting as the views. Homemade ravioli, braised<br />
beef with polenta, risotto with mushrooms, game dishes and<br />
vegetables from the garden taste sublime matched with a range<br />
of exquisite local wines.<br />
6 www.osteriaborei.ch<br />
Aescher-Wildkirchli restaurant<br />
Ebenalp, Eastern Switzerland / Liechtenstein<br />
The Aescher-Wildkirchli is famous for its spectacular location,<br />
squeezed against the Ebenalp cliffs; the views from the terrace over<br />
the Alpstein massif are equally impressive. The food, too, is superb,<br />
from Appenzell cheese specialities to Rösti and gorgeous meringues.<br />
Open from May to 31 st October.<br />
7 www.aescher-ai.ch<br />
Alpenrose mountain restaurant<br />
Medergen, Graubünden<br />
Located two hours’ walk from Arosa at 2,004 metres, this atmospheric<br />
restaurant offers lovely views over the Schanfigg valley and the<br />
surrounding mountains. Specialities include homemade Käsespätzli<br />
(cheese dumplings), Graubünden barley soup, sausages and fruit<br />
pastries, freshly baked daily. Open mid-June to mid-October.<br />
8 www.arosa.ch<br />
Discover other tempting mountain restaurants:<br />
Webcode: AO25153 / Swiss Extend<br />
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<strong>mySwitzerland</strong> 59 Views
Picked for you<br />
Take a deep breath … Hike in the Swiss mountains<br />
and before long you’ll come across a suspension footbridge. These filigree<br />
constructions spanning gorges and ravines save walkers a long detour, offering<br />
breathtaking views – and a thrill of excitement. MySwitzerland presents the<br />
longest, the highest and the most spectacular. Just don’t look down!<br />
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Panoramic:<br />
Titlis Cliff Walk<br />
Lucerne –<br />
Lake Lucerne Region<br />
Europe’s highest-altitude<br />
pedestrian suspension bridge<br />
stands above Engelberg, near<br />
the top of the Titlis cable car at<br />
an altitude of 3,020 m. The views<br />
of the mountains all around<br />
and into the abyss at your feet<br />
are breathtaking.<br />
Heavenly:<br />
Raiffeisen Skywalk<br />
Lucerne –<br />
Lake Lucerne Region<br />
At 374 m long, the pedestrian<br />
suspension bridge at Sattel-<br />
Hochstuckli is Europe’s longest.<br />
It’s also high – up to 58 m above<br />
the bottom of the Lauitobel<br />
gorge – and wide, making it<br />
suitable for wheelchairs and<br />
pushchairs.<br />
Dizzy:<br />
Salbit bridge<br />
Lucerne –<br />
Lake Lucerne Region<br />
The 90-m Salbit bridge spans<br />
the Stotzig Chäle gorge overlooking<br />
the Voralp valley, west of<br />
Göschenen. Modelled on classic<br />
Nepalese rope bridges, it is best<br />
suited to experienced mountain<br />
hikers with a good head for<br />
heights.<br />
Steep:<br />
Traversinersteg II<br />
Graubünden<br />
This suspension bridge across<br />
the Viamala gorge is built in the<br />
form of a flight of steps: as you<br />
cross the 56-m span, you also<br />
climb or descend 22 vertical<br />
metres. The view into the depths<br />
of the gorge is dramatic – as<br />
well as a little scary.<br />
4 www.traversinersteg.ch<br />
1 www.titlis.ch<br />
2 www.sattel-hochstuckli.ch<br />
3 www.salbitbruecke.ch<br />
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5<br />
6<br />
Airy: Sigriswil<br />
panoramic bridge<br />
Bernese Oberland<br />
The 340 -m suspension bridge<br />
over the Gummischlucht gorge<br />
between Sigriswil and Aeschlen<br />
is notable for the beautiful way it<br />
blends into the landscape. Part<br />
of a panoramic path around Lake<br />
Thun, it offers superb views over<br />
the lake and mountains beyond.<br />
5 www.brueckenweg.ch<br />
Spectacular:<br />
Trift bridge<br />
Bernese Oberland<br />
The Trift bridge spans a lake at<br />
the foot of the Trift Glacier, north<br />
of the Grimsel Pass. 170 m long<br />
and 100 m above the ground,<br />
the suspension bridge was built<br />
in 2009 to access the Swiss<br />
Alpine Club’s remote Trift hut.<br />
6 www.trift.ch<br />
Sweeping: Aletsch<br />
suspension bridge<br />
Valais<br />
Located between Belalp and<br />
Riederalp at the gateway to<br />
the Great Aletsch Glacier, this<br />
suspension bridge is 124 m<br />
long, 50 m above the Massa<br />
gorge – and guarantees hikers<br />
a nerve-tingling crossing.<br />
7 www.wanderwegriederalp-belalp.ch<br />
Glorious:<br />
Passerelle à Farinet<br />
Valais<br />
About an hour’s walk from the<br />
thermal spa resort of Saillon, this<br />
97- m suspension bridge offers<br />
superb views of the Rhone valley<br />
and the surrounding vineyards.<br />
It spans the river Salentse as it<br />
winds through a gorge, 140 m<br />
below.<br />
8 www.saillon.ch<br />
7<br />
8<br />
8<br />
2<br />
5 1<br />
6<br />
3<br />
7<br />
4<br />
Further information:<br />
Webcode: 25534 /<br />
Swiss Extend<br />
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Swiss made<br />
Land and people. The Swiss<br />
photographers Monika Fischer and Mathias Braschler<br />
have a talent for capturing the character of their subjects –<br />
such as the winemaker Daniel Berthat from Epesses in Vaud,<br />
pictured here. In their book “The Swiss”, they present<br />
emblematic figures from all regions of the country – from a<br />
mountain-hut warden to a Lake Constance fishing family<br />
and a private ski instructor in Gstaad.<br />
www.hatjecantz.com<br />
The nation’s favourite. No other Swiss<br />
drink has given so much energy to so many people of all ages:<br />
Ovomaltine, a favourite here for 110 years, and today one of<br />
Switzerland’s best-known brands. Still based on the magic formula<br />
devised by Dr. Albert Wander, the drink continues to delight<br />
generations of fans with the unmistakable taste of malt, cocoa<br />
and pure goodness.<br />
www.ovomaltine.ch<br />
<strong>mySwitzerland</strong> 62 Views
Cool case. Light, slender and elegant smartphone cases from<br />
dschember beautifully evoke the pristine nature of the Graubünden mountains.<br />
Made from aromatic Swiss stone pine wood, inlaid with dark walnut and<br />
hand-oiled, the cases are a pleasure to hold and use, with screen, buttons and<br />
ports all easily accessible. The smartphone cases are made in Samedan<br />
by the company dschember in collaboration with the Engadin workshop for<br />
apprentice joiners.<br />
www.dschember.ch<br />
Pure Swissness. Chocolat Frey’s souvenir<br />
assortment boasts a design that’s typically Swiss, with<br />
a white Swiss cross on a red background. This authentic<br />
miniature milk churn is filled with Napolitains of the<br />
finest milk chocolate, each one individually wrapped<br />
and carrying a beautiful photo of one of Switzerland’s sights.<br />
The ideal gift for fans of genuine Swissness.<br />
www.chocolatfrey.ch<br />
Pure pleasure. A very special cheese has been<br />
made by hand in the Vallée de Joux for more than 100 years:<br />
Vacherin Mont-d’Or AOP. It matures in traditional finishing cellars<br />
to acquire its delicate, mild flavour, while a wooden band around<br />
the cheese, made of local pine, imparts a subtle hint of tannin. Like<br />
a fine wine, the cheese reveals its full flavour when brought to room<br />
temperature a few hours before serving.<br />
www.vacherin-montdor.ch<br />
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Swiss made<br />
A Swiss original. 76 years ago, in Eglisau in<br />
canton Zürich, a Swiss cola was born: Vivi Kola. For five decades<br />
it was bottled at the town’s own mineral springs, but production<br />
stopped in 1986. In 2010 a native of Eglisau, Christian Forrer, brought<br />
Vivi Kola back to life – fresher and bubblier than ever. There’s even<br />
a sugar-free version now, too: Vivi Kola Siro.<br />
www.vivikola.ch<br />
Taste of goodness. Swiss quality and natural goodness<br />
have a name: Ricola. The company, founded in 1930, is one of the<br />
world’s most modern and innovative manufacturers of herb drops, famous<br />
for their unique flavour and soothing effect on the mouth and throat.<br />
All the herbs used are cultivated organically in the Swiss mountains.<br />
www.ricola.com<br />
Mountain style.<br />
Hand-fashioned from cowhide and<br />
decorated with metal emblems depicting<br />
motifs such as herdsmen, the sun and<br />
cows, Appenzell belts are part of Swiss<br />
mountain heritage. Today, they are made<br />
by just a handful of traditional saddlers.<br />
Once the decoration served to show the<br />
wealth of the wearer; today it’s a signature<br />
revealing the identity of the belt-maker.<br />
www.appenzeller-gurt.com<br />
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Switzerland Tourism recommends<br />
Strategic Premium Partners<br />
Swiss chocolate<br />
chocolatfrey.com<br />
Train travel<br />
sbb.ch<br />
The airline of Switzerland<br />
SWISS.COM<br />
Publisher<br />
Switzerland Tourism<br />
Tödistrasse 7<br />
Postfach<br />
8027 Zürich<br />
Switzerland<br />
Editor<br />
Eveline Feier, Switzerland Tourism<br />
Telecommunications<br />
swisscom.com<br />
Strategic Partners<br />
Financial services<br />
ubs.com<br />
Design<br />
Festland AG, St. Gallen / Zürich<br />
Switzerland Tourism, Zürich<br />
Photos<br />
Cover:<br />
Lorenz Andreas Fischer<br />
Page 2:<br />
Angel Sanchez<br />
Pages 12–13:<br />
Foto Fetzer, Andreas Gerth,<br />
Roland Gerth, Stephan Engler<br />
Pages 34–37:<br />
Roger Canali, Reto Wilhelm,<br />
Antonio Ravazza, Terence du Fresne<br />
Pages 62– 64:<br />
By kind permission<br />
of the manufacturers<br />
Other photos:<br />
By kind permission of our partners<br />
Videos<br />
Cover, pages 40–41, 45<br />
Switzerland Tourism<br />
Printer<br />
galledia ag, Flawil<br />
American Express<br />
in Switzerland<br />
americanexpress.ch<br />
The trade association of<br />
the Swiss hotel industry<br />
swisshotels.com<br />
Switzerland Cheese Marketing<br />
switzerland-cheese.com<br />
Offi cial Partners<br />
Watches Jewellery Gems<br />
bucherer.com<br />
Exquisite Swiss<br />
speciality biscuits<br />
kambly.ch<br />
SWISS ARMY KNIVES |<br />
TIMEPIECES | TRAVEL GEAR<br />
victorinox.com<br />
Car rental<br />
europcar.ch<br />
Association for Swiss<br />
non-hotel accommodation<br />
stnet.ch/parahotellerie<br />
Gateway to the Alps<br />
zurich-airport.com<br />
Swiss herb drops<br />
ricola.com<br />
Print run<br />
500,000 copies<br />
Languages<br />
The Swiss holiday magazine<br />
<strong>mySwitzerland</strong> is published twice<br />
a year in German, French, Italian,<br />
English, Dutch and Spanish.<br />
appenzellerbier.ch<br />
swisstravelcenter.ch<br />
axpo.com<br />
intersportrent.ch<br />
flyer.ch<br />
grimselstrom.ch<br />
gastrosuisse.ch<br />
mammut.ch<br />
marche-restaurants.com<br />
snowsports.ch<br />
swissinfo.ch<br />
topevents.ch<br />
visana.ch<br />
www.MySwitzerland.com /strategicpartners<br />
<strong>mySwitzerland</strong> 65 Views
Tips to smooth the way<br />
Get advice and book.<br />
With our extensive knowledge of Switzerland,<br />
we can help you plan the best possible holiday.<br />
Call: 00800 100 200 30 (international toll-free*)<br />
*Local charges may apply.<br />
Travel in comfort<br />
Tips and information about travelling to Switzerland. Whether you plan<br />
to come by plane, train or car, Switzerland has the best possible<br />
international connections.<br />
p MySwitzerland.com, Webcode: 25321 /<br />
Swiss Extend<br />
Enjoy the ride<br />
Travel in comfort and enjoy every moment of the journey. A well-served<br />
public transport network makes exploring Switzerland fun – and offers<br />
total flexibility.<br />
p MySwitzerland.com, Webcode: 25349 /<br />
Swiss Extend<br />
Find accommodation<br />
From stylish spa hotels to authentic mountain inns and rural farms,<br />
the choice of accommodation in Switzerland is vast. Booking<br />
is quick and easy.<br />
p MySwitzerland.com, Webcode: 25384 /<br />
Swiss Extend<br />
Judge for yourself<br />
Find out about a hotel quickly and easily from personal ratings.<br />
After your stay, post your own rating – and help maintain the high<br />
standard of Swiss hospitality.<br />
p MySwitzerland.com, Webcode: 9874 /<br />
Swiss Extend<br />
Stay informed<br />
Interested in Swiss current affairs? Visit our news and info website<br />
for the latest on Swiss politics, society, culture, the economy and<br />
science – in nine languages.<br />
p www.swissinfo.ch<br />
<strong>mySwitzerland</strong> 66 Views
One click away<br />
Summer is one click away:<br />
MySwitzerland.com/summer<br />
All on<br />
your tablet<br />
With the Swiss Mag app<br />
and our free e-brochures,<br />
exploring your Swiss holiday<br />
options is an adventure in itself.<br />
Experience the magic of the Swiss summer!<br />
Snow-capped peaks, crystal-clear lakes, charming<br />
villages and pristine landscapes – the perfect backdrop<br />
to an unforgettable holiday in Switzerland. More at:<br />
p MySwitzerland.com/summer<br />
Swiss Mag app for iPad<br />
Install to download e-brochures<br />
p MySwitzerland.com/ipad<br />
Like us on Facebook<br />
p MySwitzerland.com/facebook<br />
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p MySwitzerland.com/newsletter<br />
Mobile apps<br />
Useful info, practical tips and inspiring ideas are always<br />
at your fingertips with our free mobile apps.<br />
p MySwitzerland.com/mobile<br />
Best Swiss<br />
Hotels<br />
Swiss<br />
Hike<br />
Swiss<br />
City Guide<br />
Swiss<br />
Events<br />
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Swiss<br />
Extend
At a glance<br />
Switzerland: small country, great diversity.<br />
Switzerland: 220 km from north to south, 348 km from east to west,<br />
with tremendous cultural and scenic diversity in between. Eight million<br />
people live in an area of just 41,285 km 2 , speaking four official languages<br />
(German, French, Italian, Romansh) and countless dialects.<br />
The largest city is world-famous Zürich, but the capital is Bern.<br />
Switzerland is home to more than 120 glaciers, 11 UNESCO World<br />
Heritage Sites, two UNESCO Biosphere Reserves and 48 mountains<br />
above 4,000 m. The Dufourspitze in Valais is the highest peak,<br />
at 4,634 m, while Lake Maggiore is the lowest point in the country,<br />
at 193 m above sea level.<br />
A<br />
The regions<br />
H<br />
A Basel Region<br />
B Bern Region<br />
C Bernese Oberland<br />
D Fribourg Region<br />
E Geneva<br />
F Lake Geneva Region<br />
G Graubünden<br />
H Jura & Three-Lakes<br />
I Lucerne – Lake Lucerne Region<br />
J Eastern Switzerland / Liechtenstein<br />
K Ticino<br />
L Valais<br />
M Zürich Region<br />
FRANCE<br />
1<br />
D<br />
B<br />
C<br />
Special<br />
F<br />
4<br />
360° panoramas<br />
Pages 14– 27<br />
6<br />
1 Creux du Van<br />
2 Segantini hut<br />
3 Eggishorn<br />
4 Moléson<br />
5 San Salvatore<br />
6 Les Diablerets<br />
7 Männlichen<br />
E<br />
L
GERMANY<br />
M<br />
AUSTRIA<br />
J<br />
I<br />
LIECHTENSTEIN<br />
G<br />
7<br />
2<br />
3<br />
K<br />
ITALY<br />
5<br />
Motorway<br />
Main road<br />
Railway<br />
Car transport by rail<br />
Airport
Our partner regions<br />
www.MySwitzerland.com