There is no better advertisement than the TV program “I'm Thinking of Switzerland” for a train trip through Switzerland. Therefore, expectations before the ANWB Travel and Tourism study trip in Switzerland are high. Certainly not because of the train travel programme. The program includes many special activities and special train routes with the Glacier Express, Belle Époque and Golden Pass. Reported by Anja van Overbeek, Senior Retail Representative ANWB Reizen.
Student City Basel
Basel is an enjoyable first introduction to Switzerland. The Rhine River flows right through the remarkably clean city and it is wonderful to relax on its banks. It's time to get rid of those tough training muscles. The center invites you to take a fascinating tour of the city through restored buildings, museums and “GemütlichkeitWe are invited to a workshop at Confiserie Brändli, where our favorite flavors come together in a delicious bar of real Swiss chocolate.
Enjoy your time at a high level in Davos
Swiss Travel System's Jennifer Serinota joins the group on its way to Davos. She and Janine Naeglant (Swiss Tourism Board) always surprise the group with interesting facts about Swiss railways. Did you know, for example, that the last section of the railway to Davos was once built for a Dutchman whose wife was staying in a sanatorium? At that time, the road from Klosters to Davos was still made by horses and carts.
Photo (c) Anup Raisen
Glacier Express
The train adventure continues to Chur, for a trip on the famous Glacier Express train to Zermatt. We're gearing up for a ride on the Gornergrat Bahn to an altitude of over 3,000 metres, the biggest attraction in this car-free village. Unfortunately, the Matterhorn is hidden behind a thick layer of fog.
Back in the time of the Belle Époque
The city of Lausanne on Lake Geneva is famous for its Olympic Museum (which we'll visit, of course) and is surrounded by snow-capped peaks of the Alps. From here it only takes half an hour to reach the trendy city of Montreux, where we board the Belle Époque ship. This train is inspired by the 1930 Golden Mountain Pullman Express, a luxury train modeled after the Orient Express.
Golden corridor
The nostalgic tricycle journey is complete as we train through the heart of Switzerland with the Golden Pass Panoramic. The trip is over. As an exclamation point to this Swiss adventure, we took a boat trip from Thun across Lake Thun to Interlaken, where the golden sun waved us goodbye.
