“It is a good many years since I was in Switzerland last. In that remote time there was only one ladder railway in the country. That state of things is all changed. There isn’t a mountain in Switzerland now that hasn’t a ladder railroad or two up its back like suspenders. Indeed, some mountains are latticed with them.”    Mark Twain (1835-1910)

Switzerland is truly a train lover’s paradise. Like a giant spider’s web, the integrated rail network crisscrosses 5,000 km (3,100 miles) of tracks. This system is interlinked with synchronized connections to lake steamers, gondolas and buses. Many alpine areas are so steep that the only way up is by rack and pinion (cogwheel) tracks. The railway/cableway lines total 1,000 km (620 miles) and the bus framework encompasses 140,000 km (87,000 miles). This complex labyrinth is offered by 300 different companies, combined into the Swiss Pass transportation ticket. Amazingly, the whole network runs like clockwork.

To enjoy an exciting ride aboard Europe’s oldest cog railway, take a boat from Lucerne to Vitznau and catch the train that chugs up to the top of Mount Rigi (1,800 m/5,900 ft.). The views are breathtaking and there are many easy hiking trails along the crest of the escarpment.

On the opposite side of Lake Lucerne is the Burgenstock mountain train – the oldest electrically powered funicular. From Kehrsiten the red railway carriage whisks you up to the Burgenstock (900 m/2,950 ft.) in about seven minutes. As you walk around this area, you will be in good company. Billy Graham, Yul Brynner, Charlie Chaplain and the legendary James Bond have visited this area. 

From here enjoy a half hour walk along the cliff side trail to the lower station of the Hammetschwand Lift, Europe’s longest and fastest exterior elevator. At night the pencil-thin lift takes on an ethereal quality as the outline of its structure is illuminated with fairy lights.

For years the Swiss Alps were steeped in legends which purported that dragons inhabited the mountain tops. Mount Pilatus near Lucerne was no exception, with its jagged peaks often enshrouded in lingering mists. The name in Latin, pileatus, means “cloud covered.” To reach Pilatus Kulm (2,132 m/7,000 ft.) aboard the steepest cogwheel railway in the world, take the lake steamer to Alpnachstad. From here, enjoy the unique ascent (48% gradient) to the top of Pilatus.

A walk along the Dragon Trail takes you around the tunneled circumference of the mountain and offers heart-stopping views of the valley below. Part way down the peak at Frakmuntegg, the young at heart can take the longest summer toboggan run in Switzerland. The 1,350 m (4,430 ft.) long steel tube with bends and tunnels is fun for all ages.

Back down at Lake Lucerne, a fleet of five nostalgic paddle steamers and 15 elegant salon motor boats carries passengers to 33 resorts dotted around the lake. The views are ever changing and the scenery is breathtaking.   

Around another bend in Lake Lucerne is the old village of Stans. From here a vintage cable car, which has been chugging up the mountain since 1893, will bring you up to  Kalti. From here, a modern aerial cable car will bring you up to the Stanserhorn peak (1,900 m/6.300 ft.) for a 360-degree view of the surrounding Alps. Referred to as a green mountain, Stanserhorn has many lovely hiking trails through meadows of rare alpine flowers.  

For a loftier experience, take the train from Stans to Engelberg, then set out on the four-stage ascent to the top of the Titlis (3239 m/10,625 ft.). A highlight is the trip over the Titlis Glacier aboard Titlis Rotair, the world’s first rotating cable car, which looks rather like a giant blue and white tuna can. At the summit, take a chilly walk through the glacier grotto with its marvelous ice pillars.

Don’t miss the museum 

Before leaving the area, every train buff should visit the Transport Museum located just outside Lucerne. Known as the Verkehrshaus, it marks the history of Swiss transport. The train section has dozens of locomotives and a popular highlight is a simulated trip aboard the works railway. The “trip” takes visitors through the 15 km (9.3 mi.) Gotthard tunnel building site as it was in 1875. Tragically 307 lives were lost during its construction.

A short train journey southwest from Lucerne takes visitors to lovely Lake Brienz and Lake Thun.  From Brienz station, the Rothorn Bahn is the only cogwheel steam train still operating in Switzerland. It transports passengers up to 2,350 m (7,710 ft.) for excellent hikes.

Directly across Lake Brienz, the lake-steamer stops at a tiny boat station from which a tiny red funicular disappears up through the forest to the Grandhotel Giessbach. From the boat station, it is worth the short detour up to this elegant 19^th century hotel, which is situated next to the spectacular, many-tiered Giessbach Falls. 

One of the most famous Swiss train journeys is The Glacier Express, which in seven and a half hours crosses 291 bridges and passes through 91 tunnels between the famous mountain resorts of Zermatt and St. Moritz. The Glacier Express is really a misnomer because the train is not by any means an express train since it gives passengers time to absorb the spectacular scenery. To sample a flavor of the journey, take the train for a section of the trip from Brig to Zermatt.

From this famous ski village, the Gornergrat-Bahn begins its ascent with a view of Zermatt, then chugs through forests of pine and larch, to the Gornergrat (3,089 m/10,135 ft.) The viewing platform affords passengers a breathtaking circular panorama of 29 four-thousand meter (13,000-foot) mountains and glaciers. The most outstanding highlight is of course the mighty sphinx-like Matterhorn, which stands at 4,477m (14,688 ft.). On the return journey, take a breather at Riffelberg Station. Mountain trails abound and you might be lucky to come across flocks of mountain sheep.

Swiss Miniatur at Melide on Lake Lugano photo by Hamish M. Jackson

If you don’t have time to travel on all these modes of transport in person, head south to Lake Lugano in the Italian part of Switzerland. The lakeside town of Melide is famous for its miniature village. Called Swissminiatur, it has 1.25-scale models of more than 110 national attractions, each linked by boats, trains and cable cars that whiz around the site. Here you will see a tiny version of Titlis-Rotair, the Grindelwald cableway, Sion railway station and the model railway, which has a length of 3,560 meters (2.27 mi.).