travel man switzerland

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• Episode aired Sep 10, 2018

Richard takes comedian Frank Skinner to the Swiss city of Zurich. At first they bicker over football, but then find common ground in their love for dadaism, and eventually end up in their ow... Read all Richard takes comedian Frank Skinner to the Swiss city of Zurich. At first they bicker over football, but then find common ground in their love for dadaism, and eventually end up in their own homoerotic version of Indecent Proposal (1993). Richard takes comedian Frank Skinner to the Swiss city of Zurich. At first they bicker over football, but then find common ground in their love for dadaism, and eventually end up in their own homoerotic version of Indecent Proposal (1993).

• Richard Ayoade
• Frank Skinner
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• Connections References Indecent Proposal (1993)

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• mike-499-205871
• Sep 20, 2018
• September 10, 2018 (United Kingdom)
• United Kingdom
• Official Facebook
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• Switzerland
• North One Television
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• Runtime 23 minutes
• 1080i (HDTV)
• 576i (SDTV)

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Den of Geek

Travel Man’s Best Episodes: feat. Bob Mortimer at the E Numbers Museum and the Happiest Richard Ayoade Has Ever Been

They went, but should they have gone!? Travel Man is back with brand new episodes!

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Since 2015, there’s been no need to go on a minibreak to a cultural European destination. Richard Ayoade and Joe Lycett have gone for us. They’ve waited at airport security lines displaying their miniature toothpaste tube in a clear plastic bag. They’ve bought mystery crisps from railway vending machines. They’ve been to the museums, tried the local delicacies and gone on the sightseeing tours, so that we could stay luxuriously put.

Indeed, for a good chunk of 2020, staying put was the only option, which is when Travel Man: 48 Hours In… really came into its own. During lockdown, you could spin the globe, choose a location, load up All4 (as it was then known), and have a packed weekend there from the comfort of your sofa. All the experience of short haul travel with none of the having-to-mime-migraine-symptoms-to-a-Hungarian-pharmacist. Bliss!

Now Travel Man: 48 Hours In… is back with four new Joe Lycett-fronted episodes starting on Friday March 22 at 8.30 p.m. on Channel 4 and Channel 4.com. Joe’s guests this time around are comedians Alan Davies, Desiree Burch, Adam Buxton and Jessica Fostekew. While Davies, Burch and Fostekew are all Travel Man first-timers, this is a repeat visit for Adam Buxton, who also went with Richard Ayoade to Lisbon back in 2016.

Respectively, the new travel guests are being taken to Italy’s Trieste, Finland’s Rovaniemi, Czechia’s Prague, and the Canary Island of Lanzarote. Expect a visit to the wind museum, scenes of eating sausages out of skulls, volcanic wine and some sleigh-riding (not necessarily in that order).

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To celebrate the show’s return, let’s salute some of its most entertaining trips from previous series.

10. Hamburg with Bob Mortimer

Adding “…with Bob Mortimer ” to anything makes it better. (Try it. The One Show… With Bob Mortimer. Who Wants to Be a Millionaire… With Bob Mortimer. Year 10 Parents’ Evening… With Bob Mortimer.) That’s definitely the case on this 48-hour stint in Hamburg, the high point of which has to be the visit to the German Food Additives Museum. It starts off niche, and just gets more niche from there as Mortimer encourages Ayoade to ingest out-of-date E numbers. A solid best-of list entry.

9. Amsterdam with Joe Lycett

Here’s the point at which Travel Man ’s producers must have scribbled down the note ‘ Joe Lycett – new host if Richard leaves?’ The two have more in common than you may think – they’re both sardonic clothes horses who run on irony – but while Ayoade’s persona leaves little room to express genuine delight, Lycett is a joy machine. We see it here when he’s confronted by a Dutch street organ that plays Wham. Immediately, he starts to jig, hands held aloft screaming “I feel so alive!”, while Ayoade nods along barely perceptibly. A strong audition for the main part.

8. Moscow with Greg Davies

Worthy of celebration solely for the local outfit Greg Davies wears at the traditional steam bath: a kind of toga worn with – as the Taskmaster describes it – a hat that makes him look like a sinister children’s character. Add to the outfit the ‘being whipped by two men using birch branches’ treatment that Davies volunteers to undergo, and we are entertained. See also: space food.

7. Split with Aisling Bea

This is Aisling Bea’s second time as a guest on the show and both are good fun, but this pips the other because it features what is officially the most adorable Travel Man sequence of all time: Bea and Joe Lycett walking extremely sweet rescue dogs from a local animal shelter along a dedicated dog beach. As Lycett puts it, “it’s the cutest day I’ve ever had and that’s saying a lot.” If a tiny puppy stand-up paddle-boarding doesn’t do it for you, then there’s also strudel-rolling, a fish cookery class, and a museum of frog taxidermy that genuinely makes you worry for humanity. Clearly mates who get on, these two are great company.

6. Copenhagen with Noel Fielding

The happiest Goth on Earth in the happiest place on Earth? That’s what you get with Noel Fielding in the Danish capital. The Mighty Boosh star giggles his way through open sandwiches, bakery windows, a beer museum and a tiny rollercoaster. They both love the fairground, and both appear to provoke genuine antipathy from their cycling tour leader Mike the Bike (he doesn’t like trouble), who makes every effort to ditch them mid-tour. The chemistry is good, the mood is… as relaxed as Richard Ayoade appears to get (key quote from Fielding: “I thought this was going to be a holiday, not one of your weird, anally retentive fright-fests.”) And they’ll always have Galoppen.

5. Berlin with Roisin Conaty

In which: they travel in a jazz lift, very much almost die on the road in what was voted the World’s Worst Car of 1975, improvise a blues jam session, and go to a bowling alley. Not a bowling alley but a kegelbahen, where Richard Ayoade appears to reveal genuine anger and a surprisingly intense competitive streak (plus a serviceable Daniel Day Lewis impersonation) when he refuses to leave until he gets a strike.

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Comedian, writer and actor Roisin Conaty makes an excellent audience for Ayoade’s patter, awkward Kula Shaker jokes, and the break’s Cold War theme in general. He’s great, she’s great, and it just works.

4. Hong Kong with Jon Hamm

An extended-length Christmas special, this is a joy of an hour. Watch as the former star of Mad Men and the former host of The Crystal Maze take a ludicrously short journey in a Rolls Royce, have their portraits ripped out of paper by an artist named “Uncle Man”, and get a foot massage – or, as Ayoade describes it, “an onslaught of unparalleled brutality”. (Squirming and grimacing under the touch of his masseur and telling him to stay the heck away is as aggressive as you’ll see the man). The best bit? When they get measured for dandy bespoke suits with which they are clearly – and rightly – overjoyed.

3. Ibiza with Jessica Knappett

Companionable banter is all very well, but sometimes it’s fun to witness a clash of personalities so extreme you wonder if it’ll end in violence. And that clash isn’t just Ayoade (sardonic, reserved) vs Knappett (wahey-the-lads! ‘BEEFA), but Ayoade vs Ibiza itself. Put simply, the party island/hippy hangout is his nightmare, and this episode features genuine appeals to camera for rescue. From what? From a gong bath, a surfing machine, the hotel where Wham’s Club Tropicana video was filmed, and from a hotel manager who insists on taking them to a place “where membership is a smiling face.” Despite Knappett’s appeals for Ayoade to have an open mind and go with the flow, his mind remains resolutely closed and stressed, and it’s quite a lot of fun to watch.

2. Miami with Rhod Gilbert

There’s no personality clash here. Ayoade and Gilbert are like two complementary grape varieties blended into the same refreshingly dry wine. It’s a wine that you’d think would be too acerbic for Miami’s brand of relaxed Cuban cool, but you’d be wrong. Humidity aside, they both have a great time on the Florida coast. They eat crab meat lollipops that cause Ayoade to break out in a spontaneous smile, and which Gilbert describes as the most amazing meal he’s ever had in his life. They wear crab bibs, are rubbish at beach yoga, nervous of alligators, live it up at a domino game and sip drink thick, sweet coffee and freshly squeezed juice you feel like you can taste. A beautiful combination.

1. Vienna with Chris O’Dowd

The best Travel Man episodes are the ones where chemistry between host and guest really chimes, and here, it’s unimprovable. This trip to Vienna with his The IT Crowd co-star Chris O’Dowd is the happiest Richard Ayoade has ever looked on screen – possibly the happiest he’s ever been in life? Perhaps that’s down to the relief of not having been the one to have accidentally smashed a snow globe in Vienna’s national snow globe museum (O’Dowd is now banned from Austria). Or perhaps he’s just relaxed, having fun and enjoying making his pal laugh over partially fermented grape juice and cheesy sausage. They eat apple strudel, drive hotrods, explore the sewers and ride a Ferris wheel as part of a locations tour for The Third Man , and generally have a lovely, lovely time.

HONOURABLE MENTIONS

Dublin with Mawaan Rizwan who is cute as a button and really did not enjoy wild swimming.

Milan with Morgana Robinson whose superior pasta-making skills leave Ayoade humiliated.

Iceland with Bill Bailey for boiling eggs in a geyser, the Icelandic punk jam and the hot tub hats.

Stockholm with Sally Phillips for Ayoade’s obvious discomfort and Phillips’ obvious joy at the ABBA museum.

Porto with Nish Kumar for Nish’s excitement about his religious wax buttocks.

Dubrovnik with Stephen Merchant for them going on the Game of Thrones locations tour without having seen Game of Thrones .

Travel Man: 48 Hours In… airs on Fridays at 8.30pm on Channel 4. All episodes are available to stream in the UK on Channel4.com . Series one to seven are available to stream on Plex and Prime Video in the US.

Louisa Mellor | @Louisa_Mellor

Louisa Mellor is the Den of Geek UK TV Editor. She has written about TV, film and books for Den of Geek since 2010, and for…

TRAVEL MAN: 48 HOURS IN ZURICH (S7 Ep1)

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The Man in Seat 61

A beginner's guide to

Train travel in switzerland.

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Train travel in europe..., train travel in asia..., train travel in africa..., train travel in america..., train travel in australasia, swiss tickets & passes explained.

Swiss trains run like clockwork, so they say.  And they pretty much do.  The whole of Switzerland is covered by a frequent, punctual and efficient integrated train network that's really easy to use.  In most cases you can just turn up, buy a ticket and hop on.  Swiss Federal Railways (= SBB in German, CFF in French or FFS in Italian) runs most mainline trains, but there are many smaller private operators running local & regional routes.

Train travel within Switzerland

Swiss scenic trains

International trains to/from switzerland, station guides, other train travel information, useful country information, how to check times & buy tickets, do you need to book in advance, which website to use.

The following websites all link to the Swiss Federal Railways (SBB) ticketing system and can all sell regular tickets , Saver Day Passes & advance-purchase Supersaver fares .  The price is the same whichever website you use.

Booking opens 6 months in advance.  You print your ticket or can show it on your phone.

Option 1, Swiss Federal Railways, www.sbb.ch

You can check train times & fares and buy tickets for any journey in Switzerland at the Swiss Federal Railways (SBB) website www.sbb.ch .

Prices are in CHF.  Be warned, the first price that www.sbb.ch shows you is usually only half the true price, because Sbb.ch assumes you have a Swiss Half Fare card as the majority of Swiss citizens do.  When you change Select discount to No discount the price doubles, so be aware of this when costing your journeys.  There's no booking fee.

Option 2 , Thetrainline.com

You may find it easier to check times & buy tickets at www.thetrainline.com , in CHF, €, £ or $.  It too can sell all tickets types, regular tickets , Saver Day Passes and advance-purchase Supersaver fares .  There's a small booking fee.  Who are Thetrainline.com?

Option 3 , Omio.com

Omio.com  is also really easy to use, in CHF, €, £ or $.  There's a small booking fee.

The SBB system not only covers SBB's own trains, it covers all Swiss public transport including private train operators and connecting ferries, buses and funicular railways.  Trains run every hour or every 30 minutes, even more frequently on core routes.  Trains, buses & ferries connect efficiently, and connections of even just a few minutes are reliable and easy to make.

Standard fares

There is one regular flexible fare between any two Swiss stations via a given route, good for any departure that day.  The price is fixed and availability is unlimited, you can buy at this price at the station on the day if you like.  You sit anywhere you like.

If you buy one of these full-price full-flex tickets at www.sbb.ch , www.thetrainline.com or www.omio.com , it is valid on any train between those stations by the route stated on the date you bought it for, even if you selected a specific train.

A round trip ticket costs the same as two one-ways.  The return journey must be made the same day if the journey is less than 116 km.  If the journey is more than 116 km the return journey may be made any day up to 10 days after the outward leg.  But you may as well stay flexible and just buy two one-ways.

With a regular Swiss ticket, you can break your journey (in other words, stop off) on the way as long as you complete the whole journey that same day.

Supersaver fares

For longer-distance journeys you may be offered a Supersaver advance-purchase ticket.

Supersaver fares are up to 70% cheaper than the regular flexible price.  You can buy Supersavers a minimum of 1 day in advance.  There is limited availability at each price point, the further ahead you book and the less popular the train you choose, the cheaper it's likely to be.

Supersaver fares are only good for the specific train you book, no refunds, no changes to travel plans.

However, if you miss your train, the Swiss Railways let you use the ticket as credit towards a full-fare ticket for a later train - just go to the ticket office and pay the difference between the Supersaver price and the regular full-price fare.

Obviously, be careful when using a train-specific Supersaver fare for an onward journey in connection with a train arriving from Paris or Milan or when arriving on a flight, unless you leave a long time buffer to absorb delay.

Using www.thetrainline.com or www.o mio.com , Supersaver or Saver Day Passes will appear in the search results if they're available.  Using www.sbb.ch , a black triangle with a % symbol will appear to the left of any departures in the search results which have a Supersaver fare available.  Select that departure and the Supersaver price will appear during the buying process when you click Options for the outward journey .  Supersaver fares can only be bought online, and only at www.sbb.ch , www.thetrainline.com or www.omio.com .  They will not appear if you look further ahead than 60 days.

Saver Day Pass

For longer-distance journeys you might also be offered a Saver Day Pass if it's cheaper than a full-fare full-flex ticket.

A Saver Day Pass gives you a whole day of unlimited travel on the entire Swiss transport system, covering all SBB (Swiss Federal Railways) trains and most private railways, post-buses & ferries.  Saver Day Passes come in 1st & 2nd class versions, with or without Half Fare Card discount.

The price of a Saver Day Pass varies, you'll see a different price on each date which increases like air fares as that date approaches.

A Saver Day Pass starts at CHF 52, cheaper than a full-price ticket from Zurich to Geneva (although a Supersaver fare might still be cheaper still).  If you wait until the day before travel, it could cost CHF 106.

You can buy a Saver Day pass by running an enquiry at www.thetrainline.com or www.omio.com for a random long-distance route (for example, Zurich to Tirano), then looking for Saver Day Pass as a fare option.  You can also buy at www.sbb.ch or in person at Swiss stations.

Booking opens 6 months in advance.  Saver Day Passes cannot be bought on the day.  No refunds, no changes after buying it.

The routes covered by a Saver Day Pass are shown on the official Swiss train map as solid red, yellow or black lines.

Routes shown as dotted red, yellow or black lines are not covered, this includes a few smaller private railways and some well-known tourist mountain railways such as the Jungfrau Railway & Gornergrat Railway.  Unlike the Swiss Travel Passes , the Saver Day Pass doesn't get you any reduction on these dotted-line routes, if you want to use them you pay full-price.

One thing confuses people about the map:  Solid lines become dashed lines where the line is in a tunnel.  Dashed isn't the same as dotted !

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Swiss Passes & Half Fare Card

Switzerland is one of the few remaining European countries where expensive point-to-point fares and lack of compulsory reservations makes railpasses good value and convenient.  You can buy passes online from the Switzerland Travel Centre , a Swiss Federal Railways subsidiary.  But I'm often asked if a pass makes sense, or whether to go for a Half Fare card.  Incidentally, the Swiss Transfer Ticket was discontinued in 2019.

A Saver Day Pass is a useful one-day all-Switzerland pass, easily bought online or at the station up to the day before see the section above .

Swiss Travel Pass

A Swiss Travel Pass gives unlimited travel across the Swiss travel system for a continuous period of 3 days, 4 days, 8 days or 15 days.

A Swiss Travel Pass Flex gives unlimited travel across the Swiss travel system for either 3, 4, 8 or 15 travel days with an overall period of a month.  A Swiss Travel Pass Flex is more economical than a regular non-Flex Swiss Travel Pass if you plan to stay put between journeys.  The overall one month starts on any date you like, then you can 'spend' each of your unlimited travel days on any dates you like within that period.

Check prices in CHF, USD, GBP or Euros at www.switzerlandtravelcentre.com , an international site run by a subsidiary of SBB (Swiss Railways).

Is a Swiss Travel Pass cheaper than point-to-point tickets? 

Swiss rail fares are expensive, so a Swiss pass can save money, depending what you plan to do and whether you're adult or youth.  First check the price of the pass that suits you, then divide the price by the number of days travelling you plan to do to get the pass cost per day.  Are the journeys you plan to make each day cheaper than this?  If so, don't buy a pass.  Or do they cost more than this?  Then buy a pass!  You can check fares at www.sbb.ch .  It's not rocket science!

What does the pass cover?

See this official map of the Swiss rail network .  A Swiss Travel Pass (continuous or flex) gives you unlimited free travel on all the train, bus & ferry routes shown as solid red, yellow or black lines on the map.  Swiss Travel Passes give you a 50% discount (not free travel) on the routes shown as dotted red, yellow or black lines.

One thing that confuses people: A solid line becomes a dashed line when it's in a tunnel, but it's not the same as a dotted line!  Routes on which you only get a discount, not free travel, notably include the Jungfrau Railway & Gornergrat railway.

How to buy a pass

Buy at www.switzerlandtravelcentre.com .  Anyone from any country can buy here, in CHF, £, $ or €.  This is an official Swiss Railways shop, owned by SBB Swiss Railways.

Print your own pass or show it on your phone

You get an e-ticket/print-at-home option for Swiss Travel Passes and Swiss Travel Pass Flex, so you'll get your pass immediately with no delivery charges.  You can print it out or show it on your phone via their pass activation page at www.activateyourpass.com .

Would an Interrail or Eurail pass be cheaper?

You should compare the cost of a Swiss Travel Pass with the cost of an Interrail One-Country Pass for Switzerland (if you're a European resident) or Eurail global pass (if you live outside Europe) as Interrail & Eurail passes can be significantly cheaper.

Like Swiss Travel Passes, Interrail & Eurail passes give unlimited travel on Swiss Federal Railways (SBB) and the major private train operators such as the Rhätische Bahn (RhB), Bern-Lötschberg-Simplon (BLS).

Before 2017 there were some significant private railway operators that a Swiss Pass covered but an Interrail or Eurail pass did not, but in 2017 Interrail/Eurail coverage was extended to include many more private operators, notably the Matterhorn Gotthard Bahn (MGB) which operates the line to Zermatt and half of the Glacier Express route.  From 10 December 2023, the Berner Oberland Bahn joins the scheme, so Interlaken to Grindelwald, Lauterbrunnen, Wengen are now covered too.

That leaves only the post-buses, lake boats and a few minor private railways which the Swiss Travel Pass covers but an Interrail or Eurail pass doesn't.  The line up the Jungfrau is not covered, but Interrail or Eurail passes give a 25% discount on normal fares.

Compare the lines covered by Interrail & Eurail on this map with the lines covered by a Swiss Travel Pass on this map .  On both maps, solid lines mean covered, dotted lines mean not covered (although there may be a discount).  Dashed lines simply means line in tunnel.

Swiss Half Fare card

Most Swiss residents have an annual half-fare card giving 50% off normal fares.  Visitors can buy one lasting a month.

The discount applies to Standard fares , Supersaver fares and Saver Day Passes .

The 1 month Half Fare Card costs CHF 120, so (obviously) only pays for itself if you plan to clock up more than CHF 240-worth of train journeys.  That's 3 full-price one-way trips between Lausanne and Zermatt, or 4 one-way trips between Basel and Interlaken, for example.

Again, it's not rocket science:  Use www.sbb.ch , www.thetrainline.com or www.o mio.com to check fares the journeys you plan to make, and halve this cost.  Does this exceed CHF 120?  Then buy the Half Fare Card.

Children 6-15 travel free with a family Half Fare card if accompanied by a parent.  This is a worthwhile benefit!

Buy online at www.switzerlandtravelcentre.com with prices in CHF, €, £ or $.

What are Swiss trains like ?

Classic intercity (ic) & interregional (ir) trains, double-deck intercity (ic) & interregional (ir) trains, icn tilting intercity (ic) trains.

These ICN Pendolino trains can tilt, enabling them to go round curves faster than normal trains.  They have cut journey times on several curvaceous Swiss InterCity routes.  Designed by Pininfarina, they feature a restaurant car and can reach 200km/h (125mph) although they don't often reach that speed in service.  You'll find these trains operating IC trains on these routes Geneva-Basel, Geneva-Zurich, Lausanne-Basel, Lausanne-Zurich, Basel-Lucerne-Lugano-Chiasso and Zurich-Lugano-Chiasso.  When using the journey planner at www.sbb.ch these trains are shown with a TT symbol in the facilities section, for Tilting Train.

Giruno Intercity (IC) & EuroCity (EC) trains

On the Basel/Zurich to Lugano route you'll find the latest Giruno trains, the international ones going through to Milan being classified EuroCity.  Giruno trains have low-floor accessible entrance doors, hence the rather strange seating arrangement inside.

Swiss private operators

Swiss local trains are run by SBB or a plethora of local private operators.  The trains come in all shapes & sizes, some old, some new.  Below left, a local train run by Matterhorn-Gotthard Bahn (MGB) on the Brig-Zermatt line.  Below right, a train from St Moritz to Chur run by the Rhätische Bahn (RhB).

Seat maps : Click here

Travel tips.

Maps of the European rail network:   See the section on the Train travel in Europe page about rail maps .

Language problems

First-time visitors often think this will be a problem, but it hardly ever is.  At stations, signs are usually in English as well as German, French & Italian, or they use easy-to-understand pictograms.  On-train announcements on long-distance trains are often made in English.

First or second class?

Swiss fares are expensive, even in 2nd class.  And a 1st class ticket costs 75% more than a 2nd class one.  You don't get anything extra in 1st class on Swiss domestic trains - no free food or drink, no limo transfers, spa treatments or executive lounges.  Just wider seats, plusher seats, more elbow room as seats are usually 2+1 across the car width instead of 2+2 as in 2nd class, fewer people per car, fewer families and loud kids, more business travellers - see the photos above .  So unless it's a special occasion, or your company is paying, or you are rich, stick with 2nd class whilst within Switzerland as most travellers do.

Tip:   A yellow stripe above the windows or door indicates a 1st class car on Swiss trains.

Luggage on trains

There are no baggage fees or weight limits, and you don't check your bags in, you simply take them with you onto the train, placing them on the racks at the end of each car, or above your head.  More about luggage on European trains .

Left luggage at stations

Many larger Swiss stations have left-luggage lockers in various sizes, up to suitcase-sized.  More information on left luggage lockers & prices .

Food & drink on Swiss trains

Many Swiss long-distance trains have a waiter-service restaurant car, not cheap but a real treat!  A few regional trains now have vending machines selling hot drinks, cold drinks and snacks, operated with contactless bank cards.

Or feel free to bring your own food and drink (even a bottle of wine, if you like) onto the train, there's no rules against that on the rails!

First class lounges at stations

The lounges for first class passengers at Zurich & Geneva have been closed.  More about station lounges .

You can take a bike in the luggage van on most Swiss trains if you buy a Swiss Bike Card , for more details, see the bicycles by train page .

Dogs & pets

In Switzerland, dogs of any size can travel for half the 2nd class fare - although for longer journeys there's a Dog Day card which can be cheaper.  Small dogs up to 30cm high at the shoulder can travel free if they are in a carrier.  You'll find information on the Swiss Railways website www.sbb.ch .  You can easily buy Swiss tickets at the station when you get there.

For more about dogs & pets on trains in Europe, see the dogs & pets page .

Bernina Express:  More information

Glacier express:  more information, jungfrau bahn :  more information, golden pass line : montreux - interlaken - lucerne.

This is a mainly narrow-gauge route from Montreux to Interlaken & Lucerne via the well-known ski resort of Gstaad.  It's slower than using mainline trains, but very scenic and marketed to tourists as the Golden Pass route.   Until December 2022 it involved 3 trains, but it can now be done with just two: Montreux to Interlaken and Interlaken to Lucerne.  The first train is a new gauge-changing service, it runs from Montreux to Zweisimmen on the standard-gauge tracks of the Bern-Lötschberg-Simplon (BLS) Railway then from Interlaken to Lucerne on the metre-gauge Brunig Railway operated by the Zentralbahn.  The new trains adjust their wheelsets at Zweisimmen.  They have 1st & 2nd class panorama cars and a new luxurious Prestige class.

As with other tourist trains, reservation is necessary if you want to travel in the panoramic tourists cars, but regular trains run frequently over the same route and these need no prior reservation.

The website for the joint service is www.goldenpass.ch .  But I find it easier to find Montreux-Lucerne Golden Pass times using the journey planner at www.sbb.ch - just make sure you put Zweisimmen in the via box, click advanced options and put Interlaken Ost in the second via box before running the enquiry.  Then it will find journeys with 1 or 2 changes via this slower scenic Golden Pass route, rather than the faster mainline route.

Gornergrat, Matterhorn, Mt. Pilatus, Mt. Titlis, Schilthorn

If you live in the UK, you can buy excursion tickets up these mountains here:  www.switzerlandtravelcentre.com

Invest in a good guidebook, even in the age of the internet.  For the independent traveller, I think this means either the Lonely Planet or the Rough Guide.  Both guidebooks provide the same excellent level of practical information and historical background. You won't regret buying one!

Click the images to buy at Amazon.co.uk

Or buy in the usa from amazon.com.

Alternatively, you can download just the chapters or areas you need in .PDF format from the Lonely Planet Website , from around £2.99 or US$4.95 a chapter.

Holidays, vacations & tours of Switzerland

Railbookers, railbookers.co.uk.

Railbookers are a train travel specialist who can put together a tour or short break for you as a package, including rail travel, hotels & transfers.  On their website you'll find a range of suggested tours & holidays which can be varied or customised to your own requirements.  And as you're booking a package, they'll take care of you if anything happens to one part of the itinerary such as a strike or delay.  They have offices in the UK, USA & Australia.

Check out their 8-day Switzerland's Lakes & Mountains tour (link to their UK site) or Swiss Lakes & Mountains tour (link to their US & Canada site) which includes both the famously scenic Glacier Express and Bernina Express trains.  Also see their 5-day Classic Bernina Express & Glacier Express tour (link to their UK site) or Classic Bernina Express & Glacier Express tour (link to their US & Canada site) which also combine these two classic Alpine routes.

Tailor Made Rail, tailormaderail.com

Tailor Made Rail can arrange tours of Switzerland by train including the Glacier and/or Bernina Expresses based on your own requirements, they welcome complex itineraries.  As it's a package, they'll take care of you if anything happens on one part of the trip, for example, a national strike.  They're TTA-protected - like ATOL, but not only for agencies that sell air travel.

Call their dedicated seat61 phone line 020 3778 1461 and quote seat 61 when booking.  From outside the UK call +44 20 3778 1461 .  Lines open 09:00-17:30 Monday-Friday.  Their website is www.tailormaderail.com/destinations/switzerland .

Hotels & accommodation in Switzerland

Personal recommendations.

In Zurich , for something special, look no further than the superb Hotel Schweizerhof , located right next to Zurich station.  One of my favourite hotels, they'll even send a uniformed commissionaire to meet you at the station and carry your bags across the road.

In the St Moritz-Pontresina area , the Romantik Hotel Muottas Muragl is an amazing place to stay perched on the top of a mountain, with clean simple and (for Switzerland) inexpensive rooms.  It's reached via the Muottas Muragl funicular railway from Punt Muragl station, between Pontresina & St Moritz.

Backpacker hostels: www.hostelworld.com

www.hostelworld.com :  If you're on a tight budget, don't forget about backpacker hostels.  Hostelworld offers online booking of cheap private rooms or dorm beds in backpacker hostels in Paris and most other European cities at rock-bottom prices.

Travel insurance & other tips

Always take out travel insurance.

You should take out travel insurance with at least £1m or preferably £5m medical cover from a reliable insurer.  It should cover trip cancellation and loss of cash & belongings up to a reasonable limit.  These days, check you're covered for covid-19-related issues, and use an insurer whose cover isn't invalidated by well-meant but excessive Foreign Office travel advice against non-essential travel. An annual policy is usually cheapest even for just 2 or 3 trips a year, I have an annual policy with Staysure.co.uk myself.  Don't expect travel insurance to bail you out of every missed connection, see the advice on missed connections here .  Here are some suggested insurers, I get a little commission if you buy through these links, feedback always welcome.

Get an eSIM with mobile data package

Don't rely on WiFi, download an eSIM with a European mobile data package and stay connected.  Most newer mobile phones can download a virtual SIM including iPhone 11 & later, see device compatibility list .  There's no need to buy a physical SIM card!  Maya.net is a reliable eSIM data retailer with a 4.5 out of 5 Trustpilot rating and a range of packages including unlimited data .

Get a Curve card for foreign travel

Most banks give you a poor exchange rate then add a foreign transaction fee on top.  A Curve MasterCard means no foreign transaction fees and gives you the mid-market exchange rate, at least up to a certain limit, £500 per month as I write this.  The money you spend on your Curve card goes straight onto one of your existing debit or credit cards.  And you can get a Curve card for free.

How it works:   1. Download the Curve app for iPhone or Android .  2. Enter your details & they'll send you a Curve MasterCard - they send to the UK and most European addresses.  3. Link your existing credit & debit cards to the app, you can link up to two cards with the free version of Curve, I link my normal debit card and my normal credit card.  4. Now use the Curve MasterCard to buy things online or in person or take cash from ATMs, exactly like a normal MasterCard. Curve does the currency conversion and puts the balance in your own currency onto whichever debit or credit card is currently selected in the Curve app.  You can even change your mind about which card it goes onto, within 14 days of the transaction.

I have a Curve Blue card myself, it means I can buy a coffee on a foreign station on a card without being stung by fees and lousy exchange rates, just by tapping the Curve card on their card reader.  The money goes through Curve to my normal debit card and is taken directly from my account (in fact I have the Curve card set up as payment card on Apple Pay on my iPhone, so can double-click my phone, let it do Face ID then tap the reader with the phone - even easier than getting a card out).  I get a little commission if you sign up to Curve, but I recommend it here because I think it's great.  See details, download the app and get a Curve card , they'll give you £5 cashback through that link.

Get a VPN for safe browsing.  Why you need a VPN

When travelling you may use free public WiFi which is often insecure.  A VPN encrypts your connection so it's always secure, even on unsecured WiFi.  It also means you can select the geographic location of the IP address you browse with, to get around geoblocking which a surprising number of websites apply.  See VPNs & why you need one explained .  ExpressVPN is a best buy with a 4.7 out of 5 Trustpilot ranking which I use myself - I've signed up as an ExpressVPN affiliate, and if you go with expressvpn.com using this link you should see a special deal, 3 months free with an annual subscription.  I also get some commission to help support this site.

Carry an Anker powerbank

Tickets, reservations, hotel bookings and Interrail or Eurail passes are often now held on your mobile phone.  You daren't let it run out of power, and you can't always rely on the phone's internal battery or on being near a power outlet.  I always carry an Anker powerbank which can recharge my phone several times over.  Buy from Amazon.co.uk or Buy from Amazon.com .

Touring cities?  Use hill walking shoes!

One of the best things I've done is swap my normal shoes for hill-walking shoes, in my case from Scarpa.  They're intended for hiking across the Pennines not wandering around Florence, but the support and cushioning for hiking works equally well when you're on your feet all day exploring foreign cities.  My feet used to give out first and limit my day, now the rest of me gives up before they do!

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6 Insiders Tell You What They Love to Do in Switzerland

Watch industry executives and creators recommend Brutalist architecture, wrestling festivals and, of course, where to get the best fondue.

By Anders Modig Davin

Reporting from Basel, Switzerland

Where are the best places to go in Switzerland?

The New York Times recently posed that question to six executives and creators in the Swiss watch industry — and got a raft of insider tips that included Brutalist architecture, wrestling festivals, vineyards, Wes Anderson-esque trains and, of course, where to get the best fondue.

The interviews have been edited and condensed.

Maximilian Büsser

Owner and creative director of MB&F Watches, 57

Rent a car and drive around for four or five days in summer. I love Therme Vals in Graubünden by Peter Zumthor. It is these incredible baths all made of locally quarried Vals quartzite slabs, which feel like black granite. This is really off the beaten track; a valley in the middle of nowhere amongst mountains and forests. Zumthor is this insanely creative Swiss architect, and for me, who loves things that are different and have strong character, Therme Vals is just one of the most amazing places.

I was lucky when I was there with my wife 11 years ago, as there was an Alphorn concert inside the baths. Lying in these chambers filled with naturally hot water, with the horns resounding everywhere — I still get goose bumps when I think about it!

As you have a car, I would also say to bring your hiking boots and go hiking in the incredibly green hills around Appenzell — this landscape in northeast Switzerland reminds me of Iceland. Stop in Solothurn where the little river in the middle of the Old Town turns into a kind of carnival in summer, with people passing by on all sorts of weird floating contraptions; stay in the beautiful Chenot Palace in Weggis, where the mountains meet Lake Lucerne; head for La Tour de Gourze, a little house where you can have a fondue with breathtaking views over Lac Léman [Lake Geneva]; drive along the legendary hairpins of the Furka Pass into Andermatt.

And don’t miss Zurich, where you should, if you like Brutalism, stay at the B2 Hotel , a conversion of an old brewery.

Audrey Raffy

Vice president at Bovet, 31

I do love hiking, and one of my favorites is to walk through the UNESCO Heritage-listed Lavaux vineyard terraces between Lausanne and Montreux. I love the mix of the leafy vineyards and the lake below and the gray rock of the Alps across the lake.

Depending on the season you have completely different sceneries: pink flowers in the spring, super green foliage in summer and fiery orange, red and yellow in the autumn. I normally take the train to Cully, and then walk all the way to Montreux, which takes around three hours.

Along the way you can find places where you can brunch — and of course, you can sample great wines! The Chasselas grape is typical for the region and one of my favorites in Switzerland. It has got a beautiful, fresh, light kind of mineral taste. It is perfect for an apéro, which is a French word for the fantastic moment before dinner when you have a drink and something to snack on together with friends and family.

The Belle Epoque train is part of the Golden Pass route in Switzerland between Montreux and Zweisimmen. Some travelers liken it to the Orient Express.

Jasmine Vidal

Communications consultant on jewelry, watches and wellness, 49

I absolutely love getting people who come to visit here in Switzerland onto the GoldenPass Belle Epoque train from Montreux up to Gstaad. The three-hour train going up the mountain from the lake is just magical. Velvety turquoise seats, dark wood paneling, golden brass details and purple floors — it is like a mini Orient Express that feels like a Wes Anderson movie! When you go up, you want to sit on the right side for the best views.

When you arrive in Gstaad, you are up for a truly Swiss experience. Sure, it is a superluxury resort with Hermès, Louis Vuitton, Prada and Graff shops, but it is still authentic. And it is not a show-off place.

When I go with my family, we normally pick up the best dairy produce from a little refrigerator at an egg farm with a trust cash box on the edge of town, before we head to the Sportzentrum Gstaad. This is a beautiful high-ceilinged timber construction with heated indoor and outdoor swimming pools.

And don’t miss Cadonau Papeterie on the promenade, the little shop where all the celebrities go to buy stationery. This is just around the corner from Mango on Viktoriastrasse, a tiny little Indian joint screening Bollywood videos filmed in Gstaad with stars like Shah Rukh Khan. Bollywood has come here for years to make films, and you can also make a Bollywood tour in the valley to visit the locations.

Laurence Bodenmann

Heritage director at Zenith, 41

The best places to visit in Switzerland are the museums. There is an incredible, super-dense network of 1,081 museums scattered all over Switzerland, a country of 8.7 million people.

To pick a few I would say the M.I.H., the international horology museum in La Chaux-de-Fonds, where you can travel through the development of the art of watchmaking. As a visitor, I would also contact workshops to see the art in action — for instance, François Junod , who took the art of moving figures known as automatons into the 21st century, and to discover how watches are made today you can contact the tourist office to organize a visit to the Zenith manufacturer in Le Locle.

This is the thing: The history of Switzerland is completely alive today, and not only when it comes to mechanical innovations. I have rediscovered Switzerland by going to local pop-rock music festivals and traditional wrestling competitions in the villages. When you eat a sausage or a fondue in such a context you really feel like you can start to grasp people’s perspectives.

If you want to stay in style after such local experiences, I recommend the five-star Hôtel Palafitte , which is built on stilts on Lake Neuchâtel. It’s so cool and unique, and it is also a historical experience: The Latians, who lived here between 4,400 B.C. and 750 B.C. also had their houses on stilts, and these were called palafitte.

Pierre Biver

General director of Biver, 24

Geneva is a perfect place for a city break! It is not too big and not too small, so you can do a lot in just a couple of days, and just about everything is in walking distance.

On the luxurious side you have all the watchmaking boutiques along the Rue du Rhône, and great classical hotels overlooking the lake and the fountain, the Jet d’Eau — like the Four Seasons des Bergues , which opened in 1834, or the Woodward hotel , which also houses the restaurant L’Atelier Robuchon by the legendary chef Joël Robuchon.

Great restaurants in all different ranges are scattered all over the city and two of my favorites are the Auberge d’Onex which has amazing Italian food in the former clubhouse of Geneva’s first golf course, and the tiny and casual Nagomi , which serves the best sushi and tempura, in the Pâquis area.

Such high-end aspects of Geneva are famous, but not everybody knows that the city has a great urban feel with a lot of hipsters. In summer, the parks are full of Genevan people having a picnic or a drink after work, and there are often open-air concerts. And the non-mainstream, more secret cafe scene is great. Mame cafe in Plainpalais and in St.-Gervais serve very fine filter and espresso coffee, and its baristas have been named Switzerland’s best five times.

Rolf Studer

Co-chief executive at Oris, 52

For me, the best place to go in Switzerland is the alpine region of my ancestors: Entlebuch, and the village of Flühli, where my grandfather built a house which is my second home.

This far-out place is a UNESCO biosphere region with deep forests and high mountains — great for skiing, hiking and mountain biking. It’s wild there! It looks a bit like Canada, but you are in fact not so far away from civilization; it is only a 45-minute drive from Lucerne. The people of this region are predominantly farmers who are very earthy and not polished, but in the best way: authentic, open, down to earth and no blah blah.

The best food in Entlebuch you get in the restaurant of Wiesner Mysterion , where Stefan Wiesner, known as the Sorcerer of Entlebuch , performs, as they put it in Guide Michelin, “culinary wizardry” on stones and big rings of fire. He also has cooking schools, by the way.

The Hotel Kurhaus in Flühli has been where travelers rest since 1899, a classic hotel that has been continuously upgraded and today combines luxury with soothing natural surroundings. Eight kilometers from the hotel is the Genossenschaft Flühli Wasser, in the forest at the foot of the Schwändelifluh mountain. Here you can rejuvenate with cold baths and textural experiences in accordance with the Kneipp principles of water, plants, movement, nourishment and balance.

But again, the best luxury to me of this region is to meet people who are still grounded. It grounds me, puts things in perspective and makes me smile.

Visit Switzerland for $4,000 — including airfare out of SLC

By dick jensen & alan mckay tours | posted - april 8, 2024 at 9:49 a.m., (dick jensen & alan mckay tours).

Estimated read time: 4-5 minutes

Ah, Switzerland. It's the European country that brought you world-renowned chocolates, cheeses, fairy tales, army knives and watches. It offers beautiful landscapes with towering alpine mountains and pristine, otherworldly lakes.

The only thing keeping you from crossing this particular location off your bucket list is probably the price. Unfortunately, for all of its many positive attributes, cheap travel and affordability isn't one of them.

But what if you could take care of lodging, transportation, a daily guided itinerary full of must-see sites and activities and roundtrip airfare all for one reasonable, surprisingly affordable price? That's the benefit of traveling with Dick Jensen and Alan McKay Tours — and they've got a Switzerland tour coming up this fall that you won't want to miss.

Here's everything you need to know.

Your tour cost includes airfare out of Salt Lake

Don't let expensive travel costs stop you from visiting some of the greatest, most beautiful sights in the world. With the right tour group, you can make all your adventuring dreams come true. And you'll be hard-pressed to find a more affordable way to travel than with Dick Jensen and Alan McKay Tours . Their exceptional travel packages offer the biggest bang for your buck.

Here's how they save you money: The agency purchases blocks of airfare 11 months before the departure date to ensure the best deal on international airfare. Their group contracts also save people a lot of money — and since it's a family-run business with low overhead and many automated processes, they pass the savings on to you!

The Switzerland tour is $3,999 per person when you travel with a companion — and, as mentioned previously, that includes airfare out of Salt Lake on Delta Airlines!

Here's everything else that's covered with that price:

• Airport transfers
• Accommodations
• Activities and tours listed on the itinerary
• Private transportation
• Local tour guides

If you were to price each of those things out individually with airfare on top, you'd quickly realize just what a bargain this deal is. Plus, consider how much more relaxed you'll be knowing that someone else has taken care of all of the planning and coordinating. All you have to do is sit back, relax and enjoy an unforgettable trip.

Here's what's on the itinerary

Speaking of making plans, you'll want to mark your calendar for Sept. 25 to Oct. 3. That's the next chance you'll get to take the Dick Jensen and Alan McKay Tours' Switzerland tour — and spaces are on sale now.

In between that first and last day, here are a few of the other activities you'll enjoy in one of Europe's most picturesque countries:

• Tour the Lindt Chocolate Museum and Factory
• Take a walking tour of Lucerne
• Enjoy breathtaking scenery from the Grindelwald First Gondola
• Take a train to the Top of Europe (Jungfraujoch)
• Visit Trummelbach Falls
• Cruise on Lake Thun
• See the Bundeshaus, Zytglogge Clock Tower and Old Town in Bern
• Visit the Gruyeres Cheese Factory
• Experience panoramic views of the Matterhorn

But this list barely scratches the surface. To see the full itinerary, visit djamtours.com/switzerland .

Refer a friend and save even more

In addition to their excellent prices, Dick Jensen and Alan McKay Tours offers a referral program to help you save even more money. For every referral from you that books with them, you get $100 and your referrals get $50 off the price as well. And you don't have to go on the trip to get your $100 reward! Visit the referrals page for more information.

Save a spot on the next available Iceland tour

Remember — the next available Switzerland tour will be Sept. 25 through Oct. 3, but don't wait to secure your spot! The April and early September tours have already sold out, so it's important to act fast before the tour fills up.

In the meantime, you can browse the list of other upcoming trips Dick Jensen and Alan McKay Tours offers. In addition to Switzerland, the agency also offers expertly guided tours through Europe, Africa, Asia, the Americas, the Pacific, the Middle East and even Antarctica. Visit their website to view upcoming travel itineraries and plan that next great trip today.

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Travel Man: SerieS 4

Christmas special  .

Hollywood actor Rebel Wilson joins Richard for a fun-packed whizz round Florence in a mini-break mixing art, action, gelato, a drive in a classic Alfa Romeo, and some tripe. HOTEL:

AdAstra Hôtel Particulier

adastraflorence.com

FOOD AND DRINK:

Meracato Centrale Market for the Tripe Sandwich: www.mercatocentrale.it/en/mercato-centrale-florence   In Fabbrica Restaurant, dinner in the silver workshop: www.restaurant.pampaloni.com   Cappuccino and budino di riso at Ditta Artigianale: www.dittaartigianale.it   Find Gelato Pasco at: ​Gelateria Pasco, Piazza di Santa Maria Novella ​ ​ACTIVITIES: 

Florence Cathedral: www.ilgrandemuseodelduomo.it   Meracato Centrale Market for the Tripe Sandwich: www.mercatocentrale.it   Uffizi Gallery featuring The Birth of Venus by  Botticelli: www.uffizi.org   Accademia Gallery, featuring Michelangelo’s David: www.accademia.org   Rafting on Arno river: www.firenzerafting.it/en   Hire yourself a classic Alfa Romeo: www.chianticlassiccar.com   Truffle Hunter Walk!: www.trufflehunter.net   Hidden Florence App for a free walking tour with fictional tour guide Giovani!: hiddenflorence.org   Find the wax anatomical collection  at La Specola, The Museum of Zoology and Natural History: www.msn.unifi.it

EpiSode One 

Comedian Rob Beckett joins Richard Ayoade in Russia's cultural capital, for a post-Soviet itinerary including an armoured tank, caviar, vodka, and a herring in a fur coat. HOTEL: 

The Official State Hermitage

www.thehermitagehotel.ru/en/ FOOD AND DRINK:  Soviet Café Kvartirka: www.reca.rest/restaurants/KvartirkaVO   The world’s only Caviar Bar in the Grand Hotel Europe: www.belmond.com/grand-hotel   Singer Café: Nevsky avenue, 28, Saint-Petersburg, Leningrad Oblast, Russia, 191186 ACTIVITIES:  New Holland Ice Skating: www.newhollandsp.ru/en   Spa: www.thehermitagehotel.ru/en   Swan Lake: nab. Lebyazhyey kanavki, Saint-Petersburg, Russia   Horse and Cart Palace Square: Many available around the city   Metro station: Admiralteyskaya Coin Toss CHIZHIK-PYZHIK: Fontanka river embankment, Saint-Petersburg, Russia, 191023 ​Hermitage Musuem: www.hermitagemuseum.org/wps Ice Sculpture Festival at Peter and Paul Fortress, St Petersburg  

EpiSode TWO 

Richard and comedian Aisling Bea make a whirlwind tour of Hungary's fairy-tale capital, with selfies, goulash, cake, pubs, liquor, and a game of chess at the thermal baths. HOTEL:

www.lavendercircus.com/ FOOD AND DRINK:  Kehli Restaurant: www.kehli.hu/   Chimney Cake: Töltött Kürtős, Erzsébet tér 13, Budapest, Hungary, 1051   Ruin Bar:  ​en.szimpla.hu/szimpla-garden   Richard and Aisling tried Hungarian sparkling wine at the Piknik Pavillion: piknikpavilon.hu ACTIVITIES:  Fungarian tour: fungarian.hu Children’s railway: www.gyermekvasut.hu   Chair lift: www.bkv.hu/en/zugliget_chairlift   Széchenyi Baths: www.szechenyibath.hu Funicular: www.bkv.hu/en/buda_castle_funicular

EpiSode Three

Richard Ayoade packs his case and heads to the Canaries to discover what lies beyond the all-inclusive resorts of the volcanic island of Tenerife.  Making the trip from LA to join him is writer, director and actor, Lena Dunham. HOTEL:

Hotel Emblemático Casa Casilda hotel-emblematico-casa-casilda.tacoronte.hotel-tenerife.net/en/ FOOD AND DRINK: Guachinche: Casa Lito – Calle Tijarafe, 35, 38390 Sta Úrsula, Santa Cruz de Tenerife, Spain ‘Barraquito’ accompanied by Morcilla Dulce (sweet black pudding) at : www.lahierbita.com ACTIVITIES: Whale watching Tour: tenerifesailingcharters.es/sailingenglish Stargazing: www.volcanoteide.com/en   Golf lesson: www.golfcostaadeje.com/en   Auditorio de Tenerife: Av de la Constitucion, 1, 38003 Santa Cruz de Tenerife, Spain   Mount Teide National Park, including the Roque Cinchado and the Las Canadas Luna Landscape ​Santa Cruz Sculpture trail: Rambla De Santa Cruz, Tenerife 

EpiSode Four

Richard and Rhod Gilbert's high-speed visit to Florida's famous hot spot takes in art, art deco, alligators, speedboats, an airboat tour of the everglades - and dominoes. HOTEL:

The Raleigh Hotel  raleighhotel.com FOOD AND DRINK: They had lunch at Joe Stone’s Crab:  www.joesstonecrab.com They stopped for a cold pressed juice at Jugo Fresh. ACTIVITIES: Speed boat tour with Captain Mike:  www.speedboattours.com Bingo with Miss Toto:  www.gramps.com   Air-boat ride in the Everglades:  coopertownairboats.com   Yoga on the beach:  3rdstreetbeachyoga.com   Wynwood Walls:  www.thewynwoodwalls.com El Cristo Cuban Restaurant, The Ball and Chain Bar and Maximo Park are all on SW 8th Street in Miami's Little Havana neighbourhood