Swiss Rail Tours

You can easily tour Switzerland by rail on your own, anytime of the year. Your first step is to purchase one of the various Swiss transport passes, click the "railpasses" tab at the top of this page for more details.

You can check schedules at the Swiss Rail site:

http://rail.ch

Here's an article from Rick reviewing the most popular scenic routes:

http://www.ricksteves.com/plan/destinations/switz/swissrailjourn.htm

Hi Sam,

I agree with the previous post. Why wait! Look into the various rail passes and do a bit of research on where you'd like to go and what you'd like to see. The public transportation system in Switzerland is excellent.

Paul

We encountered some snow along the Glacier Express in June 2006. Also, some of the mountaintops near Lucerne accessible via mountain railway (Rigi, Pilatus) still had fresh snow then, but I think that was a bit unusual for June.

I agree with others - get a rail pass and see Switzerland on your own. It's easy to book all your accommodations in advance (if you want to) or you can book a couple of days ahead as you travel - or you can even arrive at the rail station and peruse the lodging board to see what's available.

Thanks for the tips. Please keep them coming because I need all the help I can get. Although I would love to see snow-covered mountains I am reconsidering and might go next spring. Besides, winter might be too cold for this Floridian. When is the best time to see the spring blossoms in the Alps?

Definitely forget a "Tour" because all you need is a rail pass and a few destinations in mind that you want to see. Switzerland is FULL of scenery wherever you go so you won't have a difficult time finding beautiful areas.

Are the Swiss Alps prone to Spring flooding and mudslides? If so, when is the best time to avoid Swiss rail tours?