Rail Tours in Switzerland

If you can tear yourself away from staring at Switzerland's scenery for a moment you'll realise that the cities, towns and villages we visit are almost equally stunning. Pretty Chur nestles on the bank of the Rhine and is a delight to explore thanks to its cobbled streets and medieval architecture. Zermatt offers plenty of attractions for our guests including a selection of specialist food shops and chocolatiers.

Spectacular glaciers, charming towns and magnificent Alpine views are only part of what Switzerland has to offer. Exploring by rail takes you through the different regions that make up an intriguing melting pot of German, Italian and French cultures. With so many natural, cultural and historic facets to explore, an escorted rail tour in Switzerland provides an exciting and rewarding alpine adventure for everyone.

You'll also enjoy a high standard of accommodation during your Swiss rail tour as we hand-pick our hotels to ensure the optimum combination of location, value, service, comfort and guest facilities. For the more personal service and friendly environment they offer we'll often choose quality family-run hotels which we find are more conducive to a relaxing stay.

Switzerland enjoys a temperate Atlantic climate which whilst generally mild and hospitable becomes increasingly colder the higher the altitude. Rainfall is spread fairly evenly over the year although from June to August thunderstorms may occur in Switzerland's low-lying areas. The lowlands typically enjoy warm-to-hot summers and almost Mediterranean conditions in the southernmost regions of the country. In alpine valleys the snow season lasts from November to May but at elevations greater than 2,500 feet snow cover is permanent.

Whilst Switzerland possesses an identifiable cuisine of its own this has largely been influenced by the country's many neighbours. Nevertheless, our guests are in for a gastronomic treat in Switzerland where colder conditions favour heartier dishes. Some must-try Swiss classics include fondue; Swiss cheese melted until bubbling in a pot over a gas flame, and mixed with wine and garlic. Bread is dipped into the fondue and eaten, rosti; a national dish traditionally eaten at breakfast, rosti is grated potato shaped into a shallow cake and deep-fried until the exterior is golden and crunchy, bündnerfleisch; this is a beef sausage in which the meat has been air-dried rather than cured. Freshwater Alpine fish such as trout are considered a delicacy thanks to the purity of the water in the lakes and rivers in which they are caught. Needless to say, for any guest with a sweet tooth sampling Switzerland's particularly fine chocolate is virtually obligatory.

Compared to some of their neighbours the Swiss are a formal people. When you address a question to someone it is polite to preface the question with "excuse me" or "good morning". Guests who take the train to travel through Switzerland should not worry that the Swiss are stuffy; once they have befriended you they are as sociable as anyone.