Swiss City Breaks

The UK guide to Switzerland

Switzerland, without the guesswork

Where to stay, where to eat, and how to ride the world’s most spectacular mountain railways — researched for travellers coming from the UK.

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Mountain railways

Plan your trip

Hotels

From grand lakeside landmarks to family-run mountain guesthouses, sorted by canton, city and budget.

Dining

Fondue stubli, lakeside terraces and Michelin dining rooms — with the practical detail on booking ahead.

Rail & travel

Panoramic routes, cogwheel climbs and the passes that make them cheaper. Journey times and connections included.

Where to stay

All hotels

  • Badrutt’s Palace Hotel

    St Moritz

    Badrutt’s Palace Hotel

    Landmark five-star hotel above the lake, open since 1896.

    ★★★★★

  • Bürgenstock Hotel

    Bürgenstock

    Bürgenstock Hotel

    Cliff-top resort 500m above Lake Lucerne, reached by funicular.

    ★★★★★

  • Grand Hotel Zermatterhof

    Zermatt

    Grand Hotel Zermatterhof

    Five-star hotel in the centre of car-free Zermatt, opened in 1879.

    ★★★★★

Popular destinations

All destinations

  • Bern

    Destination

    Bern

    The UNESCO-listed federal capital on a bend in the Aare.

    540 m

  • Geneva

    Destination

    Geneva

    French-speaking lakeside city at the western tip of Lake Geneva.

    375 m

  • Grindelwald

    Bern

    Grindelwald

    Glacier village under the north face of the Eiger.

    1034 m

  • Interlaken

    Bern

    Interlaken

    Between Lakes Thun and Brienz, the base for the Jungfrau region.

    567 m

  • Lucerne

    Destination

    Lucerne

    Lakeside old town, the Chapel Bridge, and the gateway to Rigi and Pilatus.

    436 m

  • St Moritz

    Graubünden

    St Moritz

    High Engadine resort, twice host of the Winter Olympics.

    1822 m

Great train journeys

All rail routes

  • Bernina Express

    Rhaetian Railway

    Bernina Express

    Chur or St Moritz to Tirano, crossing the Alps without a rack railway.

    About 4 hours

  • Glacier Express

    MGB / RhB

    Glacier Express

    Zermatt to St Moritz in about eight hours, billed as the slowest express in the world.

    About 8 hours

  • GoldenPass Line

    MOB / BLS / ZB

    GoldenPass Line

    Lucerne to Montreux, linking central Switzerland with Lake Geneva.

    About 5 hours 15 minutes

  • Gornergrat Bahn

    Gornergrat Bahn

    Gornergrat Bahn

    Cogwheel railway from Zermatt to 3,089m, facing the Matterhorn.

    About 33 minutes

  • Jungfraujoch Railway

    Jungfraubahn

    Jungfraujoch Railway

    The Jungfrau Railway to Europe’s highest railway station at 3,454m.

    About 35 minutes

  • Pilatus Railway

    Pilatus-Bahnen

    Pilatus Railway

    The steepest cogwheel railway in the world, above Lucerne.

    About 30 minutes

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