When sunshine combines with public holidays, Swiss roads grind to a crawl. May has three weekends extended by public holidays: Ascension (10 May), Pentecost (20 and 21 May) and Corpus Christi (31 May). All three are likely to bring freeway frustration. Switzerland’s Federal Roads Office (FEDRO) warns drivers to expect delays on the A2, particularly […]
Some Swiss train fares to fall in June
This week, ch-direct, an association of public transport providers that sets ticket prices, announced there would be no ticket price rises in 2019. Instead the prices of some tickets will fall slightly on 1 June 2018. The price small cuts on standard fares in June relate to the shift from 8.0% to 7.7% VAT at […]
Geneva to Zurich for half the price of a Swiss train
Switzerland’s transport authority (OFT) recently gave Domo Swiss Express SA, a Zurich-based bus company, a green light to run three routes across Switzerland. The first will run from Zurich to Lugano, via Basel and Luzern, the second from St. Gallen to Geneva airport, via Zurich and Bienne, and the third from Chur to Sion, via […]
The nations most in love with Zermatt
Brought to you by Matterhorn Chalets. Not surprisingly, Zermatt is most loved by the Swiss who flock there in large numbers in both winter (113k) and summer (116k). Who ranks next depends on the season. Zermatt is a true year-round resort. In 2016, 42% of the 487k annual visitors came from May to October, the […]
Zermatt accessible again
According to the company Mattherhorn Gotthard Bahn the first trains connecting Zermatt with Täsch started running this afternoon at 17:15 after two days of closure. Trains from Täsch to Visp are expected to open tomorrow. Until then a replacement bus service will operate. Road access to the Saas valley has also been restored. The Gornergrat […]
5 tips for winter fun in Switzerland’s capital
Longer winter nights mean bright lights and festive gatherings. Our supposedly quiet little capital city in Switzerland is no place to hibernate. Mulled Wine The heart-warming elixir for cold outdoor Holiday shopping is mulled wine, that hot mess of steaming red wine and spices. Herewith, some cauldrons around town recommended by Bern Tourism. Christmas Markets Christmas […]
Rotating carriages keep passengers upright on world’s steepest funicular
Over the weekend, Swiss president Doris Leuthard officially opened the world’s steepest funicular railway. The track, which runs from Schywz to the Alpine resort of Stoos in central Switzerland, has a gradient of 111% at its steepest point, according to the company ABB which built the motors. This is 48 degrees, 90 degrees being vertical. […]
Three of the top ten most mentioned wintery destinations on Instagram are Swiss
Three of the top ten most mentioned wintery locations on Instagram are Swiss. Focus Clinics, an eye surgery in London which counts Queen guitarist Brian May among its customers, ran a list of 70 wintery travel destinations through an Instagram search to identify the most photographed. Une publication partagée par Tom Archer 📷 (@tomarcherphoto) le 4 […]
Start-up airline hangs in the balance after losing key investor
The ski-focused airline Powdair was to fly its first passengers on 11 December 2017. That was the plan anyway. In an email earlier this week the company said: “This morning our key financial backer walked away from the powdair journey for personal reasons….We’re faced now with two options. We either postpone starting powdair this winter – […]
Where Swiss travelled in 2016 and who went the most
A recent government report shows Swiss residents spent 22.4 million nights away from home in 2016. Two thirds of these nights were spent in six countries. By far the favourite destination was Switzerland, which accounted for 33% of all overnight stays. Next were Germany (13%), Italy (12%), France (9%) and Austria (4%). A long list […]
