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[title]As Switzerland's Gotthard Panorama Express charged past incredibly tall waterfalls pouring off the sides of mountains, I made my way, heart pounding, to the photo coach to get a glassless glimpse of the scenery.
As we rounded the mountains, the open windows unveiled stunning valleys that unfolded before us with charming church steeples, more waterfalls and rivers that wound their way around dense towns.
The Gotthard Panorama Express is a two-leg journey running north and south that encompasses taking a steamboat on Lake Lucerne between Lucerne and Flüelen and a panorama train between Flüelen and Ticino that passes through the historic Gotthard tunnel between Göschenen and Airolo. On the journey, travelers get to see historical sites of early Switzerland, including Rütli meadow, [William] Tell’s Chapel, the Schiller Stone, Treib and the church of Wassen (which you get to see from three different angles as the train winds its way around the mountains).
On my journey, which Swiss Federal Railways (SBB) paid for via Swiss Travel Pass, I marveled at the scenic landscapes and the fact that this incredible journey was even possible on the mountainous terrain it covered. It was a once-in-a-lifetime experience to take two corkscrew turns inside dark mountain tunnels.
The whole trip takes about five-and-a-half hours across 182 km (113 miles), but it's a journey that is both comfortable and exciting. All along the way, staff talk about the history, myths and legends around Gotthard and serve travelers warm meals, snacks and beverages.
It was by far the most spectacular leg of my journey because it allowed me to see through ceiling-high windows the country's beauty and learn about its history from the comfort of my seat. And while the Gotthard Panorama Express is a must-do for visitors and weekend or day trippers, it turns out that is it just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to the state of public transportation in Switzerland.
Across my 10 days in the country, I'd travel via boat, train, ski lift, tram, funicular and bus—all with the first-class Swiss Travel Pass. With this all-inclusive ticket—which gives you unlimited travel by train, bus and boat in more than 90 towns and cities, unlimited travel on premium panoramic trains, unlimited travel to Mount Rigi, Stanserhorn and Stoos, free admission to more than 500 museums in the country, and major discounts on other mountain excursions and SBB RailAway offers—I was able to seamlessly jump onto any mode of transportation I needed at any given time without needing to worry about buying tickets at a station or having enough to purchase a fare. I just showed my Swiss Travel Pass PDF to the ticket collector when they'd come by. The cost of a Swiss Travel Pass depends on whether you choose first or second class and how many days you want to travel with it, from three up to 15 days. At press time, the pass ranges from CHF 244 to CHF 723.
Perhaps one of the most impressive things about the system is that it is almost always on time. As a New Yorker who deals with subway train delays and slow buses daily, the punctuality of the trains and buses in Switzerland was nearly a spiritual experience. There's data to back it up—in 2023, the system reported that 92.5% of its trains were on time and that connections were punctual 98.7% of the time. Anecdotally, people say that the Swiss system is even more punctual and on-time than the German system, which is saying something. So, sorry New Yorkers, there's no blaming your tardiness on train delays in Switzerland.
I was one of about 4.73 million travelers who take the system each day and took some of the 11,338 trains on the route network daily—in a population of 8.7 million (about the size of New York City's population). In comparison, the NYC subway has a daily ridership of approximately 3.2 million and bus has a daily ridership of 1.4 million.
While in Zurich, I easily hopped on trams that whisked me across neighborhoods and ran to catch the punctual trains from Zurich HB (the main station) when I needed to go farther afield. I took a steamboat down Lake Zurich to Rapperswil for a half-day visit, where I had one of the best lunches of my entire trip (a veal in cream sauce over crispy potatoes) with a local rosé.
In Lucerne, I took a steamboat headed for the beautiful lakeside town of Vitznau, where I'd catch the Cogwheel Railway on Mt. Rigi—Europe's first mountain railway—with my Swiss Travel Pass. We climbed the steep trek up past small villages and pastures. The higher we went, the more dramatic the view became. Because of the ease of transportation, I was able to get to the very top of the mountain without breaking a sweat.
After I took the Gotthard Panorama Express to Ticino, I continued my transit journey by taking the bus easily around Ascona and had a seamless trip on the train back to Zurich for my flight home.
New York City, while a public transit mecca, could learn a lot from Switzerland. If you too fall in love with the Swiss transit system, make sure to check out the interactive Swiss Museum of Transport on your visit to Lucerne for a hands-on and immersive experience.