Group Excursions: Cable Car Rides

The cable cars once used by mountain farmers are known in Swiss dialect as Buiräbähnli. They are now are the highlight of a multi-day hike through the mountains of the Engelberg region – the Buiräbähnli Safari.

Since 1885, this funicular has been the fastest route from Bern railway station to the Aare and the Marzili-Bad lido. It now carries a million passengers per year, departing every few minutes on its one-minute journey.

The Rigi is the most visited mountain of Swiss people. With breathtaking 360-degree panoramic views, the Rigi offers a first-class mountain experience whatever the season. The cogwheel train from Goldau and Vitznau, as well as the cable car from Weggis, enable a variety of round trips, which can also be combined with a boat trip on Lake Lucerne.

It’s not hard to pinpoint the distinctive head of rock at the entrance to the Bernese Oberland – but the fact that you can stand pretty much on top to enjoy views direction Thun, Aare Valley and Bern as far as Jura is known to few.

The Beckenried–Klewenalp cable car takes you comfortably to 1,600 metres above Lake Lucerne. A wide range of possibilities await you on Klewenalp – from varied hiking trails to excursion destinations such as Stockhütte or Niederbauen.

At the very heart of Switzerland, a world record-holding technical innovation awaits: the steepest funicular railway in the world leads from Schwyz up to the car-free mountain village of Stoos. The journey there is an experience in itself, with passengers being taken up to a natural paradise 1,300 metres up.

The Kandersteg – Oeschinensee gondola lift takes you up to the Jungfrau-Aletsch UNESCO World Heritage Site. Up here at 1578 meters, the turquoise Oeschinensee is waiting for you. It is surrounded by steeply rising rock faces.

The journey to the Titlis is truly an adventure in itself. First take the Titlis Xpress gondola to the middle station, then continue your journey in the TITLIS Rotair, the world’s first revolving cable car, all the way to the top.

Despite undergoing a number of technical updates, the funicular railway still radiates the same nostalgic charm and romance it did way back in 1879.

One of the world’s steepest funicular railways departs from Leventina for the Ritomsee lake. Built by Swiss Federal Railways in 1917 to aid with the construction of the reservoir and power station, the little red train has been carrying 100 people per hour to the recreation area around the mountain lakes in the Val Piora since 1921.

Some people say that the Matterhorn is best viewed from the Rothorn, since it showcases its pyramid shape perfectly. And who are we to argue? The mountains to the east of Zermatt are great viewpoints.

The panoramic view stretches across large parts of the Valais Haute Route: to the west, the Dents du Midi and Mont Blanc; to the south, the Grand Combin with the Val de Bagnes and Mauvoisin reservoir; to the east, the Weisshorn, Dent Blanche and Matterhorn; and northwards across the Rhone Valley to the Vaud and the Bernese Alps.

With the Salève cable car, you float from the outskirts of Geneva to an altitude of 1100 meters in 5 minutes. At the top, a 360-degree view of Lake Geneva, Mont Blanc and the Jura Mountains awaits you.

The Diavolezza cable car in the Engadine takes you up to an altitude of 2,978 metres in just a few minutes. You have a view of the Piz Bernina, the only four-thousand-metre peak in the Eastern Alps, as well as the Piz Palü and the Pers and Morteratsch glaciers.

The Corviglia funicular and the Piz Nair cable car take you up to over 3000 metres in a short time. At the top of the Piz Nair, a panorama over the Engadine lake landscape and the peaks of the Albula Alps awaits you.

The Zermatt Bergbahnen AG take visitors right to Europe’s highest mountain station – at amazing 3,883 metres.

Author Sir Arthur Conan Doyle chose the 120-metre-high waterfall as the location where his hero Sherlock Holmes staged his own death in his battle against Professor Moriarty.

You can take the cable car from Wengen to the 2343-meter-high Männlichen in just a few minutes. Once at the top, a unique view of the Eiger, Mönch and Jungfrau awaits you. A short marked hiking trail leads to the summit.

The ski safari in Zermatt includes much more than just skiing. Those who take on the challenge cover more than 10,000 metres of altitude in one day. An impressive performance!

Two gondola railways make their way up from Bad Ragaz or Wangs to the edge of the forest, from where you enjoy far-reaching views over the Rhine Valley to Lake Constance – and chairlifts carrying you to the Pizol ridge if you wish to venture further afield.

The Aletsch Arena offers an impressive mountain backdrop in the heart of UNESCO World Heritage site Swiss Alps Jungfrau-Aletsch, with a view of the longest glacier in the Alps, the Great Aletsch Glacier.

The nostalgic red cable car carries passengers from the sunny mountain village of Isenfluh above Lauterbrunnen up to the hamlet of Sulwald. The cabin has enough room for eight people or one cow.

Easily accessible by public transport from Lucerne, Mount Pilatus is the ideal adventure mountain for the entire family.

Enjoying the wind in one’s face and the perfect view: first on the open funicular – rumbling and bumping just as it did 120 years ago – and then on the rooftop deck of the futuristic CabriO aerial cableway.

The Adliswil cable car takes you up to 800 metres to Felsenegg in 5 minutes. Hiking trails and a magnificent panorama over Lake Zurich, the city and the Alps await you here.

Enjoy local products with a wonderful panorama.

The First is an ideal starting point for action-packed hikes, the new “First Cliff Walk by Tissot” being a prime example.

In just ten minutes, the panorama funicular takes guests from Interlaken up to its local mountain Harder Kulm.

The journey from Engelberg to Ristis serves as the starting point of the Walenpfad, a popular high-altitude hike from Ristis to Bannalp. The cable car ride up to Ristis, featuring breathtaking mountain panoramas, is worth the trip itself.

It’s no wonder that the Moléson has a special place in the hearts of Fribourg’s citizens: the journey up to the panoramic peak is an adventure in itself. Once you reach the summit, you are greeted by wonderful 360° panoramic views of the Gruyère Pre-Alps and the Bernese and Valais Alps.

Unlimited fun and adventure for active types, explorers, children and families. Numerous hiking and biking routes follow the barely visible border between Switzerland and Austria.

An emblem of Zurich, the nostalgic Polybahn links the old town with one of the most beautiful viewing terraces high above the city.

VerticAlp Emosson, these are 3 historic mountain railways that take you to the second largest reservoir in Switzerland. Around the lake, hiking trails await you with views of Mont Blanc and 250-million-year-old dinosaur tracks.

Even on the way up from Malans in the little yellow gondola cabins, you can enjoy the view as far as Chur and Graubünden's Rhine Valley. More views await you 1,200 metres further up in the cosy mountain restaurant. Like the restaurant, the railway is operated by enthusiastic locals.

The journey in the big Säntis cable car from Schwägalp across the rocky ridges to the mountain station is an impressive experience in itself. And once you reach the “weather mountain”, the view of six different countries will take your breath away.