Experiences along the Grand Tour - Cable Car Rides

1,200 meters above the southern shore of Lake Lucerne. Three cableways run from Beckenried and Emmetten to the peaks. Scenic circular trails, hiking tours and walking paths.

With breathtaking 360-degree panoramic views, the Rigi offers a first-class mountain experience whatever the season. The cog railways 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.

It's worth making the trip here just for the views of the city and Lake Lugano. Opposite stands San Salvatore, Monte San Giorgio looms above the lake and dam of Melide and the Valais Alps can be seen to the west.

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.

Thrill-seekers will certainly find what they’re looking for here in the Haslital valley, on the Bernese side of the Grimsel Pass. With a maximum gradient of 106%, this single-carriage funicular is undisputedly the steepest in Europe.

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.

Monte Lema is situated between Lake Lugano and Lake Maggiore. At 1,624 metres above sea level, the mountain towers above the Malcantone region and offers panoramic views across southern Ticino and beyond. Monte Lema is the starting point for numerous hikes and bike tours, but also offers culinary highlights and unique views of the stars.

This viewpoint was known a long time ago for ore mining, but is now famous for its far-reaching views. You could spot as many as 1,000 peaks from up here.

The glacier to the west of the Wildstrubel is flat, 200 metres thick in places, and drains mainly towards Lenk in the Bernese Oberland but also into the Rhone Valley in Valais.

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

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.

Two cable cars over the blue lakes of the Upper Engadin – different heights, different experiences: On the Corvatsch you can enjoy high-alpine views of Piz Bernina’s Biancograt ridge, while Furtschellas offers a hiking paradise with six mountain lakes.

With his keen eye for beautiful landscapes, and unique light conditions, Segantini discovered this special patch of the earth. Between the wide valley of the River Inn and the valley that leads to the Bernina Pass, this is probably the most beautiful vantage point above the lakes of Upper Engadine. Sunsets from here are a sight to behold.

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.

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.

Already the Romans trod this path from the main Valais valley to the north. The historic Gemmipass crossing unites Leukerbad with Kandersteg – without roads, instead mountain rail.

Lugano’s home mountain and pinnacle of enjoyment - that’s San Salvatore! The striking mountain south of the town boasts 360° views over the lake and environs, far south and to the high Alps in the west.The funicular railway up this landmark mountain starts in Lugano-Paradiso.

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.

An impressive view from Piz Palü across the Bellavista to Piz Bernina. Six kilometres before the Bernina Pass, the cable car climbs up on the right to this glacier viewpoint at almost 3,000 metres above sea level.

The “Funi” (funicular railway), which overhang the Old Town and the river Sarine, is a “technical engineering marvel”, listed as a cultural asset of national importance. This nostalgic railway has been running since 1899 – with no exhaust fumes.

A stately ibex, head bowed, sits atop its throne on the summit of Piz Nair, overlooking the Upper Engadin at its feet.

Vounetz lies above Charmey. The mountain destination is a real natural paradise, offering a wide range of things to do. No matter whether that’s panoramic hikes suitable for a range of abilities, adrenaline-fuelled zip line trips or indulging in gourmet delicacies in the restaurant at the summit – the panoramic views accompany you whatever you choose to do.

Geneva’s local mountain lies 900 metres above the Jet d’Eau – on French soil but very much part of Geneva’s identity. The mountain has been accessible by rail for over 120 years and offers impressive views over the canton of Geneva to the Jura, and on a clear day to Mont Blanc.

From a stroll around the old town to the hiking trail, the city of Chur, with its local mountain Brambrüesch, has nature right on its doorstep. Hiking trails, meadows filled with flowers and cycling routes can all be reached in no time at all via cable car.

The 2,970-metre Schilthorn offers 360-degree panoramic views of the Eiger, Mönch and Jungfrau (a UNESCO World Heritage Site) and more than 200 other peaks.

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.

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.

At the southern end of Lake Lugano is the 1,704 metre high Monte Generoso. This lofty altitude makes it without a doubt the best mountain for views in the canton of Ticino.

The ridge between Lake Neuchâtel and the Val de Ruz valley is Neuchâtel’s local mountain. It boasts stunning views, a hotel and a path that tells the story of the earth, and is the starting point for many hikes in the Jura.

The Monte Tamaro lies in the triangle between Lugano, Bellinzona and Locarno. It is famous for the Santa Maria degli Angeli church designed by Mario Botta and the scenic ridge walk from Monte Lema.

The Zermatt Bergbahnen AG take visitors right to Europe’s highest mountain station – at amazing 3883 metres.

The mountain ridge to the south of Gstaad is well known to hikers as the most beautiful starting point for the panoramic hike to the hugely popular Lauenensee lake. A gondola takes visitors up to Höhi Wispile.

Climb up 1,500m in altitude from Andermatt to the Gemsstock, at almost 3,000m above sea level. From this vantage point that is truly in the heart of the Swiss Alps, you have all-round views sweeping across half of Switzerland.

The cable cars in the canton of Uri achieve a combined total ascent of 23,000 metres. Many of the 36 or so small cars are open to the elements, and sometimes there is only space for four people per journey.

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.