Experiences along the Grand Tour - Cable Car Rides

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 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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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 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.

The Monte Brè funicular takes you from Lugano to an altitude of 933 meters. From the summit you can see Lake Lugano, the Valais and Bernese Alps and the Monte Rosa massif. The railway has been running since 1908.

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 Gelmerbahn offers you twelve minutes of thrills on rails. The steepest open funicular in Europe takes you up to the turquoise blue Gelmersee. Combine your train experience with a picnic or a hike.

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 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 “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.

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.

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 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.

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.

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.

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.

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 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.

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.

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.

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 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.

Many may know this name thanks to the Gurten festival, but also on the other 361 days of the year Berne’s home mountain has plenty to offer to visitors, hikers and families from near and far.

How many destinations can boast guaranteed snow year-round? Apart from the breathtaking alpine scenery, Glacier 3000 has lots more in store: renowned architecture, Instagramable photo spots, and unique thrills…

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.

The view from Stanserhorn overlooking ten Swiss lakes and 100km of Alpine mountains is quite superb. The 30-minute Stanserhorn circular trail is the best way to enjoy these 360-degree views.

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 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.