Across the Alps by train: a feast of scenery from Switzerland to Austria

After starting in London, this itinerary takes in Lake Geneva, the Austrian Tirol, and the heights of the Zugspitze in Bavaria, with stunning views all the way

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A brace of fine Swiss lakes, glorious mountain views and some of Europe’s most comfortable trains are all good reasons to head for the Alps. It’s a region where few trains require advance reservations, so you can really take advantage of the freedom to roam. Lake Geneva is a good first goal on a one-week trip. Take the 07.31 Eurostar from London St Pancras to Paris, then transfer from the Gare du Nord to the Gare de Lyon for the midday Lyria train to Lausanne. It’s a shade over seven hours from London to the shores of Lake Geneva, where a top accommodation choice is not in Lausanne itself but in the small village of Grandvaux, perfectly positioned above the Lavaux vineyards, with glorious views across the lake to the Alps beyond.

Philippe and Raymonde Delessert have brought a touch of real style to the Auberge de la Gare (doubles from £140 B&B) since they took over this fine auberge in 2008. It’s perfect for rail travellers – a stone’s throw from the station platform in Grandvaux and just 12 minutes from Lausanne on twice-hourly local trains. Relax on the terrace with a glass of the local chasselas white wine and dine on fresh perch from the lake.

Grandvaux is not a spot you’ll want to leave too quickly. Guests receive a travel card giving free transport on trains and buses for a day throughout the Unesco-listed Lavaux vineyards and the Montreux Riviera region, so make the most of that day. It’s a short hop on the train from Grandvaux to Chexbres village (22 minutes with a change at Puidoux), from where it’s a stunning two-hour walk down through gently graded vineyard tracks to Saint-Saphorin.

Make time for a light lunch at L’Auberge de L’Onde in Saint-Saphorin, before hopping on the train for the 20-minute ride to Veytaux-Chillon, by the 12th-century, lakeshore Château Chillon, made famous by Byron, whose poem The Prisoner of Chillon set the castle on the road to stardom. From the pier adjacent to the chateau, you can join the boat for the 90-minute cruise back to Lausanne.

Day three, and it’s time to take to the rails again, starting with a short ride along the lakeshore to Montreux (sit on the right for grand views of Lake Geneva). In Montreux, join the magnificent Golden Pass route which runs north-east via Gstaad and Interlaken to Lucerne. This is perhaps the finest six-hour journey in the Alps, with many rail connoisseurs rating the route as superior to even the celebrated Glacier Express. The beauty of this trip is in its tantalising mix of landscapes, ranging from neck-craning glimpses of snowy peaks to serene, green valleys and still lakes.

If you don’t mind a longer day, stop off for lunch in the stylish resort of Gstaad or for afternoon tea in Interlaken. Or even choose one of the (more expensive) departures from Montreux that has a belle époque restaurant car in tow. And for a deliciously eccentric one-hour stop, it’s hard to beat the station at Brünig-Hasliberg, which has a remarkable bric-a-brac emporium on the platform.

A good base for a two-night stay in Lucerne is the Hotel des Alpes (doubles from £171 B&B). For a perfect day out from Lucerne, take a trip on one of the historic paddle steamers that ply the lake (lakelucerne.ch). The round trip to Flüelen takes just under six hours, but it’s easy to extend the day by stopping off at the various villages around the lake. Rütli is a firm favourite for walks, views and a dose of Swiss history. It was in Rütli that the Swiss Confederation was founded.

It’s day five, and a chance for a border-hopping train trip to Mittenwald. It’s a six-hour journey with changes of train at Zurich and Innsbruck. The route takes in four countries: Switzerland, Liechtenstein, Austria and Germany, along the way traversing the famous Arlberg railway through the Austrian Tirol. The Arlberg line climbs through formidable Alpine scenery to more than 1,300 metres. The railway brought civilisation to this remote terrain. Early guidebooks recall how, before the railway, travellers perished on the Arlberg, their corpses left to rot by the side of the path with birds pecking at their eyes. Break your journey for a couple of hours at Innsbruck station (where there are good left-luggage facilities) to explore the Tirolean capital.

Picturesque Mittenwald oozes homely Bavarian charm and a thriving violin-making industry. The Hotel Rieger (doubles from £120 B&B, hotel-rieger.de) is a good place to relax for a day or two, and you may want to stretch your legs in the hills just west of the town where there are walks to suit all levels. If you want to venture higher, it’s an easy (though not cheap) excursion from Mittenwald to the Zugspitze summit – take the local train to Garmisch (25 minutes) where a rack railway climbs to the peak of Germany’s highest mountain. The Zugspitze railway defies gravity to whisk travellers through precipitous terrain, with remarkable views across a great swathe of the Bavarian Alps. From the summit, there is an equally remarkable view south across the Austrian Tirol.

From Mittenwald, it’s a longish day’s journey back to London, but it is possible to do it in as little as 12 hours, bringing to a close a seven-day journey covering seven countries with a feast of fine scenery along the way.

How to do it

Book one-way tickets from London to Lausanne from just £70 per person on Loco2. For the other rail journeys in this itinerary, your best bet is the Interrail Global Pass valid for any three days within a month. Those valuable “pass days” should be used for journeys from Grandvaux to Lucerne, Lucerne to Mittenwald and Mittenwald to London. The beauty of the Interrail Pass is absolute flexibility. After the outward journey to Lausanne, the only train that must be prebooked is the Brussels to London Eurostar, where there’s a special passholder fare of £26.50. The pass itself is £189pp, with discounts for under-28s or over-60s (and it’s free for kids under 12). Even when you’re not using your pass for rail travel, you can buy half-price Interrail fares on the boat trips on Lake Geneva and Lake Lucerne.

Nicky Gardner is the co-author of Europe by Rail: The Definitive Guide (£15.99) and co-editor of Hidden Europe magazine

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