The Swiss are rightly proud of the efficiency and speed of their SBB railway system – but journeys along the nation’s breathtaking Alpine routes are best enjoyed at a slower pace. Constructed in 1925, the Furka Steam Railway is a living relic of European train travel’s golden age. Sometimes, rushing it would be to miss the point.

The 18km mountain pass is about 2,000 metres above sea level and begins in the village of Realp in the canton of Uri. It chugs through rugged pastures and frozen mountain lakes before finishing in Oberwald in Valais. Along the way, you’ll glimpse striking views of the Rhône Glacier, the Saint-Gotthard Massif and the Urseren Valley, all from the comfort of your seat.

The mountain pass reopened in 2010 after almost three decades, thanks to the construction of a 14km tunnel through a high-altitude section of the trail that’s prone to extreme weather conditions. Painstakingly restored by the Furka Cogwheel Steam Railway Association, the picturesque route is run by an independent body called the Dampfbahn Furka-Bergstrecke and operates between June and October.

The red locomotive passes by the Grand Hotel Glacier du Rhône in Gletsch, which is expected to reopen in 2026 (as well as the 19th-century belle époque Hôtel Belvédère, perched on a hairpin bend, which closed in 2016 after almost 150 years). The hope for the region is that, after a fresh lick of paint, the former might encourage more scene seekers to venture this way. In the meantime, if you do make the trip, we recommend that you buy a First Class ticket, order a glass of wine and toast a Swiss success that proves that there’s more to railway excellence than simply reaching your destination on time.
dfb.ch; glacier-du-rhone.ch