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the station is the pier for the boats on mountain-ringed Lake Lucerne,
five of them vintage paddle steamers from the early 20th century.
Consult a timetable of the day’s boat trips and work out how far
you can go, perhaps having lunch on board, before returning to
Flüelen midafternoon. Take the train south through the famous spirals
and loops of the Gotthard Pass to Göschenen. Beside the station is
the platform for the narrow-gauge rack train that grinds its way
through the Schöllenen Gorge past the Devil’s Bridge to Andermatt.
To return, take the train through Disentis to Ilanz, where a bus from
outside the station will deliver you through the snow-
boarding paradise of Laax and then home to Flims.
FROM LENZERHEIDE
Take the High Road
This day of PostBus and train journeys takes you
over elevated passes among the mountains of
Graubünden, and allows you plenty of time to have
lunch and explore in the celebrated resort town of
St. Moritz. The mountain passage known as Julier
Pass is so altitudinous that buses can only operate
from early June to mid-October; in high season
(July and August), it’s advisable to book a seat in
advance on the website, postbus.ch.
Pick up the Julier Pass Route PostBus at the
Lenzerheide Post stop on its way to St. Moritz;
no changes are required. Besides St. Moritz’s
upmarket shops, there is the Segantini Museum,
showcasing a fine collection of pictures by this
internationally renowned landscape painter.
Make the return journey by train on one of only
three UNESCO World Heritage–site railway lines in
the world, the section of the narrow-gauge Rhaetian
Railway over the Albula Pass. The descent from the
summit tunnel down through a series of spiral tun-
nels and corkscrew viaducts is breathtaking. On
arrival at Chur, ascend the escalators to the bus sta-
tion for a bus back to Lenzerheide.
Adrenaline Rush
Here are two activities that will practically guarantee
a good night’s sleep after a day of excitement and fresh air. Take the
bus to Chur and a train toward Brig as far as Ilanz, where the river
rafts of Swissraft ) take to the waters of the Vorderrhein.
Donning a wet suit, life jacket, and helmet, you board a blue rubber
raft, wriggling one foot into a floor-mounted strap as an anchor.
You will have seen the milky cliffs and peculiar contortions of the
Ruinaulta gorge from the train on the way to Ilanz, but the views from
the water provide a different appreciation for its beauty.
The half-day paddle comes to an end at Reichenau-Tamins,
Before you travel,
tions at
The Sw
website is outstanding: log on t key in
your start and end points, and it will give you all
the bus, train, or boat times, including platform
numbers and any walking time between them —
usually just a few minutes.
Interval Gold and Interval Platinum members
can call on VIP Concierge for help with itinerary
planning, ticket purchases, and more.
IntervalWorld.com INTERVAL WORLD Summer 2016 61
TOP: Bright yellow PostBuses form an integral part of the nation’s convenient and efficient
public transportation system. BOTTOM: The historic Dampfbahn Furka-Bergstrecke (DFB)
railway operates only part of the year and follows a breathtaking (and somewhat perilous in
winter) route that is now bypassed by modern trains.