Nights on Tracks

The most relaxed and beautiful way to travel from the Swiss financial centre to the Tyrolean mountains? Simply hop on the Railjet at Zurich main station, lean back and enjoy the picture-book landscape from the train window. In the following lines I will take you on my favourite train route, which I have had the pleasure of enjoying countless times. And it doesn’t matter what time of the year you take the journey – the views never disappoint.

Travelling the whole route in one go is a pleasure, but actually too much of a pity. In the following, I will show you my personal tips on where you will definitely not regret getting off the train.

Zurich

Zurich, as the starting point of the journey, has a lot to offer. In addition to a charming old town and the Grossmünster church, the city is characterised by its waterside location. From the shores of Lake Zurich (Zürichsee), it’s just a 20-minute walk to Zurich main station along the Bahnhofsstrasse, which is also famous beyond Switzerland’s borders and where the shop windows of numerous luxury brands display their expansive goods.

Zurich main station was honoured as the best railway station in Europe in 2022 (Engel, 2022). There you find numerous stores and supermarkets, which also invite you to shop on Sundays. The train towards Austria leaves the main station on the above-ground tracks. This Railjet Xpress, has various comfort classes:  second, first and business class. Departure is every two hours at 40 past. For the 280 kilometres on the rails, the train takes 3 hours 31 minutes. Compared to a car, a person travelling alone saves the equivalent of almost 40 litres of petrol (SBB, n.d.-2). Not to mention the nerves saved, which you usually need for the journey out of Zurich city by car. And many travellers and commuters know this, which is why Zurich main station is the hub of Switzerland, with around 3,000 trains carrying 400,000 passengers a day (B&B Hotels, n.d.).

Tip before departure: Starting from Innsbruck as well as Zurich, try to get a seat on the left-hand side in the direction of travel, to admire Walensee and Zürichsee right next to the window. As the train changes direction in Buchs SG, this way you will always have the best view.

Buchs / Walensee

One hour and eight minutes after the departure from Zurich, the train reaches Buchs SG, the border station with Austria. From there, simply change to a mostly direct regional train to Unterterzen, which is reached in half an hour. From here you can hike around the lake for several hours or take the scheduled boat. I recommend a stop in car-free Quinten with its marvellous vineyards right on the lakeshore. In addition to a visit at a restaurant with a glass of local wine in the first row of the lake, the crystal-clear water is perfect for a swim. Those who don’t have time to get off, don’t worry, because the Railjet also runs past the Walensee right by the water.

St. Anton am Arlberg

Up to St. Anton, the train gains altitude over a period of one hour and seven minutes. While Buchs is still at an altitude of 447 metres above sea level, the extremely famous village of St. Anton am Arlberg is already at 1,303 metres and therefore a paradise for winter sports enthusiasts in the cold season. The community with a population of just around 2,300 inhabitants is regarded as the cradle of alpine skiing. The world’s first ski school was founded here back in 1922 (Gemeinde St. Anton am Arlberg, n.d). However, the region also offers a variety of hiking trails and mountain bike routes in the summer months.

Innsbruck

For the onward journey to the capital of Tyrol, the train takes another hour and eight minutes until the impressive Nordkette mountain range is visible from the the train window and the train stops at the main station. I recommend a 15-minute walk to the city centre via Maria-Theresien-Straße to the Golden Roof.

The Colourful Houses along the river Inn are also a beautiful photo motif. For mountain lovers, the Nordkettenbahn offers the opportunity to travel up to 2,300 metres above sea level by cable car. Innsbruck is also known for the Bergisel Ski Jump, which is part of the Four Hills Tournament once a year.

Tip: The Zurich – Innsbruck route can also be travelled by night train and EuroCity (EC) train. The latter has a panoramic carriage in first class which allows you to marvel at the scenery through larger windows.

Tickets for this route can be booked via ÖBB and SBB. Interrail tickets are also valid here.

Sources:

B&B Hotels (n.d.). Bahnhof Zürich. Retrieved on 08.08.24 from https://www.hotel-bb.com/de/schweiz/reisetipps/bahnhof-zuerich#:~:text=Der%20Bahnhof%20Z%C3%BCrich%20(Z%C3%BCrich%20HB,am%20Bahnhof%20Z%C3%BCrich%20Halt%20machen.

Engel, A. (2022, Juni 25.). Ranking nach Passagierfreundlichkeit: Zürich HB ist bester Bahnhof Europas. Retrieved on 02.06.24 from https://www.blick.ch/auto/oeffentlicher-verkehr/ranking-nach-passagierfreundlichkeit-zuerich-hb-ist-bester-bahnhof-europas-id17602330.html

Gemeinde St. Anton am Arlberg (n.d). Chronik: Geschichte von St. Anton. Retrieved on 05.06.24 from https://www.st-anton.at/chronik/

SBB (n.d.-1). Route. Retrieved on 07.08.24 from https://www.sbb.ch/de/kaufen/pages/fahrplan/fahrplan.xhtml

SBB (n.d.-2). Umweltrechner. Retrieved on 03.06.24 from https://www.sbb.ch/de/reiseinformationen/bahnverkehrsinfo/umweltrechner.html