Gotthard Panorama Express
Your personal panoramic journey by boat and train
When the journey turns into a great experience – history comes alive on the Gotthard Panorama Express: a unique combination of boat cruise and train ride on the route between Central Switzerland and the Canton of Ticino. The Gotthard Panorama Express presents Switzerland from its most diverse side: surrounded by a genuinely impressive mountain panorama, a boat cruise first takes visitors through what is deemed the truly original part of Switzerland. At Flüelen, the specially branded SBB train and a personal, multilingual travel guide are already waiting for the travellers. The journey continues through the mighty Reuss Valley in the Canton of Uri and along the wold-famous Gotthard panorama route. On the train ride through the impressive Reuss Valley of Canton Uri towards Mediterranean-style Ticino, travellers hear fascinating tales that have grown around Gotthard and receive a wealth of background information about this unique region.
We focus on the guest
On the Gotthard Panorama Express, hospitality is a top priority – personally and individually. Supplementary experiences on the train turn the panoramic journey into an unforgettable highlight
Your Gotthard Panorama Express team
Our Gotthard Panorama Express team consists of travel guides, a catering service team andthe train crew. Every day, we give our all to make our guests comfortable.
Travel guides
Our team of multilingual travel guides attends to the guests during the entire journey. We enjoy the multi-cultural exchange with passengers from all over the world. Guiding them along the fantastic route, pointing out important sights, and sharing fascinating information is our vocation as well as our passion – Your travel guide.
Catering service team
The guests sit back and enjoy our delicious specialties from Ticino and the selected “Mövenpick” wines while admiring the panoramic view. Whether they prefer a small snack in between meals or like to try a Ticino-style platter of cured meats and cheeses, we are pleased to serve them directly at the seat – Your steward
Engine driver
We take great pride in using our driving skills to “stage” the panoramic route for our passengers. Driving a locomotive requires more than just technical skill: it also takes experience and instinct. The mountain route with its steep gradients and varied climatic conditions adds to the challenge. Interestingly, slow driving requires the greatest attention of the driver. It’s at 8 km/h that a driver shows his (or her) mettle – Your engine driver
Passenger attendant
My personal highlight on the Gotthard Panorama Express is the photo coach. It’s in the centre of the train and free for all passengers to use as they wish during the journey. The windows in this coach can be opened so that they can take great souvenir photos. Through the open window, passengers can even take a close look at the Gotthard Tunnel: nothing stands between them and a ride back in time to the era when the tunnel was built, so to speak – Your passenger attendant.
Route highlights
En route from Lucerne to Lugano, the Gotthard Panorama Express includes the following highlights:
Lucerne City
The city counting around 80,000 inhabitants is the starting point of the Gotthard Panorama Express. This popular touristic city, nestled in an impressive mountain panorama, thrives on the contrast between history and modern age. In particular, the Chapel Bridge, built in 1356, and the grand hotel buildings from the 19th century characterise the cityscape of Lucerne.
Rigi
With the new start and end point of the panoramic train at Arth-Goldau, travellers meet a wealth of new options. For example, the journey from Lugano on the Gotthard Panorama Express to Arth-Goldau can be combined seamlessly with a ride on the cog railway up to Rigi – “Queen of the mountains”.
Rütli
The Rütli Meadow is the historic landmark where representatives of Switzerland’s three founding cantons met in 1291 to swear an oath of eternal alliance – “never to part in danger nor distress”. This scenic site overlooking Lake Lucerne is closed to traffic. But it is accessible by boat; or on foot along the “Swiss Path” (approximately one hour from Seelisberg or Treib).
Tell’s Chapel/Tell’s Slab
Tell’s Chapel was built on Tell’s Slab directly on the shoreline of Lake Uri in 1879/80. According to popular legend, it marks the spot where more than 700 years ago the condemned Wilhelm Tell leapt from a boat during a fierce storm to escape from his Habsburg captors. The chapel is decorated
with beautiful frescoes depicting scenes from the heroic deeds of Tell.
Flüelen
Flüelen is the interchange point of the Gotthard Panorama Express – from boat to panorama train. As early as 1837, the first steam vessels, loaded with all sorts of merchandise, navigated across the lake to Flüelen. Up until the opening of the railway station, those goods were reloaded to oxcarts, wagons, mules and horses. Today, it is mainly Schloss Rudenz (Rudenz Castle) from the 13th century and the “Old Church” built in 1664 that shape the townscape
Wassen Church
The train line which passes Wassen is unique in that – in order to gain height within a very restricted space – it has to make the climb in a tight double loop. Passengers are able to admire the village’s beautiful Baroque church no fewer than three times and from different angles – from below, close-up and from above.
Gotthard Tunnel
The existing 15-kilometre long Gotthard Train Tunnel between Göschenen and Airolo took 10 years to build (1872 to 1882) and was internationally acclaimed as a pioneering achievement for its time. The tunnel breakthrough took place on Sunday, 29 February 1880. Nearly 200 workers lost their lives during the tunnel construction.
Loop tunnels
The narrow valley of Airolo leads to the wider plain of Ambri-Piotta. It’s at Rodi-Fiesso that the most impressive section of the Gotthard southern ramp begins, with its two terrain levels (Piottina and Biaschina) totalling four loop tunnels. These facilitate the 650-metre descent in altitude difference between Rodi-Fiesso (942 metres) and Biasca (293 metres) – within half an hour.
Giornico
In the lower Leventina, the climatic conditions strongly favour viticulture. This is certainly true for Giornico, where three churches well worth seeing are embedded between lovely vineyards. The Church San Nicolao, build around the year 1125, is considered the most important Romanesque church building in Ticino.
Bellinzona Castles
After the Riviera Valley, the three imposing castles of Bellinzona come into view – the Castelgrande,
Montebello and Sasso Corbaro. The castles were built in the 15th century by the Dukes of Milan
and together comprise a unique UNESCO World Heritage site.
Lugano
The ride on the Gotthard Panorama Express reaches its destination in Lugano, city of Mediterranean flair. As the economic and touristic centre of Ticino, it impresses visitors with many beautiful buildings, grand palaces and well-tended park areas. From the station, not only the old town and the lake but also the panorama hills Monte San Salvatore and Monte Bré are easily accessible – by public transport or on foot.
Facts and Figures
■ Luzern–Lake Lucerne–Flüelen–Gotthard–Lugano (boat & train)
■ Arth Goldau–Flüelen–Gotthard–Lugano (train only)
All routes can also be reversed
■ Steamboat or motor vessel cruise across Lake Lucerne from Lucerne to Flüelen and vice versa
■ Direct, same-level transfer from boat to panoramic train at Flüelen
■ Ride on the 1st class panoramic train along the historic Gotthard Line. The train offers a photo
coach where windows can be opened (ideal for taking pictures)
■ Multilingual travel guidance on the panoramic train
■ On the section between Flüelen and Bellinzona, the journey is enriched by various stagings
and experiences regarding origin and development of the Gotthard railway
■ Can be combined with a mountain experience on Mount Rigi
■ Lunch can be taken in the boat restaurant
■ Table reservation recommended for individual travellers, +41 (0)41 367 67 67,
info@lakelucerne.ch (no later than 15.00 h on the day prior to travel date);
for groups, reservation as well as advance order of a single menu choice for all persons is
required, +41 (0)41 367 66 16, gruppen@lakelucerne.ch (no later than 10 days prior to travel date)
■ A selection of snacks and drinks are served directly at the seat on the train
Chur/St. Moritz–Tirano–Lugano
| Train | 9751) | 9751) | |
| Chur | dp | 08.32 | |
| St. Moritz | dp | 16.14 | |
| Tirano | arr | 12.49 | 18.39 |
| Bus 59512) | |||
| Tirano | dp | 14.20 | |
| Lugano | arr | 17.30 |
Lugano–Tirano–St. Moritz/Chur
| Bus 59502) | |||
| Lugano | dp | 10.00 | |
| Tirano | arr | 13.00 | |
| Train | 9721) | 952 | |
| Tirano | dp | 10.06 | 14.24 |
| St. Moritz | dp | 12.35 | |
| Chur | arr | 18.20 |
Chur/St. Moritz–Tirano–Lugano
| Train | 971 | 951 | 973 | 955 | 975 | |
| Chur | dp | 08.32 | 13.33 | |||
| St. Moritz | dp | 09.17 | 13.17 | 16.14 | ||
| Tirano | arr | 11.32 | 12.49 | 15.31 | 17.59 | 18.39 |
| Bus 59512) | ||||||
| Tirano | dp | 14.20 | ||||
| Lugano | arr | 17.30 |
Lugano–Tirano–St. Moritz/Chur
| Bus 59502) | ||||||
| Lugano | dp | 10.00 | ||||
| Tirano | arr | 13.00 | ||||
| Train | 950 | 972 | 974 | 952 | 976 | |
| Tirano | dp | 08.06 | 10.06 | 13.17 | 14.24 | 16.06 |
| St.Moritz | arr | 12.35 | 15.45 | 18.25 | ||
| Chur | arr | 12.39 | 18.20 |
■ Luzern – Lake Lucerne – Flüelen: 2 h 45 min/38 km/23 mi (steamboat or motor vessel)
■ Flüelen –Gotthard Line – Lugano: 2 h 30 min/144 km/90 mi (1st class panoramic train)
■ Arth-Goldau – Flüelen – Gotthard Line – Lugano: 2 h 55 min/167 km/104 mi
■ Overall time: 5 h 30 min/182 km/113 mi (including transfer time between boat and train)
■ Boat cruise Luzern – Flüelen:
Luzern–Verkehrshaus-Lido–Hertenstein–Weggis–Vitznau–Beckenried–Gersau–Treib–
Brunnen–Rütli –Sisikon–Tellsplatte–Flüelen
■ Train ride Flüelen – Lugano:
Arth-Goldau–Flüelen–Göschenen–Airolo–Bellinzona–Lugano
Reservation surcharge required for all passengers
■ Surcharge on the panoramic train between Arth-Goldau/Flüelen and Bellinzona/Lugano
in addition to valid ticket
■ Surcharge is paid by means of seat reservation
■ Surcharge per person: CHF 16
■ No seat reservation available on the boat; free seating
■ For the panoramic train on the stretch Arth-Goldau/Flüelen –Bellinzona/Lugano travellers
in 2nd class need a class change
The ticket must be issued as Luzern -> via boat -> Flüelen -> Lugano
| Ticket | Price Luzern–Lugano or vice versa | Price Arth-Goldau– Lugano | Price Luzern–Rigi–Lugano or vice versa |
| Swiss Travel Pass (Flex) 1st class Swiss Travel Pass (Flex) 2nd class | included CHF 29.50 (class change) | included CHF 20 (class change) | included CHF 27 (class change) |
| Swiss Half Fare Card | CHF 76.50 | CHF 46.50 | CHF 103.50 |
| Swiss Half Fare Card | free of charge | free of charge | free of charge |
| Without reduction | CHF 153 | CHF 93 | CHF 207 |
The Gotthard Panorama Express operates seasonally only. As an alternative, the Treno
Gottardo runs hourly during 365 days a year in alternation from Basel and Zurich via the
Gotthard panoramic route to Locarno. More information:
All prices are subject to change.
■ At worldwide Swiss Travel System points-of-sale
mystsnet.com/wheretobuy
■ At every Swiss railway station
■ Online at: sbb.ch/gotthard-panorama-express