Switzerland Without A Car, 4th

by Anthony Lambert

• ISBN13: 9781841622811
• ISBN10: 1841622818
• Edition: 4th
• Format: Trade Paper
• Copyright: 2009-05-19
• Publisher: Bradt Travel Guides

Summary

Switzerland is one of those countries where everything works - and this extends to its transport system whose trains, buses and boats purr in seamless harmony.This fully updated guide has the latest route information -- including the recent opening of the Lotschberg base tunnel - and provides everything a traveller needs to negotiate both the famous landmarks and little-known secrets of this compact country. It describes every railway line, reveals what there is to see from each station, and details the connecting journeys by steamer, postbus, funicular, cablecar, bicycle and on foot.

Author Biography

Anthony Lambert is a journalist and author with a keen interest in rail travel; he has travelled on over 40 countries’ railway systems. He is a member of the British Guild of Travel Writers and a Fellow of the Royal Geographical Society.

Table of Contents

Introduction	p. 2
The Basics	p. 3
Vehicle Selection and Preparation	p. 4
Organised Tours	p. 5
Practicalities	p. 6
Your Vehicle	p. 7
Bureaucracy	p. 8
A-Z Country Guide	p. 9
Culture
Language
Documentation for crossing the Western Sahara
Further Information
Checklist
Index
Table of Contents provided by Publisher. All Rights Reserved.

Excerpts

Why choose public transport?

 

Three factors combine to make public transport the best way to travel round Switzerland: the country has much of Europe’s finest alpine scenery, a good part of which thankfully cannot be reached by road; it has without question the best national public transport system in the world; and the Swiss Pass that entitles visitors to unlimited travel over most of the system, and discounts on almost all the rest, is very good value. This combination is enough to persuade many tourists to rely wholly upon public transport, but there are other compelling reasons for doing so.

 

Principal amongst the positive reasons is the pleasure of travelling by train in Switzerland. For those accustomed to public transport systems starved of investment, the Swiss Travel System will be something of a revelation: its every aspect seems to be designed and operated to a standard rather than a price. Most trains are modern, clean and punctual. Larger stations offer facilities that smooth the traveller’s path, such as luggage forwarding, cycle hire, money changing and a restaurant or buffet that is often used by locals because of its quality.

 

But what probably impresses visitors most is the way that Swiss public transport is planned to offer a seamless, integrated service. Trains connect with each other, buses meet and feed trains, and both are timed to complement a boat or funicular service. At each station, timetables give clear information about all local transport, walks are signed from most stations and many offer cycling routes.

 

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Excerpted from Switzerland Without a Car by Anthony Lambert
All rights reserved by the original copyright owners. Excerpts are provided for display purposes only and may not be reproduced, reprinted or distributed without the written permission of the publisher.

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