Spend two hours getting acquainted with some of the Swiss
landscape's most magnificent features on the Lucerne-Interlaken
Express. This 60-mile rail line extends through a picturesque
region of the Swiss Alps bookended by lakeside Lucerne at one end
and Interlaken in the Bernese Oberland on the other. Along the way,
passengers are left in awe as the train meanders through enchanting
mountainside villages and passes by no less than five pristine
lakes, all filled with sparkling blue-green water.
As the train leaves the station in Lucerne, the track immediately
skirts the foot of Mount Pilatus and follows a course along Lake
Lucerne's shores. Attractive villages punctuate the lakeside and
lead through the hills toward two more lakes: Sarnersee and the
Lungernsee. The Lucerne-Interlaken Express continues past rushing
streams and breathtaking waterfalls in pursuit of the highest reach
on the line, the Brünig Pass, at over 3,300 feet. The train uses
cogwheel technology to make the steep descent to Meiringen in the
Aare Valley. Meiringen is simply charming, with its surrounding
meadows and lovely old buildings. The village is known as the
birthplace of meringue and where beloved fictional character
Sherlock Holmes died.
Pressing forth, visions of traditional wooden chalets and
expansive alpine meadows overtake the landscape as the train
changes directions and proceeds through the Hasli Valley. Rich
green forests and snow-capped mountain peaks join the vistas and
compose an idyllic scene of Switzerland. Rich cerulean waters break
on the horizon, and Lake Brienz comes into view. The
Lucerne-Interlaken Express passes through the town of Brienz not
long before arriving in Interlaken.
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