Hi all, as pointed out by numerous respondents this rail journey is not typical of the SBB service between Milan and Zürich. The Gotthard tunnel wasn't serviceable during that time which enabled my train to view the beautiful Alps and snowy scenery. So take note of this before anyone goes booking a similar journey in anticipation of what I saw up in the Alps. Cheers... 😊
You‘d still be able to take the scenic route, you‘d just have to change at Bellinzona. But the tunnel shaves a clean hour off the journey, so most people take that option
Wow! You've really gone into detail after researching your subject, in this case, the train. Thank you for sharing. I agree, the train experience in Switzerland is something out of this world.
Hahahaha thanks. Interesting tit bit... I went to engineering school in Singapore funded by Germany, so we were obligated to learn German. We also had to option to pick other languages, and I chose French on top on German. It's been so many decades since I've spoken so have lost the ability to converse. But I still can read it.
We did this journey in reverse (Zurich to Como ) 3 weeks ago. Over the mountain pass we enjoyed an amazing snow blizzard a total `White Out` and as you say, the train slowed right down. We will keep that video footage for ever. Already planning to go again. Great video 😊
This trip was done during a "heat wave" in Switzerland so temperatures were way above average. Can you imagine Zürich was 12 degrees in the day time in January. 🤷
Switzerland is on the bucketlist one day. Currently holidaying around Prague, Warsaw, Krakow, Vienna, Halstatt, Salzburg and then Munich. Travelling mostly by train.
@@ryansofly That's great. Kings Cross and StPancras are adjacent and each has its fans. LNER departs Kings Cross. Keep an eye open in case of industrial action by ASLEF (train drivers' union) but under UK labour law unions must give 14 days notice. No industrial action announced at time of writing.
A tip for those with a Eurail/Interrail pass: you can avoid the reservation fee by taking a much earlier regional train from Milan to Lugano then connecting to this high speed train to Zurich. Also note, you may occasionally see FS Trenitalia train sets used for these journeys, and you can board them for domestic Swiss journeys just like you would for other SBB/CFF/FFS trains.
Isn't it ironic for a country like Switzerland, so tranquil, so organised and having their shit together... But they cannot prevent the death of their lakes.
@@ryansoflyThat's fake news. The Lago di Lugano is perfectly suitable to swimm in on the Swiss side, because almost all of the pollution comes from the Italian side and the water in the lake flows from Switzerland to Italy. Switzerland pays the Italian communities to adress the issue, but due to corruption and general disorganisation to no avail thus far. Maybe the Swiss govt. should take care of it instead, like they ended up paying and building crucial railway infrastructure for 150M in Italy for Italy, because the italians were too paralysed to do it themselfes. As for the state of Swiss lakes and rivers in general, they are in a much better shape today than they were in the 1980's. They are far from dying. There are problems none the less, many of which are very difficult to address, such as the steep and ongoing rise in water temperature and other climat change related issues and overfertilisation.
@@ryansofly No, you can swim at the Swiss side and the eastern Italian end. Swimming at the southwestern knee near the Italian community Porto Ceresio is not recommended, due to untreated sewage entering the lake via the river there. However, in recent year a type of poisonous algee grew uncontrolled in several places throughout the lake because of the weather. This meant, swimming wasn't recommended at certain places and times of the year.
When you do this train raid for the next time you probably won't see this scenery. Because of a accident in the base tunnel, the trains are routed through the old mountain tracks. It is very beautiful, but takes a 1h more. So next time you will have instead of 1:20 hours mountains 20 min of black walls.
So you are lucky, because normally this train uses the 57km long Gotthard base tunnel and then you see only black instead of the beautyfull scenery but it‘s one hour faster. This was only because of the derailment of a cargo train in this tunnel, so many trains are rerouted via the old mountain line.
Yes I'm only just beginning realize that from the responses to this video! So what happens normally AFTER we exit the tunnel? We miss the Alps altogether?
5:50 German, French, and Italian maintain equal status as official languages at the national level within the Federal Administration of the Swiss Confederation, while Romansh is used in dealings with people who speak it.
Romansh is really pretty much a dying language, spoken by probably a few ten thousand people. What's worse, it's splintered further in local dialects, some of which don't even understand each other.
In at least the Swiss side (not travelled as far as into Italy) but there was full speed mobile network the entire way along which means you can have a phone call the entire way from Zurich to Bellinzona (if not further) without any worry of drop outs or speed issues :D
Suppose with eSIM these days, mobile coverage isn't so much of an issue. I did this trip with a non eSIM equipped mobile phone so I was relying on WiFi mostly.
@@ryansoflyin my Experience, the issue is actually Cell coverage as the train wifi also uses cell service. Dunno about the Italian part, but within CH, I basically never have wifi issues on these trains as they get a good signal all the way, but soon as you cross into Germany, all bets are off as their Cell coverage is abysmal, train Wifi can’t help you there
@@genoobtlp4424 I suppose I gave up on the WiFi after a while. By the time we crossed into Switzerland, I did not even bother with it anymore simply because the scenery was so stunning.
Another thing that I find noticeable: Germany and Switzerland are both stereotyped for being punctual to a fault yet on the former, you won't get that sense by looking at their train system given frequent delays there. Although a couple of months ago, I saw a train from Zurich heading into Milan a bit delayed.
@@ryansoflyyeah, you’ll have to return in a year or so as the wreck last year destroyed 8km of concreted in tracks and the first switchover from the south, basically needing stripping down to the tunnel wall and rebuilding to sub-mm accuracy at tropical temperatures… thus, freight traffic gets priority through the remaining tunnel as they’re usually unable to reroute over the old line
Wasn't the routing through the old gotthard route due to the cargo derailment in the base tunnel which lead to it's closure? As far as I know only the golden pass express normally takes the old route.
You mean the Gotthard Panorama Express, the Golden Pass Express runs between Interlaken and Montreux. But there is also a hourly InterRegio service on the old mountain line.
@@rogerschuerch7768 *facepalms* Yes indeed, I guess it's because the "Treno Gottardo" is painted in bronze-gold, while the actual golden pass express has a black/blue livery.
Hi. Just wondering, do you use credit cards at all to accumulate and collect airline points for travel? If you can share what credit card/rewards card you use to collect airline frequent flyer points? I am thinking of getting a credit card ( AMEX or hsbc) where I can accumulate airline points and use them. Any recommendations on what credit card/rewards card is the best to use? I am based in Australia by the way.😊😊
You'd be surprised.... I've been credit card free for over 12 years. My non-flying points are accumulated through the QF Cash Card, Woolies rewards, BP AM/PM servos, and the QF Wellness app. Flying points are mostly through Jetstar Max Bundle fares which gives me maximum QF points and SCs. I've so far resisted the temptation of credit card sign up bonuses. 😏
@ryansofly1624 thanks for your reply and for providing your suggestions. I might need to decide carefully whether to buy a credit card or not. I did my research online and I saw a few credit providers that do offer free sign up bonuses for the initial year . However, i need to pay after the initial year has passed. I might look into that woolies rewards and also the jetstar one that you mentioned. Besides points, I am keen to get access to airport lounges too.
These days everything is emailed to you with a QR code. So no need to print anything out. This single ticket was booked through a 3rd party website Venice -Milan-Zurich. With the first sector done by Trenitalia, 2nd sector by SBB.
@@claireness999 well, this route NORMALLY goes via the Gotthard tunnel at the base of the Alps so you miss the beautiful views in my video. Hopefully by the time of your trip, the tunnel is still shut.
@@ryansofly Its hard to know what to do as i am going from the Uk and into France first and not sure how to go around for 2 weeks if that makes sense. I would love to see Italy as that has been a dream since I was 5 years old. I am on a time limit worst luck as i go back to Canada and Usa to catch a boat back to Aussie. 12 flights and 1 cruise but i have to do it that way. Also i love your videos with you and your hubby.
@@mareelewis7639 well France is connected by train to Switzerland, which is in turn connected to Italy. I mostly prefer trains because it's city center to city center, which is so convenient.
The best italian lines are the "Freccia" lines... "FrecciaBianca", "FrecciaRossa" etc. If possible, and you can afford it, take them. But punctuality can always be a bit of an issue in Italy (sometimes also a bit more). Then again, it's a LOT better today than it was 30 years ago. I've been to Italy many times over the last few years, and apart from one horrible 1.5h delay (probably due to a technical problem), all trains were usually pretty much on time.
The SBB only goes to Chur what is official German speaking. From there the RhB (a other train company that runs 1m gauge trains) goes to the actual Rumantsch regions. So no SBB trains goes to Rumantsch speaking town. The actual reason is, Rumatsch was not a official language when SBB was found and the Rumatsch speaker are a very small minority.
Hello Ryan, must be one of your best rail vlogs to date. Yes SBB is a no nonsense operation ... one need only check the simplicity and speed of its website to see what I mean. Your train must have taken the classic route via Gotthard. I say that because if you had taken the modern Gotthard base Tunnel it would have been faster. Routing via the classic Gotthard Tunnel and Pass is far more scenic and the rail line ascends in a spiral so, if you know where to look, it's possible to see the same line you has used a few mins ago ! Two other TransAlpine routes to sample (each taking a different routing) would be Milan-Geneva and Paris-Turin-Milan. Note that the latter through route is currently shut because of a landslide (replacement buses are in operation) but when reopened the line is served by Trenitalia in addition to SNCF.
This was the MOST anticipated part of my trip because I knew it was trans Alpine. I was so excited on that day I swear I almost fainted. Hahaha... Still, glad I did it and I hope for more in the future.
The reason he took the classic route and not the Gothard base tunnel is because a freight train derailed there a couple months ago. The repairs are still ungoing. The reason was that something was wrong with one of the carriges on the freight train. I think right now only partial service of that route is possible and sometimes its completely shut off
@@eliteiel9747 Indeed. I didn't want to write a lengthy explanation. Likewise the main route Paris-Turin has been blocked by a landslide since last year. It is not expected to reopen until Autumn 2024. Thanks for explaining the Gotthard situation.
The romanic (Rumantsch) abreviation of the name of the Swiss Federal Railways is not added after the three abreviation in German, French and Italian (SBB CFF FFS) because the area of Switzerland where people speak the fourth language (Rumantsch) has its own railway system. Narrow gauge 1 meter tracks. Very scenic routes, also cross-border from Switzerland to Italy. There the names and also the PA announcements are in that language.
Hello Ryan A really nice footage - congrats ! Sorry about your experience with swiss "cleanliness"(food, lakes, seat recline, self service ;) . Keeping in mind you origning from Singapore I just have to mention this one : The city of Lausanne - along with a few others - introduced some rather rigid Singapore-like behavour rules . Nowadays it's prohibited and sanctioned by steep fines to spit/tinkle even darkest corner of a park - considering this beeing also a public space ... I mean - hardly nobody ever was spitting onto to middle of a pedestrian walk or peeing on walls instead of trunks in (dark) hidden corners/parks ... Sorry for not executing an appropriate stop-over on my flight MEL-SIN-LHR-GVA in April'00. There was this nasty foot-and-mouth desease around at that time and after half a year I really missed the animals on my uncles farm back home, so I just didn't bother . Btw: I have pleasant memories too about Adelaide with its fancy O-Bahn Busway and the tasty nearby vineyards )
Isn't it ironic? I grew up in Singapore throughout the 70s and 80s and the government aspired to propel the island towards the "Swiss standard of living" by year 2000. After visiting Switzerland, I can understand why. It's so clean, organised and efficient! And yes, it's fascinating how some parts of Schweiz is now adopting Singapore like rules to maintain social order. Who knew?! Haha...
@@ryansofly Wow - that's intesting - didn't knew that yet ) Singapore - beeing this rather small country in faraway Asia with much less tourists in Switzerland as for example Japan for decades ... they used to praise in German "saubel aber teuel" ))) (caused by the "intolerance" for "r" or also lactose(fondue, raclette etc) Nowadays it's our railway managers getting inspired by Japenese transport efficiency ... I guess, that's what can be called a nice global intercultural ping-pong ...
@@The0070049 I suppose "saubel aber teuel" can be used for Singapore as well. Clean efficient organized but everything is so sterile and lacks a deeper spirit.
@@ryansofly Indeed ... I had a very genuine overnight Greyhound bus trip from Port Augusta to Coober Pedy in the middle of a well pikled bunch of Aboriginals - whew ...
@@ryansofly I never heard about it, this apple sauce or appelmoes is also very famous in The Netherlands and they eat it as a side dish. It taste really good when you eat it with certain veggies and potatoes or with chicken. Kids love it.
@@ryansofly swiss here, it actually is meant to be eaten togehter! "Gehacktes und Hörnli" is basically a national dish here in Switzerland. As you said it's nothing special in terms of taste but it's a staple food in every household. it's minced meat, with salt, pepper, paprika powder, onions, garlic and flour to thicken the sauce. Then you can add some vegetables if you want. Switzerland compared to other european nations was the most part of its history very poor and never developed a sophisticated cuisine like in France which has it's origin in the cycles of nobility. And we never had the mediterian climate to grow a variety of ingrediants like in italy. so we sticked with melting cheese and chopping onions 😂.
@@ryansofly I tend to agree as a Swiss also, Ghackets mit Hörnli is the staple food served to kids in ski camps: Cheap, nourishing and bland (so no one will really love it, but not really refuse it either). Glad you got to taste some better Swiss food also. The cheese served along with it is not Parmigiano though, it's Sbrinz, a hard cheese that predates Parmigiano and is also a bit less salty and tasty, but originally Swiss.
Switzerland’s similarity with Singapore is reflected in many ways. Languages is one of them. Leaving Romansch out in Switzerland reminds us of how Tamil appears left out in Singapore.
On the contrary, because Tamil is an official language in Singapore... Its found in written form in many parts of Singapore. It's even on the SGD note, and tourists from Tamil Nadu in Southern India have been known to frame up the SGD money because there isn't any Tamil found on Indian Rupees notes. There are also Tamil radio stations, and the local TV station Vasantham Central is Tamil.
“Switzerland”s Best” is misleading imo… The “best” is the whole public transport system - from 🚠 to 🚌 or 🚢 including 🚂 and 🚋 all included. Swimming in the upper basin of the Lago di Lugano is possible- when you get closer to the Italian border it is critical… The Zugersee has a flow-out ! And the mediocre water quality is due to intense farming- but on a good way…
In fact, Switzerland has only 3 official languages: German, French & Italian. That's why the SBB logo is only in 3 languages. Same for most public services in Switzerland, and for most of the federal administration. Romansh is "only" a national language, meaning it is recognized as a language spoken, but it's not an "official" language (in which everything must be translated at the federal level), and therefore is absent from the SBB logo.
Also SBB doesn‘t operating in any rumantsch speaking region. This regions are served by the Rhaetian Railway, famous for the Bernina Express and part of the Glacier Express.
Hi all, as pointed out by numerous respondents this rail journey is not typical of the SBB service between Milan and Zürich. The Gotthard tunnel wasn't serviceable during that time which enabled my train to view the beautiful Alps and snowy scenery. So take note of this before anyone goes booking a similar journey in anticipation of what I saw up in the Alps. Cheers... 😊
You‘d still be able to take the scenic route, you‘d just have to change at Bellinzona. But the tunnel shaves a clean hour off the journey, so most people take that option
The scenery is absolutely gorgeous
I got lucky because the Gotthard tunnel was shut. That's why we went up the Alps. Otherwise it would by 57km of darkness bypassing the snow.
Wow! You've really gone into detail after researching your subject, in this case, the train. Thank you for sharing. I agree, the train experience in Switzerland is something out of this world.
Indeed .... It is such a beautiful country!
beautiful way to travel amazing scenic countries Ryan, much love .
Indeed, Switzerland and Northern Italy are very beautiful. My neck was so sore craning and craning to look out of the window. Hahaha....
The scenery was stunning. 😊 You are great at pronunciation.
Hahahaha thanks. Interesting tit bit... I went to engineering school in Singapore funded by Germany, so we were obligated to learn German. We also had to option to pick other languages, and I chose French on top on German. It's been so many decades since I've spoken so have lost the ability to converse. But I still can read it.
We did this journey in reverse (Zurich to Como ) 3 weeks ago. Over the mountain pass we enjoyed an amazing snow blizzard a total `White Out` and as you say, the train slowed right down. We will keep that video footage for ever. Already planning to go again. Great video 😊
This trip was done during a "heat wave" in Switzerland so temperatures were way above average. Can you imagine Zürich was 12 degrees in the day time in January. 🤷
Switzerland is on the bucketlist one day. Currently holidaying around Prague, Warsaw, Krakow, Vienna, Halstatt, Salzburg and then Munich. Travelling mostly by train.
Wow that's awesome mate... Those are very beautiful cities. Enjoy!
This was so informative! Thank you so much!
Glad it was helpful! Thanks for watching!
I love the Swiss 'way' - the best at so much, yet unlike many other nations the Swiss don't need to boast about it!
Damn right! They just stand back and let the results speak for themselves. No need to have a parade of song and dance. 🤣
They left Romansch out because the area they speak it is served only by narrow gauge trains of Rhätische Bahn
Ah that makes sense! Thanks... 🤠
Thanks Ryan, Milan Station looks the real deal. I loved Victoria in London & once strolled around Grand Central in NYC, a great review
Some of these train stations are destinations in their own right. I absolutely love these grand old stations, so much history.
Europe has numerous great stations/termini. We Londoners wouldn't rate Victoria...instead think StPancras, Kings Cross and Paddington.
@@alexmcwhirter6611 I'll be in St Pancras in a couple of weeks. Trying to get on the LNER to Edinburgh.
@@ryansofly That's great. Kings Cross and StPancras are adjacent and each has its fans. LNER departs Kings Cross. Keep an eye open in case of industrial action by ASLEF (train drivers' union) but under UK labour law unions must give 14 days notice. No industrial action announced at time of writing.
Sorry I missed the chat, been in Melbourne to see Cirque de Soile, and then we bought a new car. Looking forward to this.
No worries Deb! Same bunch of peeps in there... Hahahaha... What car did you get?
@@ryansofly Subaru Crosstrek
A tip for those with a Eurail/Interrail pass: you can avoid the reservation fee by taking a much earlier regional train from Milan to Lugano then connecting to this high speed train to Zurich.
Also note, you may occasionally see FS Trenitalia train sets used for these journeys, and you can board them for domestic Swiss journeys just like you would for other SBB/CFF/FFS trains.
Ah, great tips! Thanks for sharing....
Another great video Ryan, I found about a few things from watching it, shame about the polluted lakes.
Isn't it ironic for a country like Switzerland, so tranquil, so organised and having their shit together... But they cannot prevent the death of their lakes.
@@ryansoflyThat's fake news. The Lago di Lugano is perfectly suitable to swimm in on the Swiss side, because almost all of the pollution comes from the Italian side and the water in the lake flows from Switzerland to Italy. Switzerland pays the Italian communities to adress the issue, but due to corruption and general disorganisation to no avail thus far. Maybe the Swiss govt. should take care of it instead, like they ended up paying and building crucial railway infrastructure for 150M in Italy for Italy, because the italians were too paralysed to do it themselfes. As for the state of Swiss lakes and rivers in general, they are in a much better shape today than they were in the 1980's. They are far from dying. There are problems none the less, many of which are very difficult to address, such as the steep and ongoing rise in water temperature and other climat change related issues and overfertilisation.
@@adrianguggisberg3656 ah right! So can we swim at the Italian side?
@@ryansofly No, you can swim at the Swiss side and the eastern Italian end. Swimming at the southwestern knee near the Italian community Porto Ceresio is not recommended, due to untreated sewage entering the lake via the river there. However, in recent year a type of poisonous algee grew uncontrolled in several places throughout the lake because of the weather. This meant, swimming wasn't recommended at certain places and times of the year.
@@adrianguggisberg3656 thanks for the explanation... Makes sense. 🙏
When you do this train raid for the next time you probably
won't see this scenery. Because of a accident in the base
tunnel, the trains are routed through the old mountain tracks.
It is very beautiful, but takes a 1h more.
So next time you will have instead of 1:20 hours mountains
20 min of black walls.
Hahaha yes so I've been told...!
So you are lucky, because normally this train uses the 57km long Gotthard base tunnel and then you see only black instead of the beautyfull scenery but it‘s one hour faster. This was only because of the derailment of a cargo train in this tunnel, so many trains are rerouted via the old mountain line.
Yes I'm only just beginning realize that from the responses to this video! So what happens normally AFTER we exit the tunnel? We miss the Alps altogether?
@@ryansofly Yes, exactly, instead you go over the pass you go stright through the alps with up to 250 km/h.
@@rogerschuerch7768shaves an hour off the journey, tho
5:50 German, French, and Italian maintain equal status as official languages at the national level within the Federal Administration of the Swiss Confederation, while Romansh is used in dealings with people who speak it.
Ah! Got it... Thanks. 🥂
Romansh is really pretty much a dying language, spoken by probably a few ten thousand people. What's worse, it's splintered further in local dialects, some of which don't even understand each other.
In at least the Swiss side (not travelled as far as into Italy) but there was full speed mobile network the entire way along which means you can have a phone call the entire way from Zurich to Bellinzona (if not further) without any worry of drop outs or speed issues :D
Suppose with eSIM these days, mobile coverage isn't so much of an issue. I did this trip with a non eSIM equipped mobile phone so I was relying on WiFi mostly.
@@ryansoflyin my Experience, the issue is actually Cell coverage as the train wifi also uses cell service. Dunno about the Italian part, but within CH, I basically never have wifi issues on these trains as they get a good signal all the way, but soon as you cross into Germany, all bets are off as their Cell coverage is abysmal, train Wifi can’t help you there
@@genoobtlp4424 I suppose I gave up on the WiFi after a while. By the time we crossed into Switzerland, I did not even bother with it anymore simply because the scenery was so stunning.
@@ryansofly fair enough, I suppose
Another thing that I find noticeable: Germany and Switzerland are both stereotyped for being punctual to a fault yet on the former, you won't get that sense by looking at their train system given frequent delays there. Although a couple of months ago, I saw a train from Zurich heading into Milan a bit delayed.
At the end of the day, mechanical bits break down, or weather can wreak havoc. Glad to know the swiss are still humans after all! Hahahaha...
They can go 250 km/h in switzerland for sure! But actually only in Ceneri- and Gotthard-Basetunnels.
I'd love to experience that for sure!
They do it not everytime, mostly they run only more than 200 when they are delayed.
@@ryansoflyyeah, you’ll have to return in a year or so as the wreck last year destroyed 8km of concreted in tracks and the first switchover from the south, basically needing stripping down to the tunnel wall and rebuilding to sub-mm accuracy at tropical temperatures… thus, freight traffic gets priority through the remaining tunnel as they’re usually unable to reroute over the old line
Wasn't the routing through the old gotthard route due to the cargo derailment in the base tunnel which lead to it's closure? As far as I know only the golden pass express normally takes the old route.
Yes as far as I know repairs are still being done due to the derailment.
You mean the Gotthard Panorama Express, the Golden Pass Express runs between Interlaken and Montreux. But there is also a hourly InterRegio service on the old mountain line.
@@rogerschuerch7768 *facepalms* Yes indeed, I guess it's because the "Treno Gottardo" is painted in bronze-gold, while the actual golden pass express has a black/blue livery.
Hi. Just wondering, do you use credit cards at all to accumulate and collect airline points for travel? If you can share what credit card/rewards card you use to collect airline frequent flyer points? I am thinking of getting a credit card ( AMEX or hsbc) where I can accumulate airline points and use them. Any recommendations on what credit card/rewards card is the best to use? I am based in Australia by the way.😊😊
You'd be surprised.... I've been credit card free for over 12 years. My non-flying points are accumulated through the QF Cash Card, Woolies rewards, BP AM/PM servos, and the QF Wellness app. Flying points are mostly through Jetstar Max Bundle fares which gives me maximum QF points and SCs.
I've so far resisted the temptation of credit card sign up bonuses. 😏
@ryansofly1624 thanks for your reply and for providing your suggestions. I might need to decide carefully whether to buy a credit card or not. I did my research online and I saw a few credit providers that do offer free sign up bonuses for the initial year . However, i need to pay after the initial year has passed. I might look into that woolies rewards and also the jetstar one that you mentioned. Besides points, I am keen to get access to airport lounges too.
@@Worldtraveler-88 the answer is that credit cards are only lucrative if you are in the US
thank you for this video! just want to ask if you book online thru SBB website, do you have to print the ticket?
These days everything is emailed to you with a QR code. So no need to print anything out. This single ticket was booked through a 3rd party website Venice -Milan-Zurich. With the first sector done by Trenitalia, 2nd sector by SBB.
@@ryansofly thank you so much. I will be travelling the zurich to milan route too
@@claireness999 well, this route NORMALLY goes via the Gotthard tunnel at the base of the Alps so you miss the beautiful views in my video. Hopefully by the time of your trip, the tunnel is still shut.
@@ryansofly i hope so too
I have watched your videos but what is the easiest way to get around Europe at all please as some people say fly or train?
It is such a difficult question to answer. From Germany right down to Italy I'd say train would be best if you're not rushing.
@@ryansofly Its hard to know what to do as i am going from the Uk and into France first and not sure how to go around for 2 weeks if that makes sense. I would love to see Italy as that has been a dream since I was 5 years old. I am on a time limit worst luck as i go back to Canada and Usa to catch a boat back to Aussie. 12 flights and 1 cruise but i have to do it that way. Also i love your videos with you and your hubby.
@@mareelewis7639 well France is connected by train to Switzerland, which is in turn connected to Italy. I mostly prefer trains because it's city center to city center, which is so convenient.
@@ryansofly Thank you so much.
😂Looking forward to the great scenery😂😂.
Tune in now! Hahaha
Nice video,
How do you compare Swiss Rail vs Italian Rail? (I’m planning a Milan-Zurich train trip)
Punctuality is a slight problem with the Italians. BOTH my trains trips with Trenitalia were delayed. SBB trains are a lot nicer inside and quieter.
The best italian lines are the "Freccia" lines... "FrecciaBianca", "FrecciaRossa" etc. If possible, and you can afford it, take them. But punctuality can always be a bit of an issue in Italy (sometimes also a bit more). Then again, it's a LOT better today than it was 30 years ago. I've been to Italy many times over the last few years, and apart from one horrible 1.5h delay (probably due to a technical problem), all trains were usually pretty much on time.
The SBB only goes to Chur what is official German speaking.
From there the RhB (a other train company that runs 1m gauge trains)
goes to the actual Rumantsch regions. So no SBB trains goes to
Rumantsch speaking town.
The actual reason is, Rumatsch was not a official language when
SBB was found and the Rumatsch speaker are a very small minority.
Thanks for the explanation! 😃
OMG
Hello Ryan, must be one of your best rail vlogs to date. Yes SBB is a no nonsense operation ... one need only check the simplicity and speed of its website to see what I mean. Your train must have taken the classic route via Gotthard. I say that because if you had taken the modern Gotthard base Tunnel it would have been faster. Routing via the classic Gotthard Tunnel and Pass is far more scenic and the rail line ascends in a spiral so, if you know where to look, it's possible to see the same line you has used a few mins ago ! Two other TransAlpine routes to sample (each taking a different routing) would be Milan-Geneva and Paris-Turin-Milan. Note that the latter through route is currently shut because of a landslide (replacement buses are in operation) but when reopened the line is served by Trenitalia in addition to SNCF.
This was the MOST anticipated part of my trip because I knew it was trans Alpine. I was so excited on that day I swear I almost fainted. Hahaha... Still, glad I did it and I hope for more in the future.
The reason he took the classic route and not the Gothard base tunnel is because a freight train derailed there a couple months ago. The repairs are still ungoing. The reason was that something was wrong with one of the carriges on the freight train. I think right now only partial service of that route is possible and sometimes its completely shut off
@@eliteiel9747 Indeed. I didn't want to write a lengthy explanation. Likewise the main route Paris-Turin has been blocked by a landslide since last year. It is not expected to reopen until Autumn 2024. Thanks for explaining the Gotthard situation.
The romanic (Rumantsch) abreviation of the name of the Swiss Federal Railways is not added after the three abreviation in German, French and Italian (SBB CFF FFS) because the area of Switzerland where people speak the fourth language (Rumantsch) has its own railway system. Narrow gauge 1 meter tracks. Very scenic routes, also cross-border from Switzerland to Italy. There the names and also the PA announcements are in that language.
Thank you! Wish I got to hear the language in person. Cheers!
@@ryansofly There are YT videos around with people speaking that (dying) language: th-cam.com/video/n7fJBUH1JCE/w-d-xo.html
Hello Ryan
A really nice footage - congrats !
Sorry about your experience with swiss "cleanliness"(food, lakes, seat recline, self service ;) . Keeping in mind you origning from Singapore I just have to mention this one :
The city of Lausanne - along with a few others - introduced some rather rigid Singapore-like behavour rules .
Nowadays it's prohibited and sanctioned by steep fines to spit/tinkle even darkest corner of a park - considering this beeing also a public space ...
I mean - hardly nobody ever was spitting onto to middle of a pedestrian walk or peeing on walls instead of trunks in (dark) hidden corners/parks ...
Sorry for not executing an appropriate stop-over on my flight MEL-SIN-LHR-GVA in April'00. There was this nasty foot-and-mouth desease around at that time and after half a year I really missed the animals on my uncles farm back home, so I just didn't bother .
Btw: I have pleasant memories too about Adelaide with its fancy O-Bahn Busway and the tasty nearby vineyards )
Isn't it ironic? I grew up in Singapore throughout the 70s and 80s and the government aspired to propel the island towards the "Swiss standard of living" by year 2000. After visiting Switzerland, I can understand why. It's so clean, organised and efficient! And yes, it's fascinating how some parts of Schweiz is now adopting Singapore like rules to maintain social order. Who knew?! Haha...
@@ryansofly Wow - that's intesting - didn't knew that yet )
Singapore - beeing this rather small country in faraway Asia with much less tourists in Switzerland as for example Japan for decades ... they used to praise in German "saubel aber teuel" ))) (caused by the "intolerance" for "r" or also lactose(fondue, raclette etc)
Nowadays it's our railway managers getting inspired by Japenese transport efficiency ...
I guess, that's what can be called a nice global intercultural ping-pong ...
@@The0070049 I suppose "saubel aber teuel" can be used for Singapore as well. Clean efficient organized but everything is so sterile and lacks a deeper spirit.
@@ryansofly Indeed ...
I had a very genuine overnight Greyhound bus trip from Port Augusta to Coober Pedy in the middle of a well pikled bunch of Aboriginals - whew ...
Apple sauce in the macaroni 😂😂
Hahaha clearly it wasn't meant to be eaten together like that?
@@ryansofly I never heard about it, this apple sauce or appelmoes is also very famous in The Netherlands and they eat it as a side dish. It taste really good when you eat it with certain veggies and potatoes or with chicken. Kids love it.
@@frankhermans7511 it would've tasted heavenly with pork chops.
@@ryansofly swiss here, it actually is meant to be eaten togehter! "Gehacktes und Hörnli" is basically a national dish here in Switzerland. As you said it's nothing special in terms of taste but it's a staple food in every household. it's minced meat, with salt, pepper, paprika powder, onions, garlic and flour to thicken the sauce. Then you can add some vegetables if you want. Switzerland compared to other european nations was the most part of its history very poor and never developed a sophisticated cuisine like in France which has it's origin in the cycles of nobility. And we never had the mediterian climate to grow a variety of ingrediants like in italy. so we sticked with melting cheese and chopping onions 😂.
@@ryansofly meant together try it in kanton appenzeller
As a Swiss I don't blame you for not liking ghackets with hörnli. Especially on a train. It is kind of boring food.
After the train, I thankfully did enjoy my other meals in Zürich a lot better. I always believe in trying local dishes of the country I'm visiting. 😏
@@ryansofly I tend to agree as a Swiss also, Ghackets mit Hörnli is the staple food served to kids in ski camps: Cheap, nourishing and bland (so no one will really love it, but not really refuse it either). Glad you got to taste some better Swiss food also. The cheese served along with it is not Parmigiano though, it's Sbrinz, a hard cheese that predates Parmigiano and is also a bit less salty and tasty, but originally Swiss.
me on this train a month ago
Awesome dude... Did you enjoy it?
@@ryansofly yeah very much, travelled both in 2nd and 1st class
Switzerland’s similarity with Singapore is reflected in many ways. Languages is one of them. Leaving Romansch out in Switzerland reminds us of how Tamil appears left out in Singapore.
On the contrary, because Tamil is an official language in Singapore... Its found in written form in many parts of Singapore. It's even on the SGD note, and tourists from Tamil Nadu in Southern India have been known to frame up the SGD money because there isn't any Tamil found on Indian Rupees notes.
There are also Tamil radio stations, and the local TV station Vasantham Central is Tamil.
“Switzerland”s Best” is misleading imo…
The “best” is the whole public transport system - from 🚠 to 🚌 or 🚢 including 🚂 and 🚋 all included.
Swimming in the upper basin of the Lago di Lugano is possible- when you get closer to the Italian border it is critical…
The Zugersee has a flow-out !
And the mediocre water quality is due to intense farming- but on a good way…
Hahahaha well it IS Switzerland's best. No?
In fact, Switzerland has only 3 official languages: German, French & Italian. That's why the SBB logo is only in 3 languages. Same for most public services in Switzerland, and for most of the federal administration.
Romansh is "only" a national language, meaning it is recognized as a language spoken, but it's not an "official" language (in which everything must be translated at the federal level), and therefore is absent from the SBB logo.
Right... That makes sense, I suppose. Thanks! 🙏
Also SBB doesn‘t operating in any rumantsch speaking region. This regions are served by the Rhaetian Railway, famous for the Bernina Express and part of the Glacier Express.
@@rogerschuerch7768 that makes sense as well...
Only dirty minded people will know what FFS would mean 😏
@@ABTrainsYT 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣