Portfolio - Special Edition Switzerland

49 Special Edition Switzerland Bunk down in style across the country at these cosy accommodations. HOTEL CONTINENTAL PARK , opposite Lucerne train station, is walkable to the Old Town. continental.ch; $150 EUROPE HOTEL AND SPA offers cosy refurbed rooms with Matterhorn views. europe-zermatt.ch ; $240 HOTEL STEFFANI IN ST MORITZ city centre has a spacious spa and rustic tavern. steffani.ch; $207 HOTEL LUGANODANTE is adjacent to Lugano’s funicular station and walkable to shops and markets. luganodante.com ; $250 VILLA HONEGG , which overlooks Lake Lucerne, boasts 23 rooms and an awe- inspiring infinity pool. villa-honegg.ch ; $579 BÜRGENSTOCK , perched above Lake Lucerne, is home to Central Switzerland’s largest spa. buergenstock.ch; $350 THE VIEW AT LUGANO features 18 rooms, cashmere throws, and deep- soaking tubs. theviewlugano.com ; $800 PLACES TO PAUSE The car’s champagne gold exteriors, quilted velvet green seats, brass fittings, and bevelled opal windows conjure up mystery and glamour and recall a golden era of train travel. And it bypasses some glamorous spots; the Dents du Midi, Chamby, where Ernest Hemingway lived and eventually crosses the röstigraben, the linguistic divide separating French- speaking Switzerland to Swiss German- speaking. Gstaad itself is the epitome of power powder. The quaint but moneyed ski resort has all the charm of an alpine village with a whopping dollop of glamour (read: cosy chalets converted to Ralph Lauren and Cartier shops). It also has a decidedly French flair, despite being located in Swiss German-speaking side. Nationalities and languages aside, Gstaad’s historic docket of celebrity visitors reads like the list of a fabled epic Oscar party including Monaco’s Prince Rainier, Grace Kelly, Richard Burton, Liz Taylor, Michael Jackson, Audrey Hepburn. Most recently, it’s seen contemporary notables like American actress Anne Hathaway fashion icon Valentino who bought a chalet here in 2014. From Gstaad, tourists and outdoor sports enthusiasts flock to Glacier 3000, a more than 3000 metre-high snow park complex that includes a rollercoaster, numerous toboggan runs, a Bavarian curling centre, dog-sledging runs, and romantic winter sleigh rides. There’s also an upgraded Snowpark, beloved by skiers and freestylers and featuring line jumps, rails and a massive launch called Big Air, designed by French professional snowboarder Arnaud Kugener. RHÄETISCHE BAHN By far, my favourite train in Switzerland is not a tourist train at all, but a regular passenger train that happens to be Unesco inscribed. The aforementioned Rhäetische Bahn where I counted chess rooks and pondered kings and queens and pawns of yore encompasses several incredibly scenic lines across Switzerland’s rugged and remote Graubünden, the nation’s largest canton lauded for its diamond dust skies and chic après-ski areas like St Moritz, Davos, and Klosters. Heading south from the medieval town of Tiefencastel, the train snakes around a few wooded valleys and hugs one final curve and before dramatically leaping out over the 213-foot high, six-arch Landwasser Viaduct, before seamlessly streaming into a cliffside tunnel. It feels almost cartoon-like during the suspended moment when the train glides across high above the aquamarine Landwasser River below. If the apex of rail design looks especially old, that’s because it’s over a century old and was built of local limestone in 1901. Be sure to sit in the front or the last car (right side if you’re southbound; left side if you’re northbound) to get the best photos of it. It’s especially lovely in winter, with the red train contrasting against the snow. But it’s just as beautiful in autumn’s orange coat or summer and spring’s green glory. The crossing only lasts less than 30 seconds, but it’s as edifying as any thrill ride. Another favourite segment — and arguably the least travelled of the entire Rhäetian Railway — is the six-kilometre, 2.5-hour Bernina line from St Moritz to Tirano, Italy. The famous Bernina Express climbs past fragrant evergreen valleys before cresting 2,250 metres at Switzerland’s blue glacier-choked Bernina Pass and frosty Lago Bianco. The descent into Italy crosses several thresholds. While coming down, it passes Brusio’s nine-arched spiral viaduct, forcing the train to coil like a wurstschnecke (spiral- shaped sausage) and eventually empties into Switzerland’s sunny, Italian-speaking Val Poschiavo and finally passes through the Scala tunnel before unceremoniously emerging in Italy, and connecting these disparate cultures in a way that has forever changed the chessboard. If there’s a more contrasting border crossing in Europe, then I don’t know where it is.