The Gotthard Panorama Express
Published 11 September 2025
This first-class service to operate daily from 18 April to 18 October 2026
The Gotthard Panorama Express is a unique combination of lake steamer and first-class train that takes you from Lucerne in Central Switzerland, right at the historic heart of Switzerland and renowned for its tales of William Tell, through the Gotthard pass and to the southern Swiss region of Ticino and the lakeside town of Lugano, Italian-speaking and surrounded by luxuriant vegetation.
As you journey from Lucerne to Lugano, or vice versa, you receive information about the sites and the route; enjoy the scenery from the photography coach with its windows that open; learn about the construction of the Gotthard Railway from the presentations along the way; marvel at the unique tunnels and bridges from the lakeside station of Flüelen all the way to the Ticino.
The timetable is as follows
The motor boat from Lucerne to Flüelen leaves daily at 11.12 stopping at Vitznau and Brunnen. You reach Flüelen at 13.55 and connect to the train which leaves at 14.09. It stops just in Bellinzona before reaching Lugano at 16.41.
From Lugano you leave at 09.18 and reach Flüelen at 11.35. Board the boat that departs at 12.00 and then you reach Lucerne at 14.47.
The train is only first class. If you have a second-class Swiss rail pass for the rest of the holiday, we will include an upgrade for this train and a seat reservation.
Here is a description of the route
From Lucerne, board the boat and begin your trip across the length of Lake Lucerne. Following the curve of the lake, the boat takes you to Vitznau. Crowned by a chateau-esque waterside hotel, this tiny port village welcomes visitors with a cog railway and a Roman Catholic Church with an unusual clock tower. Then, the boat will take you through the narrow neck of Lake Lucerne to Brunnen, a bustling town, with tall townhouses that sit right on the waterfront, each with traditional brown roofs and large dormer windows that look out across the Alpine panoramas. After Brunnen, you each Rütli, the first site that holds particular reference to the legend of Wilhelm Tell and where the four cantons swore their Oath of Eternal Alliance in 1291 and thus founded Switzerland. Board the train to Lugano in Flüelen to begin the ‘Express’ part of your journey. From Flüelen, the railway track runs along the Reuss River, as the landscape opens out onto a wide, flat plain, surrounded by jagged mountains that rise abruptly from the verdant ground. After a longer stretch, the terrain becomes more typically Alpine, as the tracks gain altitude and the mountains close in on either side. Chocolate box villages dot the hillsides, linked by winding tracks. Solitary houses perch on top of jutting rocks and the views become even more rurally picturesque. As you pass through Wassen, notice the hilltop church, visible at three different points as you navigate the Gotthard loop tunnels. A complex network of roads and railway tracks marks Göschenen out as a prominent junction in the area; routes weave back on themselves and viaducts and tunnels allow the train to cross and re-cross the Reuss as it crashes into the smooth rocks that mark its course. You then pass through the Gotthard Tunnel. Immediately on your right as you emerge are the deep blue waters of the River Ticino, caught in a pool before a small dam. The train continues to follow the river here, passing intermittently through the outskirts of the mountainside forest. From Airolo to Biasca, the train passes through the Leventina valley. Waterfalls, winding streams, and historic chalets are hidden between the rocks, forests, and mountains. The River Ticino is met by the Cascata Piumogna before it resumes its turbulent path along the valley. The Express then passes through Biasca, a larger, but sparser town that has stretched to fill the hollow where two valleys meet. Then, the train stops in Bellinzona, Switzerland’s most Italianate town. Here, the ramparts of the castle, perched on a rocky bluff, run alongside vineyards. Each detail of this monument has been carefully maintained, with lush grass carpeting the fortified castle wall walkways. Bellinzona is home to three of Switzerland’s best-preserved medieval castles, which come together to make up a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The route from Bellinzona to Lugano takes you past Monte Tamaro, a 1962m peak situated on the land between Lake Maggiore and Lugano that is famous for the Santa Maria degli Angeli Church, designed by Mario Botta, and the ridge hike leading up to it from Monte Lema. Arrive in Lugano.
Our holidays that feature the Gotthard Panorama Express
