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Centovalli Railway and The William Tell Express.

Centovalli Railway

Locarno-St. Maria Maggiori-Domodossola

The most beautiful and at the same time shortest connection between Lake Maggiore, French-speaking Switzerland and the capital Bern runs through the magical "Hundred Valleys," the Centovalli.

The ride is in panoramic cars from Locarno to Domodossola along deep gorges and ravines with tumbling, silvery waterfalls, over flowering meadows and awesome bridges, through vineyards, chestnut forests and picturesque villages. Unspoiled landscapes and lush vegetation change their appearance in the course of the seasons and make this journey an unforgettable experience.

The Centovalli Railway runs all year and offers 1st and 2nd class coaches, and panoramic coaches.

  • Eurailtickets, Eurailpass, Europass are accepted on Centovalli railway trains
  • No supplement required
  • Carry frontier documents

The William Tell Express

Lucerne-Flüelen-St. Gotthard-Locarno/Lugano

The William Tell Express links German-speaking Central Switzerland with Italian-speaking, Mediterranean-like Ticino.

The tour starts from Lucerne, boarding a nostalgic paddle steamer for a three-hour cruise on Lake Lucerne enjoying a gourmet meal in the first-class restaurant. At Flüelen, passengers board air-conditioned first class panoramic coaches (2nd class also available) to travel through the steep ravines and precipitous cliffs of the Reuss Valley, passing through the 15 km (9 miles) long historic Gotthard railway tunnel, Europe's most important north/south gateway. On the south side, many breathtaking bridges are crossed, passing charming villages down the valley towards Lugano or Locarno

Reservations are compulsory and include seats on the boat and the train, the Swiss lunch as well as a detailed journey documentation and a William-Tell souvenir.

  • Eurailtickets, Eurailpass, Europass and Swiss Passes are accepted
  • A supplement ($47) is required for lunch on the boat, documentation and the souvenir
  • William-Tell-Express operates from May to October only

Railpass Sale

The Eurail Saver Flexipass has been discounted 50% from $634 to $317 per person for 10 days unlimited first-class travel throughout the 17 Eurail countries. The 15-day pass has been discounted from $836 to $418 per person. The Flexipass requires that two to five persons travel together at all times.

Travel cannot begin until September 16 and must be completed by December 15, 1998. Contact: 800-521-6722.

(U.S. Dollar prices quoted in this issue of Gemütlichkeit may be inaccurate for these reasons:

Prices in local currency have not been updated since the date of publication of this newsletter, and...

The dollar prices shown were obtained by using exchange rates in effect at the time of publication.)

August 1998