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Railroad to Andermatt

  • Writer: Martin Hesp
    Martin Hesp
  • Dec 5, 2020
  • 1 min read

Updated: 37 minutes ago

In 2017 I was fortunate to be invited by Swiss Tourism on a trip up to Andermatt high in the Alps. It’s a hell of a rail journey up there….

Matterhorn Gotthard Bahn red train climbing the steep alpine tracks through the Urseren Valley towards Andermatt
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Matterhorn Gotthard Bahn red train climbing the steep alpine tracks through the Urseren Valley towards Andermatt
Panoramic view of the rugged mountain landscapes and railway bridges near the Oberalp Pass and Andermatt.

The line up to Andermatt from Goschenen runs up a tight narrow rocky gorge. I Later walked down some of its length to take these photos…

Panoramic view of the rugged mountain landscapes and railway bridges near the Oberalp Pass and Andermatt.
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Andermatt railway station showcasing modern Swiss transport hubs nestled among traditional alpine chalets.
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I was joined on the press trip by Briony Key, Chris Page, Bryn Layton, the inimitable Rupert Parker and Harry White (Switzerland Tourism) - and we stayed at the cosy Hotel Schlüssel up in the high town at the top of the rail-head.

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What I remember is that after that walk down the gorge we went back up to town where we ate marmot meat in one of the restaurants. It was fantastic - a bit rich but wonderful on a cold day. And it was one of the only restaurants in the whole of Europe that serves the meat. Somewhere I have an article I wrote all about it - and I’ll try to find it to add to this post. I’ll also put up a post recalling an adventure we had to the high alps to stay in a mountain hut were we were snowed in by a blizzard - and where I learned to make some Swiss specialities in the little mountain restaurant kitchen.

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Rail bridge near Andermatt, Switzerland

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